Yet You Cry When It Hurts

Nothing is Promised #4

by Susan Kaye Quinn

Yet You Cry When It Hurts is the last of four tightly-connected novels in a new hopepunk series. It’s about our future, how society lives on invisible things, like electricity and trust, that are far too easy to break… and how our most difficult moments are often when we discover the only path forward is healing not just ourselves but the world.

Pre-order your copy today of Book 4 in Susan Kaye Quinn’s new hopepunk series Nothing is Promised!

Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction

Unknown Binding

About the author

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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

[Eule und Buch · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5*
Nitara ist Diplomatin und setzt sich unermüdlich dafür ein, dass die verschiedenen Staaten der Erde zusammenarbeiten, um das CO2-Ziel endlich zu erreichen. Als an einem Tag jedoch die amerikanische Delegation wortlos ein Meeting verlässt und Nitara selbst Geheiminformationen von der Gouverneurin Südkaliforniens zugespielt bekommt, ist mehr gefragt als nur ihr diplomatisches Geschick. Inmitten dieses Chaos erhält sie auch noch die Nachricht, dass ihre beste Freundin und Lebensgefährtin Matti heiraten wird. Nitaras sorgsam geplantes Leben wird plötzlich von allen Seiten durcheinandergewirbelt.
„Hoffnung, Schmerz und Heilung“ ist der letzte Teil einer Reihe, deren Bände zwar immer neue Hauptcharaktere haben, dabei jedoch eine sich fortsetzende Handlung haben. Dieser vierte Band hebt sich dabei auf verschiedene Weisen von den vorhergehenden ab. Am deutlich sichtbarsten aufgrund der Seitenzahl – waren Band 1 bis 3 klare Novellen, würde ich diesen Band bereits als Roman bezeichnen. Dennoch ließ sich die Geschichte gewohnt zügig lesen, weshalb der Unterschied nicht wirklich ins Gewicht fiel.
Ich bin mir allerdings nicht sicher, ob das Buch die zusätzliche Länge wirklich gebraucht hätte. Gerade die erste Hälfte behandelte sehr viel Politik und das zog sich hier leider ganz schön in die Länge. Auch wenn einige der politischen Organisationen bereits aus vorherigen Bänden bekannt waren, kamen auch einige hinzu. Die Autorin gibt zu diesen allen sehr viele Informationen, die in Bezug auf die Geschichte dann aber völlig unwichtig sind.
Viel interessanter wäre es meiner Meinung nach gewesen, Nitaras und Mattis Geschichte deutlich stärker auszubauen. Hier ging mir leider alles viel zu schnell und nebenher und aufgrund dessen habe ich die recht komplexen Beziehungsmuster auch ehrlicherweise nicht ganz nachvollziehen können. Hier steckte zwar einiges an Potenzial, aber leider wurde dies nicht wirklich genutzt.
Nitara selbst hätte auch ein wenig besser ihre Fähigkeiten zeigen können. Es wurde zwar oft genug gesagt, wie fähig sie ist, was man aber gesehen hat, war dann oft eher das Gegenteil. Sie sollte jedoch im Kontrast zu Menschen stehen, welche sich oft genug selbst überschätzen. Davon hätte ich einfach gerne mehr gesehen. Davon abgesehen war sie aber eine sehr sympathische Protagonistin, der ich sehr gerne durch das Buch gefolgt bin und bei der von Anfang an klar war, dass sie das Herz am rechten Fleck hat.
Die zweite Hälfte des Buches konnte mich dann wieder voll mitnehmen. Hier schaffte es die Autorin, das Leben von so vielen Menschen auf interessante Art und Weise einzufangen und dabei eine Botschaft zu vermitteln, die wir heutzutage definitiv hören müssen. Hier führen alle Stränge der vorhergehenden Bücher zusammen und finden einen wunderschönen Abschluss, der mich vollkommen überzeugen konnte.
Fazit:
„Hoffnung, Schmerz und Heilung“ ist der abschließende Band einer Reihe. Auch wenn die erste Hälfte des Buches etwas schwächelt, schafft es die zweite Hälfte doch voll und ganz zu überzeugen und liefert eine Botschaft, welche wir in unserer heutigen Zeit unbedingt hören sollten!

