WAYNE'S 2024 BOOKS: BOOK 15

The Lost Cause
by Cory Doctorow

Continuing "The Year I Read Mostly Books From Cory Doctorow" ( @pluralistic), with a solarpunk novel in a near future that's lapping at our shores like climate-change-inducing rising waters: The Lost Cause.

What if things didn't quite work out, but weren't as bad as they could have been? Coastal cities are swamped, extreme weather events are frequent occurrences instead of 100-year events, and times are bleak. But what if instead of gnawing at each other like starving rats in a cage, we came together to work collectively to solve our problems and care for one another? Well, mostly what if we did that, because this book also features the pathetic remnants of today's most extant threat: The Magas.

The main character Brooks starts out being threatened by a Maga with an acid gun who is trying to smash up solar panels because... reasons. When his grandfather dies, leaving behind a house in Burbank - and an unexpected hidden cache - the Magas take note, making Brooks' efforts to help improve the city and assist climate refugees much more perilous than he expected. Throw in some musky tech-will-fix-it bros, and you've got a spicy tale.

One thing I found jarring was how nice Brooks' comrades are. Are we so jaded and messed up that a group of people that just want to help each other seem unrealistic? Probably. I guess if your biggest problem is that the characters care about each other and their world, then you don't really have a problem at all!

(Secure a copy at https://craphound.com/shop/)

#books #bookreview #solarpunk #reading #reading2024 #sciencefiction#SF #dystopia

Neue Buchrezension auf meinem #Solarpunk Blog: 🌞🌱

„Walkaway“ von Cory Doctorow @pluralistic

https://solar-punk.org/2024/08/20/walkaway-von-cory-doctorow/

Eine spannende Vision eines selbstverwalteten Netzwerks von Aussteiger:innen, die in High-Tech-Kommunen eine Alternative zum kapitalistischen Mainstream aufbauen.

(und ein Erklärungsversuch zum revolutionären Potenzial von #3DDruck ) 😀

#books #bookstodon #maker #diy

@clockwooork @pluralistic
#solarpunk
I'm not an engineer and can't fact-check this, but if the numbers and assumptions are right this is really amazing:
Absolutely worth reading the whole article at https://pluralistic.net/2024/08/06/with-great-power/ but here are some key quotes:

"The promise of marshaling a very large amount of materials is that it will deliver effectively limitless, clean energy. This project will take a lot of time and its benefits will primarily accrue to people who come
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@JoBlakely @pluralistic
I like the idea of thermal sand batteries as well, especially in cold climates. Having peltier heat-to-electricity devices connected to a heat-based battery that can be recharged in different, low-tech ways is #solarpunk AF.

@pluralistic Has nailed a #solarpunk tenet on its head:

Technology will not save us. But it will continue to get better, and we have the chance to use it to create a better, solarpunk future.

https://pluralistic.net/2024/08/06/with-great-power/#comes-great-responsibility

I really enjoyed the 'Monk and Robot' duology by Becky Chambers ('A Psalm for the Wild Built' and 'A Prayer for the Crown-Shy') and am looking for more solarpunk book or book series recommendations.

#books#bookRecommendations #solarpunk#monkAndRobot#aPsalmForTheWildBuilt

@ZoDoneRightNow Hello! Welcome to #Solarpunk - my main recommendation for getting started would probably be "Solarpunk Summers" and "Solarpunk Winters" edited by @sarenaulibarri. I also think her novella "Another Life" is great.

I have found that Solarpunk has flourished a bit more in shorter forms than novels so I think short stories are good place to start!

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One novel that is Solarpunk-like is "The Lost Cause" by @pluralistic. I think it shows a #Solarpunk world coming into being but also the messiness of that process. The novel seems simple but there is ALOT going on under the surface.

Two awesome podcasts I listen to are @solarpunkpresents by @arielkroon and @xtinadlr and Bright Green Futures by @susankayequinn.

I'm also a subscriber to "Solarpunk Magazine and I recommend it for some great stories.

Finally, that list by @lex is GREAT!

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A short story is now my go-to for introducing people to #Solarpunk is "The Year Without Sunshine" by @naomikritzer published in @UncannyMagazine. It recently won the Nebula Award for Best Novelette. I think it captures very well the ethos of Solarpunk without getting too wrapped up in one corner of the genre. If you have 10 solarpunks in a room, you'll get 15 different definitions of the genre. I think this one captures the importance of community to Solarpunk.

https://www.uncannymagazine.com/article/the-year-without-sunshine/

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