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A review by zoes_human
Glass and Gardens: Solarpunk Winters by Wendy Nikel, Andrew Dana Hudson
Did not finish book. Stopped at 54%.
All in all, an underwhelming anthology of mostly mediocre work that veers at times into terrible. While there is some skill present in terms of writing highly readable prose, most of these writers are nowhere near ready for publication. Immature is the term that springs to mind for much of the writing within. With that said, there are a couple of stand-out writers in here, who only need to develop their potential to move from writing average but well-written stories into producing impressive work. In particular Wendy Nikel, Steve Toase, and Tessa Fisher stood out from the crowd.
Furthermore this anthology clearly presents itself as valuing diversity, yet there does not appear to be a single tale by an author of color in it. Even worse, there are two stories written from the POV of indigenous persons, one of them in first person no less, that are written by people who are not of the community in question. I'm not of that school of thought which believes people should only write characters of their own race; however, when an anthology doesn't bother to provide space for authors of color to speak, but contains pieces written to speak for other races, it becomes, in that context, a platform for literary brownface.
I won't make myself finish this. Below you will find my thoughts on the stories from the first half of the book.
Wings of Glass Wendy Nikel
4 stars
A bit sweet for my taste, but a fascinating world and a well-written story. Loved the ending.
Halps's Promise Holly Schofield
1.5 stars
Around halfway through, I thought about DNFing this one, and I wish I had. The first person POV reads with the maturity of an early middle-schooler, which seems unlikely given the post-apocalyptic nature of the society portrayed and the actual age of the character. That lack of character credibility made the whole story flop.
A Shawl for Janice Sandra Ulbrich Almazon
2 stars
While I agree completely with the sentiments of this tale, it's simply not good storytelling. The plot is, at best, simplistic and lacks any real arc. It is more a lecture than a story. While literature should have substance and social commentary, this one crosses the line into over-didacticism.
The Healing Sarah Van Goethem
3 stars
I love the concepts and universe of this story. It's a vision post climate apocalypse that focuses more on new ways of living than on the destruction of life. The idea of the living cities is beautiful. However, portions of it were a bit rushed, and the ended was much too sweet and pat. The triteness of the Hallmark movie finish diminished the story as a whole.
The Fugue of Winter Steve Toase
4 stars
A beautiful story about what makes the difference between life and survival and what we are willing to risk to protect it.
The Roots of Everything Heather Kitzman
2 stars
A well-written story with a well-worn romance plot that has been featured countless times in shows and stories everywhere. It just barely qualifies as post-climate change by virtue of the fact that climate change is briefly mentioned a couple of times.
Viam Inveniemus Aut Faciemus Tales from the EV Studio and Commando Jugendstil
1 star
Loaded with extraneous details and characters that are only differentiated on the most superficial level, this story read like a routine maintenance outing. There was no sense of urgency and the dialogue as well as behavior of the characters was all but indistinguishable one to the next. The inherent problem of this story is that you are told absolutely everything and shown nothing.
Recovering the Lost Art of Cuddling Tessa Fisher
3.5 stars
While quite predictable, the story is written well and with a lot of character. The first-person voice is exceptionally well executed.
Oil and Ivory Jennifer Lee Rossman
3 stars
In terms of story content, this is one of the better tales in this anthology. It's well written with excellent pacing and a good arc. While the story appears to be intended respectfully, I'm more than just a little uncomfortable with a white woman writing a story with an Inuit first person POV, especially one in which the character's Indigenousness is central to the plot. It's all the more disturbing for the story to be featured in an anthology that is clearly presenting itself as diverse, yet that also does not appear to have a single story by any person of color, much less an indigenous person. In this context, it almost makes this story feel like literary brown-face.
Orchidaceae Thomas Badlan
1 star
DNF And just like that I'm over trying to force myself through this anthology.
Furthermore this anthology clearly presents itself as valuing diversity, yet there does not appear to be a single tale by an author of color in it. Even worse, there are two stories written from the POV of indigenous persons, one of them in first person no less, that are written by people who are not of the community in question. I'm not of that school of thought which believes people should only write characters of their own race; however, when an anthology doesn't bother to provide space for authors of color to speak, but contains pieces written to speak for other races, it becomes, in that context, a platform for literary brownface.
I won't make myself finish this. Below you will find my thoughts on the stories from the first half of the book.
Wings of Glass Wendy Nikel
4 stars
A bit sweet for my taste, but a fascinating world and a well-written story. Loved the ending.
Halps's Promise Holly Schofield
1.5 stars
Around halfway through, I thought about DNFing this one, and I wish I had. The first person POV reads with the maturity of an early middle-schooler, which seems unlikely given the post-apocalyptic nature of the society portrayed and the actual age of the character. That lack of character credibility made the whole story flop.
A Shawl for Janice Sandra Ulbrich Almazon
2 stars
While I agree completely with the sentiments of this tale, it's simply not good storytelling. The plot is, at best, simplistic and lacks any real arc. It is more a lecture than a story. While literature should have substance and social commentary, this one crosses the line into over-didacticism.
The Healing Sarah Van Goethem
3 stars
I love the concepts and universe of this story. It's a vision post climate apocalypse that focuses more on new ways of living than on the destruction of life. The idea of the living cities is beautiful. However, portions of it were a bit rushed, and the ended was much too sweet and pat. The triteness of the Hallmark movie finish diminished the story as a whole.
The Fugue of Winter Steve Toase
4 stars
A beautiful story about what makes the difference between life and survival and what we are willing to risk to protect it.
The Roots of Everything Heather Kitzman
2 stars
A well-written story with a well-worn romance plot that has been featured countless times in shows and stories everywhere. It just barely qualifies as post-climate change by virtue of the fact that climate change is briefly mentioned a couple of times.
Viam Inveniemus Aut Faciemus Tales from the EV Studio and Commando Jugendstil
1 star
Loaded with extraneous details and characters that are only differentiated on the most superficial level, this story read like a routine maintenance outing. There was no sense of urgency and the dialogue as well as behavior of the characters was all but indistinguishable one to the next. The inherent problem of this story is that you are told absolutely everything and shown nothing.
Recovering the Lost Art of Cuddling Tessa Fisher
3.5 stars
While quite predictable, the story is written well and with a lot of character. The first-person voice is exceptionally well executed.
Oil and Ivory Jennifer Lee Rossman
3 stars
In terms of story content, this is one of the better tales in this anthology. It's well written with excellent pacing and a good arc. While the story appears to be intended respectfully, I'm more than just a little uncomfortable with a white woman writing a story with an Inuit first person POV, especially one in which the character's Indigenousness is central to the plot. It's all the more disturbing for the story to be featured in an anthology that is clearly presenting itself as diverse, yet that also does not appear to have a single story by any person of color, much less an indigenous person. In this context, it almost makes this story feel like literary brown-face.
Orchidaceae Thomas Badlan
1 star
DNF And just like that I'm over trying to force myself through this anthology.