I read Kim’s Mars trilogy years ago and liked it. I decided to pick up The Ministry of the Future a couple days ago. It’s very different, and without any spoilers, I have to say it’s made me hate humanity even more than I already did. If you haven’t read it, it’s a near-future climate disaster book. Well written, interesting structure, and just pissing me off. I’m about halfway through it, so maybe it’ll swing the other way in the second half.
I’m not sure I entirely agree, but I am sympathetic. It really is an entire book about why one sci-fi trope is a bad idea. There’s an almost eye-rolling meta-text that he’s done with any traditional notions of space travel and heroic explorers, and that it’s time to turn our eyes and brains to earth.
Now, I think I was okay with seeing that story play out, and I do appreciate any author who can hold my attentiona during info-dumps (Hello there, Neal Stephenson) but there was certainly an element of Wagons East! in the book, but not enough John Candy and Richard Lewis.