When You Had Power

Nothing is Promised #1

by Susan Kaye Quinn

For better, for worse. In sickness and in health.It’s a legal vow of care for families in 2050, a world beset by waves of climate-driven plagues. Power engineer Lucía Ramirez long ago lost her family to one—she’d give anything to take that vow. The Power Islands give humanity a fighting chance, but tending kelp farms and solar lilies is a lonely job. The housing AI found her a family match, saying she should fit right in with the Senegalese retraining expert who’s a force of nature, the ex-Pandemic Corps cook with his own cozy channel, and even the writer who insists everything is stories, all the way down. This family of literal and metaphorical refugees could be the shelter she’s seeking from her own personal storm. She needs this one to work. Then an unscheduled power outage and a missing turtle-bot crack open a mystery. Something isn’t right on Power Island One, but every step she takes to solve it, someone else gets there first—and they’re determined to make her unsee what she’s seen. Lucía is an engineer, not a detective, but fixing this problem might cost her the one thing she truly, a home. When You Had Power is the first of four tightly-connected hopepunk novels in a near-future climate-fiction series. It’s about our future, how society will shift and flex like a solar lily in the storms of our own making, and how breaks in the social fabric have to be expected, tended to, and healed. Because we’re in this together, now more than ever before.

If you enjoyed the optimistic climate solutions in Kim Stanley Robinson’s Ministry for the Future or the cozy cooperative future in Becky Chambers’ Monk and Robot series, you will enjoy Nothing is Promised.

Genres: Science Fiction, Ebooks, Fiction, Dystopia, Fantasy, Amazon, Post Apocalyptic

216 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 23, 2020

About the author

CLICK HERE for a FREE STORY

Susan Kaye Quinn has designed aircraft engines and researched global warming, but now she uses her PhD to invent cool stuff in books. Her works range from hopeful climate fiction to gritty cyberpunk. Sue believes being gentle and healing is radical and disruptive. Her short fiction can be found in Grist, Solarpunk Magazine, Reckoning, and all her novels and short stories can be found on her website. She is the host of the Bright Green Futures podcast.

SOLARPUNK
collections
Bright Green Futures: 2024 (edited by SKQ)
Halfway to Better

novels
Nothing is Promised series
When You Had Power
You Knew The Price
Of Kindness and Kilowatts
Yet You Cry When It Hurts

short stories
A Moon Goddess to Watch Over Me (Luna Station Quarterly) (hopepunk)
It's in the Blood (Reckoning 8)
Once and Future Kilowatts (Solarpunk Magazine)
Rewilding Indiana (Little Blue Marble)
Seven Sisters (Grist)
The Joy Fund (DreamForge Magazine)

SCI-FI
Singularity Novel Series
The Legacy Human
The Duality Bridge
The Illusory Prophet
The Last Mystic

Stories of Singularity
Restore
Containment
Augment
Awakening
Harvest
Defiance
Resistance

YA SF
Mindjack Series
Open Minds
Closed Hearts
Free Souls
Locked Tight
Cracked Open
Broken Wide
Mindjack Short Story Collection

WATCH the award-winning live-action Mindjack Book Trailer!

STEAMPUNK ROMANCE
Royals of Dharia
Third Daughter
Second Daughter
First Daughter

CYBERPUNK
Debt Collector
LIRIUM (Season One)
WRAITH (Season Two)

WATCH the Debt Collector Book Trailer

ANTHOLOGIES
Synchronic
Telepath Chronicles
AI Chronicles
Dark Beyond The Stars
Future Chronicles
Cyborg Chronicles
CLONES: The Anthology

MIDDLE GRADE FANTASY
Faery Swap

WATCH the Faery Swap Book Trailer

CONTACT SUSAN
Susan's Website | Sue on Bluesky | Sue on Mastodon
Susan's Email: sue@twistedspacepub.com

Reviews

[Kai · Rating 2 out of 5]

When You Had Power is, put nicely, lukewarm. The plot itself isn't terrible, and while Susan Kaye Quinn does throw a lot of futuristic sci-fi jargon at you, by the time you're done with the book, it all kinda makes a semblance of sense. The characters are... fine? I was at least invested enough to see how Lucía's journey unfolded to finish the book, but I didn't care for the whole Joe-Lucía romance because... the book takes place over the span of like 3 days, so it didn't seem like the characters had time to properly flesh out a relationship.

Speaking of "not having enough time," this is a great point to talk about all of the other characters! Lucía's adopted family has a colorful cast of people that don't get a real chance to make an impact. Jex and Wicket at least get the jump on the other members of the "family" by being relevant for the first one or two chapters. Amaal, Maria, and Yoram, though, completely fall flat.

Broadly, the thing that hurts When You Had Power is the fact that the author ended the book too quickly. 215 pages didn't feel like enough to properly convey the author's vision, and I think that's a shame. What's even worse is the book ends in the middle of the plot, meaning that the story is cut up into more books (some of which aren't even 200 pages long, mind you). The book was so short, it felt like all of the action was shoved into the last 15 or 20% of the book just for the sake of having action.

Overall, while I think that the plot has potential, the fact that the book is so short makes me really not want to read the next ones.

[JasonA · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not going to lie; I didn't expect to like this at all. I needed an author name starting with Q for a challenge and I already picked this up for free and it was short.

