2312 (novel)

2312

Industry	Publishing
Founded	2012
Founder	Kim Stanley Robinson
Products	Novel

2312 is a hard science fiction work authored by American writer Kim Stanley Robinson, released in 2012. The narrative unfolds in the year 2312, depicting a civilization that has spread throughout the Solar System. This novel received the 2013 Nebula Award for Best Novel.

Plot summary

The story is set in Terminator, a city on Mercury constructed on enormous tracks designed to keep it within the planet’s livable zone. The protagonist, Swan Er Hong, is an artist and former designer of asteroid terrariums. She is grieving the unexpected passing of her prominent step-grandmother, Alex. Following the funeral, Swan participates in a gathering involving Alex’s relatives and colleagues, including Fitz Wahram from Titan and Jean Genette, a law enforcement officer who has been exiled from Mars. Swan later travels to Io to visit Wang, a close associate of Alex and creator of one of the largest quantum computers known as qubes.

During her stay, an attempted assault is thwarted; however, Terminator soon faces devastation when an artificial meteorite collides with its tracks, causing severe damage and exposing the city to deadly solar radiation. As Swan journeys onward, she unravels secrets connected to her grandmother’s death and the attack on Terminator. Alongside Wahram and Genette, she probes conspiracies that stretch across the Solar System.

Inspector Genette uncovers that the meteorite was assembled from numerous smaller objects launched to converge above Mercury at low altitude, cleverly bypassing planetary defenses. The operation’s sophistication suggests reliance on quantum computing technology.

Meanwhile, Swan and Wahram collaborate on efforts to rehabilitate Earth’s environment by reintroducing thousands of species from orbital habitats back into their original ecosystems. Their professional relationship evolves into romance, culminating in marriage by the conclusion of the story.

Characters

• Swan Er Hong – artist and former designer of asteroid terrariums
• Fitz Wahram – diplomatic representative from Titan
• Jean Genette – close acquaintance of Alex and police inspector
• Alex – influential scientist and diplomat who has passed away; Swan’s step-grandmother
• Mqaret – scientist and partner of Alex
• Kiran – a young boy from Earth who rescues Swan; rewarded with employment off-planet

Science and technology

The narrative portrays human settlements on Mercury, Venus, Mars, as well as moons orbiting Saturn and Jupiter, with colonization extending across all inhabitable locations within the Solar System. Significant asteroids have been hollowed out into "terrariums" containing artificial ecosystems supporting plant and animal life alongside transportation infrastructure. Some of these terrariums experience catastrophic failures due to technical malfunctions.

Technological progress depicted includes human augmentation, space colonization initiatives, and planetary terraforming projects. Central to these advancements is the qube, a compact quantum computer featuring artificial intelligence capabilities that users often implant or wear as personal devices. These qubes are gradually supplanting conventional digital AI systems.

The economic framework resembles a planned economy modeled after the Mondragon cooperative system and is overseen by quantum computers; however, vestiges of Earth’s market economy remain operative.

Sex, sexuality and gender

The novel explores fluidity in gender and sexual identities encompassing categories such as feminine, masculine, androgynous, bisexual, neuter, nonsexual, queer, polyamorous, hijra, two-spirit, among others. Due to life extension technologies, many individuals develop intersex or gynandromorphous characteristics over time.

Development

Robinson developed the concept of the novel around a love story involving characters from Mercury and Saturn, embodying "mercurial" and "saturnine" personality traits, with the larger narrative backdrop taking shape subsequently.

The city of Terminator on Mercury, engineered to orbit in order to avoid direct exposure to sunlight, had previously been introduced in Robinson’s earlier creations such as The Memory of Whiteness and the Mars Trilogy. It also makes a brief appearance in his 2015 work, Aurora.

Reception

The critical response to 2312 ranged from mixed to favorable. Strange Horizons remarked that "readers must make up their own minds." Meanwhile, Slate Magazine lauded the novel as "brilliant," whereas the Guardian found fault with its conclusion, describing it as "contrived." Jeff VanderMeer, writing for the Los Angeles Times, praised it as a "treasured gift to fans of passionate storytelling," emphasizing the book's boldness as a strength. In contrast, James Nicoll condemned it as a "dreadful" read with "science so terrible as to be painful to read," expressing surprise that it was not intended as satire.

The novel earned the 2013 Nebula Award for Best Novel, received a nomination for the 2013 Hugo Award for Best Novel, and was shortlisted for both the 2012 BSFA Award for Best Novel and the 2013 Arthur C. Clarke Award. Additionally, it was honored on the 2012 James Tiptree, Jr. Award list and nominated for the 2012 Goodreads Choice Award in the science fiction category.