Foxhunt

Foxhunt #1

by Rem Wigmore

In a lush future, plants have stripped most of the poison from the air and bounty hunters keep resource hoarders in check. Orfeus only wants to be a travelling singer, famed and adored. She has her share of secrets, but she’s no energy criminal, so why does a bounty hunter want her dead? Not just any bounty hunter but the Wolf, most fearsome of all the Order of the Vengeful Wild. Orfeus will call in every favor she has to find out, seeking answers while clinging to her pride and fending off the hunters of the Wild. But she isn’t the only one at every misstep endangers the enemies she turns into allies, and the allies she brings into danger. There are worse monsters than the Wolf hiding in this new green world.

89,540

Genres: Fantasy, Solarpunk, Science Fiction, Queer, LGBT, Fiction, Lesbian

241 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 20, 2021

About the author

Rem Wigmore is a speculative fiction writer from Aotearoa New Zealand, author of the solarpunk Vengeful Wild duology (Foxhunt and Wolfpack). Their other works include Riverwitch and The Wind City, both shortlisted for Sir Julius Vogel Awards. Rem’s short fiction appears in several places including Baffling Magazine, Capricious Magazine and two of the Year’s Best Aotearoa New Zealand Science Fiction & Fantasy anthologies. Rem’s probably a changeling, but you’re stuck with them now. The coffee here is just too good.

Reviews

[Rossdavidh]

No numerical stars rating because I didn't finish the book.

First, the good: it is well written, in the sense of the technical excellence of the prose, and also in its ability to take the reader into the world of the story (a post-post-apocalyptic future in which humanity has gone past ecological crises into a more sustainable way of life). The main character, Orfeus, has a clear personality, and a well-drawn set of strengths and weaknesses. Orfeus is brave to the point of cocky, a performer in every moment, and a quick thinker.

She is also really obnoxious. I did not, as mentioned, make it through the book, but in the first part, she was only likeable when she was around somebody else who was more obnoxious, and therefore her sarcastic jibes were well deserved. The first thing we learn about Orfeus is that she's preparing to attempt to seduce a married woman, and isn't too worried about it because in her mind it's more the target woman's actions that would be to blame for any hurt done, than her own. It's an odd way to introduce us to someone that we are meant to be rooting for, and I never did. The other characters were either pompous or arrogant. I struggled on through 100 pages or so, and then decided, 'you know what? I don't like any of these people, so I don't really care what happens to them.'

I do very much hope that we can find our way to a more ecologically sustainable way of life. I very much hope that when we do, it isn't filled with people like this. Rem Wigmore is clearly an accomplished writer, but a well-crafted story of a world filled with obnoxious people is not my favorite kind of read.

[Areeb Ahmad (Bankrupt_Bookworm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Orfeus went out that night to win her lady's heart. Perhaps this was made difficult by the fact the lady in question was married already, but Orfeus was resourceful and not about to let such a small thing stop her. Morality was important as far as things went, but this hurt no one. No one but the husband, anyway."

The world and dynamics of Foxhunt remind me a lot of the Exodus Fleet in the Becky Chambers' Wayfarers series but in the former, the inhabitants do not leave their planet after a cataclysm (the Brink), radically transforming their lives to restore & preserve it. It is a curious mix of Medieval fixtures & technology where the Green is venerated. Mostly a vivid egalitarian society, it works on barter. Neutral pronouns are always used for strangers till preferred ones are specified. Our protagonist is a sarcastic, hilarious bi trans woman, a musician who can use Blood, this in-world magic system.

The synopsis is misleading. Dealings with the Wild form a crucial but short part of this narrative and there are newer complications that Orfeus must clarify. While I love chapter epigraphs being used for worldbuilding, it could have been more substantial. Its pacing does get a lull in the middle. All nitpicks aside, I really loved the book. Fabulously queer with a clear narrative arc, fleshed-out personable characters, an inventive world that has much to teach us all, an imperfect complex protagonist, appreciable plot turns and twists, and lots of general enjoyment of a well-written, fantastic work.



(I received a finished copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

[Kalin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book along with the Solarpunk group. Here's our discussion thread.

That's one of the more unusual futures out there. It didn't win me over; my reading notes will tell you why:

https://choveshkata.net/forum/viewtop...

[Chris Durston · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this book for a whole bunch of reasons.

