Transform the World: Writers Save the World-
Science Fiction, Science Fiction Anthologies
Other Worlds Ink
Sept 7, 2023
Kindle
272
Amazon
"Today I swam through MOMA. Leon says it was a waste, encasing the art, then flooding the museum—frivolous and elitist. I say it was a gesture of optimism, a triumph of technology and political will."
Want to thrill to the possibilities of a hopeful future? We asked a bunch of sci-fi writers to spin tales of a better future, imagining ways in which the world might become a better place.
From a swim through an underwater museum to a joyous dance at a futuristic concert, from the eco-friendly aftermath of an alien invasion and retreat to the refurbishing of an old climate-ravaged home in New Vancouver, these fourteen short sci-fi stories will to restore your faith in the future.
A world transformed is a world we can all hope for.
Book three in the Writers Save the World short story anthologies. If you enjoy this book, check out Fix the World and Save the World.
In this third anthology, Scott Coatsworth presents us with fourteen really good stories, each dealing with issues of climate change and science-fiction in remarkably diverse and creative ways. Some of these are more heavily post-apocalyptic than others, but all of them deal with the aftermath of our own poor choices as stewards of this planet. All of these are five-star stories, thanks to the judicial choices made by Coatsworth and his team of judges.
“Immersion,” by Stephanie N.F. Greene
A highly descriptive narrative, set in a New York City just beginning to deal with the rising waters of climate change. The plot, such as it is, centers on the observations of a climate scientist who finds herself pregnant as the world tries to be proactive on the brink of disaster.
“Halp’s Promise,” by Holly Schofield
A young woman, part of a post-climate collapse community based in a former Canadian mountain resort, works with her team to restore power to their home base. For all the post-apocalyptic setting, this is filled with warm humor and optimism.
“Voter Fraught,” by B. Morris Allen
A charming and slyly funny story about voter apathy in a world where total equality, gender fluidity, and full AI presence have become the norm (and thus are taken for granted). I lovely inter-generational vibe fills the story.
“Good Job, Robin,” Joe Ann Hart
A young female couple, Ahimsa and Isaura, working on a cricket farm, negotiate a world where humans have abandoned all of their destructive ways and have created a safe, better place controlled by a benevolent AI presence called TALOS. It is a quietly funny story, with some serious undercurrents and some haunting imagery.
“Default,” by Xauri’El Zwaan
Joy and her child Kensie live in a post-climatic collapse world that seems surprisingly comfortable and positive. Normal, little human dramas play out against this beautifully detailed backdrop—the aftermath of a failed marriage to another woman, career compromises, and caring for a child whose own dreams seem to matter more than her own happiness.
“Violet,” by Beth Gaydon
In a recovering world, a young woman gives birth t0 a second child, aware that her second is the first of its kind in living memory. A happy story with fascinating details and a powerful message.
“ReHome Inc.,” by J. Scott Coatsworth
Devyn Miller-Hills works with his business partner Abby to reclaim an abandoned house in ruins of Vancouver as the world slowly recovers. Devyn finds a private journal from pre-collapse times, and its separate narrative informs the action. I particularly liked this story because the personal taleof Devyn and his husband Zan centers a much bigger story of vast climate disaster and human ingenuity.
“Sixers,” by Jaymie Heilman
Another gentle, poignant story of a couple working in a recovering world to make things better, all while dealing with infertility that is part of a global reality.
“Tinker’s Well,” by Stephen B. Pearl
A very intense, post-apocalyptic scenario set in Canada, where a tinker becomes a person of enormous importance to a community. An apartment building collapses and the tinker, Brad, must lead the community through the crisis as only he can. There are strong suggestions of a tribalized world in which it takes a crisis to get people to work together.
“We Got the Beat,” by O.E. Tearmann
While the central story is about a teenager uncomfortable with their body struggling with the idea of going to a big public dance party with their girlfriend, the backdrop is really about a post-climate-collapse world in which families, like gender identity, have been reformed.
“The Icky Business of Compromise,” by Derek Des Anges
Again, a sly multi-layered story in which an older woman, called Dolly, remembers a world in political and environmental collapse, while carrying on the more mundane business of working alongside people she finds difficult because they represent the bad old days of class hierarchy and privilege.
“Other Pursuits,” by Gustavo Bondoni
An elderly man solves a community mystery with the help of AI. In a world without materialism or want, a nostalgic evocation of Agatha Christie from the distant past.
“Reanimation,” by Stephen Sottong
A straight, white, cis man of young middle age wakes up three-hundred years in the future, to find a world dramatically different than the one he left.
“A Profession of Hope,” by Jana Denardo
A heartwarming and humorous sort-of-sequel to a story from a previous anthology. It follows the adventures of Kjell Erikson and his new-found family in the Indigenous north of Wisconsin—in the aftermath of a century-long occupation by methane-breathing aliens. I loved that story, and this one is just as good.
