Ironic, as it is essentially a novel of hope and overcoming. I cant say whether it's an example of Hopepunk 😉

{Surtac, we're really worried about the state of Australia and the lockdowns. I hope you resolve the issues without too many disruptions.}

Well, I finished Ministry yesterday, having got past where I stalled last year quite easily on this attempt.  (Thinking back, I suspect the India heat death scenes were triggering flashbacks on our Black Summer bushfire season but I'll never know for sure.)

Overall I enjoyed it as another solid KSR climate change not-so-gentle polemic, probably a little more glass-half-full in tone than I remember from earlier books such as the Capitol trilogy.  The ending also reminded me strongly of the ending of Blue Mars (even though Mars seems to be mentioned only disparagingly in this book), and I saw hints of themes in common with The Years of Rice and Salt throughout in places (that one is still my favourite KSR title overall btw).  I also loved what looked to be in places a couple of sneaky shoutouts to some of his author contemporaries in Paul McAuley and Great Dismal.

Ministry struck me most of all as a fictionalised one volume summary of the International Political Economy unit of my MBA course years ago, laying out, as it does, the way the modern world 'works' or not depending on your point of view.  And that's not a bad thing, imo.