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smmrmmrmmr's review
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I loved the concept, build up and characters.
It could have done with being longer, and more developed, as the ending felt rushed and somewhat unsatisfying to me.
I will be keeping an eye out for more by Ulibarri though
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
It could have done with being longer, and more developed, as the ending felt rushed and somewhat unsatisfying to me.
I will be keeping an eye out for more by Ulibarri though
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
pvp_niki's review
5.0
This was an amazing introduction for me to the solarpunk genre, which I've been so much craving for!
When I saw solarpunk mixed with reincarnation I wanted to read it instantly. Especially since it deals with what happens if you find out that you were a terrible person in your past life, terrible not in the sense as an awkward neighbor but like war-crime levels.
If you expect a diverse read of feasible-looking positive climate fiction with elaboration in the social and moral implications of reincarnation being scientifically proven, go for it right now!
I didn't know what to expect from this book, but I certainly didn't expect the lot of different themes introduced as the implications of a technology that can tell who you were in your past life. I don't like when a scifi takes one extremely groundbreaking technology and only cares about one aspect of its consequences, usually the coolest or most dangerous effects, ignoring all other implications that'd affect the smallest things in everyday life and especially how the society changes.
Another Life shows us this technology at the very beginning, right after discovery when only the members of this solarpunk community are aware it exists and try it. And even now in this early stage of this technology the plot revolves around how it affects people's lives, relationships, social hierarchy and such.
Also, it was intriguing to read about a protagonist who is a mediator of such community and the worldbuilding elements were nicely blended into the plot points originating from her position.
At first I felt sceptic about how reincarnation would be explained in a scifi but it was explained with a really credible mix of genetics and quantum mechanics so I can absolutely recommend this book even if you are afraid of esoteric pseudoscience talk because this story doesn't feel like that.
The cast is diverse in ethnicity, age, disabilities, gender and sexuality.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC.
When I saw solarpunk mixed with reincarnation I wanted to read it instantly. Especially since it deals with what happens if you find out that you were a terrible person in your past life, terrible not in the sense as an awkward neighbor but like war-crime levels.
If you expect a diverse read of feasible-looking positive climate fiction with elaboration in the social and moral implications of reincarnation being scientifically proven, go for it right now!
I didn't know what to expect from this book, but I certainly didn't expect the lot of different themes introduced as the implications of a technology that can tell who you were in your past life. I don't like when a scifi takes one extremely groundbreaking technology and only cares about one aspect of its consequences, usually the coolest or most dangerous effects, ignoring all other implications that'd affect the smallest things in everyday life and especially how the society changes.
Another Life shows us this technology at the very beginning, right after discovery when only the members of this solarpunk community are aware it exists and try it. And even now in this early stage of this technology the plot revolves around how it affects people's lives, relationships, social hierarchy and such.
Also, it was intriguing to read about a protagonist who is a mediator of such community and the worldbuilding elements were nicely blended into the plot points originating from her position.
At first I felt sceptic about how reincarnation would be explained in a scifi but it was explained with a really credible mix of genetics and quantum mechanics so I can absolutely recommend this book even if you are afraid of esoteric pseudoscience talk because this story doesn't feel like that.
The cast is diverse in ethnicity, age, disabilities, gender and sexuality.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC.
darthchrista's review
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
This was a lovely utopian book casting a vision for what communities could look like and how hard it is to resist hierarchy and bias. It also begins to show how giving up a position and being willing to share knowledge and listen to ideas can help keep communities strong. I also really liked the way conversation around what to do with a complicated past was handled. How to balance what was with what is.
jakegray's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
therealkayra's review against another edition
5.0
I sat down and read this in an evening and couldn't put it down! Perfect blend that reminded me of Cory Doctorow and the 1970s sci-fi books I used to read - and I mean this in the best way possible
sqekr89's review
challenging
hopeful
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? Yes
4.0
danielles_reads's review
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
We live in a world shaped by the misdeeds of those who came before. The fact that I was born in this exact body is a result of colonization and genocide and cruelty between humans that stretches back through the centuries. My ancestors were sometimes the oppressed, and sometimes the oppressors. All of us carry the crimes of our ancestors with us, but we also carry strength, as the descendants of survivors.
I’ve always wanted to read more solarpunk, and this was a good one! I really liked the community of Otra Vida, and the story of how it was created and how it fit in within the wider society was so fascinating. This book’s version of the future of the US does seem very plausible too, both in terms of the country as a whole and Otra Vida in particular. I also liked how diverse the community was, and how everyone’s needs were considered and adjusted for. The main character, Galacia, felt like a real person with both flaws and strengths, and I enjoyed following along with her journey of understanding her own limitations, biases, and opportunities for growth.
Unfortunately, though, I feel like this book was trying to do too much in too few pages. It goes into the history of Otra Vida, multiple terrorist attacks and their effects on the community, interpersonal drama within the different characters and pseudo-classes in Otra Vida, and reincarnation “research” and its effects on the community. All of this is in 160 pages!
Personally I wasn’t a huge fan of the reincarnation idea, and even though I admire the author’s effort, it never felt like science fiction. The effects of it were also kind of glossed over in the end, as I feel like it could really screw over things a lot more than it seemed.
