A review by lmniday
Walk the Vanished Earth by Erin Swan

adventurous challenging dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

With a cover this pretty and a concept this interesting, I really wanted to like it more. Not actively bad enough to be a 2 star, but also not nearly good enough to be a 4 or 5 star. I would describe a lot of this book as "conservative wokeness." It's definitely true that this book was aware of the dangers of climate change, but the characters seemed to be more of a parody of liberal ideologies than a legitimate embodiment. Making some of your characters queer doesn't offset the themes that they represent. Still, obviously, it wasn't all bad. Ignoring the consistently contradictory political ambitions, this was a unique story told in an interesting order. I appreciated that besides Moon running the throughline, the other stories were mostly told in chronological order, with each one portraying a danger that can lead to a downfall of society. This book is certainly a one-of-a-kind experience, and as far as cli-fi is concerned, this one is a standout. I just wish it stood out as more than that.