Icehenge
A science fiction novel by Kim Stanley Robinson.
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Icehenge is a science fiction novel written by Kim Stanley Robinson, an American author, and released in 1984. Although it came out nearly a decade before Robinson's Mars trilogy and exists in a separate fictional timeline, the novel shares several themes with that later series: characters who live for extremely long periods, a political uprising on Mars, the rewriting of history, and multiple viewpoints from different protagonists.
The story unfolds across three distinct eras, each narrated by a different character. The first section is a diary kept by an engineer in 2248, who becomes unwillingly involved in a Martian revolution. After being taken aboard a spaceship that has mutinied, she aids the revolutionaries in their attempt to achieve interstellar flight but decides not to join them, instead returning to the failing rebellion on Mars. The second part follows an archaeologist three hundred years later. While studying the failed revolution, he uncovers the engineer's diary near the ruins of a destroyed city. Around the same time, a strange structure is discovered at Pluto's north pole, which connects to a brief mention in the diary. In the final segment, the archaeologist's great-grandson travels to Pluto to examine the monument—a ring of upright ice slabs. He explores the theory that both the diary and the monument were fabricated by a reclusive, wealthy businesswoman living in orbit around Saturn.
The novel's first part originally appeared as the novella "To Leave a Mark" in the November 1982 issue of *The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction*. The third part was first published as the novella "On the North Pole of Pluto" in the 1980 anthology *Orbit 18*, edited by Damon Knight. While attending Ursula K. Le Guin's writing workshop at the University of California, San Diego in spring 1977, Robinson gave her a rough version of that novella for feedback. For the novel's third section, the views of Saturn seen from the narrator's space station were inspired by images of the planet captured by the Voyager probes during their flybys in 1980–1981.
- Author
- Kim Stanley Robinson
- Nationality
- American
- Genre
- Science fiction
- Published
- 1984
- Publisher
- Ace Books (first US edition)
- Known for
- Elements shared with Robinson's Mars trilogy
Lore & Background
Icehenge is set at three distinct time periods, told from the perspective of three different characters. The first narrative is the diary of an engineer caught up in a Martian political revolution in 2248. Effectively kidnapped aboard a mutinous Martian spaceship, she provides assistance to the revolutionaries in their quest for interstellar travel, but ultimately chooses not to travel with them but to return to the doomed revolution on Mars. The second narrative is told from the perspective of an archaeologist three centuries later. He is involved in a project investigating the failed revolution, and during this finds the engineer's diary buried near the remains of a ruined city. At the same time, a mysterious monument is found at the north pole of Pluto, tying up with a passing mention in the engineer's diary. In the final narrative, the great-grandson of the archaeologist visits the monument on Pluto, a ring of standing slabs of ice. He is investigating the possibility that both the diary and the monument were planted by a reclusive and wealthy businesswoman who lives in the orbit of Saturn.
Reader's Guide
Icehenge is significant as an early work by Kim Stanley Robinson that prefigures themes in his later Mars trilogy, such as extreme human longevity, Martian political revolution, historical revisionism, and shifts in perspective among primary characters. The novel's structure, spanning three time periods and three narrators, explores the reliability of historical records and the construction of memory. The first part was originally published as the novella 'To Leave a Mark' in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (November 1982), and the third part as the novella 'On the North Pole of Pluto' in the anthology Orbit 18 (1980), edited by Damon Knight. Robinson gave the novella in rough form to author Ursula K. Le Guin during her writing workshop at University of California, San Diego in spring 1977. Views of Saturn from the space station in the novel's third section were inspired by images from Voyager probe flybys in 1980–1981. The novel has been published in multiple editions and languages, including translations in French, Italian, German, Croatian, Bulgarian, Chinese, and Spanish.
Did You Know?
- The first part of Icehenge was originally published as the novella 'To Leave a Mark' in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (November 1982).
- The third part of the novel was originally published as the novella 'On the North Pole of Pluto' in the anthology Orbit 18 (1980), edited by Damon Knight.
- Robinson gave the novella in rough form to Ursula K. Le Guin to read and edit during her writing workshop at University of California, San Diego in spring 1977.
- Views of Saturn from the space station in the novel's third section were inspired by images taken during Voyager probe flybys in 1980–1981.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Icehenge and who wrote it?
Icehenge is a science fiction novel authored by American writer Kim Stanley Robinson. It was first released in the United States in 1984 through Ace Books.
How is the narrative of Icehenge structured?
The book is split into three separate time periods, each told from a different character's point of view. The opening segment takes the form of a personal diary written by an engineer in the year 2248.
Is Icehenge part of the Mars trilogy?
No; it exists in its own standalone universe and was published roughly a decade before the Mars trilogy began. That said, the two works share recurring ideas such as extraordinarily long human lifespans and a political revolt on Mars.
What major themes does Icehenge explore?
The novel deals with people surviving for vast stretches of time, a rebellion against authority on the red planet, and the deliberate rewriting of recorded history. These motifs later resurface in Robinson's more widely known trilogy.
Why do fans often read Icehenge alongside the Mars trilogy?
Both works employ multiple narrators, center on a Martian political upheaval, and grapple with how those in power reshape historical narratives. Despite these shared thematic threads, Icehenge remains a completely separate story with its own cast and setting.
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