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Book Review: Mimi of the Nowhere by Michael Kilman

Mimi of the Nowhere by Michael Kilman is a tale from a distant future where climate change has wreaked havoc on the Earth. Enormous walking cities roam across vast wastelands, dodging killer storms and occasionally battling with other walking cities. Mimi, a telepathic homeless woman living in the lower levels of the walking city of "Manhatsten," is just struggling to survive when she makes a discovery that will change her life -- and possibly the fate of the city.

This novel is definitely for a particular sci-fi audience that enjoys a hypertech setting full of walking cities, technological wonders that stave off the effects of aging and illness, powerful mech suits, and more. It's not for a casual reader looking for a realistic tale about the future of climate change. On the flip side, it does insert a bit of climate change framing into the sort of post-apocalyptic tale that might otherwise just blame the sorry state of the world on "The War" or some other cataclysm.

One of my favorite things about this novel is the way that it explores the class divides within the city of Manhasten. The main character, Mimi, is essentially homeless. She has a small spot in the lower levels where she sleeps and stores some personal effects, but no actual home. The people on the upper levels are wealthy, and their wealth allows them to buy access to technological advancements that render them more or less immune to diseases and aging. This serves as a metaphor for the way in which wealth in real life buys the wealthy access to medical care and longer lifespans.

One big downside for me is that the novel didn't actually do much to explore the climate change framing. This isn't actually much of a downside if you're just in the mood for some far-future tales of walking cities and mysterious telepaths and aren't too concerned about climate change themes. But since I read almost exclusively climate fiction, I was left wanting more. Maybe future novels in the series will address the origins of this surreal "walking cities roaming across a desolate landscape" setting.

On the whole, I'd say that Mimi of the Nowhere was an interesting read. Since it doesn't center around climate, I wouldn't recommend it specifically for people who are looking for tales about what the world will be like when the world is ravaged by climate change. But if you have an interest in walking cities, sci-fi class critiques, telepathic secret societies, hypertech sci-fi novels centered or primarily around women characters, novels that reference the climate crisis tangentially, or all of the above, this is the novel for you.

Change Is Free This Weekend!

My first novel, Change, is available for free this weekend! In honor of Buy Nothing Day and Cyber Monday, I've made the Kindle edition free from November 29 to December 2. If you don't have it yet, get your copy today. Either way, let your friends know about this giveaway too!

Order is Now Available!

My new climate fiction novel, Order, is now available in both paperback and Kindle formats!

Order was published on October 31, 2019. The basic premise of Order is simple. If you had all the power in the world, would you stop climate change?

Truman Stuart is a man on a mission. As the new Preceptor of Order, it’s his job to oversee the survival and progress of human civilization. When he discovers that climate change poses an existential threat to humanity, the Preceptor knows that he has to find a way to stop it. But how can he solve a global crisis that his own organization and its powerful fossil fuel allies helped create?

Order is a contemporary fantasy tale featuring a powerful secret society, glimpses of magic and hypertech, an underground resistance called Anomalous Revolution, and a colorful cast of characters that the Preceptor meets along the way as he searches for solutions to the climate crisis.

Order is the sequel to my first novel, Change. You can read Order before, after, or independently of Change. It explores several of the major events of Change from a different perspective, while also exploring many new events not referenced in Change.

Change explores the climate crisis from an "outsider" or "activist" perspective. Order explores it from an "insider" or "establishment" perspective. They can be read separately, but reading them both (in your preferred order) will provide for a more nuanced experience of the underlying themes.

Are you ready for Order? Let me know if you have any questions about this new novel or my other writing projects. I look forward to hearing what readers have to say about Order. I'm also available for author interviews and can provide digital review copies of Order to book reviewers and members of the media.

My new novel, Order, now available for pre-order!

My new climate fiction novel, Order, is now available for pre-order!

Order will be released on October 31, 2019. Pre-order the Kindle edition today and have it delivered to your device automatically when it's ready. If you prefer the print version, check back here on October 31 for the link. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter to ensure that you don't miss this and other news about my fiction and superhero adventures.

The basic premise of Order is simple. If you had all the power in the world, would you stop climate change?

Truman Stuart is a man on a mission. As the new Preceptor of Order, it’s his job to oversee the survival and progress of human civilization. When he discovers that climate change poses an existential threat to humanity, the Preceptor knows that he has to find a way to stop it. But how can he solve a global crisis that his own organization and its powerful fossil fuel allies helped create?

Order is a contemporary fantasy tale featuring a powerful secret society, glimpses of magic and hypertech, an underground resistance called Anomalous Revolution, and a colorful cast of characters that the Preceptor meets along the way as he searches for solutions to the climate crisis.

