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sparklefarm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
I *loved* this. What Ann Leckie does for gender, Ruthanna Emrys does for family, community, and governance. Absolutely fascinating, wildly creative, and hopeful.
Content Warnings
Minor: Kidnapping and Toxic relationship
hendrixpants's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping
toopunkrockforshul's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Absolutely loved this book, so Jewish in both values and in actual representation and makes me feel like maybe things will be okay in the world one day.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Sexism
Moderate: Dysphoria, Xenophobia, Mental illness, Colonisation, Pregnancy, and Antisemitism
Minor: Sexual content, Transphobia, Genocide, Religious bigotry, and Outing
maeverose's review against another edition
slow-paced
2.5
TL;DR: I liked the themes and representation much more than the plot or execution. It was too dense for me, as well as too long. I struggled to understand the political negotiations, which make up the majority of the book. The tech/worldbuilding was never fully explained. It ended up boring me, unfortunately.
This book definitely isn’t for everyone. It’s largely political negotiations and navigating each other’s different cultures, which I can definitely see some people loving, but for me it was boring and often confusing. I really struggled with the political language throughout. I liked the leftist take, but the language made it hard for me to understand, and I felt like I was missing a lot. The technology and worldbuilding wasn’t really clearly explained. I grasped it better as the book went on, but I’m still not confident I fully understood it. I did enjoy the topics, the exploration of gender identity and expression (though I do think that was overdone a bit, especially with the Asterions, and that’s coming from a genderqueer person), the different ways of parenting, the Ringer’s culture. I liked the inclusion of queer and disabled people, as well as a jewish protagonist. However there were no obvious people of color. Nobody’s skin color or race is ever mentioned, that I noticed.
This book definitely isn’t for everyone. It’s largely political negotiations and navigating each other’s different cultures, which I can definitely see some people loving, but for me it was boring and often confusing. I really struggled with the political language throughout. I liked the leftist take, but the language made it hard for me to understand, and I felt like I was missing a lot. The technology and worldbuilding wasn’t really clearly explained. I grasped it better as the book went on, but I’m still not confident I fully understood it. I did enjoy the topics, the exploration of gender identity and expression (though I do think that was overdone a bit, especially with the Asterions, and that’s coming from a genderqueer person), the different ways of parenting, the Ringer’s culture. I liked the inclusion of queer and disabled people, as well as a jewish protagonist. However there were no obvious people of color. Nobody’s skin color or race is ever mentioned, that I noticed.
One thing I surprisingly (being a childfree genderqueer person) loved was the representation of motherhood in this book. To see people casually breastfeeding without judgment during a first contact meeting with aliens was so refreshing. Sci fi has historically been such a male dominated genre full of misogyny that its really is nice to have a book like this for a change. I also really liked the non traditional family dynamic, with co-parenting and queer parents.
I wanted to love this book based on the synopsis and my newfound love for cozy sci fi, but unfortunately it wasn’t quite what I wanted. Still a good book, just didn’t work for me.
I wanted to love this book based on the synopsis and my newfound love for cozy sci fi, but unfortunately it wasn’t quite what I wanted. Still a good book, just didn’t work for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Sexual content, Colonisation, and Excrement
Minor: Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Eating disorder, Cursing, and Transphobia
There isn’t an actual eating disorder, just lots of mentions of food which could be triggering.kylieqrada's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-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
4.0
This book is something else. If I had to compare it to anything, I guess the Earthseed duology by Octavia Butler comes to mind in that it almost reads like a manifesto for a post-apocalyptic Earth. But it's also like super warm and cozy in a way? You really have to read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation and Sexual content
Moderate: Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, and Transphobia
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
mandkips's review
challenging
hopeful
reflective
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation and Sexual content
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Transphobia, and Kidnapping
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
rorikae's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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
5.0
'A Half Built Garden' by Ruthanna Emrys is a hopeful first contact story set in a near future where the world has been able to affect global change to protect the planet.
Judy and her wife live in the Chesapeake network, a self governing body that cares for the world around the Chesapeake Bay. One night, Judy receives a strange water reading and stumbles into first contact with an alien ship that has come to supposedly save humanity. As Judy learns more about the aliens and their goals, she will have to work together with other Earth groups to determine what the future of humanity will look like.
This book is a engaging cross between hopepunk climate fiction and a first contact story. Emrys has created a near future where most of humanity has prioritized the Earth to make marked change to combat climate change. The infusion of a first contact story within this allows Emrys to explore an outside view on humanity's treatment of the Earth and the possibilities for our future. She introduces two interesting alien species and their symbiosis work as a comparison to humanity's choices. At it's heart, this is a story about family and the choices we make. It's slow and deliberate in a way that encourages the reader to consider our world's possibilities. Mixing science with lyrical prose and alien world building, it drew me in and absolutely captured my interest. I want to spend more time with these characters and will be sure to check out more of Emrys' work. If you are looking for a climate fiction novel that blends hopepunk with a first contact narrative centered on family, you really must read 'A Half Built Garden.'
