The Memory of Whiteness
A novel of interplanetary tour and conspiracy.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
Kim Stanley Robinson’s *The Memory of Whiteness* came out in September 1985. Like his later Mars trilogy, it centers on humans settling the solar system. The story follows a grand journey inward from the outer planets toward the Sun, stopping at various human colonies along the route. Each society on these planets and planetoids is described in detail.
The journey is organized around concerts given by the Holywelkin Orchestra, a futuristic instrument played by a chosen master. A journalist traveling with the orchestra and its retinue gradually uncovers a conspiracy linked to a group of gray-robed monks who worship the sun. The tour ends near Mercury, at a solar station run by these “Grays,” which controls the white-line energy source powering the entire solar system.
David Langford reviewed the novel in *White Dwarf* (issue #76), calling it impressive in scope and noting that it convincingly bridges music and multidimensional physics.
- type
- Science fiction novel
- author
- Kim Stanley Robinson
- published
- September 1985
- genre
- Science fiction
- themes
- Human colonization of the Solar System, music, conspiracy
Lore & Background
The Memory of Whiteness depicts a grand tour from the outer planets toward the Sun, visiting many human colonies. The purpose of the tour is to stage concerts by the Holywelkin Orchestra, a futuristic musical instrument played by a selected master. Readers follow the Orchestra and its entourage along with a journalist, who eventually detects a conspiracy apparently connected with a group of gray-clothed, sun-worshipping monks.
Reader's Guide
The novel is significant for its focus on human colonization of the Solar System, a theme shared with Robinson's later Mars trilogy. It details different human societies on visited planets and planetoids. The plot centers on a musical tour and a conspiracy involving gray-clothed monks who control the white-line energy source for the entire Solar System. David Langford reviewed it for White Dwarf, calling it 'impressive for its scope and feel of connecting the two cultures: both music and multidimensional physics sound convincing.' The novel received multiple reviews in 1985 and 1986, and later reviews into 2006.
Did You Know?
- The novel was published in September 1985.
- The Holywelkin Orchestra is a futuristic musical instrument played by a selected master.
- The tour ends near Mercury in a solar station belonging to gray-clothed, sun-worshipping monks.
- David Langford reviewed it for White Dwarf magazine, issue #76.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Memory of Whiteness?
Published in September 1985, it is Kim Stanley Robinson's science fiction novel following a journalist who accompanies a musical troupe on a journey from the outer planets inward toward the Sun, visiting human settlements at each stop. Along the way, the journalist stumbles upon a hidden conspiracy.
What role does music play in The Memory of Whiteness?
The entire interplanetary tour is structured around concerts performed by the Holywelkin Orchestra, a futuristic ensemble built around a single instrument played by a chosen master. Music serves as both the narrative thread connecting each colony and a central thematic element of the story.
Who is the protagonist of The Memory of Whiteness?
The story follows a journalist who travels with the Holywelkin Orchestra and its retinue from colony to colony. This character's outsider perspective lets the reader encounter each society in detail while slowly uncovering the larger plot.
What is the conspiracy at the heart of The Memory of Whiteness?
The journalist gradually discovers a plot connected to a secretive group that endangers the tour and the communities it passes through. The conspiracy ties together the various colonies and raises questions about control and power within the settled solar system.
How does The Memory of Whiteness compare to the Mars trilogy?
Both novels explore humanity's spread across the solar system, but this 1985 work predates the Mars trilogy by more than a decade and focuses on the inner planets rather than Mars alone. It also incorporates a musical and conspiratorial structure that distinguishes it from Robinson's later, more politically focused space fiction.
More in Novels by Kim Stanley Robinson 1-22
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