The Terraformers

by Annalee Newitz

As its underground magma pocket drained, the mountain peak deflated, sinking hundreds of meters in minutes as barn-sized boulders toppled into the broiling caldera that today held a calm sapphire lake. She’d never forget watching Spider eat its own head.

“I know the feeling. But when you grow up with it, well—it’s hard to see that it’s just a stinking wormball of lies feeding on a cesspit full of carcinogenic bacteria.”

The wrinkled, hairless creature stood with arms akimbo.

Maybe the battles are more exciting. They make for better superhero stories, like with Wasakeejack and Muskrat. But the revolution is actually happening in the boring details, like how you manage housing and water, or who is allowed to speak.