First off, the setting: a future in which humans are actually more responsible for the planet, albeit it takes both softness and sharpness to ensure we stick to that. There are some neat sci-fi elements woven in that might overlap a little with magic or might just be sufficiently advanced technology, but either way it feels like the setting of a magical epic.

Then there's the representation. If you're bigoted, you will not like this book. Our protagonist is a trans woman and there are other trans characters, a genderfluid character, at least a couple who use gender-neutral pronouns, and a few who use neopronouns. One detail I really appreciated is that no character's gender is ever assumed by the narration - they're described neutrally until they confirm their identity. There are also neurodivergent characters, although this is less explicit.

Orfeus is an interesting character, and I'll admit now that I didn't always understand or buy her motivations. She makes some big decisions, and I'm not always entirely sure why, but the writing is strong enough to have the fallout from those decisions feel earned and interesting. I wish we'd seen her make more use of her music, though, as it's kind of her main deal at the start but then mentioned less often than I'd have expected.

The momentum keeps up throughout Foxhunt, though, so you're always curious where it's heading next - and having a great time getting there.

[Octavia Cade · Rating 5 out of 5]

I reviewed this book for Strange Horizons (review coming soon!) so I'm leaving a few small comments here as well. I really enjoyed this, although it is admittedly right up my alley, with a group of nature-aligning individuals taking on secret identities in order to preserve the environment. It even has an intermittently-likeable and often ambiguous woman protagonist, which is another thing that I enjoy, especially as the narrative makes it clear that not many other people like her either. It's so much easier to enjoy difficult protagonists when the author isn't bashing you over the head with how wonderful other characters think they are! Just let them be difficult and stew in their difficulty and acknowledge that they are not always easy people to be around, it makes such a difference.

I don't want to say too much about the plot, as there are a couple of twists that I don't want to give away - the one that comes mid-book was genuinely shocking. I would like to give a shout-out to the world-building, though, which is extremely and quietly competent, especially given that Foxhunt is such a short book, not even 250 pages. I do love concision, and there's so much crammed in here! It's just a compact and fascinating read.

[Andi C Buchanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Foxhunt is the tale of a better world, and the combination of tenderness and ruthlessness needed to maintain it - which makes it 100% my jam. It's a solar punk future combined with wild hunt mythology, with some advanced science and fast paced adventure - and yet, despite being relatively short in length, it all feels coherent and makes for a fun read.

Wigmore paints hazy boundaries, appealing villains, brutality and beauty, love and blood, with a deftness that allows this book to be both complex and fun, reflective and full of action. This is an original and well-realised story of a future we can hope for, and what we have to fear along the way.

Oh and it's queer as hell.

You should read it.

(Disclaimer: I was provided an ARC by the publisher, who I have also done unrelated paid work for, and consider the author a friend, but these are 100% my genuine opinions.)

[Peter Tillman]

I saw this one in a 2021 tor.com feature on SolarPunk, a new micro-genre of hopeful future fictions. It has various other trendy doo-dads . . . I hope the author tended to basic storytelling values, which haven't changed since (at least) the time of Ulysses. Or even further back: the best story I saw in 2019, by Arkady Martine, rewrote ancient Sumerian poetry as space-opera! She includes some lovely excerpts, from around 4300 years ago: “[Inanna] is clothed in terrifying radiance….”
This appears to be the author's debut novel. They had a novella short-listed for a NZ-based literary award last year. $5 Kindle ebook.

[Anniken Haga · Rating 1 out of 5]

I DNFed this book at page 35.

I don't like DNFing a book before at least page 50, as I can't say I've got a good idea of the story before then, but I couldn't bring myself to continue with this book.
Part of the reason was the writing style. It is very wordy, info dumpy, and repetitive. Yes, repetition can be used to illustrate the importance of some things - eks: ''I dug down, down, down into the ground'' - but the way it was used in this book didn't make sense to me. It was used to drill in different characters personalities, but just repeating the last few words of a sentence again and again doesn't really work. At least not for me.
The info dumping and wordiness goes hand in hand. The author would stop dialogue and action to add a random tidbit of the world. While a sci-fi needs world building in the early stages to make sense, some of the info we got wasn't really relevant for the reader to know. The author most definitely need to know how the government and power grid works, but the reader don't.