The book really had a Becky Chambers vibe to it I wasn't expecting. The whole aspect of the families system was probably the high point of the book for me. I'd have liked to see more of the story focus on that. The mystery and cover up felt a little rushed. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either.

Like Becky Chambers, it looks like each sequel focuses on different casts of characters. I didn't like when Chambers did it and probably won't like it here. I want more of the characters I started with and don't want to start over.

There are supposed to be 4 books in this series, so I'll probably hold off on the sequels until they're all available.

[Thibault Busschots · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a world on the brink of destruction due to climate change. Humanity is struggling to survive. Among those who remain however there is still a lot of compassion and kindness to be found. Randomly thrown together families take care of each other and power islands give humanity a fighting chance in an uphill battle for survival.

Power engineer Lucia Ramirez is put in charge of one of those islands. She takes her job very seriously and everything goes pretty smoothly. But something doesn’t feel right as some strange things start happening all around her. Unannounced and unexplained power outages. Sabotage. And when she tells her superiors, she’s pretty much told to sweep it under the rug and let it go. Of course she’s not doing that. She wants to get to the bottom of this.


The plot is quite a relaxed mystery with quite a lot of potential, it’s just unfortunate the story seems to stop halfway through. With a proper conclusion, this book as a whole would feel like a much more satisfying read.


The setting and the world building are without a doubt the heart of this book. This is a pretty realistic and grim post apocalyptic setting where pandemics and food shortages are part of everyday life. There are a lot a lot scientific explanations that drive home the realism of this possible outcome.


While the world building is by far the biggest selling point of this book, it can be a bit much at times. And it feels like some space used for world building could perhaps be better traded for some character development or a proper conclusion to the plot. The romance also feels a bit forced as it’s such a short story.


Overall, it’s a well written cozy hopepunk story with a good concept and very strong world building. Just a bit of a shame there’s no proper conclusion to the story.

[louisa dyer · Rating 2 out of 5]

great story, good writing, and i would've given 4 stars except the book was quite short, barely 20o pages. And it ended in the middle of the story - i hate that.
Then i looked at the rest of the series and none of them qualify as a novel imo, as they're LESS than 200 pages, one is barely 150, which might qualify as a novella but certainly not anything i'm interested in reading - writing a book then cutting it up to sell as a series makes me never want to read that author again.

Tell the whole story in one book for goodness sakes - 500 pages is fine (think harry potter or anything by sherri tepper - those are grand novels!). And if you want to write more about those characters or that place as it grows & changes, by all means do so, but STOP BREAKING A SINGLE STORY INTO SHORT LITTLE SNIPPETS TO SELL AS A SERIES - it's really annoying. Now i want to know the ending but refuse to pay for what amounts to the last few chapters of a book. Yuck.

[Neeta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Half a Book

I would have given a higher rating except that there was no warning that you would have to buy another book to finish the story.It was like part one. It does not stand on its own so be prepared, if you want to know what happened,what the story is about you will have to buy at least one more book. Otherwise it is a tight, well written ,interesting view of the not too distant future. I love the characters and wish I could buy book two.

[Eule und Buch · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5*
Die Energietechnikerin Lucía Ramirez hat die Chance, in eine neue Familie aufgenommen zu werden. Seit die Welt, bedingt durch klimatisch bedingte Katastrophen und Seuchen, deutlich verändert wurde, finden sich mehr Menschen, die sich miteinander verstehen, zu Familien zusammen, um sich gegenseitig Halt geben zu können. Und diesen Halt kann Lucía gut gebrauchen, denn ein ungeplanter Stromausfall und andere rätselhafte Begebenheiten sorgen dafür, dass sie bereits an ihrem ersten Arbeitstag aneckt. Dennoch ist sie sicher, dass es wichtiger ist als alles andere, herauszufinden, wer hinter all diesen Vorkommnissen steckt.
„Im Strom der Macht“ ist der erste Teil von vier verbundenen Bänden, die jeweils von anderen Charakteren handeln, aber im gleichen Setting spielen und eine miteinander verbundene Handlung haben. In dieser Hinsicht hat mich das Buch sehr an Becky Chambers Wayfarer-Reihe erinnert und es gibt noch weitere Parallelen, weshalb ich Fans dieser Autorin empfehlen würde, einen genaueren Blick auf dieses Buch zu werfen.
Besonders interessant fand ich die Welt, in der „Im Strom der Macht“ spielte. Das Buch zeigt, wie es in etwas über 25 Jahren aussehen könnte. Klimakatastrophen haben dafür gesorgt, dass weite Landstriche unbewohnbar wurden und dabei entstehende Seuchen haben viele Menschenleben ausgelöscht. Auch wenn die Menschheit Methoden gefunden hat, um saubere Energie herzustellen, war sie damit zu spät dran und nun wird versucht, zu retten, was zu retten ist. Aber der Weg nach vorne sieht im Buch endlich positiv aus. Energietechniker, wie Lucía, werden daher wie Helden gefeiert.
Die Geschichte besteht hier aus zwei Teilen: Zum einen lernt Lucía ihre neue Familie kennen und zum anderen versucht sie, das Rätsel um die Stromausfälle und verschwundenen Bots zu lösen. Leider kam dabei dieser erste Teil für meinen Geschmack viel zu kurz. Die Mitglieder der neuen Familie waren eine bunte Truppe und es gab richtig Potenzial für eine herzerwärmende Found Family-Geschichte. Tatsächlich erlebte man die Familienmitglieder aber nur sehr kurz, so dass sie eher klischeehaft herüberkommen. Gerade ein gemeinsamer Spieleabend hätte gute Chancen geboten, die einzelnen Charaktere genauer kennenzulernen, aber leider wurde nur gesagt, was dabei geschah und nicht gezeigt.
Der Versuch, das Rätsel um die Stromausfälle zu lösen hat diesen Aspekt für mich aber wieder wettgemacht. Lucía muss in einer neuen Umgebung herausfinden, was geschehen ist und wem sie mit diesen Informationen vertrauen kann. Dabei wird die Geschichte zwar nicht zu einem Thriller, ist aber dennoch teilweise ziemlich spannend. Spannend genug jedenfalls, dass ich unbedingt wissen will, wie es im nächsten Band weitergeht!
Fazit:
„Im Strom der Macht“ erzählt eine spannende Geschichte in einer wunderbar durchdachten, interessanten Welt. Für meinen Geschmack kam leider die Entwicklung der Familie zu kurz. Dieser Aspekt hätte für ein runderes Ergebnis einfach mehr Zeit benötigt.

