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When We Hold Each Other Up

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

One rule oversees the post-apocalypse: never refuse a Harmonizer.


Storytellers claim there are two original stories. When a stranger named Eduardo, a Harmonizer with extraordinary powers, arrives with a warning, Rowan senses life is about to change. Eduardo warns that Haven City is growing and all those living in the expansion zone are in danger.


As the living world recovers from ecocide, the Harmonizers control cities to keep the human population in balance. But while the Harmonizers claim their actions are peaceful, Eduardo says they're taking too much and returning to the patterns that caused the world to warm.


Rowan decides to head out with Eduardo on a quest to warn others living in solarpunk communities that have fallen within the newly expanded city limits. Along the way, Rowan collects stories of survival and realizes fleeing the city will only encourage its expansion. Rowan and Eduardo must face the harm buried deep in their pasts if they're to have any hope of bringing the city to a halt.


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    • Publisher's Weekly

      February 6, 2023
      Wagner makes a valiant attempt at imagining a future beyond capitalism and environmental collapse in her intelligent debut, but ultimately bites off more than she can chew. The new world order contains both humans and Harmonizers, creatures who emerged from melted glaciers to restore balance to nature. Now, however, the Harmonizers are no longer working toward balance but rather gain. Against this backdrop, Rowan—the genderless, 15-year-old narrator, an aspiring storyteller—and an elder Harmonizer, Erhent, set out to save the damaged world from the Harmonizer’s increasing greed. The worldbuilding is strong, especially given how short the text is, but the exact stakes of the plot are hard to pin down. Adding to this murkiness is some wonky pacing: the first half of the novella spans only a handful of days, while the latter half bounds forward by years at a time. Still, Wagner’s fresh take on climate fiction offers both insight and entertainment. It’s not perfect, but it shows plenty of promise.

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Languages

  • English

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