Unfortunately, it happened multiple times a page that some of these things jumped out at me.
And I might still have been able to keep reading, if it wasn't for the MC being an asshole.

The book starts out with the MC trying to steal someone else's wife.
While home wreaking is a kink, it needs to be consensual from all parties involved, and that was clearly not the case here! It didn't help that the MC dumped on the husband for not being comfortable with the wife's polyamory, while wanting to steal the wife and keep her to herself!
That's just... assholery on top of assholery, and she didn't get any better in the next chapter.

So, with only annoyance to show for the first 35 pages on every count, I gave up. Mind you, these are only my own opinions, and you might have a whole different experience with this book.

[Xan Rooyen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this.

I loved the cast of queer characters - was there a single allo cishet in this book?? I don't think so. The variety of pronouns and identities was fantastic!

The world-building was fascinating but at times I wasn't quite sure if the magic mentioned was some arcane force or a result of technology for example the Blood I initially took to mean somehow imbued with magic, some elemental force, but then it's revealed that Orfeus has nanites - nanites which let her set fire to things and transmit healing ability to others?? Hence my confusion about whether this is magic or some sort of tech. I wish this had been more clearly explained. I also have some serious questions about the function of the Wild and how this group referred to as mercenaries, vigilantes, and bounty hunters, fits into what otherwise seems like an egalitarian and humanist world.

I really enjoyed some of the characters and again, the diverse cast was awesome. Bright and Em were easily my favourites. I'd read a whole book about them. Also Rivasoa - I wish she'd had a more active role throughout. I also quite enjoyed Orfeus and her sense of humor although she did confuse me at times.

The biggest problem for me with this book was the plot. It honestly felt like I'd maybe missed something half way through, but perhaps this is simply because the description of the book doesn't quite match with what I read. There were scenes that seemed to drag out a bit and then other times a really important piece of information seemed to be casually tossed into the narrative. I was left going 'wait, what?' quite a bit in this book.

Overall, an interesting if somewhat bumpy ride with a wonderfully queer and diverse cast of characters.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It's set in a post-post-apocalyptic Earth, where humanity has weathered the climate crisis and learned the necessity of protecting the planet and the environment, but at the same time still struggles with navigating the responsible use of power. I appreciate the complex questions raised through its exploration of these themes. The protagonist is also a fun personality; I like her wit and sense of humor, as well as that this isn't all there is to her, and that she has to work through some challenging moral quandaries throughout (and her responses are consistently unpredictable). Very much worth a read; highly recommend.

[Elizabeth Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

2021 is apparently my year for New Zealand authors. Queen of Swords Press has happily enabled me by releasing Foxhunt by Rem Wigmore this month.

This solarpunk novel shows a world in which humanity managed to halt its headlong rush into ecological oblivion. A greener, more sustainable path is enforced in part by the Order of the Vengeful Wild, a group of masked assassins who execute (or sometimes just discipline) those reported as breaking the new ways. When the most deadly of the Order comes after Orfeus, she must survive long enough to figure out who has falsely accused her and why.

Orfeus is a classic disaster bisexual with a side order of D&D bard. She’s a charismatic music star, good at making friends. However, she sometimes struggles to keep those friends, since her impulsive nature leads her to make thoughtless decisions that often have a negative impact on those around her. She’s cocky and makes mistakes. But despite her flaws, she has a good heart and a great deal of courage, always fighting for what she believes is right.

She’s helped in this by her magic. Orfeus is Blooded, meaning she can heal quickly, boost her energy when she’s tired and even pull lightning out of thin air. There is a scientific explanation given, but a lot rides on the old quote that sufficiently advanced science will look like magic. And it’s plausible in this setting, where Orfeus barters herbs for what she needs (or simply offers a song), and where architectural beauty is just as important as function.

Community is also an important part of the setting. Almost everywhere, there’s a sense of people watching out for each other — even in places where I wasn’t expecting it. As a travelling performer, Orfeus seems a bit outside of this which shows up in the way she’s slow to grasp the implications of her actions on those around her. But she’s not entirely without a sense of community: she still checks up on her neighbour and tries to limit the collateral damage to her hometown when the Order comes for her.

Queer community in particular is central to the story. Orfeus herself is trans. Wolf, the warrior who’s hunting her is genderfluid. There are badasses of all genders among the Order of the Vengeful Wild and a broad range of pronouns are used throughout the book. It’s a delightful disruption to the unrealistic Lone Gay trope.

