The Blind Geometer / The New Atlantis (1989)

This is one of those books where if you open it one way, it's one book, but if you turn it over and open it the other way, it's another book, and they meet upside-down in the middle.

The Blind Geometer by Kim Stanley Robinson: A blind mathematician in nearish-future Washington, DC, is approached by a colleague to aid in a strange puzzle in the shape of a woman who draws esoteric geometric diagrams and talks in jumbled phrases. The intrigue is less interesting than the experiences of the blind narrator. It's a novel way of telling a story, since you can never mention what anything looks like. This story was my introduction to Robinson, and I think I might pick up more of his stuff.

Return from Rainbow Bridge by Kim Stanley Robinson: This bonus novella tells the tale of a teenage boy in the 1960s and his strange experiences with Paul, a mysterious Navajo Indian friend (though in this story it's spelled Navaho). It's not strictly science fiction, but it's a fun and slightly spooky story that rekindled my desire to visit Arizona again.

The New Atlantis by Ursula K. Le Guin: I love Le Guin, but I had a terrible time following this one. I got that they were living in a strange fascist state, and there was talk about new continents rising in the oceans, but all the italicized parts completely lost me, and I have no idea what was going on at the end. It felt almost like it was building up to something and then just sort of stopped. ( )

My partner recommended I read "The Blind Geometer." The plot of the story was kind of silly, and the math, while sensible enough, was kind of irrelevant, and yet I did enjoy the story. I think this is because Stanley Robinson has a good way of talking about seeing and feeling; the thunderstorm was particularly good. ( )