Order is the sequel to my first novel, Change. You can read Order before, after, or independently of Change. It explores several of the major events of Change from a different perspective, while also exploring many new events not referenced in Change.

Change explores the climate crisis from an "outsider" or "activist" perspective. Order explores it from an "insider" or "establishment" perspective. They can be read separately, but reading them both (in your preferred order) will provide for a more nuanced experience of the underlying themes.

Are you ready for Order? Let me know if you have any questions about this new novel or my other writing projects. I look forward to hearing what readers have to say about Order. I'm also available for author interviews and can provide digital review copies of Order to book reviewers and members of the media.

Book Review: Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

I've enjoyed other Paolo Bacigalupi books, but I initially put off reading Ship Breaker because it was listed as young adult fiction. When I read that it was being made into a movie, though, I decided to give it a try. I'm glad that I did!

Ship Breaker is set in a distant future where the world has succumbed to the ravages of climate change and the resulting societal collapse. The main character is a young scavenger named Nailer who lives on the beach and spends his days crawling around in old shipwrecks, ripping out copper wire and any other valuables he can find for his crew to sell. His whole world is turned upside down when he comes across the salvage opportunity of a lifetime which turns out to be the start of an exciting adventure.

I thoroughly enjoyed Ship Breaker for several reasons.

The novel works well as young adult (YA) fiction. It addresses many of the most common YA themes -- family problems, friendship, betrayal, coming of age, young romance, etc. It touches all of the familiar bases without being formulaic or overly predictable. This depth of character and plot is greatly facilitated by a very well-developed setting. The setting is dystopian, but it's not the vague and generic dystopia portrayed in some YA fiction. It's a complex, gritty, realistic world that is revealed to us bit by bit through the eyes of the main character. Vivid description of this setting and the characters who populate it make this story stand out from the rest of the genre. There are several moments of violence that may be too much for really young or sensitive readers, but it all felt very appropriate to the plot and was treated very seriously and realistically rather than being glorified or sanitized.

I also like the fact that this novel works well for adults. Some YA ficton is so caught up in melodramatic genre tropes that it becomes unreadable for anyone who's grown out of their angsty teen phase. Ship Breaker leans in the opposite direction -- an excellent story that happens to include some young characters at the center of the action. The author has done a great job of crafting a tale that's accessible to young adults but mature and robust enough for older readers.

Of course, as a climate fiction author myself, one of my favorite parts of the novel is the way that it addresses climate change. The story takes place in a future setting where sea level has risen considerably, drowning coastal cities and contributing to the collapse of society as we know it. Most of the book doesn't explicitly talk about climate change, but the whole setting is a constant reminder of the consequences of our actions if we continue along our current emissions trajectory. This is a great way to get the message across without explicitly emphasizing it. There's also a point, though, where characters do explicitly discuss climate change and how their actions may contribute to it. I felt that it was handled very well -- letting the characters talk about it at a natural moment for them without having it seem forced or heavy-handed.

I would definitely recommend Ship Breaker both to young adult readers and to any older adults with an interest in climate fiction, dystopian fiction, biopunk, or any related genres. Paolo Bacigalupi is an excellent author, and I'm looking forward to seeing the film adaptation of Ship Breaker as soon as it comes out.

Book Review: Ruby and the Blue Sky by Katherine Dewar

Ruby and the Blue Sky is one of my favorite climate fiction novels to date and high on my list for fiction in general. Aside from the obvious appeal for cli-fi readers, it will also have a broader appeal for anyone interested in rock stars, activism, strong female protagonists, and just plain good fiction.

The author handles the recurring theme of climate change and climate action very well. Climate action is central to the plot, so there's a fair amount of discussion of what the characters are doing in response to the climate crisis. This approach always runs the risk of feeling forced or devolving into a lecture about climate policy. But the first person narrative, robust characterization, and compelling plot all worked together to keep me immersed in the story and involved in the theme without feeling like I was being lectured to.

The use of two narrators was interesting. Most of the story is told in the first person by the protagonist, but between her chapters, there are shorter chapters told from the perspective of the antagonist. I was initially skeptical of this approach because it's not very common, but I felt that the author used it very well in this case. The result is two very distinct voices telling the story from two very different perspectives. I appreciated the opportunity to see some of the motivations and depth of both characters, although unsurprisingly, the protagonist is the more well-developed of the two. They came together well to tell a single story.