However, the reincarnation did seem like a more developed idea than the terrorist attack plot. That kind of felt like an afterthought, and I’m not sure why it was included. Was it to show how the community was too trusting? I’m tired of seeing that kind of “flaw” in these utopian societies tbh. I also feel like the readers didn’t need to see the obvious objection there would be to a communal society such as Otra Vida. I thought the divide between the Founders, Inheritors, and Petitioners and the power of the Mediator position were much more interesting topics, and wish the story had focused more on that, as that’s where it was strongest. (You mean they unintentionally created a hierarchy in a communal society? Whoops 😬)
Overall I enjoyed my time reading this, and would recommend it to those looking for solarpunk reads! I would definitely read more of the author’s future work.
“Solarpunks don’t blow things up,” I asserted. “We grow things, and make new things out of the old. Your way of life wasn’t built for us, so we built another life.”
thereadingrambler's review
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Environmental fiction tends to be dark, and for good reason: We are careening toward environmental collapse, carbon-based capitalism is destroying people's physical and mental health and is a source of endless traumas, and there are no real solutions available to use. The CEO of one of the biggest and richest oil companies in the world has been instated as the leader of the UN's major climate summit this year. But what all the books from Stelliform Press do (and this one is no exception) is find the alternatives, the places where they might be hope and love.
Another Life by Sarena Ulibarri focuses on Galacia (ga-lace-e-a) Aguirre and the community of Otra Vida in Death Valley of the new, independent country of California (which comprises California and Nevada). The United States has collapsed and separated into smaller, often warring, countries. The environmental issues California currently faces have increased significantly, especially with the new Rocky Mountain Republic limiting the water supply. To combat this, Galacia and her friends developed a new technology that led to establishing a community based on radical communist (although there is debate over calling themselves that) principles.
The political, economic, and environmental collapse everyone is living in was sped up by Thomas Ramsey, one of the last of the ultra-wealthy who promises people a techno-fix for the impending environmental disaster that...does not go well. So when Galacia finds out she was Ramsey in her past life, this throws her authority within the community into question.
This book is, at its core, about how to build sustainable communities—and I mean that in the environmental and social contexts because the two are inextricably intertwined. Communities that don't have renewable energies and healthy ecological practices will not be able to have social cohesion and community spirit. This is what this book exemplifies more than anything else. The conflict between Galacia and some of the younger members of the community encapsulates both the resistance of an older generation to trust and include younger people as they come of age, but they need to be included—this is their world too. They are the ones who will primarily suffer because of previous generations' environmental, political, and economic policies, after all.
The book is very short (just over 150 pages), so there wasn't as much time to develop all of the different elements that Ulibarri addressed. I think the book could've been 50-100 pages longer and benefitted quite a bit. Ulibarri works well in the novella format nonetheless, and the reader won't walk away feeling cheated but maybe a bit sad that there wasn't more. The characters are well-drawn, but there are quite a few, and I wish they had more space to develop and breathe. Particularly when the climax happens at the end, which is suddenly much more action-y than anything else had been in the book up to that point. This felt a little sudden and could've been set up more.
Overall, if you're someone who enjoys slower-paced books that are also quick reads which focus on community and the environment, you'll enjoy this book. The characters are diverse in gender, sexuality, and racial inclusion, and the community seems to have excised itself of homophobia, transphobia, and racism, so reading a book without hate speech/crimes was refreshing as well.
Another Life by Sarena Ulibarri focuses on Galacia (ga-lace-e-a) Aguirre and the community of Otra Vida in Death Valley of the new, independent country of California (which comprises California and Nevada). The United States has collapsed and separated into smaller, often warring, countries. The environmental issues California currently faces have increased significantly, especially with the new Rocky Mountain Republic limiting the water supply. To combat this, Galacia and her friends developed a new technology that led to establishing a community based on radical communist (although there is debate over calling themselves that) principles.
The political, economic, and environmental collapse everyone is living in was sped up by Thomas Ramsey, one of the last of the ultra-wealthy who promises people a techno-fix for the impending environmental disaster that...does not go well. So when Galacia finds out she was Ramsey in her past life, this throws her authority within the community into question.
This book is, at its core, about how to build sustainable communities—and I mean that in the environmental and social contexts because the two are inextricably intertwined. Communities that don't have renewable energies and healthy ecological practices will not be able to have social cohesion and community spirit. This is what this book exemplifies more than anything else. The conflict between Galacia and some of the younger members of the community encapsulates both the resistance of an older generation to trust and include younger people as they come of age, but they need to be included—this is their world too. They are the ones who will primarily suffer because of previous generations' environmental, political, and economic policies, after all.
The book is very short (just over 150 pages), so there wasn't as much time to develop all of the different elements that Ulibarri addressed. I think the book could've been 50-100 pages longer and benefitted quite a bit. Ulibarri works well in the novella format nonetheless, and the reader won't walk away feeling cheated but maybe a bit sad that there wasn't more. The characters are well-drawn, but there are quite a few, and I wish they had more space to develop and breathe. Particularly when the climax happens at the end, which is suddenly much more action-y than anything else had been in the book up to that point. This felt a little sudden and could've been set up more.
Overall, if you're someone who enjoys slower-paced books that are also quick reads which focus on community and the environment, you'll enjoy this book. The characters are diverse in gender, sexuality, and racial inclusion, and the community seems to have excised itself of homophobia, transphobia, and racism, so reading a book without hate speech/crimes was refreshing as well.