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A Year Without a Winter
Today, weather extremes brought about by anthropogenic climate change pose relentless cognitive and imaginative challenges. Beyond news media, what are the cultural registers of this phenomenon? How can artistic and literary engagements with destabilizing natural patterns summon new planetary imaginaries--reorienting perspectives on humanity's position within the environment?
A Year Without a Winter brings together science fiction, history, visual art, and exploration. Inspired by the literary 'dare' that would give birth to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein amidst the aftermath of a massive volcanic eruption, and today, by the utopian architecture of Paolo Soleri and the Arizona desert, expeditions to Antarctica and Indonesia, this collection reframes the relationship among climate, crisis, and creation.
The 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora, on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa, enveloped the globe in a cloud of ash, causing a climate crisis. By 1816, remembered as the 'year without a summer, ' the northern hemisphere was plunged into cold and darkness. Amidst unseasonal frosts, violent thunderstorms, and a general atmosphere of horror, Shelley began a work of science fiction that continues to shape attitudes to emerging science, technology, and environmental futures. Two hundred years later, in 2016, the hottest year on historical record, four renowned science fiction authors were invited to the experimental town of Arcosanti, Paolo Soleri's prototype for arcology, to respond to our present crisis. A Year Without a Winter presents their stories alongside critical essays, extracts from Shelley's masterpiece, and dispatches from expeditions to extreme geographies. Broad and ambitious in scope, this book is a collective thought experiment retracing an inverted path through narrative extremes.
A Year Without a Winter is edited by Dehlia Hannah in collaboration with science fiction editors Brenda Cooper, Joey Eschrich, and Cynthia Selin. The book includes a suite of commissioned stories by Tobias Buckell, Nancy Kress, Nnedi Okorafor, and Vandana Singh; essays by Dehlia Hannah, Gillen D’Arcy Wood, James Graham, Hilairy Hartnett, David Higgins, Nadim Samman, and Pablo Suarez; artwork by Julian Charrière and Karolina Sobecka; and literary excerpts by Mary Shelley and Lord Byron.
A Year Without a Winter brings together science fiction, history, visual art, and exploration. Inspired by the literary 'dare' that would give birth to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein amidst the aftermath of a massive volcanic eruption, and today, by the utopian architecture of Paolo Soleri and the Arizona desert, expeditions to Antarctica and Indonesia, this collection reframes the relationship among climate, crisis, and creation.
The 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora, on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa, enveloped the globe in a cloud of ash, causing a climate crisis. By 1816, remembered as the 'year without a summer, ' the northern hemisphere was plunged into cold and darkness. Amidst unseasonal frosts, violent thunderstorms, and a general atmosphere of horror, Shelley began a work of science fiction that continues to shape attitudes to emerging science, technology, and environmental futures. Two hundred years later, in 2016, the hottest year on historical record, four renowned science fiction authors were invited to the experimental town of Arcosanti, Paolo Soleri's prototype for arcology, to respond to our present crisis. A Year Without a Winter presents their stories alongside critical essays, extracts from Shelley's masterpiece, and dispatches from expeditions to extreme geographies. Broad and ambitious in scope, this book is a collective thought experiment retracing an inverted path through narrative extremes.
A Year Without a Winter is edited by Dehlia Hannah in collaboration with science fiction editors Brenda Cooper, Joey Eschrich, and Cynthia Selin. The book includes a suite of commissioned stories by Tobias Buckell, Nancy Kress, Nnedi Okorafor, and Vandana Singh; essays by Dehlia Hannah, Gillen D’Arcy Wood, James Graham, Hilairy Hartnett, David Higgins, Nadim Samman, and Pablo Suarez; artwork by Julian Charrière and Karolina Sobecka; and literary excerpts by Mary Shelley and Lord Byron.
184 pages, Paperback
First published February 21, 2018
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306 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
December 1, 2020
Listened on Levar Burton Reads 🙂
April 28, 2023
Rating and review nnly for Nnedi Okorafor's story Mother of Invention:
Amusing story about a smart house (yes, with voice command) and its pregnant resident who suffered allergic reaction caused by unexpected shifting seasons and GMO plant.
