Science fiction doesn’t lend itself to good news. The physical sciences as a rule reduce various systems into constituent parts through analysis. Turning this on its head to extrapolate outcomes doesn’t make for happy narratives generally. Robinson here beats the odds with a heady mix of physical and social sciences, happily leveraging human propensity for good to snub members of both camps and guide us convincingly into a future for everyone. This robust future history only frays at the readers patience when the author gets lost in expository description. If you ever wanted to spend quality m in Zurich, just read this instead and save on the airfare.