Blackfish City: A Sci-Fi Novel of Political Corruption and Resistance in a Climate-Torn, Floating Arctic City
“One of the most intriguing future cities in years.” —Charlie Jane Anders
“Simmers with menace and heartache, suspense and wonder.” —Ann Leckie
After the climate wars, a floating city is constructed in the Arctic Circle, a remarkable feat of mechanical and social engineering, complete with geothermal heating and sustainable energy. The city’s denizens have become accustomed to a roughshod new way of living, however, the city is starting to fray along the edges—crime and corruption have set in, the contradictions of incredible wealth alongside direst poverty are spawning unrest, and a new disease called “the breaks” is ravaging the population.
When a strange new visitor arrives—a woman riding an orca, with a polar bear at her side—the city is entranced. The “orcamancer,” as she’s known, very subtly brings together four people—each living on the periphery—to stage unprecedented acts of resistance. By banding together to save their city before it crumbles under the weight of its own decay, they will learn shocking truths about themselves.
Blackfish City is a remarkably urgent—and ultimately very hopeful—novel about political corruption, organized crime, technology run amok, the consequences of climate change, gender identity, and the unifying power of human connection.
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Community Reviews
I really liked this book.
It wasn't perfect, and I'll get my minor complaints out of the way first.
At times I felt like there were all these really cool elements that were loosely thrown together instead of neatly tied together. But.... all those cool little elements were really really cool. So It's easy to forgive.
Also, I couldn't really sink into the characters as much as I wanted. Soq was my favorite character. But even with Soq I had a hard time really understanding their motivation. With Go, I felt like we were told that she was badass instead of shown. Kaev was interesting, but I couldn't get inside him either. Masaaraq was a very cool character. Kill bill meets Michonne and then rides on the back of an Orca. She was just awesome, but she felt uneven as well.
As for what I loved - there's a lot.
First and foremost, the world building. I loved this world. The author doesn't spend a lot of time giving you backstory or exposition. Instead you learn the world as you live in it. There are gaps in what you know about the world as a whole, but hey - there probably should be. It's not completely post-apocalyptic, it's more like post "things went south real quick and to a significant degree". The real world building takes place in the city of Qaanaaq. And I loved this city with it's sprawling arms over the northern ocean, sitting atop a thermal vent. The noodle stands on the streets and buildings with thin walls because heat is in unlimited supply. The lack of government and the invisible AI that runs everything.
It felt different and original. I have loved how many books have felt "fresh" in the past few years. New voices (even when they come from existing authors changing things up), and new stories with characters that have new perspectives. Soq is a great example. Soq might have existed in novels a decade ago, but the novel would have been about how Soq is different. I'm thinking of Ancillary Justice (a great book) and how it made us think about gendered pronouns. But it was a central device in Ancillary Justice. In Blackfish City Soq is "they". It's not a guessing game about Soqs gender, that's just who they are. And it is just one facet of the character, not the one that defines them. And the author does the same thing with issues of class, class, wealth, immigration, religion, prejudice... The author doesn't hold these issues up and say "let me tell you what I think about them". They are just woven into the story and left for the reader to mull over.
And I love the Innuit and Northwest Passage influences. That more of a personal thing. But form the cover are to the the names, it was an influence that added to the beauty and mystery of this near future world.
So ya... not perfect. But very good. I think I read that this is Sam J Miller's second novel, and their first adult novel. So I'll definitely be watching for what comes next.
It wasn't perfect, and I'll get my minor complaints out of the way first.
At times I felt like there were all these really cool elements that were loosely thrown together instead of neatly tied together. But.... all those cool little elements were really really cool. So It's easy to forgive.
Also, I couldn't really sink into the characters as much as I wanted. Soq was my favorite character. But even with Soq I had a hard time really understanding their motivation. With Go, I felt like we were told that she was badass instead of shown. Kaev was interesting, but I couldn't get inside him either. Masaaraq was a very cool character. Kill bill meets Michonne and then rides on the back of an Orca. She was just awesome, but she felt uneven as well.
As for what I loved - there's a lot.
First and foremost, the world building. I loved this world. The author doesn't spend a lot of time giving you backstory or exposition. Instead you learn the world as you live in it. There are gaps in what you know about the world as a whole, but hey - there probably should be. It's not completely post-apocalyptic, it's more like post "things went south real quick and to a significant degree". The real world building takes place in the city of Qaanaaq. And I loved this city with it's sprawling arms over the northern ocean, sitting atop a thermal vent. The noodle stands on the streets and buildings with thin walls because heat is in unlimited supply. The lack of government and the invisible AI that runs everything.
It felt different and original. I have loved how many books have felt "fresh" in the past few years. New voices (even when they come from existing authors changing things up), and new stories with characters that have new perspectives. Soq is a great example. Soq might have existed in novels a decade ago, but the novel would have been about how Soq is different. I'm thinking of Ancillary Justice (a great book) and how it made us think about gendered pronouns. But it was a central device in Ancillary Justice. In Blackfish City Soq is "they". It's not a guessing game about Soqs gender, that's just who they are. And it is just one facet of the character, not the one that defines them. And the author does the same thing with issues of class, class, wealth, immigration, religion, prejudice... The author doesn't hold these issues up and say "let me tell you what I think about them". They are just woven into the story and left for the reader to mull over.
And I love the Innuit and Northwest Passage influences. That more of a personal thing. But form the cover are to the the names, it was an influence that added to the beauty and mystery of this near future world.
So ya... not perfect. But very good. I think I read that this is Sam J Miller's second novel, and their first adult novel. So I'll definitely be watching for what comes next.
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