[Susan (The Book Bag) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it when Susan Kaye Quinn branches off in her writing and swerves in a different direction. I know that whatever path she takes is going to mean a great adventure for me. When You Had Power, book #1 in her new Nothing is Promised series did not disappoint.

Lucia is a strong, capable women who has a very important job to do, but she also wants the love and security that family brings. When she notices problems in her new world, how does she know who she can trust?

I immediately felt at home in this futurist world, set in 2050, and comfortable with the characters that quickly become a big part of Lucia's world. Susan does an excellent job creating a believable, exciting world that I can't even imagine on my own. I loved the first book in this amazing new series and can't wait for the rest of the stories!

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intriguing premises here include positive ideas of how humanity will answer the climate crisis and find ways to meet our demand for energy, plus beautiful concepts about family dynamics in the future. Unfortunately, the book felt rushed and incomplete. Additionally, this felt like a book aimed at a younger audience, and perhaps it was, but when I found it, it was listed as "adult dystopic" and my expectations were for a more in depth, satisfying read. As a MG read, it would be four stars--it still needs more of a conclusive ending--but as an adult read, it doesn't measure up to others in the genre.

[Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free audiobook review copy and am voluntarily leaving a review. First: this is deemed “hopepunk.” I’d never heard that before, but I think it fits. Futuristic sci-fi dystopian but to me the real plot isn’t about what’s happening to the power, it’s about Lucia and the relationships she’s building. (Although it’s a little far fetched; she was only with the Strong family for like 3 in person days)
Second: this was short. It’s always hard to get a world built and characters developed in short books. Lucia was nicely fleshed out, as she should be, since this book was about her. But the others? Minor roles. Maybe they’ll become more important in later books.
Third: Narrator had a lovely voice and accent. It felt very authentically like it could be Lucia’s voice.

Overall takes: not perfect, but I’ll happily read or listen to the next. It left me wanting more at the end- more with the characters, more with what happens next. And isn’t that all you can ask of a book or author?

[ZeilenZauber · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘*‘ Meine Meinung ‘*‘
Eigentlich verrät der Klappentext schon recht viel, aber dann doch nicht so viel, dass ich nicht überrascht worden wäre. Denn es gab auch Twists, die ich nicht erahnt hatte.
Die Zukunft, wie Susan Kaye Quinn sie entwirft, gefällt mir, obwohl die Menschheit vor der Ausrottung steht. Denn die typische Familie, wie sie bei uns vorherrscht, wird durch die „chosen family“ ersetzt. Hier ist der Zusammenhalt wirklich freiwillig und ehrlich und nicht durch Geburt und Gesellschaft erzwungen.
Auch besteht durch die technischen Entwicklungen die Chance, die Klimakrise abzuwenden. Das Genre nennt sich „Hopepunk“, denn trotz dystopischen Settings besteht Hoffnung.
Ich wurde sofort in die Handlung geworfen und es gefällt mir sehr gut, dass ich nach und nach das Setting durch eine Mischung von „Show don’t tell“ und Beschreibungen kennenlernte. Auf die gleiche Weise lernte ich auch alle Figuren kennen und die Mitglieder von Lucías neuer Familie schloss ich gleich ins Herz. Sie sind zwar eine bunt zusammengewürfelte Gruppe, aber sie ergänzen sich auch hervorragend.
Die Story wird immer weiter vorangetrieben und die Spannung steigert sich so auch kontinuierlich. Da wird nicht lange rumgeschwafelt, sondern locker-leicht alles rübergebracht.
Selten gehe ich auf das Cover ein, aber dieses Mal muss ich einfach loswerden, dass ich es genial finde. Es passt 100%ig zum Buch und der Unterwasserpart löst bei mir die Lust aufs Tauchen aus.
Ich fiebere nun dem 2. Teil entgegen, denn ich will wissen, wie es weitergeht. Die Reihe beinhaltet 4 Bücher und ich mache es jetzt so wie die Autorin, kein langes wörterschindendes Geschwafel, sondern klare 5 Hopepunk-Sterne.
‘*‘ Klappentext ‘*‘
In guten wie in schlechten Zeiten. In Gesundheit und Krankheit.
So lautet ein Teil des rechtlichen Fürsorgeschwurs von Familien im Jahre 2050, in einer Welt, die ständig von neuen klimatisch bedingten Katastrophen und Seuchen heimgesucht wird.
Energietechnikerin Lucía Ramirez hat ihre Familie vor langer Zeit an eine dieser Klimakatastrophen verloren – sie würde alles geben, um diesen Schwur leisten zu können. Die Power Islands geben der Menschheit eine Überlebenschance, aber Seetangfarmen zu bewirtschaften und Solarlilien zu warten ist ein einsames Unterfangen. Die KI der Wohnbehörde hat ihr eine neue Familie gefunden und meint, dass sie gut in dieses kleine Landhaus passen würde – und zu Menschen wie der senegalesischen Umschulungsexpertin, die eine wahre Naturgewalt ist, dem Koch eines ehemaligen Pandemie-Corps mit seinem eigenen Hygge-Kanal und dem Autor, der behauptet, wirklich alles sei eine Geschichte. Diese Familie aus buchstäblichen und metaphorischen Flüchtlingen könnte die sichere Zuflucht sein, die sie vor ihrem eigenen persönlichen Sturm sucht.
Und diesmal muss es klappen.
Dann stellen sie ein ungeplanter Stromausfall und ein fehlender Schildkröten-Bot vor ein Rätsel. Irgendetwas stimmt auf Power Island Eins nicht, aber bei jedem ihrer Schritte, um der Sache auf den Grund zu gehen, ist jemand schneller als sie - und scheint fest entschlossen, das, was sie gesehen hat, ungesehen zu machen. Lucía ist Ingenieurin, keine Detektivin, und dieses Problem zu lösen könnte sie etwas kosten, das sie verzweifelt braucht: Ein Zuhause.
Im Strom der Macht ist das erste von vier eng verknüpften Hopepunk-Büchern einer Klima-Fiction Reihe, die in der nahen Zukunft spielt. Einer Zukunft, in der sich unsere Gesellschaft verändern und biegen wird - wie eine Solarlilie in einem Sturm, den wir selbst verursacht haben - und in der Risse im sozialen Gewebe entstehen werden, die umsorgt und geheilt werden müssen. Denn wir alle sind für unsere gemeinsame Zukunft verantwortlich, jetzt mehr denn je zuvor.

