Kirinyaga: A Fable of Utopia

Kirinyaga: A Fable of Utopia
by Michael Resnick

This short novel by Michael Resnick is actually what they call a "fixed up" novel, comprised of a series of ten interconnected short stories, all of which were originally published on their own. Because of this, Kirinyaga is actually one of the most acclaimed science fiction novels ever published -- each of the stories included was nominated for multiple awards, and two of them actually won Hugo Awards in their respective years of release. The stories all involved a transplanted tribe of African Kikuyu, who have settled on a protected artificial planetoid, whose atmosphere and weather patterns are controlled by orbiting technicians. The Kikuyu people, under the guidance of their Mundumugu (witch doctor) are attempting the preserve their primitive culture, so that all traces of their existence are not wiped out by their assimilation in more advanced modern cultures and communities. Koribe, the mundumugu, teaches by means of parables, but as the stories progress, his hold over his own people weakens and their utopian experiment may be endangered. It's extremely well written, and thought provoking fiction at its best. But you may find yourself intensely disliking the protagonist. None-the-less, it makes the reader consider the plight of other ancient cultures on the brink of cultural annihilation -- what if a Native American tribe, or a group of Inuit, or Australian aborigines were given the opportunity to relocate to a protected place with the sole purpose of recapturing their ancient ways? Or is this even a worthwhile quest? Read Kirinyaga: A Fable of Utopia and you can be the judge! -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library [subscribe to Scott's It's All Geek to Me! newsletter or any of the libraries' 37 other monthly booklist newsletters!]

[ Wikipedia page on the novel Kirinyaga ] | [ official Mike Resnick web site ]

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