The Messiah & The God-Emperor of Zurich: a review of Kim Stanley Robinson's "The Ministry for the Future"

As someone deeply interested in Solarpunk and climate fiction in general, I encountered a lot of recommendations of "The Ministry For The Future" by the esteemed science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson (later: KSR). The endorsements came from activists, academics, writers and game designers, programmers and climate entrepreneurs: everyone around me seemed to be impressed with the book. It is said to draw a comprehensive, grim, realistic, and yet still optimistic trajectory of our civilization towards a better, sustainable future past the Climate Catastrophe. The author consulted it with over 40 scientists, activists, and conservationists who made sure that "The Ministry…" presented us with a grounded vision. I started reading it deeply intrigued and hopeful, impressed by the scale and scope of the book, stunned by the rawness of the first chapters. However, as I turned the pages, I quickly stopped in my tracks: I realized that "The Ministry…" is very different to what I assumed it is, to what my friends described when recommending it to me. I struggled to continue, clenching my teeth …