This focus on community may make the story sound like a cosy one. And to some degree it is. But this is also a story about making difficult decisions — to do the things no one else wants to do, or do the necessary thing even if you don’t want to. It’s a story with sharp edges, showing that no utopia is perfect and that any system is flawed. It went some unexpected places, with the ending in particular catching me by surprise (and most of the characters, as well). However, in retrospect, it seemed suitably foreshadowed and was a satisfying ending, if not the one I wanted.

All in all, Foxhunt wasn’t the cosy read I expected, but remained a thoughtful and nuanced story in a vibrant world that I enjoyed nevertheless.


This review first appeared on Earl Grey Editing.

[Lola]

I DNF'd this one at 17%

I so wanted to like this book and the world building feels fresh and is really well done so far. I could vividly imagine what these green cities looked like and wanted to know more about the world. Unfortunately I really struggled with the characters and the plot. Orfeus the main character came across as rude to me and I couldn't figure out whether this was the purpose or whether I was missing something or maybe she'll change throughout the book. Either way I didn't like her and struggled to enjoy the story. The book starts with her trying to seduce a women whose married without feeling bad about it and after that she continues to makes jabs and tries to annoy everyone she encounters, there are some situations where I felt this made more sense where the other characters where being judgmental or rude to her as well or even attacking her. I just didn't really care about her as a character nor about any of the other characters we met. So I decided to set this one aside.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found it hard to follow the plot of the story and keep up with the motivations of the main character. Overall, the storyline confused me too much for me to truly enjoy the book, but I liked the concept of it.

[O.E. Tearmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in a gorgeously imagined world, a new culture has grown up out of the wreckage of the past, one that uses the climate disasters of our time as warning stories for their children and swear words for their adults. It’s a fascinating world with its own cultural tensions; mainly, between communities and their approaches to history and technology, including human modification. To the reader’s relief, many of today’s tensions are long gone; we’ve grown out of most forms of bigotry, including racism and homophobia. Reading a story that lets us see that possible future comes as a balm in the days we live now. But that doesn’t mean this world is safe; to make sure the terrible greed and imbalance of the past never creeps into our culture again, a drastic measure has been taken. A crew of what amounts to socially accepted vigilantes who call themselves the Wild Hunt have taken on the names of predators, and the duty of punishing those who break the laws of mutual care, ecological stewardship and social responsibility. Terminally.

Interweaving children’s stories, journal entries, some really cool tech and little bits of legend with the main narrative gives this story the sense of a living, breathing world. One that has taken a step back from the brink of self-inflicted destruction, and yet contains the fallibility of a human existence. And our protaganist has gotten tangled up in all of it.

Meet Orpheus. She’s sassy. Smart. A smart-ass, a lot of the time. She’s trans, and she was raised in a world that never told her there was anything wrong with that. She’s what we’d politely call a lothario (cough horndog) and she’s always up for some fun. Or some trouble. Whatever you’ve got on hand. Oh, and she’s a rockstar. No, I mean literally. She’s a musician living on her songcraft and getting people of all sorts to swoon over her recordings.

Our spunky protagonist is surrounded by a fun and fascinating cast of friends, frenemies, neighbors, and acquaintances that all have a touch of life to them.

I did feel that some of the characters verged on the tropey, especially those whom Orpheus is less than friendly with. But that’s evened out by the characters who have been well-depicted, and sometimes a nice trope can be a treat.

Clever and crafty as Orpheus’s namesake, this storytelling is evocative at the sentence level and witty at the arc level. It’s a pleasure to read. And the main character’s take on events makes everything that much funnier, wittier, and more engaging.
Enjoy!

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up because I did enjoy the characters and the story even though some aspects didn’t quite gel for me.

Foxhunt tells the story of Orfeus the singer, a performer whose overture to her love is interrupted when a bounty hunter tries to kill her. In this post-post apocalyptic solarpunk world, humans brought themselves and nature back from the Brink of collapse and now live balanced, sustainable lives. However, our species has a bad habit of backsliding. Enter the Order of the Vengeful Wild, a group of bounty hunters who exist to punish those who violate the principles of sustainability and equity on which the new order of society rests.

But Orfeus hasn’t committed any “energy crimes”, so why are the Wild after her?

