In a way, this is a coming-of-age story, because it focusses on two young people and how they deal with life. But it's bigger than that, because the two characters, Terran and Raven, live in a future world damaged by climate change. At the start of the story, they are part of a scientific expedition into a hot and harsh environment, in search of seeds to improve the failing crops in their isolated biodome. Fate intervenes, sending the two into a different environment and presenting each of them with opportunities and challenges.
Chapters alternate between the two characters, showing how each of them adapts and makes choices. Teachers appear, in different forms. Terran interacts with a humanoid robot AI, and Raven joins a group led by a shamanic figure who explores emotions through movement and dance. Eventually, other teachers emerge, as the two main characters gain skills and knowledge and experience doubts and setbacks. The narrative is carefully constructed to show the similarities and differences in their trajectories, as each individual makes discoveries about themselves and the world around them.
The author has imagined a world profoundly damaged by pollution, drought, floods, and rising sea levels, but also full of unstoppable life that continues despite these harms. The humans that have survived ecological disasters in different ways continue as well, either by clinging to failing technology, as do the inhabitants of the Institute's biodomes, or by working with the environment cooperatively to restore what they can. I appreciated the vivid descriptions of the communities of Jedahra and Saranath, in particular the salvaging of useful items from the wreckage of the fallen world, and the methodical efforts to regenerate lands damaged by pollution and salinity. These places, with their organic architecture, basic income, relaxed but purposeful lifestyles, lush gardens, spinning wind generators, and refurbished trains, sound quite utopian. I found myself wishing they were real!
This is not a book full of conflict and cliffhangers, but a careful look at possibilities extrapolated from what is happening right now into a potential future. Each chapter shows what the two main characters think and feel about the situations in which they find themselves, and the choices they make in order to move forward. By the time I finished reading, I felt I knew them and hoped things would turn out well for them. The ending is inconclusive, but satisfying nevertheless. I noticed a number of minor errors, but not enough to spoil the reading experience. 4.5 stars, rounded up.
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Top reviews from other countries
- Audrey DriscollReviewed in Canada on March 3, 2026
Realistic Optimism in a Future World
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
