There Is Hope

by Claudia Befu

For readers of Dune and The Ministry for the Future—a mosaic climate fiction novel told as a curated collection of preserved memories from a future on fire.

“A beautiful, but painful story... an eye-opening story of what our future could look like.”—Tasha Schiedel, NetGalley

“The world is immersive and well thought-out. The book's overall structure is laid out as a series of interconnected memory logs from several key players in the story. This layout provided variety to the storytelling and also introduced the reader to different regions, cultures, and perspectives.”—Faith Streeter, NetGalley

“A book that keeps me thinking about it for a long time.”—Candice Hiles, NetGalley

In every carbon cycle, death is the engine of life.

It is the year 2550. After four centuries of climate collapse, the fate of Europe’s last forest rests on a fractured continent. In the segregated north, the Cooperatives control all natural resources, claiming to restore Earth’s ecosystem. Their founders, former data moguls, believe only in their own survival. In the scorching south, the Dust Road—an underground trade route—is ruled by Dust Pirates. Some fear them, others believe they are Earth’s last hope.

Nova Novikov arrives on the Iberian coast to witness an annual human sacrifice and bring her daughter’s ashes to the ancient wooden shrine. But when a young girl is chosen for the ritual, Nova takes a decision that will ripple across centuries—witnessed through the preserved memories of those who shaped what comes next.

There Is Hope is a luminous novel about ecological reckoning, sacrifice, and the fragile persistence of hope at the end of the world.

Genres: Climate Change Fiction

190 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication June 1, 2026

About the author

Claudia Befu was born in Bucharest in 1981 at 340 ppm. She writes literary climate fiction that explores society, technology, nature, and the future of life on Earth. "There Is Hope" is her debut novel, part of the Museum of Life saga—from Earth’s last forest to humanity’s final archive among the stars.

Reviews

[sums · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

There is Hope is a unique book, with an imaginative contemplation on the future of humanity amid a climate crisis, and an even more interesting method of storytelling.

Delivered as a mosaic of memories, this short story is packed with so many different components of climate change fiction, spanning across different characters, places, and cultures.

My favourite aspect of the book has to be its outlook on life and death and I loved the use of the quote, “In each carbon cycle, death is the engine of life.”

Unfortunately, however, I did not enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. While the plot itself was okay, if not a bit abrupt, my main issue was with the dialogue. As I made my way throughout the book, the dialogue seemed increasingly awkward, especially as more characters were introduced. Sometimes it felt out of place in the context of the plot or the actions of the character who was speaking.

Nevertheless, I did enjoy the beginning of the book, and I really liked the author’s interpretation of different ecological issues and the underlying emphasis on the persistence of hope.

Thank you to NetGalley and Story Voyager for the opportunity to read this ARC!

[Faith · Rating 3 out of 5]

"In every carbon cycle, death is the engine of life."

There is Hope is a short sci-fi/climate fiction novel set 500 years in the future with Earth on the brink of climate collapse. The world is immersive and well thought-out--the author clearly put a lot of research and intention behind the ecological features of the futuristic setting. I also appreciated the rich political landscape in the story, and the tension it creates for the characters.

The book's overall structure is laid out as a series of interconnected memory logs from several key players in the story. This layout provided variety to the storytelling and also introduced the reader to different regions, cultures, and perspectives.

My primary critique is that I had a hard time connecting with some of the characters. Some characters felt a bit underdeveloped, so I couldn't connect with the full emotional impact of their storylines. To be fair, there's only so much character development you can fit in to a multi-POV book of this length. Some of the dialogue and interactions between characters also felt stilted or awkward at times.

That being said, I was impressed with how much world-building and plot development the author fit into such a small book, and overall I enjoyed the read. Thank you to NetGalley and Story Voyager for the ARC!

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

*review of advanced copy received through NetGalley*

What a fascinating read into what our possible future could be like. The concept of this book is fantastic, and the style of how it is written is unique, and I wish more books followed this kind of format. The story is ecologically forward, with some scientific concepts, but one that hits home. The story at times is a bit hard to follow, with various characters that didn't seem connected, to me. I also wish there was a bit more world building, as it's integral to the plot and helps the reader understand what is going on with the world. The data entries of Shia, though, were great and really allowed you to empathize with the character, and I think that the Ghost is a character I wish I knew more about. But the central point of climate change hits home, and it's something I think that all readers should know and understand more about. It is a good science-fi work, and one that I could see coming true. This is also one of the few books that I think needs to be read as a physical book, as the way it's laid out would work better. But the theme of hope, and how we can change, is a prominent theme in this book, and one I think we need more of. I would read another work from this author!

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is an endearing quality to the characters and the more unique aspects of the world that Befu has created, but ultimately the story doesn't live up to that potential. The rich and often beautiful setting is let down by the dialogue and abrupt or illogical plot progression, leaving too much work to be done through direct exposition.

If ecological collapse and class struggles are your preferred genre, There is Hope is worth a read. If those are more of a fringe interest for you, there wouldn't be enough here to pull you through.

[Carrie Spangler · Rating 2 out of 5]

Big thanks to NetGalley and Story Voyager for providing me with an ARC in return for my review.

While I was very excited for a hopeful take on the post-apocalyptic genre, I struggled with the prose. The descriptive density made it difficult for me to follow the world building and be pulled in. After several attempts to engage with the story over the past month, I’ve decided to DNF. It wasn't a fit for my personal reading style, though I still appreciate the concept.

[Jessica Peterson · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book had such an interesting premise, but I was disappointed with the execution. The dialogue was stiff and the plot confusing.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advanced copy