[Veronica Strachan · Rating 4 out of 5]

New dystopian future

A little different from the usual environmental dystopian futures. Social networks, science and technology to tweak contemporary to fiction. Then a scuba diving engineer thrust into a power conspiracy in a world struggling to achieve a negative carbon impact.
A good short read and series starter.

[Lola · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from the author and voluntarily reviewed it.

I was excited to start this new series by Susan Kaye Quinn. I've read most of Susan Kaye Quinn's books and I always enjoy them. When You Had Power is a Science Fiction book, or Hopepunk as the author calls it. It's set in the future, but not so far off that it's hard to imagine it becoming reality. In fact it felt quite realistic. It follows the point of view of power engineer Lucía who gets entangled in a big conspiracy when she tumbles on some things she shouldn't have seen. Instead of staying quiet she's determined to find out what's going on and stopping it.

When You Had Power was a great start to this series. I liked discovering this futuristic world that was relatable, but also showed what could happen to in future both for good and bad. There are big environmental disasters and plagues, but also humanity bonding together to get through it all. The pace of the plot is well done with the story progressing quite quickly, but never feeling rushed. Lucía stumbles upon the first signs of a bigger plot/ conspiracy quite early on and the story progresses from there onward with her diving deeper into this. I like how far she gets in this book, but it also feels like there is still so much we don't know and I am excited to see what happens next.

Lucía was a great main character. She felt real with how she had emotions, wishes and dreams. I liked her longing to find a family to belong. I also liked how open and vulnerable she was at times. She is afraid her new possible family won't be what she wants and also afraid it is what she wants. Instead of shielding herself, she decides to open herself up and give it her all. I thought this was great to see. I also like her determination to go after what it is she discovers and to find out what's going. I liked the concept of how in this world you get adopted into a family and live with them. It's like the concept of chosen family that you find in books, but then it actually being a legal thing here.

There is quite the big group of side character too, I think about 6 people in her new family and then a few people outside of her family too. I liked how they all seem to have their own personality, but I would've liked a bit more time to get to know them all especially the possible new family members. With the story taking up a big chunk of the book and how that developed and a lot of the characters only being present early and later on, at times it doesn't feel like there's enough time to get to know everyone. I did like how Lucía stays in touch with them through communication methods and how we see a bit more of Joe as well. Hopefully in future books we get to see even more of them. There is a hint of romance as well and while things move fast I liked them together and with how they confide in one another quickly it did feel like they bond quickly and deeply.

I liked getting the feel of how the world is different than ours and what had changed. It was fascinating to read about all the ways they now create power and the technologies that they use. I liked how there clearly has been some advancement, but it's also not so far in the future that everything's different. I liked the concept of the power island and the things like turtles and the virtual reality type thing they have. It's a bit overwhelming at first to take everything in, but it was great to learn more about the world and understand how everything worked. I also like how encouraging/ positive the whole world building feels, there is ofcourse a nefarious plot line, but in general it was quite positive with how they are fighting the climate change and trying to undo the damage to the planet. It's not a dystopia, but also not quite an utopia. The author calls this genre Hopepunk and I think that fits the vibe of this book.

