Solarpunk discussion

We’re a world beset by crises. Climate change, income inequality, racism, pandemics, an almost unmanageable tangle of issues. Sometimes it’s hard to look ahead and see a hopeful future.

We asked sci-fi writers to send us stories about ways to fix what’s wrong with the world. From the sixty-five stories we received, we chose twelve most amazing (and hopefully prescient) tales.

Dive in and find out how we might mitigate climate change, make war obsolete, switch to alternative forms of energy, and restructure the very foundations of our society,

The future’s not going to fix itself.

Sounds great and it’s available on Scribd!

There's a follow-up volume called Save the World, but I haven't read it yet.

Lena wrote: "Sounds great and it’s available on Scribd!"

You may be able to get it from Hoopla as well; my library has it.

Mir wrote: "There's a follow-up volume called Save the World, but I haven't read it yet."

Thanks for pointing that out. I didn’t know that. That’s going on my ever lengthening tbr list.

You're welcome! Everyone should have a tbr list that outlives them.

Mir wrote: "You're welcome! Everyone should have a tbr list that outlives them."

Definitely. 🙂

Starting a bit late this month, but this year has kind of got me behind all round!

From the foreword: "The stories in this volume tackle problems from community policing to climate change, from overpopulation to deforestation.
They are at times serious, whimsical, and deeply touching. Overall, they speak the language of hope, something we all need a lot more of in 2021." - sounds nice - and still applicable in 2022 (and for a few years yet I suspect).

In Light, by Mere Rain - A settlement on Earth has to call down heavenly assistance when their solar systems go on the fritz. I really liked this! I could have used some more info about how Celestia came to be, but I loved the bio-buildings and the sense of the community we got.

Along the same vein, I also recommend Future Earth by Eric Holthaus. I cheated and listened to the audiobook, several times.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

Dameon wrote: "Along the same vein, I also recommend Future Earth by Eric Holthaus. I cheated and listened to the audiobook, several times.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5..."

That looks great, thank you!

Here's the hoopla link for those who want the audiobook:

https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/1...

Dameon wrote: "Along the same vein, I also recommend Future Earth by Eric Holthaus. I cheated and listened to the audiobook, several times.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5..."

I agree Dameon, I listened to the audiobook too, and it is quite good.

In Light by Mere Rain
“No lost causes.” ★★★½☆
Yes, there might be a generation that needs that kind of spirit to pull through. I liked the idea of those few that successfully made it in the stars came back to help fix the world.

I read this antho last year, so whenever other people want to discuss.

Juma and the Quantum Ghost, by Ingrid Garcia - farming innovation leads to standing up to local corruption and ultimately, who knows how far they could go? I really loved the idea of a way to tag money by degree of separation from criminals - add human suffering to the system and I'm not sure there'd be much clean, but it would make being an ethical consumer a much simpler task.

I also liked how Garcia presented improvements as a long-term process that sometimes sacrificed short-term gains. I think this is one of the things people have a hard time doing.

"Juma and the Quantum Ghost” by Ingrid Garcia was one of my favorite stories from this collection. And yes, I agree that people seem to have a difficulty with sacrificing short term gains. That seems to be one of our main problem when it comes to climate change.

Yes, good shout - that sacrifice is a hard one on a personal and a collective level. Ministry for the Future introduced me to the idea of the 2000 watt society (https://ourworld.unu.edu/en/2000-watt...), which seems like a persuasive option for those who get stuck.

And to be fair to humans, there's always risk that what looks like the bet long-term plan will be ruined by some unpredictable factors, especially as climate change destabilizes weather patterns. I think it's an issue of fear, not just selfishness.

Mir wrote: “I think it's an issue of fear, not just selfishness."

I think you’re right. It is easy to write it all off as selfishness, but some of the climate change denial that I’ve read seems to be centered around fear of a changing world, a fear that society will change, and not selfishness as such.

Fiona wrote: "Ministry for the Future introduced me to the idea of the 2000 watt society"

I’d never heard of that, but it sounds like an interesting concept. How much more green energy we need to become free of fossil fuel is very much debated here in Iceland now, but with this idea we would probably not need that much more energy at all. I’m going to have to put Ministry of the Future on my tbr list.

