Ecotopia Emerging

I have the original Ecotopia and now this "prequel". They are both two of my favorite books.

I read Ecotopia first. This was good prequel but personally think first was better. That being said, I was a lot younger when I read the first one and it had more impact on me. Am saving both for my granddaughters when they grow up.

If you've read Ecotopia, you'll want to know how Callenbach conceived that terrific story'

A great follow to one of the best books ever, "Ecotopia", and went straight to my favorites. The author makes more sense than most in his vision of what the future could be.

Callenbach's prequel novel to "Ecotopia," which describes the why and wherefore of a secession of a good chunk of the Pacific Northwest in favor of being green, takes an ethical stance of "the ends justify the means," or, more specifically, "It's okay to bomb places, because The System is evil and gave you cancer." The characters are fairly one-dimensional, with a lot of "tell" and not too much "show. The plot is a bit heavy-handed, with villains almost cartoonishly villainous, a government with over-the-top evil and incompetence, convenient plot devices (so I can power a city with how many solar cells?) where I'd have preferred at least pseudoscience, and so on.This is to be expected of a propaganda piece, but it should not be taken as such. The trouble is, even when read as an attempt to convert, an even slightly skeptical reader will not be converted--this piece will only be loved by the leftist choir Callenbach is preaching to. As a manifesto-cum-fantasy, it's childish where with plot and character development it could have had literary and social value.If you want an Ecotopia, it's not going to emerge this way, guys.

good sequel

I loved this book because it is an entertaining and thoughtful approach to the eminent threats of environmental destruction. In the 21st Century and especially in the United States (because we have the luxury to think about how to improve our state) we should consider practical solutions to the imposing threats of environmental decay. We need to allow nature to thrive because that allows for us, as humans, to live better. This is one solution to that problem.

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, I read "Ecotopia" back in the late seventies, and did enjoy it (although I'll note that many of the ideas in it do not age well, particularly the war games and the separatist vision on race) despite its flaws."Ecotopia Emerging", however, is not even that good. It doesn't have dialogue as much as it does just having characters pontificating and giving speeches. Actions are pretty much entirely driven by ideology, and the characters are cardboard cutouts to fit the ideological points of the book. In short, it seems to read much like an Ayn Rand novel, albeit with the opposite political perspective. In short, it is badly written.While "Ecotopia" isn't a good book by any stretch, it is at least reasonably entertaining. "Ecotopia Emerging" ultimately doesn't even manage to be entertaining.