It’s finally happened. I’m reading a book that is living up to – and exceeding – the breathless accolades of commendation on the covers. It’s a particular joy for me. In the past, with quite a few books, I read a few chapters, become a little bored, and skip to the final chapter.

But not this one. I’m devouring every one of the 106 chapters over 563 pages.

It feels to me that the author has had so many ideas pent up that they decided to incorporate them all into one magnum opus. It’s fascinating.

More than once a chapter has prompted me to follow up on an idea. Is this an actual thing? Has it been tried in the real world? Or is it just a writer’s pipe dream?

Here are some of the commendations:

“… is a masterpiece of the imagination, using fictional eyewitness accounts to tell the story of how climate change will affect us all. Its setting is not a desolate, post-apocalyptic world but a future that is almost upon us – and in which we might just overcome the extraordinary challenges we face.  It is a novel both immediate and impactful, desperate and hopeful in equal measure, in it is one of the most powerful and original books on climate change ever written.”

“From legendary science fiction author XXX comes a remarkable vision of climate change over the coming decades.”

“A sweeping, optimistic portrait of humanity’s ability to cooperate in the face of disaster. This heartfelt work of hard science fiction is a must-read for anyone worried about the future of the planet.” – Publishers Weekly (Starred review).

“XXX is one of our best, bravest, most moral and most hopeful storytellers.” – New Yorker

“One of the world’s finest working novelists, in any genre.” – Guardian

“XXX is one of science fiction’s greats.”

“If I had to choose one writer whose work will set the standard for science fiction in the future, it would be XXX.”

“New York Times bestselling author.”

So have you guessed the name of XXX, and the title of the book, which was one of Barack Obama’s 17 favourite books of 2020?

It’s Kim Stanley Robinson’s book “The Ministry for the future”.  Simply remarkable.