Frankly being.

Is mostly what this is about. The Sixty Days refers to the start period of Phil Chase's presidency - a result assured thanks to Frank and his spook girlfriend's efforts in the previous novel, to prevent sophisticated electronic voting machine rigging.

All the other problems with climate change and wild Washington weather still exist - as well as rogue elements that are happy to continue to try and subvert the process. Caroline hence goes under cover, and Frank does what he can about the constant surveillance.

Charlie continues to aide, as part of the transition team, but the major focus on Frank perhaps makes this novel a lot more limited and less interesting than it could have been.

http://notfreesf.blogspot.com/2009/02... ( )

With this solid conclusion to his greater-than-the-sum-of-its-parts climate change trilogy, Robinson has completed one of the most remarkable stories in modern American fiction. It's not his masterpiece (that would be the Mars trilogy), but it is beautiful, funny, intelligent, hopeful, and as scathing an indictment of both the Bush/Cheney Administration and political conservatism as anything I've ever read. ( )

Stan is an elegant writer. I will keep reading long after I should be in bed because I am caught up in his descriptions of rocks and trees and forests. BUT (and this is a big, flashing neon "but" of 60,000 watts), he is also a socialist with a Utopian vision of human behavior. One of his protagonists is a White House science adviser who lives in his VW van when he is not living in a tree house in Rock Creek Park. He eventually ends up as a squatter, foraging for food in dumpsters and sharing communal meals of dubious provenience. Wouldn't the Secret Service have a really, really hard time giving this idiot a White House guest pass much less a White House security clearance? Isn't anyone else skeptical of the fact that none of his squatter friends have a drug problem, a violence problem, or a sexual addiction?

Moreover the newly elected President advocates government control of energy and food production with full health care and full employment for all. His approval rating keeps rising even if there are devastating floods, food shortages and power blackouts on a regular basis. I do believe that government is necessary for social justice, but I also know that the government is also responsible for long lines at government offices like the DMV, the lack of new energy plants and oil refineries, and the antiquated Air Traffic Control System which costs the airlines billions in wasted fuel every year.

If all people were as selfless as his protagonists, then possibly they would live in a world as Robinson describes, but I have not seen many families who would choose to live in a Buddhist commune in a treehouse with a teenager and and ADHD toddler just to reduce their carbon footprint. Although I enjoy his writing, his perspective on human behavior is so far on the end of the altruistic bell shaped curve as to make them unrealistic as human beings. ( )

The book had some great concepts and ideas. The character Frank, however, becomes more annoying as he becomes weirder. Would love to read more of the president's ideas from his blogs in the last bit of the book. Some truly radical ideas that are worth pursuing. ( )

http://www.amazon.com/review/R3AM9F2A... ( )