A review by arielmarkenjack
Sordidez by E.G. Condé

adventurous inspiring reflective medium-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

5.0

 The #sfnovellaofthemonth for July 2023 is Sordidez by E. G. Condé, forthcoming in August 2023 from Stelliform Press. 

I cannot resist a book that manages the trick of being both beautiful and daring. E. G. Condé’s Taínofuturist novella Sordidez is a splendid example of what that trick can look like, and how inspiring it can be to read. At once a devastating look at the effects of climate catastrophe, colonial and civil oppression, and other disastrous influences on exploited and underserved countries and communities and a wildly inventive narrative of the endless potential of resourceful peoples who refuse to be wiped out (for more on this refusal, check out my recent interview with Condé in Interzone Digital), Sordidez is a startlingly ambitious and deceptively small book that covers so much ground it ends up feeling like something boundless and vast.
 
In Sordidez, E. G. Condé pulls together multiple narrative threads and perspectives to showcase such a wealth of ideas that the novella’s streamlined coherence seems improbable. It’s a testament to the author’s skill that, overall, this novella works. And not just works, but shines. If you enjoy reading beautifully written, delightfully original, and fiercely hopeful science fiction that not only holds but resolutely creates space for peoples and ideas all too often marginalized to the point of near extinction, I highly recommend giving Sordidez a go.