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This feels like the fourth volume in what I'd call a single novel, "Nothing is Promised". The first three books are incomplete stories, each of which builds upon and continues the previous volume; and each features a new protagonist. (Though the protagonists of the first three still appear in subsequent novels, they aren't in the "follow-spot" on stage.) Tension and stakes within the story start ramping up pretty immediately in this volume.

Overall, I liked the story arc of the four volumes, and dividing it up into "books" makes sense. (But I still think the author should have just packaged them in one volume, because each of the first three volumes are cliff-hangers that don't stand complete on their own.)

I think this is the first book I've read that's clearly "climate fiction" in the modern sense — this one is billed as "hope punk", and I guess that kind of describes it. Near future, climate catastrophe looming, but the world is coming together in interesting ways, and there is some hope for a better future. Some of the background elements I really enjoyed. E.g., there seem to be an increasing number of family contracts, i.e., formalizing relationships that we'd now call "chosen family". There's a high level of international cooperation in trying to solve the atmospheric carbon problem and build out the "green" infrastructure. Overall, I'd recommend the book. The writing is very good (it's apparently an indie publication); the editing is generally excellent, very few typos in this volume.

(This one has certainly earned the rat of approval, even though I don't think I ended up understanding the titles of any of the four volumes.)

[Vera Brook · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful conclusion to the series! And now that I'm done with all four books, I also appreciate the unique series structure that the author is using, switching from one group of protagonists to another in every book, but also weaving them together into a rich network. A perfect way to show us how a new & world-changing technology can impact all sections of society and also require their collaboration to handle safely and fairly. I loved the smart, capable characters and all the cool scientific speculation. Highly recommended for all fans of climate fiction and solarpunk in particular!

[Anna Tan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quinn's imagined future is one where the world has finally gotten its act together in the midst of devastating crises. Cooperation is the word of the day, whether voluntary or involuntary, and everyone is working together for the good of all humanity, no matter race, nationality, sexual orientation, or gender. Equality of a sort has been reached, if only because without it, your country is not going to survive the next pandemic or power crisis.

And of course the ones who are trying to upset that balance and buy their way back into the old world order are... mediocre white men with no qualifications who think they should hold the power .

Anyway, remember when I said, When You Had Power was a low-stakes, fuzzy, found-family story? The stakes have been upped with each successive book in the series, culminating in this final book that's all about high-level manoeuvring, international power plays, alpha male posturing, and attempted murders.

Whilst characters in the earlier three books do play their part in this one, they're mostly off in the background, doing supporting-type stuff. Yet You Cry When It Hurts focuses on a set of new characters, mostly Nitara Desai, Director of the IEC's Office of Multilateral Funds and International Agreements and Matti, her best friend and co-conspirator in everything. And the day Nitara discovers that there's a crazy new unlimited energy source being sold privately to the highest bidders is also the day she finds out that her Matti is getting married...to someone else.

Yet You Cry When It Hurts is a story of resilience, trust, and standing up for what's right, not what's most beneficial to you at the cost of everyone else. It's also about community and the power of cooperation and collaboration, and understanding that you don't have to do everything alone.

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

[Rina.P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ein tolles Finale erwartet uns hier. Es ist wirklich spannend zu verfolgen, wie Nitara, ihr Team und die Charaktere aus den vorangegangenen Bänden, kämpfen. Nachdem die Auflösung bekannt wurde, heisst es: Wer wird siegen? Macht und Habgier, gegen Menschlichkeit und Gerechtigkeit? Kommt mit und lest es. Es wird wirklich spannend.

[Sandy S · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars--YET YOU CRY WHEN IT HURTS is the fourth and final instalment in Susan Kaye Quinn’s adult, near future NOTHING IS PROMISED post apocalyptic, speculative fiction, Hopepunk, climate fiction series of interconnected story lines set in the year 2050. YET YOU CRY WHEN IT HURTS should not be read as a stand alone as it picks up shortly after the events of book three OF KINDNESS AND KILOWATTS.

NOTE: Hope-punk is a genre that often focuses on people fighting for a change in a 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 are forced to apply for a ‘family’ and a place to live, often placing a number of people together in order to thrive. AIs (artificial intelligence) are the norm; implants are used to communicate but someone is siphoning the power, threatening the few who survive.

