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Everfair

Book 1 in the series:Everfair

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Everfair by Nisi Shawl is a steampunk alternate history novel set in an African utopia called Everfair, challenging the brutal Belgian rule in Congo. The book spans 30 years and features a diverse ensemble cast of characters from various backgrounds, exploring themes of agency, colonialism, and the impact of individual actions on history. The writing style includes jumps in time between chapters, providing a prologue-like structure that drives home the alternate history aspect and emphasizes the power of personal narratives in shaping the future.

Characters:

The characters are diverse and complex, grappling with personal and cultural identities, though many lack depth due to the sprawling narrative.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is formal and occasionally academic, with detailed descriptions that demand careful reading for full comprehension.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot intricately weaves an alternate history narrative that delves into the creation of a society in the Congo, juxtaposed against the backdrop of colonialism and its repercussions.

Setting:

The setting is an imaginative reworking of the Congo during colonial times, infused with steampunk elements and cultural intersections.

Pacing:

The pacing is slow and uneven, marked by frequent time jumps and numerous viewpoints that can disrupt narrative flow.
Lisette Toutournier sighed. She breathed in again, out, in, the marvelous air smelling of crushed stems, green blood bruised and roused by her progress along this narrow forest path. Her progress, and...

Notes:

Everfair is an alternate history novel set in the Congo during the time of Belgian colonization.
The book imagines a scenario where socialists and African American missionaries buy land from King Leopold II to create a utopia.
It incorporates steampunk technology, such as airships and mechanical prosthetics.
The novel explores themes of colonialism, race, and the complexities of building a society with diverse cultural backgrounds.
The main characters include a mix of Europeans, African Americans, and indigenous Africans, offering a wide range of perspectives.
The narrative spans about 30 years and covers significant historical events and character developments.
Many readers found the large cast of characters and frequent time jumps confusing and hard to follow.
Despite its ambitious premise and strong thematic elements, some critiques focus on its slow pacing and difficult storytelling structure.
The author, Nisi Shawl, is known for her rich world-building and thoughtful approach to historical events.
Everfair includes LGBTQ+ relationships and explores issues of race and gender within its diverse cast.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

The book carries high content warnings for themes related to colonial violence, historical atrocities, mutilation, and complex social dynamics.

Has Romance?

There is a medium level of romance present in Everfair, including themes of interracial and queer relationships.

From The Publisher:

From noted short story writer Nisi Shawl comes a brilliant alternate-history novel set in the Belgian Congo.

What if the African natives developed steam power ahead of their colonial oppressors? What might have come of Belgium's disastrous colonization of the Congo if the native populations had learned about steam technology a bit earlier?

Fabian Socialists from Great Britain join forces with African-American missionaries to purchase land from the Belgian Congo's "owner," King Leopold II. This land, named Everfair, is set aside as a safe haven, an imaginary Utopia for native populations of the Congo as well as escaped slaves returning from America and other places where African natives were being mistreated.

Shawl's speculative masterpiece manages to turn one of the worst human rights disasters on record into a marvelous and exciting exploration of the possibilities inherent in a turn of history. Everfair is told from a multiplicity of voices: Africans, Europeans, East Asians, and African Americans in complex relationships with one another, in a compelling range of voices that have historically been silenced. Everfair is not only a beautiful book but an educational and inspiring one that will give the reader new insight into an often ignored period of history.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Reader Stats (7):

Want To Read (5)
Not Interested (2)

About the Author:

Nisi Shawl is a writer of science fiction and fantasy short stories and a journalist. She is the co-author (with Cynthia Ward) of Writing the Other: Bridging Cultural Differences for Successful Fiction. Her short stories have appeared in Asimov's SF Magazine, Strange Horizons, and numerous other magazines and anthologies.

 
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