Thank you to NetGalley and to World Weaver Press for this DRC.This book is solarpunk; definition, from the introduction:"[Stories about] refusing to surrender to the temptation of violent, dystopian post-apocalypse imaginaries. Seeking ways of practicing solidarity, embracing human ingenuity from traditional ecological knowledge to scientific research, celebrating diverse forms of being in the world, from personal expression to relationships."Very cool, right? The focus was on authors from the A...

The short fiction anthology Multispecies Cities begins with a question: “What if stories could plant the seeds of hopeful futures?” This solarpunk collection is a series of affirmative answers: stories that provide some sense of hopefulness amidst ecological devastation and extinction.In the introduction co-written by editors Christoph Rupprecht, Deborah Cleland, Norie Tamura, and Rajat Chaudhuri, the collection is presented as focusing, in particular, on interspecies relationships and the possi...

Solarpunk of variable quality by diverse authors. Less utopian than expected. Some very cool ideas: recording & revival of animal culture, animal mind-melds, cybernetic mangroves, comms-enabled interspecies teamwork.

The Birdsong Fossil by D.K. Mok ★★★★★ “The world would continue to change, and we would have to change with it.” Mok is hands down the best Solarpunk writer. Their stories are full of heartfelt ideas, humor, and memorable characters that always see me crying at the end. Always. A Rabbit Egg for Flora by Caroline M. Yoachim ★★★★☆ From the author of the unforgettable tear-jerker Carnival Nine comes a quieter, if similarly domestic, story. Flora and her mother steadily rebuild the ecosystem with

4 starsMore than 20 different stories of speculative fiction with an outlook of hope for the future of a planet in crisis. Includes stories by queer writers & POC writers, with a special focus on Asia-Pacific writers. This anthology is fun, unique, thoughtful, & uplifting.[What I liked:]•I love the variety: setting, characters, length, writing style, tone, etc. Yet even with 20+ unique stories & writers, the collection was obviously carefully compiled & the selections fit the themes & goals laid...

Read with the Solarpunk group!Absolutely loved the majority of these stories, tapping into the "everything is an ecosystem" side of Solarpunk as a lot of them did.There were a couple of misses for me - most anthologies have at least a few - but overall these were great.A couple of the standouts for me: The Birdsong Fossil - D.K. Mok. This author is always a reliable source of a great story that'll make me laugh and cry. Thoughtful, evocative, and absolutely tugging on my every heart string, I lo...

Sci-fi but not solarpunk.The most solarpunk thing about this anthology is its cover, so enjoy looking at it but don’t buy this book.You would think the editors would have some understanding of solarpunk, between the illustration and the introduction of “What if stories could plant the seeds of hopeful futures?” Unfortunately, the majority of the stories here are set in climate apocalypse, the antithesis to solarpunk, or offworld in struggling colonies. Climate apocalypse settings trigger me, as

Please see my review of this wonderful book at Books on Asia!In these “more-than-human stories,” twenty-four authors, mainly of Asian-Pacific descent, investigate humanity’s relationship with the rest of the natural world, placing characters in situations where humans have to look beyond their own needs and interests. In such an interconnected world, we find: dolphins and humans learning each other’s languages in a story by Shweta Taneja; a multiplicity of voices, including stars and rivers, in

**Thank you to Netgalley and World Weaver Press for the eARC of this collection of stories in exchange for honest feedback!**I absolutely adored this collection and will be purchasing a copy to have on my shelf once it is published (April 13th, 2021.)The intro to this book alone was beautiful and really spoke to me. I have never read anything of the "Solarpunk" variety, and found a lot of parallels to what I consider "Cli-Fi" or Climate Fiction. As humans we are not the best at being receptive o...

As the possibility of an actual climate-change apocalypse grows more and more real, I have become less able to stomach dystopias and post-apocalyptic stories. None the less, I can't help but devour cli-fi as I come across it, especially if it has the more positive (or at least, adaptive) markers of solar punk. Before picking up Multispecies Cities, I had not noticed that while many of these stories dealt with conservation of animal life, most did not bring up the idea of cohabitation, and shared...

Who says that cities can’t teem with biodiversity?Efe had spent her entire life on a small boat in the ocean in “Old Man’s Sea.” While diving for food and supplies, she was surprised by one of the many dangers that awaited anyone who wandered into the wrong territory. I was mesmerized by her resourcefulness and smiled at each plot twist. While I learned enough about her life to put all of the pieces together, this was definitely a world I’d love to revisit in a sequel someday. There were so many...

As often happens with anthologies, some stories connect, but others not so much. I loved some stories, didn’t like others, and some I didn’t get a chance to read because of too many competing projects, my window of opportunity closed too soon! As an “ecology now” kid from the 70s, and an “apocalypse now” adult today, I want to read the rest of this book. I love the idea of solar punk.

29% DNF'ed the book after DNF'ing 3 stories. I did like a couple of the ones I finished, but these are "explain the idea in excruciating detail" rather than character- or plot-driven stories. Maybe it's for some people, but not for me.

Very strong theme for a solarpunk collection, with some great stories. Some personal highlights were Deer, Tiger and Witch by Kate Bui, set in a Vietnamese town; The Mammoth Steps by Andrew Dana Hudson, about a smart mammoth on holiday; Untamed by Timothy Yam, about a bratty Singaporean teenager and a roof garden mickey bird; and A Rabbit Egg For Flora by Caroline M Yoachim, about platform ecosystem repair.

A collection of Solarpunk stories focused on sustainability and solidarity with other species. The introduction is helpful. Stories range from the poetic to realistic tales of people redeemed through contact with nature to the post apocalyptic. With over two dozen stories by authors from around the world, this provides insight into recent solar punk writing (2021).

A great foray into sci-fi with many stories from non-western voices. It's always refreshing to gain new perspectives from authors of different backgrounds.This book is an anthology and contains many enjoyable reads.My favorite is "Mariposa Awakening" by Joseph Nacino.The story is an exploration into the flooding earth and the ingenious way its inhabitants combat the rising sea levels.While unfortunately a short story and doesn't have much in the way of character development, it does bring to min...

Received a copy of this through LibraryThing's advance reading program, in exchange for an honest review. Honesty! Try it today!It's an interesting collection, as they all are. They're all written the viewpoint of showing a particular type of future. Some of them are more successful, by which I mean as stories. Some seem more interested in showing off the future they built. However, what did or didn't work for me may have different results for you. I particularly liked "The Songs That Humanity L...

An incredible anthology with really fascinating themes and questions. All stories were great but my personal favourites were 'Old Man's Sea' by Meyari McFarland, Kate V. Bui's 'Deer, Tiger, Witch,' 'A Life With Cibi' by Natsumi Tanaka, 'The Streams are Paved with Fish Traps' by Octavia Cade,' 'The Songs that Humanity Lost Reluctantly to Dolphins' by Shweta Taneja, and 'The Birdsong Fossil' by DK Mok. Cannot recommend enough!

Wonderful, and as inspiring as I’d hoped it would be. Each story was delightful in its own way, truly a very creative and at times rather touching collection of dreams and visions poured into short stories.

Antologiallinen solarpunk-novelleja melkein laidasta laitaan. Erityisen piristävä kokoelma on sen vuoksi, että tarinat sijoittuvat pääosin Aasian ja Tyynenmeren alueelle. Tämän teoksen myötä tutustuin myös itselleni ihan uusiin kirjoittajiin.