Told from third person perspective YET YOU CRY WHEN IT HURTS follows one man’s determination to take control of the world’s power supply. The people of Earth are struggling to find or make a clean, renewable source of power-Miller Zendek and James Ellis have developed something called zero point energy or ZPE, a system that opens up the universe and extracts energy, but in an effort to take control, Miller Zendek is ‘auctioning’ off the rights to the D-10 countries (think G7), hoping to become the world’s richest trillionaire. Nitara Desai, international treaty negotiator, is determined to stop Miller Zendek, at all costs, placing herself in the direct line of fire, a line that is quickly leading to her death. With the help of her team, and her best friend Matti, Nitara releases all of the specs and information about ZPE to the world, effectively destroying Miller’s quest for domination in the process.

Author Susan Kaye Quinn is a rocket scientist and an environmental engineer, and like the previous instalments YET YOU CRY WHEN IT HURTS reads like a PhD dissertation; a thought-provoking, detailed and complex physics lecture, in both science fiction and fact, often overwhelming the story line premise with copious acronyms (I had to keep a list), numerous people and culturally-specific names, as well as scientific terminology (again, both fact and fiction). The premise is edgy and dramatic but often confusing and complicated; the characters are numerous, energetic and determined. The NOTHING IS PROMISED series is a cautionary tale of what ifs and whys.

[Sandy S · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars--YET YOU CRY WHEN IT HURTS is the fourth and final instalment in Susan Kaye Quinn’s adult, near future NOTHING IS PROMISED post apocalyptic, speculative fiction, Hopepunk, climate fiction series of interconnected story lines set in the year 2050. YET YOU CRY WHEN IT HURTS should not be read as a stand alone as it picks up shortly after the events of book three OF KINDNESS AND KILOWATTS.

NOTE: Hope-punk is a genre that often focuses on people fighting for a change in a 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 are forced to apply for a ‘family’ and a place to live, often placing a number of people together in order to thrive. AIs (artificial intelligence) are the norm; implants are used to communicate but someone is siphoning the power, threatening the few who survive.

Told from third person perspective YET YOU CRY WHEN IT HURTS follows one man’s determination to take control of the world’s power supply. The people of Earth are struggling to find or make a clean, renewable source of power-Miller Zendek and James Ellis have developed something called zero point energy or ZPE, a system that opens up the universe and extracts energy, but in an effort to take control, Miller Zendek is ‘auctioning’ off the rights to the D-10 countries (think G7), hoping to become the world’s richest trillionaire. Nitara Desai, international treaty negotiator, is determined to stop Miller Zendek, at all costs, placing herself in the direct line of fire, a line that is quickly leading to her death. With the help of her team, and her best friend Matti, Nitara releases all of the specs and information about ZPE to the world, effectively destroying Miller’s quest for domination in the process.

Author Susan Kaye Quinn is a rocket scientist and an environmental engineer, and like the previous instalments YET YOU CRY WHEN IT HURTS reads like a PhD dissertation; a thought-provoking, detailed and complex physics lecture, in both science fiction and fact, often overwhelming the story line premise with copious acronyms (I had to keep a list), numerous people and culturally-specific names, as well as scientific terminology (again, both fact and fiction). The premise is edgy and dramatic but often confusing and complicated; the characters are numerous, energetic and determined. The NOTHING IS PROMISED series is a cautionary tale of what ifs and whys.

[John R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Full disclosure: I am acquainted with this author, but bought these books with my own money and my opinions are my own.)

It is fair to say that in my introduction to "hopepunk" I don't know that I've really gotten it. I love the stories Susan Kaye Quinn writes, I enjoyed the Becky Chambers book I've read, but this vibe of "hope" being the backbone or aesthetic or whatever, hasn't really gripped me. Until now...

This book, to me, carries and follows through on the signifiers that I feel are at the heart of hopepunk. Part of that comes from the fact that so much of that ideology is rooted in community, rooted in common people and not the elevated elite. And it's only in this book that we finally reach that pinnacle of collaboration, of community, and ultimately human generosity. I did think to myself after finishing this book, what's really different here from every other book that is about a select group of characters trying to overcome tyranny and little e "evil"? Ultimately, it's nothing. There's still violence, there's still duplicity and grift, there's danger and escalating stakes.

