Category: Social Issues

Class, Novels, Post Apocalyptic, Sci Fi, Social Issues

Firewalkers by Adrian Tchaikovsky – A Review

by HelenLeave a Comment on Firewalkers by Adrian Tchaikovsky – A Review
Firewalkers by Adrian Tchaikovsky – A Review

Firewalkers, by Adrian Tchaikovsky, is a brutal meditation on class division and climate change.

The mega rich are escaping a barren, parched Earth into opulent space liners with every amenity. The novel is centred on a liner named the Grand Celeste. The wealthy – or sonko – wait their turn to ascend in antebellum hotels. These are staffed by middle class workers who delusionally hope for their spot in heaven. And working class people living in crammed townships, like Ankara.

Firewalkers are working people who maintain the infrastructure of the luxury space ports.

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Addiction, Detective, Environment, Feminist, LGBTQ, Loss and Grief, Memory, Sci Fi, Social Issues

A Murder at the End of the World – A Review (Spoilers)

by HelenLeave a Comment on A Murder at the End of the World – A Review (Spoilers)
A Murder at the End of the World – A Review (Spoilers)

A Murder at the End of the World is a mini series by Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij, who created cult fan favourite The OA. It stars Emma Corrin and Harris Dickinson, with a stellar supporting cast, including Brit Marling herself, Clive Owen, Joan Chen, Raúl Esparza, Alice Braga, Pegah Ferydoni, Jermaine Fowler, Ryan J. Haddad and Edoardo Ballerini. UK viewers can watch it on Disney Plus.

This review is going to be spoiler heavy, so I’m going to put most of it behind a cut. I don’t usually review TV shows, but this mini series profoundly affected me and I feel like I need to write about it.

https://youtu.be/AnPl4PuNb5U?si=xll7VMHeJmMnHaTf

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Banned Books, LGBTQ, Non-Fiction, Social Issues

Here and Queer by Rowan Ellis – A Review

by HelenLeave a Comment on Here and Queer by Rowan Ellis – A Review
Here and Queer by Rowan Ellis – A Review

Here and Queer, by Rowan Ellis, is described as the guide that the author wishes she’d had as a girl. This guide book for queer girls is a sweet, neutral, educational resource for LGBTQ girls, with cute illustrations by Jacky Sheridan. I think this book would be helpful for parents of LGBTQ kids as well.

Many of the reviews by adults note that they wish this had existed when they were children.

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Addiction, Class, Interactive Fiction, LGBTQ, Life, Loss and Grief, Memory, Social Issues, Unreliable Narrator

Tell Me Why, by DontNod Entertainment – A Review

by HelenLeave a Comment on Tell Me Why, by DontNod Entertainment – A Review
Tell Me Why, by DontNod Entertainment – A Review

Tell Me Why is a narrative game by DontNod Entertainment, following a pair of twins, Tyler and Alyson, with the ability to communicate with each other through telepathy, who reunite after ten years in their hometown in rural Alaska and investigate the death of their mother.

This spooky, fairytale style mystery explores themes of love, loss, memory and acceptance, in a bleak yet beautiful setting.

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Addiction, Class, Feminist, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ, Life, Loss and Grief, Novels, Ottessa Moshfegh, Social Issues

Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh – Review

by Helen1 Comment on Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh – Review
Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh – Review

Eileen is a 2015 novel by Ottessa Moshfegh. The novel is a memoir of the past, retelling Eileen’s last week in a freezing, miserable Massachusetts town, in the 1960s. It also functions as a rich and disturbing character study.
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