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A review by andrewspink
Venomous Lumpsucker by Ned Beauman
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Venomous Lumpsucker is 'cli-fi' (climate fiction), set in a near dystopian future when the climate is thoroughly derailed. But it is not a miserable book, I enjoyed reading it and was sad to reach the end. The plot is extraordinary, with many unexpected twists and turns, and has the form of a thriller. The characters are interesting. It pokes gentle fun at the English, which is always nice. I appreciated that he wrote, 'the kingdom has citizenship laws stipulating if you were out of the country for long enough you forfeited certain rights'. I could not vote in the Brexit referendum because I had been outside the UK too long. Another gem, the use of genetically modified peat moss to clean up pollution - I did research on that moss for three years.
Good sci-fi (and I take cli-fi to be a sub-section of sci-fi) helps the reader to think about issues in today's society. This book certainly raises several interesting issues. Why is the current system of carbon credits not effective in curbing greenhouse gas emissions? (Why) is biodiversity worth preserving? Does it matter if a species goes extinct? Is there anything special about the human species? What the world look like in a few decades with a different climate? He is especially good at capturing the wonder that a biologist feels after intently studying a plant or animal for several years, and how the emotional commitment that that results in is separate from the rational arguments such as ecosystem services used to argue for its conservation.
This is the first book by Ned Beauman that I've read. I hope his earlier books were just as good.
Good sci-fi (and I take cli-fi to be a sub-section of sci-fi) helps the reader to think about issues in today's society. This book certainly raises several interesting issues. Why is the current system of carbon credits not effective in curbing greenhouse gas emissions? (Why) is biodiversity worth preserving? Does it matter if a species goes extinct? Is there anything special about the human species? What the world look like in a few decades with a different climate? He is especially good at capturing the wonder that a biologist feels after intently studying a plant or animal for several years, and how the emotional commitment that that results in is separate from the rational arguments such as ecosystem services used to argue for its conservation.
This is the first book by Ned Beauman that I've read. I hope his earlier books were just as good.