Dreamland by Rosa Rankin-Gee: The world-building in this book really hooked me. The story takes place in Margate, England, a coastal town that has been cut off from the main power supply due to nefarious political maneuvering and climate change. Our main character, Chance, grows up in this drug-filled world with little hope of escape to a better life. But Rankin-Gee shows us that no life is meaningless as Chance and her family and friends find their joy and pleasure in small ways, among the heartache and heartbreak. A romance at the center of this book is quite evocative, and the story ends with, if not unadulterated hope, certainly not despair. I highly recommend this novel for the entrancing voice, world-building, and wider dystopian world that the book implies and helps the reader to imagine.
This classic sci-fi book hooked me immediately with the mystery of the main character’s (Isserly) actions in the opening scenes, where she picks up very particular male hitch hikers along the Scottish Highlands and engages in delicate conversations. I won’t spoil the story, but the way that author Faber immerses the reader in Isserly’s worldview is compelling and masterful. The ending is a perfect outcome for the story and left me feeling as though I was still seeing the world through Isserly’s point of view and holding a great deal of compassion for her, despite her actions. I don’t recommend the movie, however. It’s not very much like the superior story told within this novel.
Fledging is one of Octavia Butler’s stand-alone works. In my estimation (and many others’!), Octavia can do no wrong, and I love all of her books and short stories. However, Fledging stands out to me for the story’s unique use of the vampire trope. The way Butler conveys the semi-secretive symbiotic relationship between vampire and humans is so compelling and inventive. Also, as is important to all of Butler’s works, race and racism is an overt theme of this book, drawing out the idea that prejudice and race-related violence can manifest itself at any time and within any groups of people. The main character, Shori, a fifty-three year old vampire, is as morally solid and complex as any of Butler’s protagonists. I highly recommend this book as unique among Butler’s unassailable collection of works.