I was intrigued from the get-go by the set up and worldbuilding here, and it’s entertaining to watch Orfeus investigate what’s going on and struggle with whom she can trust, including herself. I love a character with dirtbag energy—someone scrappy, resourceful, and far from morally perfect who owns up to that—and it kept me invested in her even when she does some morally gray things to survive.

Wigmore’s writing is smooth and accomplished, with an especial talent for character descriptions and the interplay between characters. The story is also effortlessly queer, with characters’ identities seamlessly established in a way that flows with the narrative and is presented as simply a facet of who they are. Though I love queer stories that are about coming to grips with one’s identity, I definitely want more like this too where the characters can just be.

However,some weaker elements kept this book from reaching its true potential for me. A post-fossil fuel solarpunk world where people are running around with nanite-enabled magic powers could have been rendered more vividly than it is: only a couple locations are described in depth—Eldergrove, the Order’s base—and the other settings lacked the same sense of place or history. I also felt Orfeus’ backstory could have been more fleshed out; we are told several times that she lives by a philosophy of trusting no one and that this strains her friendships, but we don’t know what experiences led her to this attitude. For me, a few more hints about her formative experiences would have helped fill in those gaps.

I don’t yet know whether I’ll go on to the sequel, Wolfpack, but this was a mostly solid book that I did enjoy my time with.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars for originality, but overall I'd say this was okay. I actually think this could've benefited from a longer page length, space and time to really flesh out the world, Orfeus' motivations, and to provide more breadcrumbs for the ending to make sense. The beginning and end were the weakest parts for me, but a solid middle with Orfeus interacting with more people was pretty entertaining. I just never felt like I got to know anyone, least of all the main character. To be spoiler free, there are tons of questions I feel like I should have answers for but are never provided by the narrative or its characters. Orfeus is constantly distrustful but overall it feels unjustified with her profession, demeanor, and the places she navigates before the story really gets going. However, a future where people have come to respect nature and each other in such deep and thoughtful ways was so refreshing to see.

[Sacchi Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engrossing world-building, and characters I won’t forget

I was drawn right into this future world where humanity has stepped back from the brink of destruction, a green world imagined with wit and originality, including the drawbacks and challenges as well as the advantages. Here the twists and turns, battles, questions and revelations, flow as freely as the casual gender fluidity of the characters. Ah, the characters! I had hoped for engrossing world-building and action, which I certainly got, but I hadn’t expected that, after a certain amount of action and revelations, the characters would make me wish, even days afterward, that every time I opened my computer I could still be reading about them for the first time.

[Blackseedvash · Rating 2 out of 5]

The protagonist is rather unlikable. The book literally starts off with her trying to convince someone whom loves their husband to commit adultery.

The author periodically bogs down the storytelling in order to use an excessive amount of personal pronouns. The usage of he/she/they/xe is fine, but it felt like each time, several unnecessary sentences were written solely so the author could use another personal pronoun.

The last third of the book feels overly rushed.

Why are the protectors of the Green, the "Order of the Vengeful Wild" a bunch of mercenary/assassins?! It goes against their origins and the society portrayed in Foxhunt would not have tolerated that.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Playing catch up on my Goodreads reviews. I inhaled this a while back and absolutely adored it. For reasons I'm sure most understand I have been avoiding post-apocalyptic reads for a while so I was a bit nervous diving in here. To find worldbuilding that is tough but hopeful and shows a way of clawing back (sometimes literally) what's been messed up, made it a fully worthwhile venture. I love characters that you don't have to love all the time and which will openly be dicks (like we all can) and open representation of different folx is awesome - not to mention its gloriously gay AF!
The pacing is great and I was hanging out for the sequel as soon as I'd put down the first.

[Allie // Kitasai · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Imagery in this book was spot on! I lost my way a little in the middle, but the beautifully descriptions really stood out to me.

Thank you to the publisher & author for sending this as an e-book ARC when I enquired for something (hehe)

Definitely recommend picking this up when it comes out later this month if you want some Solarpunk goodness

Really high 4/5

[Uudenkuun Emilia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was way more violent/violence-oriented than I'd expected, which coloured my reactions quite a bit, and I ended up not sympathising with the characters so much. The world was really cool, though, with its solarpunk imagining of a future with a delicious variety of gender.