Hákon wrote: "Mir wrote: “I think it's an issue of fear, not just selfishness."

I think you’re right. It is easy to write it all off as selfishness, but some of the climate change denial that I’ve read seems to..."

Also in the US, remember we have a lot of weath disparity and not much in the way of support for things like unemployment or medical debt. So people are afraid to make good long-term choices that might cause financial hardships.

Juma and the Quantum Ghost by Ingrid Garcia ★★★★☆
That was quality! It showed the hard, clever work, of lifting a farm from poverty to an international business. I loved the idea of rfid tracking money in order to let consumers judge how ethical they want to be in their purchases thereby, hopefully, reducing corruption.

Mir wrote: "Also in the US, remember we have a lot of weath disparity and not much in the way of support for things like unemployment or medical debt. So people are afraid to make good long-term choices that might cause financial hardships."

Quite true. People know what they have, and it may sound better to hold on to that but to gamble on something they don’t know. I suppose that is one of the things that sometimes makes climate change such a difficult conversation topic.

Hákon wrote: "Mir wrote: "Also in the US, remember we have a lot of weath disparity and not much in the way of support for things like unemployment or medical debt. So people are afraid to make good long-term ch..."

Completely agree with you both - there's a lot of reminders around about what happens if you fall without a safety net. I guess it comes back around again to the ecosystem parallel - so many things have to work in tandem to create a successful system that you can't tackle any one without at least considering the holistic result.

Ice in D Minor by Anthea Sharp ★★★☆☆
A fanciful story of an Arctic concert reinvigorating the ice.

At the Movies by D.M. Rasch ★★★☆☆
A story of future policing heavily reliant on citizens with implanted technology. Peaceful but scary.

Ice in D Minor, by Anthea Sharp - This was gorgeous, and a really novel idea; I enjoyed it a lot.

At the Movies, by D.M. Rasch - And a bit of a downturn! While I liked this, I don't see it as Solarpunk, or even necessarily a "fix the world" direction that the story took; I'd say the tone and the tech puts this firmly in cyberpunk turf.

I agree Fiona. At the Movies feels more cyberpunk than solarpunk. And I couldn't quite see either how it fitted in with the concept of the book. Not a bad story though.

Fiona wrote: "Ice in D Minor, by Anthea Sharp - This was gorgeous, and a really novel idea; I enjoyed it a lot."

It was like a prose poem. I enjoyed it, although I know nothing about music.

Looking at previous comments, I may be the outlier here on Fix the World. Soliciting feedback from other readers.

I quit reading the second story only a few pages into its 25 pages. I made it through the first story, begrudging. I was not expecting, in a solarpunk anthology, to read about a homosexual space angel who suffered brain damage and can no longer dream. I'm an LQBT ally, but what does any of that have anything at all to do with solarpunk or the price of tea in India? Oh, there was a tiny part about communicating with trees.

Both stories were like subliminal advertising, and forcing the symbolic meaning in, as if a square peg through round hole, made it unreadable. It was like a Michael Bay movie that is entirely product placement. I don't know what the author is trying to get the reader to buy, but it isn't solarpunk or sustainability. More like a pushy, sleazy used car salesman.

Whatever the subliminal messaging is trying to sell, I do not want it. Annoying and not at all amusing. Multispecies Cities and Sunvault were similar.

I hope the rest of the book is not like this.

Dameon wrote: "Multispecies Cities and Sunvault were similar."

I think there's a general recognition in Solarpunk that technological innovation and scientific improvements won't be enough unless we make a shift to a more respectful and cooperative society.

Mir, I completely agree that such concepts as anarcho-socialism, intentional communities, cohousing, ecovillages, makerspaces, toolshares, collectives, cooperatives, trade unions, permaculture, systems thinking, and so forth are among the absolute minimums if we are to begin hoping to achieve a sustainable future; sustainability reduced to the oversimplified definition of environmental justice, social justice, and economic justice.

But what does that agreement with you have anything to do with my criticisms of Fix the World, Multispecies Cities, and Sunvault?

