 Cover of first edition (hardcover) and the second edition (paperback) | |
| Author | David Brin |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Publisher | Bantam Books |
Publication date | 1990 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover & Paperback) |
| Pages | 601 |
| ISBN | 0-553-07064-9 |
| OCLC | 310399836 |
Earth is a 1990 science fiction novel by American writer David Brin. The book was nominated for the Hugo and Locus Awards in 1991. [1]
Set in the year 2038, Earth is a cautionary tale of the harm humans can cause their planet via disregard for the environment and reckless scientific experiments. The book has a large cast of characters and Brin uses them to address a number of environmental issues, including endangered species, global warming, refugees from ecological disasters, ecoterrorism, and the social effects of overpopulation. The plot of the book involves an artificially created black hole that has been lost in the Earth's interior and the attempts to recover it before it destroys the planet. The events and revelations that follow reshape humanity and its future in the universe. It also includes a war pitting most of the Earth against Switzerland, fueled by outrage over the Swiss allowing generations of kleptocrats to hide their stolen wealth in the country's banks.
The scope of the story expands vastly as the plot gradually reveals itself, bringing into question the future course—and even the survival—of humanity.
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Brin set this novel 50 years in the future from the time he was writing, using the book as an opportunity to predict what technologies might — at that future date — be taken for granted day to day. Three technologies he predicted came to pass within only 8 years of the writing, including a media-centric, hypertext Internet, email spam, and the proliferation of personal video recording devices.
Brin claims at least 15 predictive hits in Earth, including:
Poet Frederick Turner describes Earth as, "An interesting science fiction glimpse at a possible future." [2]
The book received a number of reviews, including:
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