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Half-Built Garden

Half-Built Garden

DystopianScience Fiction
Pages
352
Published
2022
Language
English

Synopsis

In 2083, Judy Wallach-Stevens discovers Earth's first alien visitors, who insist humanity must abandon their damaged planet and join them among the stars. If humans refuse, the aliens may force them to leave. Earth's watershed networks, which have worked to heal the planet and decentralize power, are not ready to give up. Now, corporations, nation-states, and these networks all compete to represent humanity to the powerful newcomers, and Judy's efforts to foster understanding across species become crucial to Earth's future.

Prose complexity
7/10

Vibe

Thought-ProvokingTenseComplex
First Contact

Genres

Dystopian Science Fiction Space Opera Political Thriller

About the author

R
Ruthanna Emrys

Ruthanna Emrys was born and raised on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, studied cognitive science at Hampshire College, and earned a PhD in cognitive psychology at Stony Brook University; she now lives in the Chesapeake Bay watershed outside Washington, DC. She writes science fiction and fantasy for Strange Horizons, Analog, and Tor.com, and is best known for the Innsmouth Legacy trilogy (The Litany of Earth, Winter Tide, and Deep Roots), which reworks Lovecraft's Deep Ones as sympathetic survivors of ge...

Characters

Judy Wallach-StevensProtagonist
All characters in Half-Built Garden

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Half-Built Garden have a sequel?

    This novel is the first book in the "Watershed Trilogy." The story continues in subsequent volumes, exploring the ongoing interactions between humanity and the alien visitors.

  • What inspired the world-building in Half-Built Garden?

    The novel draws inspiration from real-world ecological movements and the concept of decentralized, networked governance. It explores how such systems might evolve and interact with external pressures, reflecting contemporary discussions around environmentalism and political structures.

  • How does Half-Built Garden connect to Ruthanna Emrys's other works?

    While not directly part of her "Innsmouth Legacy" series, this book shares Emrys's characteristic exploration of complex social structures, non-human perspectives, and nuanced ethical dilemmas. Readers familiar with her previous work will recognize her thoughtful approach to speculative fiction.