For my part, I see Solarpunk as a pretty niche genre, one that doesn't entirely have strict boundaries. The firmest of its accepted tropes are visual imo - the rounded, Art Deco style buildings with lots of glass among a lot of plants. The rest is open, and firmly on the side of inclusivity; imagining a better world for people of various alignments that fall outside the "norm". I don't know that anyone has ever questioned why a protagonist was straight or male, asking what it added to the story; those choices aren't seen as needing to be justified, because they're still viewed as default.

I love that Solarpunk includes stories that are told through lenses completely different to my own. I want to see a space for people who have a hard time being listened to elsewhere. Only when we hear from everyone will we have a society that has a chance of actually working for everyone. And Solarpunk is definitely more than just the stories we already have with solar panels tacked on around the edges.

Anyway, rant over :) I was actually here to solicit nominations for the November book of the month!
Please add your nominations below - the discussion is definitely still ongoing for Fix the World, even if we run over, but nominations are fine in amongst that. You can also directly message me with your choice if you'd prefer!

My expectations are based largely on the wikipedia description, for which Art Nouveau is a minor detail:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solarpunk

Referring to both art and inclusivity, previous versions of the wikipedia page referenced African and Asian influences. Don't know why that was removed, but that is one thing that Multispecies Cities and Sunvault did honor.

My qualm wasn't that there was a homosexual character. I couldn't care less the gender or sexual preference, as long as my identity is also reflected respectively (it often is).

I have two complaints, the first being that so much focus was placed on extraneous and superfluous material, seemingly giving it outweighed importance. Fine, so a confusing emphasis was placed upon homosexuality, but what about the emphasis on spiritual angels from outer space, one who had brain damage and can no longer dream. Details like that not only add nothing to the story, but actually detract. Plus is just doesn't make any sense. It was like something a child wrote: and then... and then... and then ...

There was little strikingly solarpunk in that first story, as defined by wikipedia, except a small part about communing with trees. I expected to read more solarpunk in an anthology about solarpunk.

My second complaint is related: many of these stories are nonsensical. It is as though the very basic plot is a thin veneer for a story-within-a story. Except that trying to shove the "inside joke" story in makes the entire thing unreadable. Neither the very basic premise holds my interest nor all of the fluff, strewn in awkwardly like internet pop-up ads or annoying background subliminal messages.

My criticisms are not true for every story in the three anthologies, nor equally valid to each even when applied. But I have yet to read many solarpunk stories in a solarpunk anthology, at least according to the wikipedia description. It reminds me of way when I found more enjoyment reading the Dungeons and Dragons manuals than I did playing D&D with people who had fantasy worldviews that differed vastly from my own.

I might just sit in the corner by myself and write my own stories...

As for November recommendations, has the book club yet read any of the books mentioned in the solarpunk wikipedia page: "Ursula K. Le Guin's The Dispossessed, Ernest Callenbach's Ecotopia, Cory Doctorow's Walkaway, and numerous works by Kim Stanley Robinson... [and] Becky Chambers's A Psalm for the Wild-Built and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy."

I also previously recommended Future Earth by Eric Holthaus. I have thus far only listened to the audiobook (several times), and am interested in reading it. It is an optimistic speculative NON-fiction about how we can triumph over climate change decade by decade. It is very down-to-Earth. A small part of the story is a hetero-binary-normative society that is inclusive, of non-"normies", but there are definitely no spiritual angels from outer space who suffer brain damage and can no longer dream. I like that it's relatable like that.

Also Fifth Sacred Thing by Starhawk.

They do say to write the books you want to read - it's a good way to connect with readers who have similar taste, too!

The group has read Walkaway, and last month A Psalm for the Wild-Built, as well as a couple from KSR and Ecotopia - the threads are under the Previous Group Reads category. Don't be put off by the fact that they're previous - we frequently run over or have people jumping into old threads as they come across the books.

Non-fiction recommendations are always welcome too - I'll mark Future Earth down as your entry for the poll :)

You can find all the books we have read in the group here: https://www.goodreads.com/group/books...

Please limit yourself to one nomination so that everyone has a chance to add something positive to the poll.

I will nominate Orion Shall Rise

How is Orion Shall Rise solarpunk? Post-apocalypse is dystopian, and solarpunk is about sustainable Earth habitation, not space exploration.

