The New Atlantis [short fiction]

Written 43 years ago, this is the dark story of a future that is closer today than ever, one in which global climate change has submerged much of the world under water, where electric power is only available to the masses for a few minutes a day, and where that electric power is under the strict control of those in political power. The people keep the dream alive that a new Atlantis will rise up out of the ocean. Ursula Le Guin's grim vision, seen today, appears prophetic.

(Unfortunately, I left my notes on this at home, so I'll wing it until I can recover them.)

I liked the story quite a lot. It was first published in 1975, but this e-book edition has just been published through the Book View Cafe co-op. The protagonist is a violist, and I always have a big soft spot for violists... It's one of those stories that's too short. The world it describes is vast, and really screwed up and dystopic... Oh! Kind of like the USA now... And the concepts it explores deserve fuller treatment. In that sense, it's like a 15-second view through a keyhole into a marvelous room full of incredible stuff... Which leaves one wanting more, so I suppose that's good. The brand new introduction (October 2013) by the author is show more practically worth the price of the book...

If I had any criticism it would be that the ambiguous, veiled passages about whatever thing is rising from the sea didn't coalesce for me into something that I felt satisfied with. Kind of like one of those luscious looking meringue things (I can't remember what you call them) that appears substantial, but when you bite it, dissolves into a mere whiff of fragrance... If the work were longer, that could have been treated.

So I'm kind of left with the question of whether Ms Le Guin wrote anything else about this particular world... I suppose I should go look. show less