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Spanning six continents and nine countries--from metropolitan Mexico City to the crumbling ancient aqueducts of Turkey, the receding coastline of Singapore to the coral shores of northern Australia--McSweeney's 58 is wholly focused on climate change, with speculative fiction from ten contributors, made in collaboration with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Global in scope, each story is set in the year 2040 and imagines what the world might look like if the dire warnings issued show more by the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C were to come true. Using fiction--informed here and there by realism and climate science--this issue explores the tangible, day-to-day implications of these cataclysmic scientific projections. Featuring Tommy Orange, Elif Shafak, Luis Alberto Urrea, Asja Bakic, Rachel Heng, and others, with gorgeous full-color illustrations by Wesley Allsbrook. From the issue's introduction by Susan Casey-Lefkowitz, Chief Program Officer of the NRDC: "Each story in this special issue is the product of a unique collaboration between its author and an NRDC policy expert with specialized knowledge of how climate change is already affecting the world, and how it could continue to affect the world in the decades to come. The result, we hope, is a collection where fiction's already considerable power is fortified by science." Featuring original stories by: Tommy Orange Claire G. Coleman Birna Anna Björnsdóttir Luis Alberto Urrea Elif Shafak Abbey Mei Otis Asja Bakić Rachel Heng Kanishk Tharoor Mikael Awake show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Beginning with an introduction by the Chief Program Officer of the Natural Resources Defense Council, ten contemporary writers write stories about what life might look like in 2040 if we don't act very quickly to curb the warming of the atmosphere. In general, there's a lot of gloom and doom here: flooding, fires, crop failure, human migration taxing resources of places less susceptible to change, including life in underground bunkers. Each story takes place in a different global location the author has some connection to. A highlight was "The Night Drinker" by Luis Alberto Urrea, in which the ancient Aztec gods return to Mexico City to deliver fiery destruction.
This thin hardcover has striking cover art depicting more natural show more calamities than a Hollywood disaster movie. show less
This thin hardcover has striking cover art depicting more natural show more calamities than a Hollywood disaster movie. show less
The heart is in the right place and this collection of short stories about global warming set in 2040 is certainly relevant, but unfortunately the quality of the writing is uneven. My favorite was ‘The Night Drinker’ by Luis Alberto Urrea, with runners up ‘He Are the People’ by Elif Shafak and ‘Save Yourself’ by Abbey Mei Otis. As for the other seven stories from writers around the world, it was unfortunately slim pickings.
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"Spanning six continents and nine countries-from metropolitan Mexico City to the crumbling ancient aqueducts of Turkey, the receding coastline of Singapore to the coral shores of northern Australia-McSweeney's 58 is wholly focusd on climate change, with speculative fiction from ten contributors, made in collaboration with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Global in scope, each show more story is set in the year 2040 and imagines what the world might look like if the dire warnings issued by the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C were to come true. Using fiction-informed here and there by realism and climate science-this issue explores the tangible, day-to-day implications of these cataclysmic scientific projections. Featuring Tommy Orange, Elif Shafak, Luis Alberto Urrea, Asja Bakic, Rachel Heng, and others, with gorgeous full-color illustrations by Wesley Allsbrook." -- publisher website show less
added by Lemeritus
Lists
Grist Magazine's Definitive Climate Fiction Reading List
22 works; 2 members
Author Information
16+ Works 551 Members
Claire Boyle is Lecturer in French at the University of Stirling.
Series
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- McSweeney's 58: 2040 A.D.: Climate Fiction Edition
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- 808.8
Classifications
- Genres
- Fiction and Literature, Science Fiction
- DDC/MDS
- 808.8 — Literature & rhetoric Literature, rhetoric & criticism Rhetoric and collections of literary texts from more than two literatures Collections of literary texts from more than two literatures
- LCC
- PS642 — Language and Literature American literature American literature Collections of American literature Prose (General)
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 49
- Popularity
- 611,915
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.57)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 1
