What do you think?
Rate this book
Labyrinths Borne
In the not-so-distant future, as black ice emerges in summer and a mysterious bone marrow disease wipes the elderly from the planet, the future of humanity and Earth lies in the hands of the surviving youth. At the heart of this odyssey is the profound intellectual and emotional bond between young Luna “Cassie” Casandra Coatlicue and Papá, a brilliant writer and thinker desperately clinging to his final days.
Through a series of letters and journal entries, readers gain insight into how legacies of colonialism, patriarchy, and political authoritarianism have led the world down a path to barbarism. Readers also discover how Cassie and other youth, living in a bunker at the edge of the world, use science and the arts to open new pathways toward a future marked by eco-harmony and collective possibility.
As Cassie and Papá’s journey unfolds, they weave in insights from Homer, Aristotle, Cicero, Husserl, Spinoza, Thoreau, Ursula Le Guin, James Baldwin, José Emilio Pacheco, and Simone de Beauvoir, among others, to forge a possible new narrative that can lead humanity out of dystopic labyrinths into a world reborn.
Through a series of letters and journal entries, readers gain insight into how legacies of colonialism, patriarchy, and political authoritarianism have led the world down a path to barbarism. Readers also discover how Cassie and other youth, living in a bunker at the edge of the world, use science and the arts to open new pathways toward a future marked by eco-harmony and collective possibility.
As Cassie and Papá’s journey unfolds, they weave in insights from Homer, Aristotle, Cicero, Husserl, Spinoza, Thoreau, Ursula Le Guin, James Baldwin, José Emilio Pacheco, and Simone de Beauvoir, among others, to forge a possible new narrative that can lead humanity out of dystopic labyrinths into a world reborn.
94 pages, Paperback
First published February 24, 2024
2 people are currently reading
9 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 4, 2024
In the first pages, we see the repetition of "I wake," inviting us to the idea that we need to wake up to new ways to tell stories. A wildly imaginative take on a dystopian future that centers a young Latine protagonist who is in love with literature; loved it. For Scifi fans and anyone interested in seeing Latinx futurities.
Additionally, the epistolary technique brings us a sense of intimacy between the characters, add to that the images of paper/notes and the journal entries and its as if we are connected to the characters. I also find Cassandra's passion for writing and her love of literature and all things art to be a refreshing take on how Latine kids think about storytelling and interact with texts considered "classics."
Additionally, the epistolary technique brings us a sense of intimacy between the characters, add to that the images of paper/notes and the journal entries and its as if we are connected to the characters. I also find Cassandra's passion for writing and her love of literature and all things art to be a refreshing take on how Latine kids think about storytelling and interact with texts considered "classics."
March 1, 2024
"Labyrinths Borne" suggests a gripping narrative set against a background of climatic and societal collapse... I know! I know it is our favorite theme for sci-fi, maybe because it is very real and sometimes it appears to be very close. But this book is more than just a dystopian novel; it is a clear call to envision the future paradigm for humanity—a world not defined by its end but by the possibilities of its rebirth. I enjoyed the illustration, colors, and how the story unfolded itself.
March 3, 2024
No spoilers:
Residing in a state nestled between the Great Lakes where it was 65 degrees yesterday and 17 degrees today (in February) where I can quite literally feel it in my joints and in my bones, I can attest that this comic resonated with immediately. Written by Frederick Luis Aldama and illustrated by Itzel Argil Aguilar, Labyrinths Borne approaches the idea of utopia/ dystopia without oversimplifying that binary. It's not The Matrix, but it has the same mind of inquiry asking smart questions and not necessarily giving any easy answers especially about the uneasy alliance between technology and humanity ...or whatever comes after humanity.
