octavia_cade's review
challenging
informative
slow-paced
4.0
I have a full-length review of this coming out shortly in Strange Horizons, so this is only a few short comments. Usually, when I think about speculative fiction that envisions hopeful futures, it tends to be within the science fiction umbrella - particularly solarpunk. I've paid less attention to the potential contributions of fantasy, so this was an interesting collection to read. There's a genuine attempt to prioritise readability here as well, at least readability in academic terms, and though it doesn't always succeed I appreciate the effort. The stand-out chapters were on Pratchett and VanderMeer, I think, and I particularly enjoyed the range of texts that were analysed here.
In some ways, however, this is a little one-note. Donna Haraway's work is indeed both important and influential, but the constant repetition back to it makes me wonder if including some of Haraway's readings in here might have been a useful reference, and I'm not sure I needed the repeated discussion, over multiple chapters, of potential alternatives to "Anthropocene." Perhaps in cases such as this, it may be better to corral such into a single chapter, or to embed it more heavily in the introduction so as to limit repetition and increase readability.
In some ways, however, this is a little one-note. Donna Haraway's work is indeed both important and influential, but the constant repetition back to it makes me wonder if including some of Haraway's readings in here might have been a useful reference, and I'm not sure I needed the repeated discussion, over multiple chapters, of potential alternatives to "Anthropocene." Perhaps in cases such as this, it may be better to corral such into a single chapter, or to embed it more heavily in the introduction so as to limit repetition and increase readability.
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