In addition to the climate theme, there's a whole plot arc that deals with the theme of violence against women and empowerment and healing for survivors. At first, I was concerned that this might be too triggering for some readers and might take the novel in an entirely different direction. Since I'm not a woman myself, I may not be the best judge of how the topic was handled. To me, however, it seemed like it was handled well. The violence was acknowledged, but the emphasis was on empowerment and healing, both for survivors and for their friends and families. I thought it was a very meaningful and personal exploration of the theme. Hopefully it will be healing rather than triggering for readers who are themselves survivors.

Ruby and the Blue Sky is a great example of a novel that tells a nuanced and compelling story, populated with interesting characters, who happen to be grappling with their personal and collective responses to the climate crisis. Any reader could pick up this book simply because they wanted a good read, and walk away from it with some significant food for thought about global warming. That strikes me as the type of climate fiction that may have the greatest impact in the long run. Casual readers will pick it up because they've heard it's a good story and find themselves wondering if they should take any climate actions of their own.

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure that the approach the characters take to climate action would be an effective approach for the real world. But it's an approach that I can easily see people trying. It also got me thinking. Would it actually be effective? If not, what would work better? What would I do differently? These sorts of questions lead to productive thinking and dialog on the subject. They also show that I enjoyed the novel enough to take it seriously and really think it over. Those are both good signs of a good novel.

I definitely recommend Ruby and the Blue Sky to everyone who enjoys good fiction. If you have a special interest in climate fiction, then you'll definitely want to read this book.

Book Review: The Warming by Lorin R. Robinson

I have mixed feelings about The Warming: Speculative Fiction about the Human Impact of the Climate Crisis. If I were rating this book based on the fascinating ideas it explores related to the climate crisis, I would give it five stars. However, if I were rating it based on the plot and characters of the main story arc, I would give it at best three stars. On the whole, as a reader who is specifically interested in thought-provoking cli-fi (climate fiction), I suppose I'll split the difference and give it four out of five stars.

Let me start by describing what I like.

The Warming is an ambitious effort to explore many aspects of the climate crisis and its impact on the future of humanity. Rather than picking a single timeframe, location, or even storyline, the author explores the impacts of "The Warming" (anthropogenic global warming) over the course of several decades, on several continents, and in the lives of several distinct sets of characters. The scope of these narratives ranges from small personal tales to epic stories involving the ultimate fates of entire cities and nations. The possibilities explored range from dystopian destruction of existing infrastructure to utopian visions for how to survive and thrive in the aftermath of The Warming.

Some of these ideas were nothing new. Others were entirely new and unexpected. Some were so interesting that I intend to do some research about whether they were pure fiction or if they have some basis in reality. Either way, this book is worth reading if only as a collection of interesting ideas related to the climate crisis.

That's the good news. Now, on to the bad news, or at least the "definitely not five stars" news.

I don't know what to call this book. Is it a novel? The author calls it a novel, but the organizational structure is more reminiscent of a short story anthology. The author explains this unusual structure in an "important note for the reader" at the beginning of the book. The fact that this was an intentional choice -- a choice explained by the author at the very beginning -- made it more palatable. It weaves together three separate components: a primary twelve-chapter narrative about a marine biologist; a secondary narrative about an environmental news reporter; and several distinct short stories that provide some background about what's going on in the world outside of the main plotlines.

The originality and unusualness of this organizational structure initially intrigued me. I found it to be an interesting experiment both as a fellow author and as a reader. However, the more I read, the more this three-in-one structure just seemed overly busy. I would have preferred to read three shorter books: the marine biologist novel, the news reporter screenplay, and the short story anthology. They could have even been bundled in different sections of the same book since they take place in the same broad setting. However, having them split up and inserted in between each other just seemed to break the flow of the narratives. If the author is insistent that this structure is the right one for this book, then maybe this structural difficulty can be smoothed out a bit by more blatant transitions between the three elements -- for example, calling them "CHAPTER X", "EPISODE Y", and "STORY Z".

The book could also benefit from another round of basic editing. The average reader may not mind the occasional typos and style quirks, but fellow authors and industry professionals will find them distracting.

I also wasn't terribly impressed with the main narrative about the marine biologist. The ideas it explored were very interesting, but the characters and plot were lukewarm. The short stories were generally more impressive because they took a single interesting climate-related scenario and explored it succinctly from beginning to end. The main narrative (and to a lesser extent, the news reporter narrative) explored some very interesting ideas, but the characters themselves fell flat. The main character seems to be having a fairly standard-issue midlife crisis that unsurprisingly takes an adventurous and exciting turn. The supporting characters seem like little more than foils to the main character's plot arc and character development. It's not that there's necessarily anything wrong with a novel centered around a man's midlife crisis and how it relates to the climate crisis. But I feel like it will have a strong appeal to a certain male demographic, and not as much appeal to other audiences. It's interesting to a degree, but it lacks the universal appeal that I would expect from a story centered on a universal topic like the climate crisis.