This comic slaps. It's timely. It's written with a futurist Latinx mindset for anyone and everyone who looks at today and worries for tomorrow without prejudice. Aguilar's pencils are clean and sublime veering back and forth between cartooning and realism, pushing the camera's lens in and then pulling back out of panels that leave the reader on uncertain footing with a visual dexterity that's not jarring but never lets you slip into comfort. (because these are difficult thoughts that demand an awake mind) The images complement the words and vice versa creating a harmony that makes the uneasy elements of the plot all too accessible and chilling.
This is how you craft a fiction that feels strangely familiar but also pushes (firmly) into conversations that need to be had. And, if I'm not outlining a plot for you... that's a good thing. From where Aldama starts the book to where you will find yourself 15-20 pages later pushes the reader from science fiction into an intimate journaling of the struggles that dominate newspaper headlines and parent's mindsets and then press through time into mythology. He weaves a new tale that has been told and retold over the centuries and now has a new vehicle for a present day. Hard truths about life are told. Arguments about the intersection of science and the arts are made.
It's a poem as much as it is an algorithm, and it's a warning as much as it is a promise.
It's challenge to the reader is to look through these thoughts and propositions, this weave of a thread of science on one side of the knit and then arts on the other, and pull them together to close the wound and staunch the bleed. It's a heady work that demands you read slowly and take account of yourself, who you are, and who you may become. It's a big ask of Aldama and Aguilar, but it's entirely worth it. It's work that will stay with you long after the read, and it offers avenues of opportunity that encourage reconsideration.
Residing in a state nestled between the Great Lakes where it was 65 degrees yesterday and 17 degrees today (in February) where I can quite literally feel it in my joints and in my bones, I can attest that this comic resonated with immediately. Written by Frederick Luis Aldama and illustrated by Itzel Argil Aguilar, Labyrinths Borne approaches the idea of utopia/ dystopia without oversimplifying that binary. It's not The Matrix, but it has the same mind of inquiry asking smart questions and not necessarily giving any easy answers especially about the uneasy alliance between technology and humanity ...or whatever comes after humanity.
This comic slaps. It's timely. It's written with a futurist Latinx mindset for anyone and everyone who looks at today and worries for tomorrow without prejudice. Aguilar's pencils are clean and sublime veering back and forth between cartooning and realism, pushing the camera's lens in and then pulling back out of panels that leave the reader on uncertain footing with a visual dexterity that's not jarring but never lets you slip into comfort. (because these are difficult thoughts that demand an awake mind) The images complement the words and vice versa creating a harmony that makes the uneasy elements of the plot all too accessible and chilling.
This is how you craft a fiction that feels strangely familiar but also pushes (firmly) into conversations that need to be had. And, if I'm not outlining a plot for you... that's a good thing. From where Aldama starts the book to where you will find yourself 15-20 pages later pushes the reader from science fiction into an intimate journaling of the struggles that dominate newspaper headlines and parent's mindsets and then press through time into mythology. He weaves a new tale that has been told and retold over the centuries and now has a new vehicle for a present day. Hard truths about life are told. Arguments about the intersection of science and the arts are made.
It's a poem as much as it is an algorithm, and it's a warning as much as it is a promise.
It's challenge to the reader is to look through these thoughts and propositions, this weave of a thread of science on one side of the knit and then arts on the other, and pull them together to close the wound and staunch the bleed. It's a heady work that demands you read slowly and take account of yourself, who you are, and who you may become. It's a big ask of Aldama and Aguilar, but it's entirely worth it. It's work that will stay with you long after the read, and it offers avenues of opportunity that encourage reconsideration.
March 31, 2024
Aldama manages to bring together in this work disciplines and forms of knowledge production which at the current moment are, sadly and regrettably, separated not only by false binaries and pretenses but also by historical and ideological outcomes that has attempted mastery of world/self without understanding and affect. Where Science and Art were once allies for self/world knowledge, today they compete for dollars and shelf space to determine which side is actually pursuing 'truth' and is 'advancing' mankind.
