A few that I've read recently:
This is one that will appeal to the economics/psychology geeks out there. A lot of economic theory rests on the idea that we are all rational actors, making decisions about all sorts of things based on a solid cost/benefit analysis and rationality. But not only is this not true, the ways in which we deviate from rational action are consistent and predictable. In essence, we have psychological tendencies that lead to not only taking irrational actions, but they are nearly universal across humanity so we mostly make the same ones no matter who we are.
It's not only interesting as a book, but I've long believed that certain psychological "blinders" that we all have as people are only something you can combat if you know that they exist and you're looking out for them. Confirmation bias, as I've mentioned here (but isn't a big one in the book), is an example of that. You have to proactively fight it to have any chance of even limiting its effect on you. I think most of what is in this book is the same. By having knowledge of the common errors we make,
and the common ways that marketers/etc attempt to manipulate us based on those errors, you at least have a fighting chance of overcoming them and making rational decisions.
Neal is a sci-fi writer that I've read a TON of stuff from. He is very much topic-spanning, i.e. we're not talking "space opera" sci-fi, and he has done a lot of writing based on overlaying his stories on past history. Previously I've criticized him for not knowing how to finish a book, seeming to always fall back on some deus ex machina ending, but with his more recent stuff has seemed to really improve on that relative to his earlier works.
Termination Shock is set in near-future Earth, where the planet is starting to feel some much more significant effects of global warming than we are today. Nothing about this is "post-apocalyptic" or anything like that. But per the recent Houston flooding, Houston is significantly flooded to where most houses are up on stilts like coastal Florida or the Carolinas. Groups from various parts of the world that are concerned about sea level rise (like the Dutch, Venice, New Orleans, etc) are trying to figure out what to do about it. They cross paths with an ultra-rich guy who made his billions in filling stations across Texas and the Southwest, who introduces them to a geo-engineering project that he's about to start to try to bring down global temperatures. China and India stand to potentially be hurt by these actions, and of course that plays a part in the whole thing.
Overall, like most of Stephenson's work, it's an excellent page-turning read. Good character development and realistic actions by the characters, good plot and pacing, and multiple storylines that you don't necessarily recognize where they're going that weave into a good ending. And w/o any deus ex machina.
You don't have to be all in on climate change / global warming to enjoy it. It IMHO a decidedly
non-political book, even if the subject matter is inexorably intertwined with politics.
Robinson is an author that I really like for his hard sci-fi. I first found him from his
Red Mars trilogy, which was amazing. Like more of the hard sci-fi, the pacing is going to be slower, and there's going to be a lot more technical exposition. Think Tom Clancy and submarine novels, but for hard sci-fi. The Red Mars trilogy is really well written, and the character development over the course of the trilogy is some of the best I've ever seen. "Heroes" or "villains" are complex, multi-faceted, and dynamic, and you really see them change and evolve over the course of the series.
Ministry is also a climate change / global warming inspired book. It presents a harder-hit world than
Termination Shock, in which a group set up by the UN called the Ministry for the Future is intended to advocate for all those future people (and animals) who haven't yet been born. Well, the Ministry becomes the linchpin for the worldwide push to reverse the effects of global warming, and in doing so enrages all the usual suspects who would be against it.
As with anything by Robinson, it is a well-written book. However, one area where I think it deviates from
Termination Shock is that it IMHO ends up being overtly political from an anti-capitalistic perspective. I think it gets into some fantastical economics and certain areas were not really believable, if for no other reasons than my prior beliefs on economics makes it sound like it simply wouldn't happen / wouldn't work. The end result of where the world leads doesn't entirely sound to me like I'd like it very much.
So if that bothers you, don't read this book. Read the Red Mars trilogy instead. However, if you're the type that can hold your nose through those parts and still enjoy a good story, there's enough good in there to be worth it in my opinion.
