Solarpunk Creatures

The 20 stories and six works of art in this ambitious anthology center nonhuman protagonists, both bots and beasts, in climate-ravaged futures. Sometimes, nature, magic, and technology come together, as in Tashan Mehta’s “Leaf Whispers, Ocean Song,” a love story that gives nature a voice. Lyndsey Croal’s bite-size “Hunting for Rain” features a robot dog on the hunt for clean water to save his beloved human companions from drought. In BrightFlame’s “Thank Geo,” a wildlife council attempts to contact a new form of life. In other entries, the natural and the mechanical clash: “Solar Murder” by A.E. Marling follows a flock of crows antagonizing a vital solar farm, while Jerri Jerreat’s “The Wetlands Versus the Mayor” finds the land defending itself against a growing city. Each story pushes the boundaries of what the future, and the characters within it, might look like. With a colorful variety of tales of hope, community, and rebuilding, this will appeal to long-time solarpunk fans and newer readers alike. (Jan.)