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Sordidez by E.G. Condé Vero has always felt at odds with his community. As a trans man in near-future Puerto Rico, he struggles to gain acceptance for his identity and his vision of an inclusive society. After a hurricane decimates the island and Puerto Rico is abandoned by the United States, Vero leaves his home to petition the centralized government for aid and seek the truth about new colonists arriving on the island. But in the Yucatan, Vero finds a landscape ravaged by an ecological disaster of humanity’s own making—the Hydrophage, a climate technology warped into a weapon of war and released onto the land by the dictator Caudillo. Amidst the destruction, Vero finds both desperation and hope for regrowth as he documents the lives of the survivors. Details about the colonists’ intentions emerge when Vero meets the Loba Roja, an anti-Caudillo revolutionary who imagines the renewed power of the Maya. Intrigued by her vision of the future and her unapologetic violence, Vero is faced with life-changing questions: can an Indigenous resurgence protect his beloved island? And what must he sacrifice to support it? Adult • Diversity Representation/LGBTQ+/Own Voices • Fantasy/Mythic, Retelling, and Folklore • Diversity Representation/BIPOC/Own Voices • Science Fiction/Post-Apocalyptic • Science Fiction Content Warning: Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, War, Character Death, Genocide, Hurricane/Natural Disaster, Racism, Transphobia, Carceral Interrogation, Depiction of Mental Illness, PTSD/Trauma |
Reviewed by
Worldbuilding: Aided the story
Plot: Mostly clear Characters: Roles are clear
Storytelling: Balanced
Immersion: Didn’t want to put the book down Emotional Response: Strong emotions
Thought Provoking: Did some research after reading
Cover: Adequately represents the story Content Warnings: colonization, imperialism, environmental catastrophe, minor: transphobia, violence, blood, fire/fire injury, war |
Submitted by ClaudieArseneault on