To summarize: This was a great start to this new series. I liked discovering this futuristic world and how things changed and how things are the same to our current one. Lucía was a great main character, I liked her vulnerability, her openness and her determination to find out who was behind the strange things she find. There are a bunch of side characters and I liked how the author gave them all their own personality. I just wish we would've seen more of them as the majority of the side characters are only there are the start and end of the book. There is a hint of romance here as well and while it progresses quickly I liked them together and it felt like they bonded quickly and deeply too, so it feels fitting. I liked the world building, seeing all the new technologies and how they handle the climate change and power issues. There is something very positive and hopeful about it all, even with the bad things that are going on, overall it presents a positive version of a possible future where humanity works together for the greater good. This was a amazing start to this new series and I look forward to the next book!

[C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this story. What a fascinating and relevant take set in a not-so-distant future. I'd never heard of the Hope-Punk genre. If this is an example of it, I'll look for more.

[Scott Shjefte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story of a set of lonely people in an isolating future world. Purchased this item on June 5, 2021, from Amazon for free.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really solid, good tech, good protagonist, and good story. There's a lot to unpack in here and hopefully I'll try to do that when I have a real keyboard and time. Meanwhile, immediately after finishing this I leapt online to get the next in series... So I'm going to start that tonight! 😎

(Note: this is a mild cliff-hanger, so if you like it once you get into it, I'd suggest having the next three volumes on tap because they continue the story.)

[Jeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought I couldn't stand to read this bcz it is about climate change and pandemics and we are living it. BUT it is Sci Fi year 2050 and showcasing solutions in process. Still major problems but working on it. GREAT READ. 4 book series. Each book is short so I am rolling into book 2 now. 273 pages on a reader so may just read all four as if they were one.

[Sue B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this but it’s disappointing that the story is broken up into several short books. Would love to learn more about all the characters in the family. It feels a bit like a draft of a potentially great longer book.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had no idea what hopepunk was until I read this, and I was delightfully surprised at some of the speculative future building included in this story-- I need to start the next in the series

[Lexy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review für die Gesamte Reihe!

Die Hoffnungsschimmer-Reihe von Susan Kaye Quinn spielt in einer von Pandemien und Hitzewellen traumatisierten Welt. Vier Menschen kämpfen stellvertretend für Milliarden dafür, die Hoffnung nicht zu verlieren, der Macht von Kooperation zu vertrauen und die Welt endlich unabhängig von fossilen Brennstoffen zu machen.

Susan Kaye Quinn ist Umwelt- und Raketeningenieurin und hat über viele Jahre in diesem Sektor in Konzernen und Agenturen gearbeitet, bevor sie sich entschloss Autorin zu werden. Diese wissenschaftliche Expertise merkt man den Büchern an – wer Spaß an technischen Details hat, ist hier gut aufgehoben!
Quinn hat zudem kürzlich eine Kurzgeschichtensammlung unter dem Namen Halfway to Better veröffentlicht, die bisher nicht auf Deutsch erhältlich ist; und sie ist Gastgeberin eines wöchentlichen Podcasts namens Bright Green Futures, in dem sie mal mit, mal ohne Gäste über Solarpunk, Hoffnung, Schreiben und die Rolle von Technologie spricht.

Energiewende, anschaulich gemacht

Alle vier Bücher der Reihe spielen in den 2050ern und erzählen Teile einer zusammenhängenden Geschichte. Es gibt in jedem Buch eine andere Hauptperson. Sie alle verbindet, dass sie fieberhaft an einem erneuerbaren Energiesystem arbeiten, das zwar im Vergleich zu heute sehr nachhaltig ist, aber aufgrund des steigenden Energiehungers der Menschheit nach wie vor nicht den gesamten Bedarf decken kann. Die Charaktere bringen jeweils unterschiedliche Perspektiven in dieses Gesamtbild mit ein – als Ingenieurin und Wissenschaftler, Politiker:in und Diplomatin.
Ich will an dieser Stelle nicht zu viel von der wirklich spannenden Geschichte spoilern; deswegen schreibe ich hier nur, dass die Hauptpersonen gemeinsam einer Verschwörung auf die Schliche kommen, die das Vertrauen der Gesellschaft in den Ausbau der Energiestruktur und die internationale Kooperation zerstören könnte.

Alle vier Hauptfiguren leben in einer Welt, die von regelmäßigen tödlichen Pandemien und Hitzewellen gezeichnet ist. Sie haben ihnen wichtige Menschen verloren und haben mit Traumata zu kämpfen; und sie hadern mit der Schwierigkeit, ihren Arbeitsverpflichtungen und ihren (Wahl-)Familien gerecht zu werden.

Diese verheerenden Entwicklungen und die davon ausgelösten weltweiten Fluchtbewegungen haben ein zuvor unvorstellbares Ausmaß an internationaler Kooperation hervorgebracht.
Gesellschaftlich wurden deshalb schon viele Fortschritte erzielt: Es wurden verbindliche internationale Verträge zur Aufnahme von Asylsuchenden und zum CO₂-Ausstoß verhandelt; in den USA gibt es zudem ein Grundeinkommen und Umschulungsprogramme für Menschen, deren Branchen im Niedergang sind. Die Organisationen und Regierungen, die all das managen, sind zudem viel diverser und vielfältiger aufgestellt als heute – z.B. im Hinblick auf Geschlecht und Sexualität, Herkunft und Alter.