In the end, the saving grace of this novel was the strength of the ideas it explores. I found myself more than willing to stick with the lukewarm elements of the novel because it centered around some interesting problems and solutions associated with the climate crisis.

Book Review: Loosed Upon the World: The Saga Anthology of Climate Fiction

As an avid reader of climate fiction (cli-fi), I was very much looking forward to the release of Loosed Upon the World: The Saga Anthology of Climate Fiction. I'm pleased to report that this anthology definitely met and exceeded my expectations.

This volume brings together an impressive collection of authors with a wide range of writing styles and a variety of takes on the broadly-defined theme. As with almost any anthology, there are hits and misses. There were a few stories I'd read before, one of which is honestly not among my favorites and wasn't what I have in mind when I think of climate fiction. However, even the "misses" were still decent works of fiction that only suffered in comparison to the groundbreaking work in the rest of the anthology.

I was glad to see contributions by Margaret Atwood, Kim Stanley Robinson, and Paolo Bacigalupi. These three big names were already familiar to me and are essential reading for the emerging cli-fi genre. Robinson's piece was an excerpt from his Science in the Capital Trilogy. I had read the trilogy already, so this chapter was nothing new to me. But I was glad to see it here because it will point more people in the direction of this important and underappreciated series. I was also glad to see new (or at least new to me) works by Atwood and Bacigalupi, both of whom have crafted (and continue to craft!) excellent stories that include prominent climate change components.

My favorite part of this anthology was the wide variety of writing styles and content choices. If I had to pick one story that stood out, though, I'd go with "The Precedent" by Sean McMullen. This story's premise is so dark and apocalyptic that it could have gone horribly wrong in the hands of a lesser author. However, for me, the vivid descriptions and rich characterization give this story a very real feel in spite of the incredibly stark plot and setting. This story speaks powerfully to the horrors of the climate crisis, challenge us to reflect on those horrors and our involvement in them without shoving any particular solution down our throats.

I would recommend this book both to readers who are looking for good cli-fi and to readers who are looking for good fiction in general. From now on, this will be the anthology that I recommend to people who are looking for an introduction to climate fiction.

Book Review: The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi

After reading The Windup Girl and Pump Six and Other Stories, I was really looking forward to reading the next Paolo Bacigalupi book on my list. I am pleased to report that The Water Knife definitely lived up to my expectations.

The Water Knife is set in an all-too-believable dystopian future where global warming and overconsumption of water have lead to widespread water shortages in the American Southwest. "Widespread water shortages" is an understatement. The entire region is practically in a state of civil war. California, Nevada, and Arizona are fighting in the courts and sometimes in the streets to secure access to what little water remains. Politicians, businesspeople, organized crime networks, refugees, and other everyday citizens are all struggling in their own interrelated ways to survive and get ahead in the often violent and cruel circumstances of what's left of human civilization.

This novel works on many levels -- and works on all of those levels quite successfully.

The basic elements that I would expect of almost any good narrative are all strong here. The plot, characters, and setting are all complex and compelling. I often do my reading in fairly short bursts, and I found myself wanting to extend my reading time for as long as possible. Some narratives -- even some really good narratives -- rely heavily on one or two of these elements to carry the story. But the plot, characters, and setting all work together brilliantly, like complex parts of a well-oiled machine driving the narrative forward to its conclusion.

Bacigalupi is especially good at getting inside of each viewpoint character's head, bringing the reader into their inner world, and using their perspective to reveal some very vivid and intense imagery. Anyone can tell the reader what the character is experiencing, but few authors can describe it so well that the reader feels like they're right there along with the character, experiencing all of the joys and horrors (let's be honest -- mostly horrors in this case) that the character experiences. When I read the Water Knife, I feel like I've been transported into a very real apocalyptic future -- a feeling that is terrifying on some level, but eminently rewarding as a reader.

The precise apocalyptic nature of the Water Knife is actually somewhat uncommon. This is what I've come to think of as a "mid-apocalyptic" or simply "apocalyptic" narrative rather than a "post-apocalyptic" one. In post-apocalyptic narratives, human society has collapsed entirely, leaving behind small to mid-sized bands of desperate individuals struggling to survive in the aftermath. Post-apocalyptic narratives are popular nowadays, and most stories I've come across lately are either post-apocalyptic or non-apocalyptic.