Judy and her wife live in the Chesapeake network, a self governing body that cares for the world around the Chesapeake Bay. One night, Judy receives a strange water reading and stumbles into first contact with an alien ship that has come to supposedly save humanity. As Judy learns more about the aliens and their goals, she will have to work together with other Earth groups to determine what the future of humanity will look like.
This book is a engaging cross between hopepunk climate fiction and a first contact story. Emrys has created a near future where most of humanity has prioritized the Earth to make marked change to combat climate change. The infusion of a first contact story within this allows Emrys to explore an outside view on humanity's treatment of the Earth and the possibilities for our future. She introduces two interesting alien species and their symbiosis work as a comparison to humanity's choices. At it's heart, this is a story about family and the choices we make. It's slow and deliberate in a way that encourages the reader to consider our world's possibilities. Mixing science with lyrical prose and alien world building, it drew me in and absolutely captured my interest. I want to spend more time with these characters and will be sure to check out more of Emrys' work. If you are looking for a climate fiction novel that blends hopepunk with a first contact narrative centered on family, you really must read 'A Half Built Garden.'
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping
readundancies's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
tense
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? No
4.5
A Half-Built Garden is a very fascinating tale of first contact within the scope of dystopian sci-fi. It’s easy to have preconceived notions about the plot and where the narrative will go based on the synopsis, and I’m here to tell you that was entirely the case with me.
I’m also here to tell you that it was absolutely not what I was expecting and I enjoyed it all immensely anyways.
This is a story about family and child rearing and gender identity and communication and negotiation and connection and progress all within the context of first contact. Contact between humanity and aliens known as Ringers in 2083 occurs almost immediately, like we’re talking the first 3 pages, and from that point onward you get a combination of intense information dumping coupled with a heavy dose of political manoeuvring. And it’s a lot to handle, which means this is not going to be a book for everyone.
Now granted, I’m not usually one for info dumping, but Emrys manages to get away with a lot of it because the specifics don’t particularly matter in the grand scheme of things. Was my little STEM loving heart thoroughly engaged with a lot of the info dumping? Heck yeah it was, but I can definitely acknowledge that that alone is not going to endear this story to a lot of people. Which is a shame because its a solid if slow paced exploration of gender identity and child-rearing and family, and it’s incredibly thought-provoking with the discussions it brings up in spite of how heavy handed it can be at times.
I thought the focus on children acting as political objects to help stave off violence when disagreements arise was a really neat avenue to explore. I thought the disparity between the different factions of humans, from the government agencies (like the US and NASA) to corporations (such as Asterion and Sanya) to the watershed networks was an effective juxtaposition to the Ringers; we got to see lesser stakes and struggles within the human species and how it could be viewed at a larger scope when considering humanity’s place amongst the stars and other off-world species.
At it’s core, this may seem like a story about climate change and the environment, and what comes after humanity stands at the brink of the Earth’s destruction and their own as a species. But I’m not sure that’s what this story is really about. Which is not to say it’s not a focus and a driving force to the plot. But the plot itself is not very complex, it just has incredibly large stakes at play for the human race.
It’s definitely more character driven and a heck of a lot more politically inclined than I thought it would be. But I found myself really enjoying the themes and discussions that arose and was utterly absorbed with the story in a way that I haven’t been in a while.
I’m not sure I can properly articulate why this story resonated with me the way that it did. The writing at times was a bit chaotic - I didn’t particularly need the interludes, that’s for sure - but also kind of profound; I read this as a library book and found myself wanting to mark passages that stuck with me the moment I read them. It wasn’t perfect, but then neither is humanity at large and I think it’s quiet introspection says a lot more than I ever could. I think if you’re looking for a modern queer sci-fi read that delves into matters that aren’t typically delved into within mainstream sci-fi, this could really work for you. And having read it so quickly, I know there’s definitely an audience for this novel, I just hope it finds it.
I’m also here to tell you that it was absolutely not what I was expecting and I enjoyed it all immensely anyways.
This is a story about family and child rearing and gender identity and communication and negotiation and connection and progress all within the context of first contact. Contact between humanity and aliens known as Ringers in 2083 occurs almost immediately, like we’re talking the first 3 pages, and from that point onward you get a combination of intense information dumping coupled with a heavy dose of political manoeuvring. And it’s a lot to handle, which means this is not going to be a book for everyone.