Inseln im Strom

Ein zentraler Durchbruch im Kampf gegen den Klimawandel stellten die Power Islands dar: künstliche Inseln vor der Küste mit revolutionären grünen Technologien, die Sonne, Wind, Gezeiten und andere natürliche Energiequellen nutzbar machten.
Darüber hinaus war vor allem die Entwicklung der dezentralen Batterietechnologie1 wichtig, um Energie speichern und nachts bzw. bei Flaute wieder ins Netz einspeisen zu können. Dieses komplexe Netz wird im Roman von einer künstlichen, lernenden Intelligenz gesteuert, um die Bevölkerung durchgehend mit Strom zu versorgen.
Auch abseits der Energiewende hat sich einiges getan: Die meisten Menschen verfügen in der Romanwelt über persönliche Chips, die den eigenen Bildschirm direkt ins Sichtfeld projizieren und per Gedanken- und Gestensteuerung gelenkt werden können (es gibt aber auch Gemeinschaften, die das kritisch sehen und chipfrei leben – es wäre spannend, über diese noch einen Nachfolgeroman zu lesen!). Kleinere Roboter sind im Alltag allgegenwärtig und übernehmen Hilfsaufgaben beim Gärtnern, Kochen oder Reparaturarbeiten.

Fazit

Susan Kaye Quinn ist eine der wenigen Autor:innen, die sowohl die technische Expertise haben, die Science Fiction so spannend macht, als auch die erzählerischen Qualitäten, um diese Fakten in eine spannende Geschichte mit sympathischen Protagonist:innen einzubetten. Die Hoffnungsschimmer-Reihe lohnt sich zu lesen. Für diejenigen, die auch auf Englisch und am Bildschirm lesen: Das erste Buch ist als E-Book umsonst verfügbar.

https://solar-punk.org/2024/10/04/die...

[John R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

(I want to acknowledge that I personally know the author of this book, and the following series. But I bought these books and my thoughts are not constrained by that relationship... As you'll see.)

First of all, what a breeze to get through. At just over two hundred pages -- although, honestly, the formatting of the book felt a little closed-in, so taking more of the page would have probably brought it down a little under 200 -- I finished this in two main sits. The plot feels very linear and, in my opinion, unfinished. Part of that may be my newness to "hopepunk" which may better entertain its climax as being one of emotional acceptance. But unlike, say, Becky Chambers' one book I've read, this book was very plot-forward and I didn't feel like we closed that loop as much as it just leaves us hanging. I guess the emotional climax works, if there's an idea of this being a one and done, with that idea of them coming together to fight another day. But with this book also setting up a very large conspiracy and possible danger ahead, a hug and a kiss isn't quite rewarding enough. (I guess that's a spoiler...)

I say all that to also acknowledge the plot here is pretty straightforward (and so, perhaps all the tension is meant to be in the "community" connection) and felt a little underbaked. The "bad guys" are very clearly bad guys. Or at least at this point incompetently misunderstood in their placement as possible cogs in the machine. And there's no real twists or complexity here. That's not bad, and again, maybe it's my coming from harder-edged things where I don't just expect a lab to be burned down, but I expect that the "hero" has been locked in with the fire, and there's goons outside the door with guns... So, it's genre expectations I'm coming to the story with.

Overall I enjoyed the book. I appreciated the author's work at creating a diverse cast of characters (in it's many forms), but I didn't quite buy all of it. And this is one white person commenting on another white person's attempts at writing cultures and people neither of us are. Mainly this came up in the thoughts of the main character where she really only used her Spanish language in calling people bad words or in referring to herself or family ("familia"). But that's just my opinion on that. Other's mileage may vary, and I could certainly be wrongheaded about that.

Lastly, I really love the cover(s) and how the whole series fits together to create a larger image. And I feel like that bit of positivity only underlines what actually feels like some harsh (but not unwarranted?) criticism, but I appreciate what Susan Kaye Quinn is doing here. As I said, I'm still feeling my way through these new genres that are claiming a different tack (one of Sue's quotes in her website is "being hopeful is disruptive" - paraphrased, and probably messed up good!) and this book gives me more of that "grit" I guess I was missing in the other cozy/hopeful book I've read. It better illustrates for me, and possibly for those who want a brighter future but don't feel like "it's all going to be okay," how those threads can fit together.

Looking forward to starting the second book.

[Linwood Ferguson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Way too short to be called a book. A mildly interesting story, well extrapolated from current events. A whiny heroine stumbling around through what could be interesting action but spending way too much time obsessing about her (relatively boring) past and whether she will be accepted. It's not that her situation is not interesting, it is just too much spread throughout the entire book. But after the first couple of chapters the book.... ends. The second book in the series is even shorter. This is more a series of novellas than a series of books.

One should love or hate the heroine - at least have some strong feeling for them. I found myself just bored with her, even while mildly interested in the story. She was the equivalent of a red-shirted TOS character, without Kirk or Spock along to provide interest. She's just plain boring.

The story: I would have expected the first book to leave issues unresolved, mysteries not yet uncovered, but really it does not even spend enough time to leave you a feel for what is coming. Ordinarily there would be some conflict and resolution, leading to another round. One expects you at least lay out the general type and scope of the conflict the protagonists will be dealing with: Is it about aliens; researchers that have opened another dimension; just ordinary political crooks stealing from people; dedicated scientists out to save the world in spite of itself... it is really like the first book just says "Something is going to happen in the next book". That's the cliffhanger. No first battle of a war, no real visibility of even the nature of the antagonist. As I said: mildly interesting as a setup, but a "book" should tell a story, even if it is just one in a series. There's no story here, just a setup.

