Kim Stanley Robinson‘s The Years of Rice and Salt is alternate history science fiction novel but different from the typical Harry Turtledove/Eric Flint books. While the normal changed event is something in America’s (or at least Europe’s) past Robinson bases his story on the idea that the Black Death kills 99+% of the people in Europe. In reality the plague, which originated in Asia and was transmitted into Europe from the Mongolian Empire’s commerce system, only killed about 30% of the inhabitants.
The author also uses the Asian conception of reincarnation as a core factor, with time on Earth intended to follow the Buddhist path to nirvana. Interludes between lives are spent in the Bardo and souls are each part of a jati, or family, which are reincarnated together and then meet up in the Bardo to evaluate the previous life. The deities who control existence require everyone to drink a forgetting potion just prior to rebirth.
The jati which is the focus of the story has three main members, with a couple of others in much smaller roles. Their personalities are consistent while names change each lifetime (but always start with B, K and I) and I’m guessing each of the three represents an archetype. B is (almost) always the peacemaker and facilitator, K is aggressive and a leader, and I is inquisitive, a scientist; sometimes they’re men, sometimes women, sometimes a mix.
The novel begins just after the Black Death makes its final pass through Europe. In this life B is a trusted lieutenant of Tamerlane (Temur the Lame) and encounters the vast emptiness while scouting the next battle, in or near Hungary. He soon ‘meets’ K, who is a 10 year old African taken as a slave by the Arab traders who already have him.
Robinson moves the group around, through China, India, Iran, Firanja (Islamic Europe, resettled 100 years after the plague) and a North America where the native tribes weren’t conquered by Europeans and were able to largely fight off the Chinese and Muslim invasions of the West and East coasts respectively.
He covers the 600 years or so from the time of the plague until today–this is no shortshrifted or puffed up book but a solid, dense 700 pager. In his history the major powers are a consistently authoritarian China and a fractious, but much larger territorially, Dar es Islam, with a small but smart South Indian league taking a significant role. Robinson consistently picks interesting spots to set down the jati; generally close to, but rarely in, positions of power.
definitely recommended
Bonus Links
Years of Rice and Salt: Trivia and Study Guide
Years of Rice and Salt: Timeline
BillSaysThis 