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful solarpunk novel about the queer bard of your dreams

[Maryann Kafka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Orfeus is waiting to meet with Primrose, someone she want’s. But Primrose is married to Bellan. Even though they seem to have an open relationship, Primrose declares her love for Bellan and tells Orfeus she cannot give her everything she wants. Primrose is ready to leave the dining hall, but Orfeus persuades Primrose to stay for one more drink while she searches for daisies for Primrose.

As Orfeus admires all the beautiful greenery, she finds herself under attack by Wolf/Faol who is a representative of the Order of the Vengeful Wild. Someone has put a contract out on her. The fight between her and Wolf is overpowering and she finds herself almost defeated. But being “Blooded” and using her energies gives her a chance to escape and make the Wolf promise that he would leave her alone.

All Orfeus has ever really wanted is to be a traveling performer: singing and playing her guitar. She lives in Tinctura, a not so thriving city, but she likes it that way. She only knows about being “Blooded” because of what her mother Maylis had told her. As she needs to recover from her wounds she finds herself at her neighbors: Linden, who is a carpenter and his companion Splodge. But as with most, they are not true friends, which Orfeus has none.

With the attack of Wolf, Orfeus is determined to find out who ordered the contract. She seeks out Threadgall Weaver, who works the Hub of communication. She makes a request of the information from the library in Eldergrove. She get’s an answer and an escort by the name of Rivasoa, who doesn’t seem to like her very much.

Once in Eldergrove she meets with the counsel of Elders: Margaux, Amanda, Othmar, Latafale, Significance O’Hallow and Rivasoa who she has already dealt with. The Elders are elected by the people of Eldergrove. It becomes obvious that Margaux knows that Orfeus is “Blooded” and has magic, but they don’t believe it came from Maylis. The Elders want a sample of her blood but Orfeus is not agreeable to that, but mysteriously she realizes someone has taken a sample.

Orfeus only wanted one thing and that was to perform and now she has found herself in so many dilemmas: The Elders, Order of the Vengeful Wild ,the Leader and the Wolf. She will have to make a choices, not knowing what and who will bring danger and betrayal to those she knows and herself.

Rem Wigmore creates a epic novel for the story of Orfeus. The author will bring a cast of diverse characters and the world that they live in. The world building is fantastic and also complex. It will reflect the right and wrongs, failures and accomplishments of how religion, politics and organizations seek to make the world better. “Foxhunt” is fast paced, with plenty of action, and gives many thoughts to saving the world.
Orfeus is an outstanding character, with so many emotions throughout her life. She will have to face: danger, torture, guilt, deception, betrayal, trust and gain understanding of all those around her. She will even have a gradual romance that is surprising.

There is and incredible line-up of characters: Linden, Splodge, Em and Bright. Besides Wolf there’s Luga, Hyena, Shark, Dormarch, Boarhound, Ocelot, Owl, Wasp and Otter. The author will give an in-depth look into each and every characters diversity of genders and the usage of their pronouns. The “Introduction” at the beginning of this novel is worth reading.

I highly recommend “Foxhunt” it is immensely entertaining and a very in-depth look into diversity of genders. I commend Rem Wigmore for bringing such a dynamic novel to the forefront.

[Chris The Lizard from Planet X · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fox Hunt By Rem Wigmore, is a sci-fi solarpunk novel. Set a 100 years in the future, That shows a world in which humanity managed to halt its headlong rush into ecological oblivion. A greener, more sustainable path is enforced in part by the Order of the Vengeful Wild, a group of masked assassins who execute (or sometimes just discipline) those reported as breaking the new ways of sustaining the Earth. When the most deadly of the Order The Wolf comes after Orfeus, she must survive long enough to figure out who has falsely accused her and why.

Orfeus is a classic disaster bisexual with a side order of D&D bard. She’s a charismatic music star, good at making friends. However, she sometimes struggles to keep those friends, since her impulsive nature leads her to make thoughtless decisions that often have a negative impact on those around her. She’s cocky and makes mistakes. But despite her flaws, she has a good heart and a great deal of courage, always fighting for what she believes is right.

She’s helped in this by her magic abilities. Orfeus is Blooded, meaning she can heal quickly, boost her energy when she’s tired and even pull lightning out of thin air. There is a scientific explanation given, but a lot rides on the old quote that sufficiently advanced science will look like magic. And it’s plausible in this fantasy/sci-fi setting, where Orfeus barters herbs for what she needs (or simply offers a song), and where architectural beauty is just as important as function.

