• Fiction. By Kim Stanley Robinson. Bantram Spectra, $25.Grade: B

Plot in a nutshell: This novel about the effects of global warming in the near future is either the final book in a trilogy or the third book in a series, depending on what Robinson decides to do next. The story has a satisfying conclusion, but the fate of the world is left up in the air.

Frank Vanderwal, a science professor and researcher from the University of California at San Diego, remains on loan to the National Science Foundation in Washington D. C. The nation's capital has been devastated by crippling cold and floods, but the weather has stabilized somewhat.

Frank, whose nose was broken in a previous installment, is having trouble making decisions. One decision that's bothering him is whether he should have a brain operation to fix the problem.

Frank has sporadic contact with Carolyn, the woman he fell in love with when they were stuck in an elevator during a blackout. Carolyn may have saved the U.S. when she uncovered a plot by her ex-husband to fix the presidential election. Because of Carolyn's efforts, good guy Phil Chase was elected, and in the tradition of Franklyn Roosevelt, Chase has organized the government to try to stop the almost inevitable climate change.

Other folks who provide subplots include presidential aide Charlie Quibler; his wife, Anna, an NSF scientist; the Dalai Lama; and members of several black ops organizations that either support or attempt to thwart the president's plans.

Sample of prose: "The price of heating oil became a political issue, but President Chase tried to keep the focus on alternative sources they needed to develop . . . But one exceptionally cold night in February the power went out, and everything was suddenly different."

Pros: The well-researched predictions of disastrous climate changes are frightening, and the political ramifications are believable.

Cons: Many of the subplots detract from the main story of possible global catastrophe. In addition, the author provides very little back story, so readers will be confused if they haven't already read Forty Signs of Rain and Fifty Degrees Below.

Final word: The global warming scenario had the potential to equal some of my favorite natural disaster novels ( Lucifer's Hammer, The Hab Theory, The Sixth Winter), but unfortunately, the soap opera-like lives of the characters in this series kept getting in the way.