Amusing story about a smart house (yes, with voice command) and its pregnant resident who suffered allergic reaction caused by unexpected shifting seasons and GMO plant.
June 2, 2021
Mother of Invention by Nnedi Okorafor is an African futurism short story that was longer and thus divided into two podcasts on LeVar Burton Reads. Anwuli is a pregnant Nigerian woman who has been cast off by the father of her child after it is revealed he is married. The wife of her lover is vicious to Anwuli, placing the blame of the affair on her when her anger should be directed at the husband that betrayed her. Also shunned by her friends and family she retreats to a smart house, that cares for her when a deadly pollen storm unexpectedly hits the area and she goes into labor. The AI in her house ends up being kinder to her than any real people, and the ending was somewhat ambiguous as to what will happen next to Anwuli, her lover, his family and the houses that care for them. An intriguing story that intertwined technology and human nature.
April 2, 2023
To quote the Strange Horizons review of this book: "Finally, Okorafor’s story, “Mother of Invention,” is the pick of the bunch. It’s outstanding, but is far more a domestic drama, complete with an AI house, than it is climate fiction." This rating is for the story "Mother of Invention" by Nnedi Okorafor - another review casualty of GR merging.
January 5, 2019
This short story was not what I expected. I liked the exploration of both smart home technology, which is becoming ubiquitous, and the ways in which humans, in all of our complexities, interact with technology.
July 21, 2019
I'm reviewing this book for Strange Horizons, and so the full review will be up there shortly, but in summary: I had such high hopes for this. And credit where it's due, the fiction collected here - four short stories from well-known SFF authors - is worth reading. It's not particularly outstanding, but it's worth reading. The non-fiction, however, is a mess. Interesting ideas but the presentation is turgid beyond belief, and deeply unfocused. I'm not even sure who this book is for - all I know is that, bar the stories, the thought of dipping into it again is not an appealing one.
March 2, 2021
What I needed to take me to a different place...and a different world.
January 4, 2019
loved the point of view.
Even though the story is full of gadget, comic references, cultural references, climate changes, it still manages to be a story about a woman in the brink of giving birth.
The women who inhabits a house, make it part of herself. Loved the twist in the end.
Even though the story is full of gadget, comic references, cultural references, climate changes, it still manages to be a story about a woman in the brink of giving birth.
The women who inhabits a house, make it part of herself. Loved the twist in the end.
December 17, 2020
5.0⭐ “It was a beautiful sunny day, and yet Anwuli knew the weather was coming for her.”
**spoilers**
♡ LBR 2020♡
It’s LeVar Burton Reads season 7! Season of Surrender.
Although not stated explicitly, I think this season has come to a close. But it leaves strong by gifting us with a great story by Nnedi Okorafor, “Mother of Invention”.
This piece is so good.
At first, it kind of...seemed a little long for such a simple plot. All that really happens is, a woman gives birth under miserable circumstances with the help of a droid, and some AI take on the intentions of their owners. But as I sank into the story, I realized just how much got packed into such a short window. The pollen storms, the technology, the culture, and Anwuli herself, her former relationship, her struggle. This story is so huge. How did I think it was lengthy? If anything, it’s compact. A skyscraper in a matchbox.
The interview really put it in perspective too. This podcast spoils me, I wish every story came with a post-read interview. A handful of best-sellers sometimes do this on reprints, but I wish it was all books. It really put a sentimental touch on the story to hear the author talk about her own experience with motherhood.
Finally, as is my custom, here are my top stories this season.