Now granted, I’m not usually one for info dumping, but Emrys manages to get away with a lot of it because the specifics don’t particularly matter in the grand scheme of things. Was my little STEM loving heart thoroughly engaged with a lot of the info dumping? Heck yeah it was, but I can definitely acknowledge that that alone is not going to endear this story to a lot of people. Which is a shame because its a solid if slow paced exploration of gender identity and child-rearing and family, and it’s incredibly thought-provoking with the discussions it brings up in spite of how heavy handed it can be at times.
I thought the focus on children acting as political objects to help stave off violence when disagreements arise was a really neat avenue to explore. I thought the disparity between the different factions of humans, from the government agencies (like the US and NASA) to corporations (such as Asterion and Sanya) to the watershed networks was an effective juxtaposition to the Ringers; we got to see lesser stakes and struggles within the human species and how it could be viewed at a larger scope when considering humanity’s place amongst the stars and other off-world species.
At it’s core, this may seem like a story about climate change and the environment, and what comes after humanity stands at the brink of the Earth’s destruction and their own as a species. But I’m not sure that’s what this story is really about. Which is not to say it’s not a focus and a driving force to the plot. But the plot itself is not very complex, it just has incredibly large stakes at play for the human race.
It’s definitely more character driven and a heck of a lot more politically inclined than I thought it would be. But I found myself really enjoying the themes and discussions that arose and was utterly absorbed with the story in a way that I haven’t been in a while.
I’m not sure I can properly articulate why this story resonated with me the way that it did. The writing at times was a bit chaotic - I didn’t particularly need the interludes, that’s for sure - but also kind of profound; I read this as a library book and found myself wanting to mark passages that stuck with me the moment I read them. It wasn’t perfect, but then neither is humanity at large and I think it’s quiet introspection says a lot more than I ever could. I think if you’re looking for a modern queer sci-fi read that delves into matters that aren’t typically delved into within mainstream sci-fi, this could really work for you. And having read it so quickly, I know there’s definitely an audience for this novel, I just hope it finds it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping
fluffyeti's review
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
medium-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? No
4.25
This is a first-contact novel set in the relatively near future, on an Earth which has confronted the climate crisis in a productive way. The story is almost exclusively couched in the experience of the main character who first encounters the aliens and who floors them by declining their offer to evacuate all humans off the (they assume dying) planet.
I have such mixed feelings about this book.
What I liked:
It's well written, it's got an incredibly different premise for first contact, it's hopeful and post climate crisis in a way that seems reachable. It is deeply queer in a refreshing, non-judgmental, "this is just how people are, and how they live their lives" way. The main character's practice of Judaism plays an integral role in her life, the life of her family, and in how she approaches challenges beautifully. I admire that the alien species are not just bipeds of another shade, and that the consideration of the vast physical differences between species receives more than surface level mention, as well as social mores which have just enough overlap with human ones to cause friction.
What made me uncomfortable:
Discomfort is not a bad thing, but it has slowed my review while I think about what bothered me, and why. I don't think it's a spoiler to reveal that the aliens attribute a great deal of status based on child rearing, and, more specifically, childbearing, to the point thatall diplomatic interactions are expected to include the children of those negotiating as the barest minimum. This does not present a problem, per se, but an entire alien civilization locking authority behind such a hugely personal--for humans--decision, and by initial appearances superficially reducing children to status symbols truly rankles me. That and the frequent breastfeeding, which, reflexively, I want to turn away from as an act which requires privacy, meant I never got really cozy with the book as a whole.
Overall/rating:
It's a great book, and I liked it and a lot of the ideas in it, but didn't breathlessly fall in love with it, hence the 4.25 stars.
I have such mixed feelings about this book.
What I liked:
It's well written, it's got an incredibly different premise for first contact, it's hopeful and post climate crisis in a way that seems reachable. It is deeply queer in a refreshing, non-judgmental, "this is just how people are, and how they live their lives" way. The main character's practice of Judaism plays an integral role in her life, the life of her family, and in how she approaches challenges beautifully. I admire that the alien species are not just bipeds of another shade, and that the consideration of the vast physical differences between species receives more than surface level mention, as well as social mores which have just enough overlap with human ones to cause friction.
What made me uncomfortable:
Discomfort is not a bad thing, but it has slowed my review while I think about what bothered me, and why. I don't think it's a spoiler to reveal that the aliens attribute a great deal of status based on child rearing, and, more specifically, childbearing, to the point that
Overall/rating:
It's a great book, and I liked it and a lot of the ideas in it, but didn't breathlessly fall in love with it, hence the 4.25 stars.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping
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