The Blind Spot Podcast Episode 19: A Conversation with Kim Stanley Robinson
Jan 28, 2026
Kim Stanley Robinson, award-winning sci-fi author known for climate fiction and the Mars trilogy, joins to wander wide. He talks about imagining new futures, writing craft, and why climate storytelling matters. Conversations touch on space travel and colonization, geopolitical and energy shifts, AI and technology critiques, and how fiction helps us rethink our collective future.
56:29
Fiction As A Vehicle For Plausible Futures
- Kim Stanley Robinson treats climate fiction as a way to show people plausible lived futures, not apocalypse porn.
- He balances narrative entertainment with clear exposition to make mitigation strategies believable.
Comedy Of Coping In New York 2140
- New York 2140 was written as a "comedy of coping" exploring life amid massive sea-level rise in Manhattan.
- Robinson later felt it risked underplaying real dangers, so he revisited the topic more directly.
Mixing Story With Explanation
- Ministry for the Future intentionally mixes novel storytelling with nonfiction sections to explain mechanisms.
- That hybrid made the book resonate and offered readers a believable pathway to climate solutions.
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Intro
00:00 • 2min
Stan's Background and Early Connection
01:54 • 51sec
Shaman, Imagination, and Revisiting the Past
02:45 • 36sec
Climate Fiction: Purpose and Evolution
03:21 • 2min
New York 2140 as Comedy of Coping
04:57 • 48sec
Why He Wrote Ministry for the Future
05:45 • 2min
Reader Co-creation and Emotional Impact
07:52 • 4min
Character Creation and Revision Process
11:42 • 3min
SF Ideas vs. Novelistic Virtues
14:31 • 2min
Emotional Loss at Finishing Novels
16:06 • 1min
Linking Climate Ideas to Specific Stories
17:28 • 5min
Reception and Limits of New York 2140
22:31 • 1min
Ministry's Opening Shock and Purpose
23:33 • 4min
Long View: Hard Centuries but Not Extinction
28:02 • 6min
Geopolitics, China, and Energy Transition
33:52 • 4min
AI, Data Centers, and Weaponization Concerns
37:59 • 2min
Tech Bros, Wealth, and Moral Lessons
39:53 • 3min
Mars Trilogy and Solar System Focus
42:38 • 3min
Living Off Earth and Health Limits
45:18 • 3min
Is Space Fantasy Dangerous?
48:11 • 4min
Science Fiction's Lessons Misread by Founders
52:29 • 3min
Closing Thoughts and Invitation to Return
55:31 • 28sec
Outro
56:00 • 10sec
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Green mars
Kim Stanley Robinson
Ron Walotsky
Pamela Sargent
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Justice Is an Option
Robert Meister
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Through a Distant Mirror
A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century
Barbara W. Tuchman
Barbara Tuchman's 'Through a Distant Mirror' examines the 14th century, a period marked by war, plague, and social upheaval.
Tuchman uses the life of French nobleman Enguerrand de Coucy VII as a lens to explore the era's political, social, and cultural landscape.
The book delves into the Hundred Years' War, the Black Death, and the decline of feudalism.
Tuchman's detailed research and vivid prose bring the medieval world to life, revealing both its brutality and its moments of grandeur.
It is a compelling exploration of a turbulent and transformative period in history.
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Galileo's Dream
Kim Stanley Robinson
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Green Earth
Kim Stanley Robinson
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Red moon
Benjamin Percy
#7975
• Mentioned in 6 episodes
New York 2140
Kim Stanley Robinson
Manuel Mata
New York 2140 is set in a future New York City that has been drastically altered by climate change.
The city has experienced a significant rise in sea levels, flooding much of Manhattan and transforming it into a 'Super Venice.
' The novel follows the lives of multiple characters living in the MetLife Tower, which has been adapted to withstand the flooding.
It delves into themes of economic and social change, critiquing capitalism and unregulated financial systems while highlighting the resilience and adaptability of the city's inhabitants.
The story involves various plotlines, including a search for missing residents, attempts to reform the global financial system, and the struggle for housing and resources in a post-climate catastrophe world.
#70520
Antarctica
Gabrielle Walker
This book offers a multifaceted narrative of Antarctica, weaving together its fascinating history, cutting-edge science, and the experiences of those who live and work there.
It highlights the continent's unique wildlife, its role in understanding Earth's climate history, and the challenges posed by global warming.
Walker's account is both a personal journey and a scientific exploration, capturing the essence of this mysterious continent.
#4839
• Mentioned in 9 episodes
Red Mars
Kim Stanley Robinson
Manuel Figueroa
#23
• Mentioned in 320 episodes
The big short
Inside the Doomsday Machine
Michael Lewis
The Big Short tells the story of the 2007-08 financial crisis through the lens of several key players who predicted and profited from the collapse of the housing market.
The book focuses on characters such as Steve Eisman, Mike Burry, Greg Lippmann, and the founders of Cornwall Capital, who saw the impending disaster and made significant gains by shorting the market.
Lewis explains the complex financial instruments and the systemic failures that led to the crisis, making the narrative both accessible and engaging.
#7266
• Mentioned in 6 episodes
Aurora
Kim Stanley Robinson
Aurora tells the story of a starship launched in 2545, carrying two thousand of Earth's best and brightest to the Tau Ceti system, a journey that spans over 150 years.
The narrative is uniquely told from the perspective of the ship itself, which has developed an intelligent and self-aware AI. The story follows Freya, the daughter of the ship's Chief Engineer, Devi, and explores the lives of the people aboard the ship as it approaches its destination.
The novel delves into themes of survival, purpose, and the challenges posed by generations of humans living in space, including the failure of the colonization effort and the subsequent conflicts among the ship's inhabitants.
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Blue Mars
Kim Stanley Robinson
Blue Mars follows the continued terraforming of Mars, transforming it from a desolate world into a green and verdant planet where humans can flourish.
The novel explores the struggles between the Reds, who want to preserve Mars in its desert state, and the Green 'terraformers.
' As Earth faces overpopulation and ecological disasters, Mars becomes a crucial hope for humanity.
The story spans a century, involving the development of new social systems, advanced technologies, and the evolution of Martian governance.
It concludes the epic saga of the Mars trilogy with themes of peace, cooperation, and the future of humanity.
#45
• Mentioned in 240 episodes
Moby Dick
Herman Melville
Moby-Dick is a novel that tells the story of Captain Ahab's maniacal quest for revenge against Moby Dick, the giant white sperm whale that bit off his leg.
Narrated by Ishmael, the story follows the crew of the whaling ship Pequod as they embark on a journey that explores themes of obsession, man vs.
nature, and the existential questions of good and evil.
The novel is rich in detailed descriptions of whale hunting and life aboard a culturally diverse crew, and it has become a cornerstone of American and world literature.
#430
• Mentioned in 62 episodes
The Ministry for the Future
Kim Stanley Robinson
The Ministry for the Future is a novel by Kim Stanley Robinson that delves into the urgent issue of climate change.
Set in the near future, the story follows the establishment of a UN agency, the Ministry for the Future, whose mission is to advocate for the rights of future generations.
The novel is told through multiple perspectives, including those of Mary Murphy, the head of the Ministry, and Frank May, an American aid worker who survives a devastating heat wave in India.
The book explores various innovative solutions to climate change, such as the introduction of a new currency called 'carboni' to incentivize decarbonization, and it presents a hopeful yet realistic vision of how humanity might cooperate to mitigate the effects of climate change.
The narrative includes a mix of fictional eyewitness accounts, non-fiction descriptions, and diverse writing styles, reflecting the complexity and urgency of the climate crisis.
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Shaman
Robert Shea
EN: A Conversation with Kim Stanley Robinson
In this episode Adam and Marcelo talk to best-selling scifi author Kim Stanley Robinson, author of The Ministry of the Future, the Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars series, New York 2140, and many other books. The amazing conversation ranged widely, from imagining new futures to the craft of writing fiction, to space travel and colonization, ETs, and rethinking our collective future on this planet.
PT:
Uma Conversa com Kim Stanley Robinson
Neste episódio, Adam e Marcelo conversam com o escritor de ficção científica best-seller Kim Stanley Robinson, autor de The Ministry of the Future, da trilogia Marte Vermelho, Marte Verde e Marte Azul, New York 2140 e muitos outros livros. A conversa percorre uma ampla gama de temas: da imaginação de futuros possíveis ao ofício da escrita de ficção, passando por viagens espaciais e colonização, vida extraterrestre e a necessidade de repensarmos coletivamente o futuro do nosso planeta.