♛ "LOW ENERGY ECONOMY" BY ADRIAN TCHAIKOVSKY
♚ "MOTHER OF INVENTION” BY NNEDI OKORAFOR
♜ "WHEREIN ABIGAIL FIELDS RECALLS HER FIRST DEATH AND, SUBSEQUENTLY, HER BEST LIFE" BY REBECCA ROANHORSE
♞ "THE NINE CURVES RIVER" BY R. F. KUANG
♝ "CRICKET" BY KENNETH YU
I struggled with who to throw into last place, because I genuinely loved Kenneth Yu, LP Kindred, Richie Narvaez, and Amal El-Mohtar to the same degree. I finally decided to give it to KY because that story was a cautionary tale for me on a personal level. This was a really meaningful season, and I’m sad to see it go.
This season closes out with 11.51 hours of story. Thank you LeVar & Contributing Authors, for gifting us with stories. Especially this year.
May 2021 find everyone in better, brighter spirits. And better circumstances.
Thanks for reading, and If you wanna chat about the latest LBR episodes, hit me up in the comments and come meet with us at LeVar Burton Reads: The Official Community on Facebook.
- 📚☕♥
Goodreads Official Star Representation
5 - It was amazing
4 - I really liked it
3 - I liked it
2 - It was okay
1 - Did not like it.
**spoilers**
♡ LBR 2020♡
It’s LeVar Burton Reads season 7! Season of Surrender.
Although not stated explicitly, I think this season has come to a close. But it leaves strong by gifting us with a great story by Nnedi Okorafor, “Mother of Invention”.
This piece is so good.
At first, it kind of...seemed a little long for such a simple plot. All that really happens is, a woman gives birth under miserable circumstances with the help of a droid, and some AI take on the intentions of their owners. But as I sank into the story, I realized just how much got packed into such a short window. The pollen storms, the technology, the culture, and Anwuli herself, her former relationship, her struggle. This story is so huge. How did I think it was lengthy? If anything, it’s compact. A skyscraper in a matchbox.
The interview really put it in perspective too. This podcast spoils me, I wish every story came with a post-read interview. A handful of best-sellers sometimes do this on reprints, but I wish it was all books. It really put a sentimental touch on the story to hear the author talk about her own experience with motherhood.
Finally, as is my custom, here are my top stories this season.
♛ "LOW ENERGY ECONOMY" BY ADRIAN TCHAIKOVSKY
♚ "MOTHER OF INVENTION” BY NNEDI OKORAFOR
♜ "WHEREIN ABIGAIL FIELDS RECALLS HER FIRST DEATH AND, SUBSEQUENTLY, HER BEST LIFE" BY REBECCA ROANHORSE
♞ "THE NINE CURVES RIVER" BY R. F. KUANG
♝ "CRICKET" BY KENNETH YU
I struggled with who to throw into last place, because I genuinely loved Kenneth Yu, LP Kindred, Richie Narvaez, and Amal El-Mohtar to the same degree. I finally decided to give it to KY because that story was a cautionary tale for me on a personal level. This was a really meaningful season, and I’m sad to see it go.
This season closes out with 11.51 hours of story. Thank you LeVar & Contributing Authors, for gifting us with stories. Especially this year.
May 2021 find everyone in better, brighter spirits. And better circumstances.
Thanks for reading, and If you wanna chat about the latest LBR episodes, hit me up in the comments and come meet with us at LeVar Burton Reads: The Official Community on Facebook.
- 📚☕♥
Goodreads Official Star Representation
5 - It was amazing
4 - I really liked it
3 - I liked it
2 - It was okay
1 - Did not like it.
December 2, 2020
An interesting and imaginative piece of short science fiction, centered on the relationship between a woman and her smart home in a techno-futurist Nigeria. I haven’t read any of Okorafor’s other works, but this piece upped my desire to make that happen. Read by LeVar Burton on his delightful podcast (which I highly recommend, even if you didn’t watch Reading Rainbow as a kid).
May 2, 2018
Allergies, and a smart house make an interesting combination.
February 15, 2021
Another great short story about life, love and being a strong woman.
