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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
fast-paced
This is a fast-paced, generally upbeat, and somewhat encouraging piece of climate fiction set about 30 years in the future. Our narrator, Brooks, is a 19-year-old white resident of Burbank who enthusiastically works a variety of short-term jobs as part of the work guarantee program to support the Green New Deal. His grandfather and his grandfather's friends are Maga conspiracy dudes, the other main faction of characters in the story, and they're inspired by a novel that was generated by a third prominent faction, the plutes, who live in a big flotilla out in international waters and are basically the tech bros and other libertarians. The plutes also fund legal complications that make it harder for the energetic, youthful faction to respond to crises as quickly as they otherwise would. It's a world in which many communities have already had to be relocated, so the technology for building prefab apartments very quickly has been perfected. The one flaw in the book, as far as I'm concerned, is that Brooks really does see the world in terms of these three groups, which is realistic enough, except that there are still many people in the world who don't fit into one of those groups. We meet several - the mayor and other city officials, a neighbor named Brad - but they don't seem to have any energy and aren't really considered a potential part of the solution.
emotional
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This might be a great entryway into cli-fi for a very specific subset of readers. The worldbuilding is great, the imagined future feels real in both hopeful and terrifying ways, and the concepts/tech described seem just at the edge of possible.
That said: the story itself is a little thin, and the main character is…tiresome. The women (mostly women of color!) exist to be sexual/romantic interests and to teach the main character things, which gets frustrating fast. The dialogue feels clunky and overly didactic.
Enjoyable, overall, but not the first book I’d recommend to most people.
That said: the story itself is a little thin, and the main character is…tiresome. The women (mostly women of color!) exist to be sexual/romantic interests and to teach the main character things, which gets frustrating fast. The dialogue feels clunky and overly didactic.
Enjoyable, overall, but not the first book I’d recommend to most people.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Pandemic/Epidemic
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
challenging
dark
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
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
I've yet to read a disappointing book by Cory Doctorow. The Lost Cause is amazing, and I love how it takes on the political climate of the near future. It's hopeful for future while being realistic about what it might look like if we keep on the same path we are now. Recommended reading for everyone, just like Walkaway.
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A hopeful but realistically bleak speculative look at a possible very near future. Like other Doctorow titles, the lens is very small scale, looking out at the world, rather than a grand sweeping epic, but that doesn't detract from the rollercoaster of a plot that has very little let-up throughout.
If you read Doctorow's nonfiction, especially his blog, there's no ideas here you won't already have heard him talk about (modern monetary theory, antitrust, climate activism, etc. ), but they're wrapped in an original and exciting story that may be an easier "in" for many. Some passages tiptoe up to the line of monologued dissertation, but crucially never crossed it.
The big takeaway of the story for me is to remember that it's not just the "other side" we have to reconcile with, but those on our side with different ideas.
It's not an easy listen, and I can't say I'll be rushing back to it immediately, but definitely worth your time.
If you read Doctorow's nonfiction, especially his blog, there's no ideas here you won't already have heard him talk about (
The big takeaway of the story for me is to remember that it's not just the "other side" we have to reconcile with, but those on our side with different ideas.
It's not an easy listen, and I can't say I'll be rushing back to it immediately, but definitely worth your time.
