bekrecka's review
challenging
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
christiancraig's review
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Urrea and Otis are the highlights for me
emilyinherhead's review
3.0
3.5 stars.
I do love a themed McSweeney's Quarterly Concern. I will say, though: reading this one, which is all about the year 2040, which scientists have identified as a sort of "point of no return" regarding climate change, during this current moment, in which a pandemic is sweeping the world, was a little difficult, what with the overwhelming sense of foreboding and despair. But! There were some winners here, and I especially rejoiced to see the inclusion of a gender non-conforming character who used "they" pronouns in the final story of the collection.
My advice would be to read a story at a time. Truly think about the issues it brings up, let the full weight of our planet's situation sit on you, and consider actions you can take to help prevent the future portrayed here. But also give yourself frequent breaks filled with lighter reading material so you don't get paralyzed with dread.
(Read Harder challenge #15: A book about climate change)
I do love a themed McSweeney's Quarterly Concern. I will say, though: reading this one, which is all about the year 2040, which scientists have identified as a sort of "point of no return" regarding climate change, during this current moment, in which a pandemic is sweeping the world, was a little difficult, what with the overwhelming sense of foreboding and despair. But! There were some winners here, and I especially rejoiced to see the inclusion of a gender non-conforming character who used "they" pronouns in the final story of the collection.
My advice would be to read a story at a time. Truly think about the issues it brings up, let the full weight of our planet's situation sit on you, and consider actions you can take to help prevent the future portrayed here. But also give yourself frequent breaks filled with lighter reading material so you don't get paralyzed with dread.
(Read Harder challenge #15: A book about climate change)
wickliffe's review
4.0
A great compilation of short stories to describe a (hopefully) fictitious future. Good for quick reading before bed and on weekends with a favorite glass of wine or scotch.
jayme's review
3.0
I love the concept of this collection (and the beautiful naked hardcover with gold foiling, not to mention the full-colour illustrations that head each story). Each author was assigned a climate event from the 2018 UN climate report (coral reef die-offs, flooding/sea level rise, fires, refugee surges, etc.) and they collaborated with the Natural Resources Defense Council to bring in that extra element of reality.
The stories span the globe with a great list of diverse authors, which gave the collection an overall feeling of "the whole world is fucked, but we're in this together". But there was also a downside to structuring the collection this way, in that most of the stories ended up with a similar format and tone, that blended into one long, beige story. Or maybe this is a result of having a cast of literary authors try their hand at speculative fiction.
Almost every story in the collection started with pure exposition to set up the state of the world in 2040. Then the last half would be the actual story. It was also hard to tell which theme each story was even assigned because most of the authors spent so much time describing the overall climate.
Regardless, it still a worthwhile collection to read. I think my two favourites were The Night Drinker by Luis Alberto Urrea (the most stylistically and atmospherically unique, i.e., weird, story out of the collection) and 1740 by Asja Bakić (because time travel). And I'd also be down to try more from any of the authors, notably Rachel Heng, Tommy Orange, and Birna Anna Björnsdóttir.
The stories span the globe with a great list of diverse authors, which gave the collection an overall feeling of "the whole world is fucked, but we're in this together". But there was also a downside to structuring the collection this way, in that most of the stories ended up with a similar format and tone, that blended into one long, beige story. Or maybe this is a result of having a cast of literary authors try their hand at speculative fiction.
Almost every story in the collection started with pure exposition to set up the state of the world in 2040. Then the last half would be the actual story. It was also hard to tell which theme each story was even assigned because most of the authors spent so much time describing the overall climate.
Regardless, it still a worthwhile collection to read. I think my two favourites were The Night Drinker by Luis Alberto Urrea (the most stylistically and atmospherically unique, i.e., weird, story out of the collection) and 1740 by Asja Bakić (because time travel). And I'd also be down to try more from any of the authors, notably Rachel Heng, Tommy Orange, and Birna Anna Björnsdóttir.
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