Paul

For me, this book felt like an experience more than it felt like reading a book. I don't think it will be for everybody, but if you like to get lost in a world - or just lost in thought - this is a winner.

I spent the first 100 pages wondering when the story would start. It seemed like stuff was just happening, one thing after another, as if there was no real story or plot. However, the writing and imagination was so compelling that I never considered giving up on it for even a moment. Eventually, I realized the lack of a traditional plot arc was intentional. Rather, tiny pieces of story line up one after the other, creating a beautiful tale set in a world that seems like our own, only not quite.

I read a fair bit of climate fiction, and I think some might characterize this book in that way, but I don't think that's correct. Most of it does take place in the near-future, and since climate change is a thing that's happening, it will be present in any near-future story, but what this is really about is community. How do we create a community, and what does that mean? Also, how do we interact with other communities and cultures when the world and human nature inevitably lead us to all mix together in unpredictable ways?

As the title suggests, I would consider this to be a very uplifting book. It doesn't avoid the myriad issues happening in the world at all; corruption, climate emergencies, identity issues and more all show up in the book just as they do in life. But it focuses on how changes can happen, communities can come together, people can survive tragedy and come out stronger, people can make good choices. It promotes the value of the long view, and asks "What if we really asked ourselves what the next thousand years will be like?"

It's not preachy though. The central community is an invented "religious group"/modern hippy cult that doesn't really resemble any modern community, so by viewing how this group moves through the world, the book examines community, relationships and culture through an entirely unique lens, rather than trying to imitate a specific culture's view. I found that approach pretty ingenious.

There's 120ish small chapters, and each little chapter was like candy for the brain. The chapter that describes the Music is probably going to be one of my all-time favourite pieces of literature.

It's in a linear order, following two main characters and a couple side characters, so it's a pretty standard story in that sense, but - like real life - you never quite know where it's going or what the characters are going to do next. In that way, it may not appeal to people who like classic story arcs, but for lovers of setting, character and prose, it's fantastic.

There's the tiniest sprinkle of the fantastic in there as well, but it is so sparing and well integrated, that the "fantasy" can basically be written off as a detailed description of dreams or superstition, much like the idea that god(s) are watching people.

And yes, I'd totally join Hopeland... Maybe. Or maybe I just want to be named after a star.

This book really makes you see... or should I say sense... the world differently. I feel like I have an entirely new sense of awe regarding the world around me, and also has made me full of weird facts about animals (the best kinds of facts).

I highly recommend it. My only conceit is that it is VERY full of information, and I found if I read too much, my brain wouldn't be able to take it in. So I read it in chunks of one to two chapters at a time, and took breaks in between. I also never read for more than maybe half an hour at a time.

Pretty damn awesome. It's got serious Pacific Rim vibes, but much more culturally sophisticated, using Chinese mythological elements, and the main character - despite being based (very) loosely on a Chinese Empress - is unpredictable and fierce. The action is constant, and the end was VERY cool.

Put simply, it checked all my boxes for what makes a badass story. I think my only holdback from a 5 star review was that aside from being super-cool, I didn't get much out from it. The relationships in the story were pretty unique, and the cast was good, but character-wise, it felt more like watching a movie than getting to know them. And while it was very emotive, I noticed more than felt the emotions... Except the emotion of "oh damn, that was badass."

I'd say with about half the trilogies or series starters I read, I leave it at that whether I like it or not, but in this case, I am DEFINITELY reading the sequel. Sometimes you need a fast-paced action story with crazy twists, and this delivered that in spades.

A really strong, sound, and compassionate appeal to indigenize science and society. I found her arguments compelling, and I think almost ten years after this book came out, it has made a real impact in the academic community. Our health library has an Indigenous Health section, and studies integrating indigenous practice with the scientific method are being reported in top scientific journals. I agree that reframing our Western methods through a holistic, indigenous lens, with a focus on sustainability, and an openness towards appreciating the personhood of nonhuman beings is integral to fixing some of the mistakes we have been making.

Unfortunately, the economic goals of changing to a system of reciprocity is going nowhere, and I'm afraid her approach to those subjects was a little too bleeding -heart to have the same kind of impact.

I think that's why even though parts of this book inspiring, and I feel like I will approach the outside world with a new level of appreciation, I can't give this book too high of a review. I found the way she described nature and her own feelings as over-the-top, like she was trying to sell the appeal of being high on life, and while I think she held back on being too preachy, it still felt like overly dramatic. Did she really become paralyzed with existential angst while trying to buy a pen because she didn't know what to thank for it? I get the sentiment, but I feel like she oversold the point a bit.

I guess in the last few years, it's hard not to let cynicism trump optimism and appreciation.