The first book was free. It was probably worth the cost, but the brief read did not really yield enough need to know how it goes to read the second, even if it were free (and it is not). If I want to see people whining about their life I can watch TV or talk to neighbors.

[Sandy S · Rating 4 out of 5]

WHEN YOU HAD POWER is the first instalment in Susan Kaye Quinn’s post apocalyptic, speculative fiction,hope-punk, series of interconnected story lines set in the year 2050. As a quick explanation, hope-punk is often about people fighting for a change in an dystopian setting such as a post apocalyptic society.

SOME BACKGROUND: In the past thirty or so years, the world has been ravaged by several pandemics, ecological disasters, and global warming to the point that air quality is questionable, and food stocks are in short supply. The few remaining people have to apply for a ‘family’ and a place to live, often forcing a number of people together in order to thrive. AIs are the norm; implants are used to communicate but someone is siphoning the power, threatening the few who survive.

Told from third person perspective (Lucia Ramirez) WHEN YOU HAD POWER follows power engineer Lucia Ramirez in the year 2050 on her first few days on the job at the Power Islands in California. Having walked away from her previous position at Oregon’s Power Island due in part to a toxic work environment, Lucia lands a coveted position in Southern California but our heroine may have gone from the proverbial ‘frying pan into the fire’. Unexplained intermittent power outages find our heroine on the hunt for the cause but Lucia is about to open a beehive of secrets that place a target on her back. As Lucia goes in search of an answer she will quickly discover all is not well at Power Island One.

Susan Kaye Quinn pulls the reader into a near future, post apocalyptic, hope-punk world where the planet is slowly spiralling out of control. Man has destroyed the environment, and the resulting fall-out is about to claim the few who survived. A dark but though provoking introduction to NOTHING IS PROMISED with a setting immersed heavily in scientific fact and fiction.

[Trisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heads up: This is going to be a bit of a rambly review, and definitely not a 'proper' one, but it's just my jumbled thoughts after having finished this book.

Written during COVID-19's full swing in the United States in 2020, it's no wonder the plot of When You Had Power (the first in what is planned as a four-book series) is depressingly plausible. As I read this book I felt hope that, someday, our politicians might actually be forced to act on climate change.

Where we stand today, in Australia at least, our politicians (those who have power) are doing sweet fuck all about it, and that makes me so angry but also frantic, panicked, and full of frustration (get a move on, you fuckwits).

Of course this novel is not just about the problem of climate change - it paints a grim picture of a world contending with constant pandemics, a world where much 0f the population has been wiped out, and where the aim of all nations is to get to 100% renewable energy. (I fucking wish that was the case right now in our reality, and yes, I DO vote Green* ...).

Did I mention that this story is also about family, grief, and kicks off a bit of a conspiracy mystery that our heroine Lucia is faced with unravelling? No? Well, yeah, it's that too. There is a LOT on offer from this read, and given the current state of the world, I recommend it even if you end up feeling angry as I did that our current governments seem to be dragging their heels when it comes to the most important things they should be dealing with.

To summarise, I was hooked by this read, and can't wait to read the rest of the series. I also can't wait to see worldwide governments shift a lot more violently toward green energy, because they're wasting a hell of a lot of time right now while the world burns around them.

*The Australian Greens are not anti-vaxxers, in case you wondered.

[Bryan Alexander · Rating 3 out of 5]

When You Had Power describes a near future scenario where power generation is in the middle of a major shift. Society seems transformed, as well, at least in terms of relationships. We follow an engineer as she moves to a new area, gets a new job, and settles in with a new community or family. It's an example of the climate fiction genre.

On the plus side, Quinn creates an interesting model for the future during the climate crisis. We see a culture in tradition, with some new history and instability. Lucía Ramirez is a congenial point of view character.

On the minus... first, When You Had Power isn't a novel but the first slice of a story. It ends on a short story note, with the main character's life changing, yet every plot is wide open.

Second, the story is too cozy for my tastes. Cozy sf just doesn't work for me. These are stories which focus on cosseting the nice characters, giving them a touch of threat, then lavishing pleasant treatment on them. Praise, food, clothes, friends, family all fall like snow. I can see why some folks enjoy this kind of thing, but it doesn't work for me. Too damned nice.

Third, the book feels like a YA story. Our point of view character isn't a teen, but in many ways feels like it. Her struggles are pure YA: an early romance, fitting into a job, moving into a new place, and those in power are both vile and messed up. It should be marketed accordingly.

Putting these negative responses together and we may see an emerging strand in climate fiction. It's about comfort, not disaster. It focuses on making the point of view character feel righteous and supported. Call it comfort cli-fi.

[Lorena · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first novel in the Nothing Is Promised tetralogy by Susan Kaye Quinn, which should be read in order. I dislike the grimdark trend in speculative fiction, so I was excited to try this series of hopepunk, speculative fiction that focuses on connection, kindness, and optimism as resources in the fight for positive change.