March 28, 2025
One of those interesting interdisciplinary, multi-genre edited volumes. I originally picked up A Year Without a Winter because I was interested in the fiction (and, to be honest, really only enjoyed one of the four, the story by Nancy Kress, although the ideas in Vandana Singh's story were also fascinating), but I ended up enjoying some of the more hybrid chapters more. This would be an interesting text to teach, I think, not just to enjoy individually. I wish this kind of work appeared more in my own courses.
April 17, 2021
What a wonderfully creative writer.
June 12, 2024
Read "Mother of Invention" (4/24/2024)
February 9, 2020
Okay. I see the average rating is 4.5 stars and I am giving the book 2 stars. I will flip through the other reviews when I am done and try to see why they got something I didn't.
My husband gave me this book as a Christmas/birthday gift and it sort of pared up with "The Year Without Summer: 1816 and the Volcano That Darkened the World and Changed History" by William Klingaman and Nicholas Klingaman. I was rather tickled at the idea of having a series of books on related topics--and this book, which functions as a portable exhibition catalog, was intriguing.
What is unfortunate is that it is largely unreadable.
There are a number of reasons for this. The book designer used a sans serif type and a layout on the page that is extremely hard on the eyes. White space and black and colored font vibrate in a way I find particularly noxious. The design and layout--and I am a former art history instructor and art museum educator--remind me unpleasantly of the kind of precious contemporary sensibility where every thing as to be "Art" even when accessibility and common sense dictate an approach that leans to the traditional and away from the twee.
The author, Dehlia Hannah, who is one of the writers, is an intellectual and is making to real effort to reach any reader further down the literary ladder. I find her editing skills to be particularly poor--as she repeats topics and background and has a poor sense of narrative structure. As I always do, I started with the first page and intended to read through to the end. I started scanning the essays by about page 70. I appreciated the inclusion of the poem "Darkness" by Lord Byron and excerpts from Mary Wollenstonecraft Shelley's "Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus" but I never quite grasped why those excerpts were chosen. The essay by David Higgins, "Tambora and British Romantic Writing" looked promising, and ostensibly was going to offer a more profound analysis of "Frankenstein" against the backdrop of the Year without Summer," but nothing really happened. Had I been the editor I would have asked Mr. Higgins to revise and focus on that thesis.
The fiction pieces, presumably either written or started during a retreat at Arcosanti in Arizona were just unreadable. It is true I don't read much fiction and fewer short stories, but these pieces were just devoid of compelling characterizations or identifiable narrative artc.
And that took me through the "exhibition" and visual art portion of the book, which was a bit better but notably absent in conceptual structure. Finally I arrived at Gillen D'Arcy Wood's "Notes from Tambora: or, Planetary Persuasions." This is where I should have started. The final sections, particularly the "Notes,", "Why Go?" and "Listening for Seasons: Reflections from a Humanitarian Worker" seemed finally to get to the core of the idea. What does it mean to live in the anthropocene and to reconfigure the way we understand the human relationship with weather, natural events, and global alterations. These pages, 319-365, are what I found to be the most interesting, accessible and meaningful.
Essentially, this book was deja vu of our wanderings in early November at the Venice Biennale where we visited various pavilions and exhibitions and made an effort to struggle through the didactic panels that ostensible provided analysis and interpretation. Those texts, like too much writing about contemporary art I encounter in museums and galleries, were simply impenetrable. I don't know why such academics and intellectuals feel compelled to use a secret language that only their peers can decode--but it seems like the art community would be a stronger and more welcoming place if they aimed their ideas at the interested audience which may not possess that kind of elevated expertise.
It wasn't a waste of time. The book will find a home in my art library. It was, however, a disappointment. A rather significant disappointment.
My husband gave me this book as a Christmas/birthday gift and it sort of pared up with "The Year Without Summer: 1816 and the Volcano That Darkened the World and Changed History" by William Klingaman and Nicholas Klingaman. I was rather tickled at the idea of having a series of books on related topics--and this book, which functions as a portable exhibition catalog, was intriguing.
What is unfortunate is that it is largely unreadable.
