Novel asks: What if Muslims, Buddhists ran the world? By MlOllAEL GILTZ f;$est-selling author Kim EtF Stanley Robinson lras EI .*?4" ..his name on H crltlcally rccltrDrecl science-liftioD novels tllf,t chart orrr possible tltures.,IJ[r Robinson's nesr book, "The Years of Rice and 'Salt," makes its mark by ieidragining ou( pasr- .</p><p> Robinsori wonders. what if the Black Plague had wipedoutollof rzoe J* s ; N Europe's popu- lirtion instead of . jrrst oue- tllti Ll i His book tackles the last 700 years frorn tnat startrDE( poi[t, rvith, for example, Bud- clhisur arid Islanr vving for rvorld dominr- tion and Chris- t.ianity iust a fLrotDOle, and the Chinese "discover ing" the New World L'y larding on the We-st Coast atd ulinten- lioually giving Native Atnericarrs a chance to re sjsl the invaders ancl grolv lnlo a w0f lo power.</p><p> It's an aiternate history - one oi a grorving lum- ber of books like "Father- land" bv Robert Ilarris ("What if the Nazis hadlvon?") thaf rewrite the pasr And it's probably the only gerre with even'less critical respect than sci- ertce ficrion. "I suFpose that's true," laughed Robiusori, rvho turns 50 on March 23 "I've had the idea 1or a reallv lotrg time, rnaybe 20 or 23 )'eerrs Jt was really an ex- crrse to buy anything I wanted in used book- sl.oIes,- Critical ac- clirim has never Deen a problem for Robinson, rlho liveS iu Davis, Czilif., with his wife and tu'o sons He llrst rnade his mrrk witb the "California Tritogy," three Lror:k-s that conten- plated tluee Iutules for Or ange Counly, base,J on possible trclds Son)e trenlendorrs re- views also greeted his re- cent book "Anlarclica" (Friller partlv so Rnirirr- sort coulcl have au excuse to visit ibat continent) and his short-story collection, "'llhe Mrrtians " But Robinson's repl!ta- tior \ryas cemented withtile "I\4ars Trilogy," ir lrril- Iiant look at the coloniza- iion of Mars that combined a terrifically engaging adventure u.ith practical solutions to the many problenrs coloniza- ti0n would present, not to rlention gripping philo- sophical. debates about u.hether such a thing should even be attempted It is lvidely considered one of the landmark r,vorks of specrrlative fiction in the l^st ?0 years- Director Jarnes C:urerort considered uralting it his Dext proiect after "Ti- tanic." and no1a it's in the scrhlt stage at Lhe Sci Fi Channel. "\\Ie're very exciteri about il," said Borlrie Ifammer, the president of Sci Fi, u'trich is plannilg a fonr-hour movie based on "Red Planet," the first book in Robinson's trilogy "It's one oI the defining eplc srorres ln scrcnce 1lc- tion." said Hamrner "If it goes well, we'd thinlr atrout doing it as a Long- terln serles.</p><p> But Robinson rnay reacirhis rvitlest audience yet with the exceptiolal ard eugrossing "Rice and Salt," tbanks to an ingenious plot device. "[ wanted fo avoid t]rose boriug nlrlti-gencrational sagas," admitted llotrinson, v4ro planled to cover 700 years oI history, bul dreaded the thought of in- iroduciDg a character and then their children and then their childrer just to give it sone cortinuity.</p><p> His solutior was to em- brace the concept of reir- carnation: The novel fol- lows three souls that keep reincariatirg ancl crossing raths: We get three ch:rr- actcrs that chrnge aud grow over tirne, but also a Scheherazadelike llow of slories Robinson dips into his- tory evety 50 years or so with his characters, por- trafing everyoue from a warrior who stumbles upori a village decimated by the piague in the 1400s, to an alchcndst *,ho never tutrs lead into gold but fint1s salisfaction develop- ing scientific experiments,t0 a young lvomau lvho finds the courage to leave the safel.v of dre veil to be- comc a nodetn wornan.</p><p> Robinson called on Is- luuric contacts he made for the "N4ars Trilogy," u.hicli invoh'ed a tnajor Islulic subplot, to get "Rice anJ Salt" right. "I felt very unccrtail) lvriting about issries. like tire veil," said Ihe author, whti writes a convincirtg thuurblail explaration oT u,hy an educated, intclli- [lent wolrilr would choose to we:n-the veil but tiren inrmetiialely makes cierr its tinre will pass "So I did rD), best t() tal(e m], direction antl cues 0[ these issues from the Is- lamic women rvriters lhal I read.</p><p> It is a tovel that has brought uD some verv complicited cultural isl sues.</p><p> I suppose in the end you cN't really avoid . . it rqould be weirci to avoid expressing your ou'n value systern.</p><p> I nrean, what would be the poilt? "But this book certainly forcecl Dre t0 try and cet outside and expiess otlier people's points of vieq's "Wrilinq "The YcarB of Bice and.</p><p> Satt" t0roed autllor Kinl Stanley Robins0n l0 look beyotldWesleln lreliefs and "express other Bsople's poinls of views.', w.t .,n urL(.,0 Banla,n 768 paqes, $25.95