Community is also an important part of the setting. Almost everywhere, there’s a sense of people watching out for each other — even in places where I wasn’t expecting it. As a travelling performer, Orfeus seems a bit outside of this which shows up in the way she’s slow to grasp the implications of her actions on those around her. But she’s not entirely without a sense of community: she still checks up on her neighbour and tries to limit the collateral damage to her hometown when the Order comes for her.

Queer community in particular is central to the story. Orfeus herself is trans. Wolf, the warrior who’s hunting her is genderfluid. There are badasses of all genders among the Order of the Vengeful Wild and a broad range of pronouns are used throughout the book. It’s a interesting look at utopian society with no discrimination in it.

This focus on community may make the story sound like a cosy one. And to some degree it is. But this is also a story about making difficult decisions — to do the things no one else wants to do, or do the necessary thing even if you don’t want to. It’s a story with sharp edges, showing that no utopia is perfect and that any system is flawed. It went some unexpected places, with the ending in particular catching me by surprise (and most of the characters, as well). However, in retrospect, it seemed suitably foreshadowed and was a satisfying ending, if not the one I wanted.

All in all, FoxHunt wasn’t the cosy read I expected, but remained a thoughtful and nuanced story in a vibrant sci-fi fantasy world that I enjoyed nevertheless.

[Stef Rozitis · Rating 3 out of 5]

i didn't enjoy it anywhere near as much as I expected although I am happy there's a book with this much commitment to interesting pronouns. I think that's needed.

I didn't connect with Orfeus who seemed arrogant and immature and a bit of a Mary-Sue. I was irritated in the first few chapters that everything seemed to be about appearances and aesthetics...I am over very beautiful protagonists I'd like an ordinary to ugly one please. Orfeus used her looks and her capacity to be noticed to punch down on too many people.

I didn't like the contrast between the supposedly fuddy-duddy historians and the cool edgy stem-lords. I felt there was a horrid irony in that both that a writer (not a stem lord) would buy into that sort of a myth and also isn't that thinking that's taken us to the brink? We need the historians, the climate humanities!

But I did like the queerness. The fact the wild kill anyone who hoards or pollutes (but they eat a lot of meat which was dodgy). I couldn't believe in the big bad and their (not their correct pronoun) really (but REALLY) bad dialogue. Being sadistic is one thing expecting your victim to be ok with it is just stupid.

I was initially happy about the polyamory rep but turned out this was the toxic version where noone is happy. In a world where we get lots of polyamorous characters that would be valid (as a possible though problematic scenario) but I thought "come on guys this is already what a lot of people clutch pearls about". I felt like we were meant to judge Primrose for having more than one lover. I just judged all three of them for their narcissistic behaviour.

It got bit better after a while. Some of the time I wondered if my reasons for not loving it more were generational and whether I am just too old for this and maybe younger people would like it more? At the end ...THAT happened. Of course it did (rolls eyes). My child informs me that some people love tropey dystopian fiction Mary Sues and all. At least there wasn't a triangle in the normal sense. Splodge was nice...cats are cliche but I am here for it. Did I mention interesting work with pronouns?

It didn't suck.

[Ozsaur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Orfeus is a musician, talented and flamboyant. She's chaotic, but also believes in her cultures rules. There are reasons why someone might want her killed, but who?

Don't be fooled by the blurb on the back cover, it's misleading. Orfeus is in danger, but not in the way it says. It's a lot more interesting. There are several places where the story goes somewhere unexpected. That wasn't always good. One story line needed more clues in the middle to connect it between the middle and end. It seemed to be forgotten for a while, then returns for a dramatic ending.

And a lot depends on if you like Orfeus. You spend the entire book from her POV, and I was sometimes lost where her motivations were concerned. I did like her, but I also wanted to shake her. If you don't connect with her, the other thing that might grab you is the setting, which was wonderfully creative.

The story takes place in a distant future after terrible climate disasters. The people work hard to give back to the earth, and repair the damage caused by their ancestors. They also have created a culture where people can identify however they please. There's quite a lot of gender diversity, and it's common to give both name and pronouns when meeting someone. Also some neuro-divergent representation.

I think this book is categorized as Solarpunk. It was very different from other fantasy/science fiction genres I've read. As dark as the plot got in places, there was an overall feeling of hopefulness for the future. I will be looking at more books of this type.