It's a term. A marketing gimmick like marketing water as gluten free and vegan. Yes, the word means something, but ultimately, as with so many ideas of categorization, it's besides the point. This is a great book. Altogether, this four book series is great. Not because, or anything to do with them being labeled as "hopepunk." (To me.) It's because Susan Kaye Quinn is a hopepunk. It's more words and marketing lingo, maybe, but I think I'd much better understand that term if it was used in description of the author. Is William Gibson a cyberpunk? I don't know; seemingly. Susan Kaye Quinn, though, is a hopepunk who writes great books, and more than that she lives the ideas she's presenting here -- in her own way. That's a concept I fully understand.

[Paul Heatley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The end marks a new beginning

I have found this hope-punk series by SKQ very compelling. Though she has written several series in different genres, this is the only one (so far) that I have read in full, and I highly recommend all four books! This is a satisfying conclusion to the Nothing is Promised story, bringing back many characters from the first 3 books and giving us plenty of drama along the way. (There's one favorite character in particular that I told the author she should spin off into a short story - we'll see if it happens!)

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

[3 May 2025]
This fourth installment in the Nothing Is Promised tetralogy is the best one by far. I still have problems with the idea that a high level government functionary would (or should) drop everything to engage in a dangerous undercover investigation that she is mostly untrained for. However, the character development is much better in this book, and the plot is pretty suspenseful. There are strong echoes of our current U.S. political situation, and the ultimate solution to the conflict is very attractive. Definitely worth reading.

[Christinaraven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nitara Desai stars in the next book in this futuristic story. Begins as she does her usual things then everything goes sideways in her life and the real fun begins. And Nitara Desai must figure out what is really going on and how she plays into stopping the bad. What will she face and what can she solve are the big questions of the story. Enjoyed returning to this world and all the trouble it has. Enjoyed the characters and story.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was over my head with too much technical scientific info. At one point, I wondered when it would stop. The rest was great, and I couldn't stop reading. Good end to series. Questions answered, but I kinda wanted to see what would happen to the bad guys.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading about Nitara, she’s such a fantastic character. She makes this futuristic story something that you don’t want to miss. How will she solve this problem. Will the survivors be alright.

[Jeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic SciFi series - 4 books. In 2050 mitigating the issues we are currently creating. Everyone read this series! WOW

[Tânia Isabel · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing end for an amazing book!

[Si Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m really glad I continued with this series. The first book in this series wasn’t really for me (too much romance) – but the series overall was incredibly well done, unique, and refreshing.

[Doro´s Buchgalaxie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Das letzte Band ist da und schauen wir mal hin es uns führt. Auch hier bekommen wir wieder einen anderen Charakter in den Mittelpunkt gestellt. Jetzt kommt die ganze Welt mit ins Spiel. Wir erfahren noch mehr über die Zukunft und wie alle anderen Ländern mit den Veränderungen umgehen. Teilweise war ich geschockt, was passiert ist, andererseits ist es die Natur des Menschen. Beim Lesen dieses Buches hatte ich das Gefühl ein Thriller in der Hand zu haben. Jede Seite war, fesselt und ich wusste nicht, ob wir gewinnen konnten. Hier wurde es sehr politisch und auch sehr emotional. Die anderen hatte auch ihren Auftritt. Konnte es ein Happy End geben und wollte ich überhaupt das es so endet. Es lieft nicht alles so wie gedacht und das war genau, was die Geschichte noch so besonders gemacht hat. Der kleine Twist hier und dort macht es zu etwas Besonderem.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book of two parts, for me, but well worth reading!
Because this book centered on a ‘new’ person, there was a fair amount of background in the early chapters. But soon, things picked up and suddenly became quite enthralling. And it continued to be quite exciting.
Had it been like this throughout, it would have been a five star book - for me, a slight shame there wasn’t a prologue giving us a taste of things coming shortly! But then, I do love action, so maybe that was just me.
This series has been a very intriguing exploration of energy systems in the future, which given the author’s background are believable and well thought through. It is fascinating, also, to read a somewhat post apocalyptic book that is centred on how things could be improved. Full marks for originality.

[Beate Werum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spannend, aber für mich persönlich zu technisch und weltpolitisch.

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