| Synopsis
|
It
is the fourteenth
century and one of
the most
apocalyptic events
in human history
is set to occur -
the coming of the
Black Death.
History teaches us
that a third of
Europe's
population was
destroyed.
But what if the
plague had killed
99 per cent of the
population
instead? How
would the world
have
changed?
This is a look at
the history that
could have been -
one that stretches
across centuries,
sees dynasties and
nations rise and
crumble, and spans
horrible famine
and magnificent
innovation.
Through the
eyes of soldiers
and kings,
explorers and
philosophers,
slaves and
scholars, Robinson
navigates a world
where Buddhism and
Islam are the most
influential and
practiced
religions, while
Christianity is
merely a
historical
footnote.
Probing the most
profound
questions,
Robinson shines
his extraordinary
light on the place
of religion,
culture, power -
and even love - in
this bold New
World.
|
| Review
|
The
first great
science fiction
novel of the 21st
century ....
Presciently
written well
before the
so-called war on
terrororism, The
Years of Rice and
Salt has much
to teach a
post-Sep. 11
America - about
Islam and history,
but also about the
ethics that might
allow us to
survive the
contradictions
created by our
technology
... There's
entertainment and
even comfort in The
Years of Rice and
Salt, but this
is not a work of
art that flatters
its readers or
offers them an
easy escape from
reality. It
asks each of us to
challenge
exploitation and
injustice, to
question what we
believe and the
way we live.
San
Francisco Bay
Guardian |