Overall, I think a lot of people will love this book. The story lines are interesting, and so is the world building. And if you want representation, you'll find a ton of it here.

[Erica Challis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a great flawed protagonist, and Rem Wigmore's "Foxhound" delivers that in spades. The main character is vain, amoral, taunting, hungry for fame, has no close friends, trusts nobody. She’s also brave and witty and talented.
I also love the fresh, lively voice she uses to describe this post-ecological collapse society that relies on kindness, thriftiness, and sustainable technologies. The somewhat selfish main character struggles to fit in.
With books like this, you want a sense that the main character is capable of change, and Wigmore signals that early on, enough that you'll follow the story as the protagonist is forced into harder and harder moral choices, forced to discover what she does care for, forced to trust other people and forced to become a leader and change maker.
The book uses a lot of different pronoun conventions, from she/he to they, to xyr/xem, to a character who is referred to as she/he in alternate sequence. I thought it well worth getting more comfortable with some unfamiliar conventions, which created a beautifully expanded sense of social possibilities.

[Paul Harris · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was looking for some more titles in the solarpunk genre to see how other authors would build on the genre in interesting ways. One of the facets of said category that appeals to me is the classic Star Trekesque optimism in humanity's future, and vision of a society where, though not a conflict-free utopia, represents a shift in the selfish, destructive attitudes that plague us at present.

This book shares more similarities in terms of plot points and character writing with The Keeper of Night, one of my least favourite reads from last year. Joyless, humourless characters, a poorly telegraphed plot development in the last third of the book, and a resolution that for me, did not feel true to how the characters would have behaved given their interactions and attitudes in preceding chapters.

Tl:dr, not my bag, does a lot of stylistic things that I personally don't enjoy, and I wish that the author had spent as much time on keeping the pronoun usage consistent as they had on creating a more appealing cast of characters.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow, what a beginning. Great first sentence, immediate character-building plus world-building in concise but accessible reveals, drama, action... and I'm only on p. 12.
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Nearly 1/3 done. I am finding it a little tiresome that a person's gender matters so much; it's one of the first & often the only thing that anyone learns about a new person they meet. Can't people stay 'they' to people they're not likely to encounter again?
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Done.
3.5 rounded down because I have no interest in reading further. But I did like this. I like the ending as it sets us up well for sequel but doesn't compel it. I didn't like the endless graphically described fight scenes. I like all the explorations of morality & ethics. Lots of creativity, but also some cliched tropes.

And the writing itself was also sometimes wonderful, sometimes clunky. "Restlessness still swigged and stirred in her bones..." - sounds great, but means, well, what, exactly? When I'm restless I don't feel it in my bones... I don't feel anything in my bones, do you? Yet I do like the line anyway.

I can't decide whether to recommend it to you or not.
.............
[I read this because:

"My favorite part of the book was the world-building. The setting was a joy to explore, with lush, green cities, clean technology, forests, people living in small communities and relying on barter, and the whole solarpunk aesthetic.

The understanding of morality in this world is largely based on people’s interactions with nature and animals. Those who don’t treat the world with the respect it deserves have to face dire consequences from the Order of the Vengeful Wild, which was an interesting aspect of the book. The story itself was not bad, but didn’t make such an impression on me as the world it was set in."

Alina Leonova, on shepherd.com]

[Avery Vanderlyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Orfeus, like her namesake, is a singer. The protagonist of Foxhunt, however, is a trans woman living in a future where sustainability and caring for one’s community are of paramount importance. A mysterious vigilante group, the Order of the Vengeful Wild, enforce these values. Orfeus is just a singer – granted a singer who’s always quick with a biting retort, a singer who doesn’t always have the wisest choice in lovers—but that shouldn’t be enough to send the hunters of the Wild after her.

I loved a lot about this book. Orfeus is a great character with realistic flaws, who gets some amazing lines. The world is fascinating, a mix of pleasant villages, high tech towers, and airships. I wanted to dig into it more and get more details. The members of the Wild are also interesting, from their mysterious Leader Luga to the Wolf, Faolan, who becomes Orfeus’ nemesis and hunting partner.

There’s room for a sequel, and I hope it happens. I want to see more of this world, and learn more about Orfeus and Faolan’s further growth.