These four closely interconnected stories have an interesting dystopian setting in a future where our world has been ravaged by climate change and viruses. I enjoyed the author’s writing style and characterization. I also liked seeing the social and technological changes she envisions. The only thing that frustrated me was that the story felt too rushed. I love stories of found/chosen family, but the relationships developed very quickly when the characters didn’t actually have very much time to get to know each other. And while we get a partial answer to the mystery of the unscheduled power outages, you’ll have to keep reading the subsequent books to get the full answer.

I enjoyed the narration by Maria Victoria Martinez. Her performance was well paced and easy to understand, and I liked how she conveyed personality and emotions with her character voices.

If you enjoy tales of found family and engineers as heroes, or you’re interested in the hopepunk genre, then I would recommend this series. Also, I love how the gorgeous covers fit together.

I purchased this ebook but was given a free copy of the audiobook by the author and volunteered to provide an honest review.

[Anna Tan · Rating 4 out of 5]

When You Had Power is a story of found family in a post-pandemic world.

Taking oft-repeated wedding vows, Quinn builds a near-future dystopia struggling through frequent pandemics, energy problems, and climate plagues, where families are formed around a legal vow of care: for better, for worse; in sickness and in health . And Lucia Ramirez desperately wants this--a family that she has chosen and has chosen her in return--in a place where she can use her power engineer training to make the world a better place. But one day into her new job and she's already embroiled in a mystery that threatens to rip the dream apart.

The start of new series, what Quinn labels as HopePunk, feels like a shift from her previous high-stakes, high-action series. Yes, there is danger, but it's more of a slowly looming shadow than a sharp, swift avalanche. And maybe it's more menacing for that. Because when you push missing turtles and threatening bosses aside, what Lucia wants is what so many of us are looking for: safety in a family that accepts us and cares for us as we are, troubles and all. Especially during troubles.

Note: I received a digital ARC of this book from the author. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Jennifer Giacalone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a five-minutes-into-the-future sort of story which envisions humanity actually getting its act together to deal with the climate crisis. Well, sort of.

The protagonist is an engineer, and her personal stakes in the story involve her finding and being accepted by a new "family" (this means something a bit different in the world of this story). But something shady is afoot at her new job, and she gets embroiled in her own independent investigation, which, as I'm sure you can guess, leads to trouble.

The worldbuilding is excellent. It feels like believable science without getting "too science-y" for lay people. The prose is user-friendly and the author has an excellent touch for giving you exactly as much information as you need to get a grip on the situation, and doing it in a way that feels natural. It's smart and snappy without talking down to the reader, and paced well to keep the reader engaged.

While the protag's personal stakes are resolved in a satisfying way, be warned -- the investigation storyline ends on a rude cliffhanger that will make you want to throw the book across the room. Insteaed of doing that, though, I recommend you just pick up the next book in the series. 10/10

[Erin Penn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hopepunk - Climate change science fiction. This novel is a short read at only 200 pages - a pleasant afternoon and a bright change after the last book I slogged through. The main character (MC) is extremely likeable, the supporting character cast a delightful mix, the mystery provides all the pieces you need to solve it alongside the MC, the worldbuilding solid, the hint of romance adding that final dash into the mix to offset the metallic tang of thriller-style danger to make it perfect.

Beach read, end-of-day beside the bed, winter snuggles with hot cocoa - however you like your lighthearted fare, this will do you.

And if you like meatier subjects, the eco-realism of climate change and renewable energy research providing the worldbuilding can be treated in more depth than a simple "oh, cool sci-fi backdrop".

NOTE 1 - Ongoing plotlines. This is one of a series of short intertwined novels. Lucia's portion of the story ends with her HEA. But the mystery-thriller continues in the next book.

NOTE 2 - POC. Main character is Puerto Rician. (MC in the next book is Black, and the third book Asian American.)

[Rowena Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this one up out of curiosity, and really enjoyed it devouring it in one go this evening. I wasn't quite sure what was happening with the timescale, as a lot seemed to happen in a questionably short amount of time, but that was my only reservation with it. I loved the technological aspects of this story - particularly those related to power generation and green technologies, which are something I'm very interested in, and I would loved to have spent more time with the ocean-based aspects of that. That this was paired with a mystery/conspiracy was great, especially when it is something that could so easily be imagined. The characters were great, Lucía is fantastic as our protagonist and we definitely got to know her best, but I loved all the members of the Strong household/family. I also loved the concept of 'family' in this book, and how it was a matter of choice - that resonated so strongly, especially against the backdrop of everything else, and the ending hit home because of that. This was a short, engaging read that I do wish had been longer just because I want more, and I will be picking up the rest of the series.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The start of a “hopepunk” series, this story involves power engineer Lucia Ramirez, her search in the Los Angeles area for a found family where she’ll feel she belongs, and a mystery involving the theft of power which turns deadly when she’s placed in danger from whoever is perpetrating the theft on Power Island One. It’s a world where climate change has brought never ending plagues on the people who are fighting to fix the damage we’ve done to the earth. My only question is why is the power grid so important when people in the Southern California area should be able to use solar power and battery back-ups for their energy needs instead of the elaborate ways power is being generated on the Power Islands and then provided to the mainland. There doesn’t seem to be a lack of sunshine in this instance. Otherwise, I like the descriptions of the precautions taken to prevent sickness, including constant vaccines, and the inventive ways the Power Islands are generating power. I enjoyed the story, even though there is somewhat of a cliffhanger ending, but the story picks up in the next book right where this one leaves off, which I’m reading now.