Hopeland

4.25 stars

I didn't know much about this novel going in, but if I was expecting anything it was an urban fantasy about electromancers.  I suppose you could reduce the story to that description for a book jacket, but really this was a decades and ultimately centuries-spanning epic about families, nations, and societies.  I got definite Kim Stanley Robinson vibes.  I also kept thinking about James Michener's multi-generational works, though I am not entirely sure that tracks, as I have not gone back to those since I was a teenager.  I think my touchpoint there was the depth of exploration of place, culture, and history.I enjoyed the ideas about social change and technological adaptation in the face of climate change.  As near future sci-fi, this hit the mark for me.  I also liked the overall mix of ideas, plot, and character.  I responded to many of the main characters and was especially attached to Amon.  The last third of the book was my favorite as the plot picked up steam and ended with a bang.My biggest quibble was pacing.  Although I enjoyed almost all of the different sections/settings, with the notable exception of the Hopeland founding history, there were parts of each story where my attention flagged.  The prose was beautiful, but the story could have been tighter.  I also generally felt that the electromancy was peripheral, and I would have liked for it to either be fully explored or left out.  Ultimately, I found the migration plotline in the final third of the story really engaging, and I thought the ending was a banger with a lot of catharsis.  I left this book thinking and feeling, and while I might have had to push myself to keep going through some slow spots, I suspect I will be thinking about it for a long time.