Maybe the reason I'm not happy with the stories so far is that we are using very different definitions of "solarpunk". I'm using the wikipedia definition. What source are you using?

Here are some Youtube videos that also inform my expectations about solarpunk besides wikipedia. There is nothing post-apocalyptic, only saving from apocalypse, nor is there anything about space travel.

https://youtu.be/u3aauiR9M88
https://youtu.be/twGcjDnOb_U
https://youtu.be/hHI61GHNGJM
https://youtu.be/Rz51PkJy2c0
https://youtu.be/u-JvyfZVkIM
https://youtu.be/rKaSb2gi1Ew

Who Shall Reap the Grain of Heaven by J.G. Follansbee ★★★☆☆
Well, that was depressing. A industrialist relies on religious organizations to fix the environment and forgive him his sins.

Orion Shall Rise
By Poul Anderson
When Poul Anderson's Orion Shall Rise was first published in 1983, solarpunk wasn't yet an established subgenre. But the futuristic nation-clans that form the geopolitical backdrop to this novel offer readers some optimistic rooting interests. Chief among those is the 'ecotopian' Maurai Federation, which wouldn't be out of place in a modern solarpunk novel.

Orion Shall Rise
by Poul Anderson – 1983
Centuries ago, humankind was nearly destroyed in a nuclear apocalypse. Many generations have passed since that terrible time, and the remnants of civilization have re-formed into separate, vastly different societies. The dominant culture of a widely diminished Earth, the ecologically sensitive Maurai, hold fast to their belief that “non-green” science is an unacceptable evil. But the reborn dream of space flight harbored by a forward-thinking few could herald the revival of the nuclear technology that once ravaged the planet and its people. The powerful Maurai Federation will take every step necessary, no matter how drastic, to prevent doomsday from dawning again.

I started the group with the definition at the top of the homepage:

Science fiction doesn’t have to been depressing: Welcome to Solarpunk!

Solarpunk is a new genre within science fiction that is a reaction against the perceived pessimism of present-day science fiction. Solarpunk delivers optimistic stories about the future with the aim of encouraging people to change the present.

The short story example of change, of Solarpunk, that inspired me to start the group was Cold Comfort by Pat Murphy & Paul Doherty. It could also be considered post-apocalypse.
Story: http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/murph...
Podcast: http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/?feed...

There’s a discussion thread on the definition of Solarpunk: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Industrialists... religious groups... Who Shall Reap the Grain of Heaven does sound depressing. To me, an enlightened world is a secular world.

Thanks for sharing the group description. I had read that, though not the discussion yet. Post-apocalypse is definitely not my idea of solarpunk, nor are stories that are technocratic or not Earth-focused.

We don't seem to be desiring the same stories. I won't complain anymore about what the stories you seem to like, but I will probably have to look elsewhere to find solarpunk stories that match my definitions and expectations. Take care.

From the Sun and Scorched Earth by Bryan Cebulski ★★★☆☆
An ok story about a cybernetic warrior who comes to a small town during peacetime to reprogram himself, and his equipment, for the greater good.

Who shall reap the grain of heaven - I wasn't getting into the writing for this one, so combined with your summary Lena, and a quick skim through, I skipped this one.

From the sun and scorched earth - This reminded me of another story we've read in this group, but I think the repurposed mech in that one was fully AI? Can't remember it well enough unfortunately - if anyone else does, let me know! I liked that this went hopeful, but it definitely leans cyberpunk to me too.

Upgrade - Speaking of cyberpunk! Biomods, neopronouns, and a ruthless capitalist dystopia make this a classic example, and it's well written. Thoroughly outside our genre but enjoyed it once I was past the shock tactics of the start.

Rise - Technology allows a country to reclaim its past, and brings memories back for a grandmother. Sweet and nostalgic.

Lena wrote: "Who Shall Reap the Grain of Heaven by J.G. Follansbee ★★★☆☆
Well, that was depressing. A industrialist relies on religious organizations to fix the environment and forgive him his sins."

I liked that the author took a different approach, but I can't say I enjoyed the story. It would be useful if more religious orders got involved in environmental restoration, though.

It would.

Organisations of all kinds can bring a lot to the table - the bigger the better, so definitely agreed.