There are a number of reasons for this. The book designer used a sans serif type and a layout on the page that is extremely hard on the eyes. White space and black and colored font vibrate in a way I find particularly noxious. The design and layout--and I am a former art history instructor and art museum educator--remind me unpleasantly of the kind of precious contemporary sensibility where every thing as to be "Art" even when accessibility and common sense dictate an approach that leans to the traditional and away from the twee.
The author, Dehlia Hannah, who is one of the writers, is an intellectual and is making to real effort to reach any reader further down the literary ladder. I find her editing skills to be particularly poor--as she repeats topics and background and has a poor sense of narrative structure. As I always do, I started with the first page and intended to read through to the end. I started scanning the essays by about page 70. I appreciated the inclusion of the poem "Darkness" by Lord Byron and excerpts from Mary Wollenstonecraft Shelley's "Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus" but I never quite grasped why those excerpts were chosen. The essay by David Higgins, "Tambora and British Romantic Writing" looked promising, and ostensibly was going to offer a more profound analysis of "Frankenstein" against the backdrop of the Year without Summer," but nothing really happened. Had I been the editor I would have asked Mr. Higgins to revise and focus on that thesis.
The fiction pieces, presumably either written or started during a retreat at Arcosanti in Arizona were just unreadable. It is true I don't read much fiction and fewer short stories, but these pieces were just devoid of compelling characterizations or identifiable narrative artc.
And that took me through the "exhibition" and visual art portion of the book, which was a bit better but notably absent in conceptual structure. Finally I arrived at Gillen D'Arcy Wood's "Notes from Tambora: or, Planetary Persuasions." This is where I should have started. The final sections, particularly the "Notes,", "Why Go?" and "Listening for Seasons: Reflections from a Humanitarian Worker" seemed finally to get to the core of the idea. What does it mean to live in the anthropocene and to reconfigure the way we understand the human relationship with weather, natural events, and global alterations. These pages, 319-365, are what I found to be the most interesting, accessible and meaningful.
Essentially, this book was deja vu of our wanderings in early November at the Venice Biennale where we visited various pavilions and exhibitions and made an effort to struggle through the didactic panels that ostensible provided analysis and interpretation. Those texts, like too much writing about contemporary art I encounter in museums and galleries, were simply impenetrable. I don't know why such academics and intellectuals feel compelled to use a secret language that only their peers can decode--but it seems like the art community would be a stronger and more welcoming place if they aimed their ideas at the interested audience which may not possess that kind of elevated expertise.
It wasn't a waste of time. The book will find a home in my art library. It was, however, a disappointment. A rather significant disappointment.
April 1, 2021
I really enjoyed this short story. It was read by Levar Burton as part of his Levar Burton Reads podcast. Highly recommend both
February 7, 2021
Brilliant! Really loved this one. I listened to LeVar Burton Reads and I really enjoyed his voice morphing into the Smart AI home, with this echoey mechanical lilt to it. There was some laugh-out-loud humor (especially the very relatable part where the Smart Home Obi-3 misinterprets an utterance as a command and starts playing music) and the ending was really touching. The situation was adeptly written—I could imagine a scenario in the future where such allergens would sweep through cities; I also was taken by the geopolitics written into the story, the Chinese investment in African states like Nigeria for the sake of money, and not necessarily continuing to invest in the wellbeing of the people, which was explicitly mentioned in the prose. I was surprised on how convincing this was as an extrapolation of current events, both in terms of anthropogenic climate change (climate chaos, as it’s called in the story) and political commentary on the realities of infrastructure investment and the snarl of nesting unequal exchanges in international relations.
The voices were quite grabbing and I couldn’t help but pity and empathize for characters that would typically be considered the most contemptible, such as the father in this scenario. She really plays out the scenarios so that you could shift perspectives and see how they are entangled in their social webs, and have to deal with competing motivations—which helps you see why they act the way they do, even if you might want them to do otherwise.
I would probably give this a 5+ if there were such a thing. Highly recommend!