Through imagination and language, Aldama gives us a human story where we read about a father and daughter whose shared love of reading and writing, learning and questioning, emboldens their connection and search for meaning within a world that is rapidly deteriorating. The artwork by Aguilar depicts the beauty and ugliness of that world in flux. This imaginative work comes at time when the world around us is very much represented by disintegration, disorientation, and separateness. Aldama reminds us that we must re-integrate, re-tool, re-connect, and re-imagine what can be possible by bringing together Art and Science once again, or what he calls, 'STEAM.' With this outlook in mind, it might be possible then, as Cassandra expresses at the end of this tale, to recall that "we are born through memories, images, and feelings," lives and worlds made out of the stories we tell, en un lenguaje que allows us to know nuestro mundo y todo lo contenido. Grab a copy now, read it, ponder it, and make connections with all systems of knowledge and understanding, a necessary step into a future which will require todo y todos!
Through imagination and language, Aldama gives us a human story where we read about a father and daughter whose shared love of reading and writing, learning and questioning, emboldens their connection and search for meaning within a world that is rapidly deteriorating. The artwork by Aguilar depicts the beauty and ugliness of that world in flux. This imaginative work comes at time when the world around us is very much represented by disintegration, disorientation, and separateness. Aldama reminds us that we must re-integrate, re-tool, re-connect, and re-imagine what can be possible by bringing together Art and Science once again, or what he calls, 'STEAM.' With this outlook in mind, it might be possible then, as Cassandra expresses at the end of this tale, to recall that "we are born through memories, images, and feelings," lives and worlds made out of the stories we tell, en un lenguaje que allows us to know nuestro mundo y todo lo contenido. Grab a copy now, read it, ponder it, and make connections with all systems of knowledge and understanding, a necessary step into a future which will require todo y todos!
May 27, 2024
In the wake of a global pandemic that is slowly wiping out all adults, youth are separated from their families and sent to enclaves, bunkers at the edge of the world, where they will study history, the arts, and the sciences in hopes of one day restarting a more sustainable society. The story unfolds via two parallels streams: Papá’s letters he writes to his daughter Cassie, knowing she’ll never read them, and Cassie’s journals, where she spells out her hopes and dreams for a new chance for humanity. It’s only in the reader’s mind that this dialogue is fully realized. The book is beautiful, lyrical, and intellectual, borrowing bits of Homer, Aristotle, and Spinoza. In turns hopeful and eligiac, the story provides a Latinx futurism that melds our colonial past, our Covid present, and a utopian future. In Cassie, we can see the potential for a new world, one that is more inclusive, more equitable, and more sustainable. Itzel’s wonderful art provides a vision of our past and our future that leaves us with a renewed optimism for a world in the hands of our children.
March 2, 2024
Simply a great read. A challenging combination of dramatically important contemporary questions (like ecological disaster and patriarchal rule) and a stunning reflection as well as creative appropriation of ancient wisdom and literary heritage. Storytelling and artwork are a perfect match. A must read for all those who believe in the political power of fiction.
May 23, 2024
Interweaving different languages, diverse characters, and multifarious literary techniques and motifs, Frederick Aldama leads us from the seeming inevitability of a dystopian future to a utopian vision. The possibility of this vision is that it will inspire readers with what Aldama calls “true hope” and the pro-social activism that such hope entails.
May 21, 2024
Wow! The illustrations of the graphic novel are phenomenal. The storyline really opens your way of thinking and viewing things. This was a great read... and I highly recommend
July 1, 2024
Labyrinths Borne stands as an allegory for our politically and environmentally dire times but leaves the reader with hope for the future. The younger generations, like Cassie and the other survivors, have the opportunity and the capacity to create a better future for us all.
As an English student, I enjoyed the literature references, as well as the celebration of literature and the humanities in the story. Without the humanities, the sciences are useless. Through cooperation with others and the blending of the humanities and the sciences can we find a better future.
As an English student, I enjoyed the literature references, as well as the celebration of literature and the humanities in the story. Without the humanities, the sciences are useless. Through cooperation with others and the blending of the humanities and the sciences can we find a better future.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews