venneh 's review for:

The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz

4.0

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Newitz's book is structured like a tree ring, with a core event, and the effects as it ripples down the history of a planet in different ages. And in the way it focuses on ecological survival in the wake of past corporate climate disaster, the POVs shift from human to new species bought into the bargain to survive, to new intelligences created by all the former. The corporations continue to be not even subtly evil across generations, and sometimes, it's nice to be able to have a consistent evil to cheer against, especially in how speciesist and controlling they are to all that are not theirs. There's dives into the ethics of intelligence and creating life, and the capacity of those that are created in turn. Sci fi eco socialism and gender and sexuallity positivity is an unexpected but amazing combination, and would love to see more along these lines.