When We Hold Each Other Up: A Solarpunk Novella

Wagner makes a valiant attempt at imagining a future beyond capitalism and environmental collapse in her intelligent debut, but ultimately bites off more than she can chew. The new world order contains both humans and Harmonizers, creatures who emerged from melted glaciers to restore balance to nature. Now, however, the Harmonizers are no longer working toward balance but rather gain. Against this backdrop, Rowan—the genderless, 15-year-old narrator, an aspiring storyteller—and an elder Harmonizer, Erhent, set out to save the damaged world from the Harmonizer’s increasing greed. The worldbuilding is strong, especially given how short the text is, but the exact stakes of the plot are hard to pin down. Adding to this murkiness is some wonky pacing: the first half of the novella spans only a handful of days, while the latter half bounds forward by years at a time. Still, Wagner’s fresh take on climate fiction offers both insight and entertainment. It’s not perfect, but it shows plenty of promise. (Apr.)