Water Knife is something in between. It offers a glimpse of an American society that is well on its way to complete collapse, but still not fully gone. To an extent, there is still a society similar to what exists today -- a civil government with various government agencies, a market economy dominated various large corporations, information and communication technologies, etc. People in power are still trying to maintain the appearance that society has not, in fact, collapsed. But in a very real sense, it's all either broken or falling apart. For large groups of people, it has already failed, leaving them in fringe situations that we would normally associate with a post-apocalyptic setting. This middle ground between today's society and a future post-apocalyptic society is a very rich space for exploring the problems of today and the direction in which they may be taking us.

What I find most rewarding about this novel is the importance of its central themes of water scarcity and global warming. Bacigalupi doesn't seem to be pushing any single solution or course of action here in the present day. However, presenting the potential horrors of where we're headed in graphic detail is enough to inspire anyone with half a brain and half a heart to give some serious thought to what we can do in the here and now to avoid water wars and climate catastrophe. Bacigalupi takes some very important concerns facing the world today and turns them into a compelling narrative that will entertain (and perhaps even inspire) many people who otherwise might not give much thought to these concerns. Good fiction doesn't always need a deep message about today's society -- but it doesn't hurt, and those are some of my favorite narratives. Bacigalupi's approach to the task of writing such narratives is among the best I've seen. I definitely recommend the Water Knife to other readers and look forward to reading more of his work!

Book Review: The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi

The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi is the all-too-believeable tale of a future reality where the world is ravaged by bioengineered plagues, ruthless "calorie men" and "generippers", human-caused global warming, and the end of the fossil fuel era. In the midst of this stark setting, a remarkably well-developed cast of characters all struggle to survive and pursue their dreams while post-apocalyptic Thailand descends further into corruption and chaos. 

This novel works so well on so many levels. I found the surreal post-apocalyptic setting and the colorful cast of character compelling from the very beginning. As the story progressed, it became clear to me just how fascinating, complex, and meaningful this story is. The technology, ecology, economy, culture, and characters all intersect and interact to create plots and character development that possess a rare combination of both depth and urgency. If I had more spare time, I would have been tempted to read the entire novel in a single sitting. I'm glad I didn't, though, because there is too much good material here to digest in a single sitting. Fully appreciating the setting, the characters, and the meaning behind it all takes time -- but it's well worth the effort.

The story explores some of the extremely negative potential outcomes of bioengineering. Proponents of bioengineering might very well have a knee-jerk reaction, assuming that the entire novel is just a fear-based screed against the dangers of bioengineering. However, Bacigalupi's exploration of the topic is surprisingly nuanced and introspective. Yes, there are horrors -- an endless parade of corporate-engineered plagues, bizarre bioengineered creatures, and so on. But there are also curiosities and wonders. The author's presentation of bioengineered horrors is not so much a critique of biengineering itself as it is a critique of the individuals and corporations that would apply the technology of life to the ruthless pursuit of profit and power.

The exploration of human-caused global warming is a less central focus of the novel, yet still a major thread in the weaving of this complex narrative. As an author with an emphasis on climate fiction, human-caused global warming tends to be at the center of the plot of many of my stories. Bacialupi, however, chooses to incorporate it as prominent part of the setting rather than making it the driving force behind the advancement of the plot. This story takes place in a world that is suffering from the consequences of global warming and the end of the fossil fuels era. Simply presenting this as a fact of the setting rather than making it a turning point of the plot actually places a quiet but powerful emphasis on his presentation of the future realities of global warming. It's just a given; in the future, no one is contesting the existence or effects of global warming. It's just a reality that everyone has to deal with, reflected in many aspects of their society -- from transportation to energy sources and beyond.

The Windup Girl also features several explorations of how race and ethnicity impact identity and basic survival in times of upheaval. As a person of European ancestry living in the United States, it was very interesting (and illuminating!) for me to see the pale-skinned, blue-eyed "farang" (white) characters portrayed as foreign and dangerous. That may sound offensive to some people, but I actually found it to be quite appropriate and a very well-written aspect of the plot and character development. It was also interesting to see the relationships between the native Thais, the Malaysian Chinese, the Japanese, and the bioengineered "windups" or "New People".

There are some books -- especially in the realm of speculative fiction -- that I would only recommend to certain audiences. Zombie fiction is for zombie fans; romance novels are for romance fans; and so on. The Windup Girl, however, is a novel that I would recommend to everyone alive today in the early twenty-first century. Some of the technological elements and drastic changes that have taken place in society will seem strange to readers who don't usually read speculative fiction. However, the importance of the themes explored -- and the artful and compelling way in which they are explore -- makes this novel a worthwhile read for everyone who cares about the future of life on this planet!