The voices were quite grabbing and I couldn’t help but pity and empathize for characters that would typically be considered the most contemptible, such as the father in this scenario. She really plays out the scenarios so that you could shift perspectives and see how they are entangled in their social webs, and have to deal with competing motivations—which helps you see why they act the way they do, even if you might want them to do otherwise.
I would probably give this a 5+ if there were such a thing. Highly recommend!
March 14, 2021
Listened on Lavar Burton Reads, a really interesting story and a very cool ending! Loved Lavar's production value, and the story art here on Goodreads is gorgeous. Only question would be how could a cheating and lying a-hole like her ex be smart enough to build such amazing smart homes! 😂
February 3, 2019
I had read and deeply loved Dr. Okorafor's work before and I was eager to read more. This short story does not disappoint: as usual the world-building is exquisite and the characters are intriguing. I would love to see this short story expanded into a longer format, since there is so much to this story that cannot fully shine in mere 15 pages. I cannot wait to read more by this author.
The story is set in a future Nigeria, deeply transformed by the GMO industry, where Anwuli find herself shunned by society, family, and friends when her boyfriends turns out to be already married. Pregnant, she find refuge in Obi 3, the sentient home built by her ex...
The story is set in a future Nigeria, deeply transformed by the GMO industry, where Anwuli find herself shunned by society, family, and friends when her boyfriends turns out to be already married. Pregnant, she find refuge in Obi 3, the sentient home built by her ex...
January 5, 2020
Our protagonist was the mistress of a wealthy man, and is kind of squatting in one of his smart homes, Obi 3. She has a severe allergy to periwinkle pollen, and a "pollen storm" is about to hit. She is also very pregnant. Though the affair is over, as long as she occupies the house he will not evict her. So she does not want to leave. Now what?
Okorafor has a very different take on hard SF that requires some work to appreciate, but it's definitely worth it. Her characters have a unique relationship to technology that is very rooted in African culture, so it's a great learning experience for white folks. This story deserved its Locus award nomination, I enjoyed it.
Okorafor has a very different take on hard SF that requires some work to appreciate, but it's definitely worth it. Her characters have a unique relationship to technology that is very rooted in African culture, so it's a great learning experience for white folks. This story deserved its Locus award nomination, I enjoyed it.
March 1, 2018
I love the smart house. I loved Anwuli and her stubbornness and determination. I love how deftly Okorafor weaves afro-futurism with climate change and all of that with the effects of misogynistic culture. I was also more than passingly reminded of Baba Yaga and now I'm curious to see if there's some mythological crossover there between Slavic and African myths. I really, really hope that Anwuli and Mmiri make it somewhere safe and hospitable.
February 11, 2021
A compelling short story about a woman alienated, her smart house, and the strength of the bond between a mother and her child.
I loved and hated the ending at the same time, which is something I have come to expect in the short stories I love - I never want them to end.
What I love about LeVar Burton Reads is that the podcast introduces me to stories that I wouldn't have picked up on my own, and they surprise me in the most wonderful of ways.
I loved and hated the ending at the same time, which is something I have come to expect in the short stories I love - I never want them to end.
What I love about LeVar Burton Reads is that the podcast introduces me to stories that I wouldn't have picked up on my own, and they surprise me in the most wonderful of ways.
December 15, 2020
Very thought provoking short story about how far artificial intelligence can go in learning and predicting human behavior, in protecting humans and initiating behavior based on gathered information. These concepts are explored in this story as a single young woman, pregnant and alone surrounded by an deadly allergen has only her 'smart home' to rely on and keep her safe.
January 3, 2021
I just listened to this short story on Levar Burton Reads and loved it. Science fiction is not a genre I delve into often but I enjoyed Okorafor’s take on futuristic Nigeria. I plan on reading more of her work.
March 23, 2019
This was a great short story!
June 1, 2019
Loved the fictional short stories, the essays left a little to be desired.
November 21, 2020
Levar burton reads
November 26, 2020
Very interesting short story about a possible future i could very easily see happening one day.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews