<span class="SFPTagline"> From SCIFIPEDIA </span>

Although Kim Stanley Robinson (1952–) began selling short stories during the 1970s, he hit his stride in the early 1980s with stories like "Black Air" (1983), which won the World Fantasy Award, and "Stone Eggs" (1983). Interest in his work grew dramatically with the publication of his first novel, The Wild Shore (1984), the first of what would become known as the Pacific or Orange County trilogy, three very different novels all set on the West Coast following a nuclear confrontation and the collapse of contemporary civilization. The protagonist of the first novel is one of those who wish to see the United States restored to its former position of world dominance, although his efforts lead him to a greater understanding of patriotism and humility.

The Gold Coast (1988) examines a different aspect of the recovery effort, as a variety of ecological and political problems escalate and threaten the stability of the survivors. Pacific Edge (1990) describes the evolution into a more stable society, balancing progress with the preservation of the natural world, although even in this near–Utopian society, problems remain. Robinson would later write a second trilogy, much more ambitious and sophisticated, examining many of the same issues but moving the setting to the human colonization of Mars. Red Mars (1992), Green Mars (1994), and Blue Mars (1996) comprise a history of that process, opening with the conflict between those who wish to terraform the planet aggressively and those who wish to preserve it in its natural state. The second volume looks at the growing political and social pressure as the process advances, but not quickly enough for some people, and the final book tells of the confrontation with Earth, which wishes to send hordes of new colonists once the process is complete. The first volume won the Nebula and the other two won Hugos.

Robinson's recent novels have been even more impressive than his earlier successes. The Years of Rice and Salt (2002) is set in an alternate history in which the Black Plague virtually wiped out Christian Europe, which was subsequently settled by Islamic and Asian peoples. Forty Signs of Rain (2004) is a rather depressing look at a plausible future in which the US government is so short-sighted about environmental problems that they accept the permanent flooding of some portions of the East Coast.

Robinson's other novels are less distinguished, but are still among the best SF novels published during the 1990s. His novella "The Blind Geometer" (1987) won a Nebula, and another, "A Short Sharp Shock" (1990) is also outstanding. His short fiction appears sporadically and is always finely crafted. Robinson's Ph.D. thesis was subsequently published in book form as The Novels of Philip K. Dick (1984).