2140

New York 2140 takes place in a partially submerged Manhattan after sea levels have risen 50 feet. The story follows multiple residents of the MetLife building, which stands above the tidal zone and functions as a cooperative housing complex. The narrative tracks interconnected plotlines through the perspectives of a market trader, a pair of treasure-hunting boys, a police inspector, a building manager, and others. Their lives intersect against the backdrop of a transformed city where canals replace streets and sky bridges connect buildings above the water line. The characters navigate challenges of daily life in this altered landscape while becoming entangled in events that could reshape their world's economic and social structures. Financial markets, real estate speculation, and climate adaptation form core elements of their interconnected stories. The novel explores themes of community resilience and human adaptation, while examining how capitalism and environmental change shape society's future. Through its vision of a drowned yet vital New York, it raises questions about what endures when the world transforms.

Readers found the detailed world-building and economic concepts in 2140 compelling, though many noted the slow pacing and dense financial explanations. Liked: - Realistic portrayal of life in a flooded New York - Rich character development across multiple storylines - Research depth on climate change impacts - Integration of graphs and market analysis - Hopeful tone despite dystopian setting Disliked: - Length (over 600 pages) - Frequent digressions into financial theory - Slow plot progression in middle sections - Too many viewpoint characters - "Reads like a textbook at times" - Goodreads reviewer Ratings: Goodreads: 3.8/5 (8,900+ ratings) Amazon: 4.1/5 (580+ ratings) LibraryThing: 3.9/5 (300+ ratings) Common reader comment: "Fascinating ideas but could have been 200 pages shorter." Multiple reviewers praised the concept but struggled with pacing, with one Amazon reviewer noting "brilliant world-building buried under excessive detail."

New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson A story of life in a half-drowned New York where climate change has reshaped society and its financial systems.

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🌊 New York 2140 envisions Manhattan as a "SuperVenice," with canals replacing streets after sea levels rose 50 feet due to climate change. 🏦 The author spent considerable time researching finance and markets to create a realistic portrayal of how Wall Street might function in a half-drowned world. 🏗️ The Met Life Building (formerly Pan Am Building) serves as one of the main settings, chosen because its 1960s engineering makes it particularly resilient to flooding. 🎯 Kim Stanley Robinson accurately predicted the increasing frequency of polar vortex events affecting New York winters, a phenomenon that became more widely recognized years after the book's 2017 publication. 🌍 The novel's projection of a 50-foot sea level rise is based on scientific models showing what would happen if both the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets melted completely.