Reviews

There is an awful lot of miserable, or vengeful, spec fic around at the moment, and Saunders' anthology, deliberately imagining futures centered around Bandjalong persistence in the Tweed, are a welcome breath of hopeful air (and occasionlly water). The dazzling strength here is the variety of imagined futures. Most involve catastrophic climate change, but they are stories of human, Indigenous, survival, ingenuity, joy and connection set within an ecosystem which shifts, but whose Country persists.
The tales include those set in a world with a drowned Tweed valley, a near-future with drone delivery, a flee to the stars and a return, a divided Tweed where rich wellness influencing has turned into an isolationist wealthy cult. Some stories focus on a low-tech, return to traditional knowledge lifestyle and others revolve around futuristic technology. Saunders has arranged the volume so that the stories can be read as a series in a continuously evolving future, or as variant futures. The difference may not be material.
One downside of the ordering is that the volume starts with several stories that feel similar in tone, centered around a single persons thoughts. However the variety quickly picks up, which is important in an anthology with such a strong central theme.
As you would expect, not all the stories work equally well. Some stories - Tweed Sanctuary Tour comes to mind - work more as idea essays with a lightly fictionised edge. Others, like Cultural Immersion Program or Fire Bug, have a really compelling story but which feels overshadowed a little at the end by the idea that underpins it, sitting uneasily between point and character. But occasionally - Our Future is in the Stars was my absolute favourite - Saunders's storytelling and ideas come together in breathtakingly good ways and it just feels transcendent in looking at who we are, and what we could do.

luhos's review

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adventurous challenging medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

such a unique, creative, and stunning collection of stories. i implore every australian to read this. all of them were good, but “our future in the stars” was completely exceptional.

booksweread's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

A brilliant exploration of possible futures in the traditional Goori lands of the Tweed River. I loved the themes that connected the stories, cultural learning and engagement, understanding and taking care of the land and the seas.

Stories in the not so distant future of overdevelopment and technology.

Stories of sovereignty never ceded and the people taking back their land and living in harmony with it, teaching those that want to learn.

Stories of Ocean Bikies and surfing waves of epic proportions where the seas have taken over the land.

Stories of living off earth in space and coming back, of culture changing, but staying the same.

Stories of kinship and joy and family. If we had only let them be.

Mykaela talks about how Indigenous people have been telling stories for thousands years. Her stories are exciting, endearing, fresh and inspiring.

elnechnntt's review

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adventurous hopeful 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? It's complicated

3.0

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