Science Fiction Grows a Conscience
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) April 30, 2015 -- A mixed-race teen-in-interracial-love fights to save civilization from ecological disaster with the help of his Scottish girlfriend in an epic tale that is as compelling and diverse as climate-fiction gets. NPR says of the new strain of fiction, “The genre has come to be called climate fiction — ‘cli-fi,’ for short.” In addition to coinciding with the UN Climate Summit, the unique novel answers readers’ and librarians' cries for diverse fiction. Nature’s Confession was included in “12 Works of Climate Fiction Everyone Should Read” at FreeWord.com and an excerpt just received an Honorable Mention in the Eco-Fiction Story Contest.
Summary: When a smart-mouthed, light skinned teen wonders why the work that needs to be done pays so much less than the busywork that’s glorified on holovision news, the search for answers takes him on the wildest journey of anyone’s lifetime. With the girl of his dreams, he inadvertently invents living computers. Just as the human race allows corporations to pollute Earth into total desolation, institute martial law and enslave humanity, the two teens in interracial love set out to save civilization. Can they thwart polluters of Earth and other fertile worlds? The heroes come into their own in different kinds of relationships. Along the way, they enlist the help of female droid Any Gynoid, who uncovers cutting-edge scientific mysteries as their quest takes them through the Big Bang and back. Will Starliament tear them from the project and unleash ‘intelligent’ life’s habitual pollution, or will youth lead the way to a new way of coexisting with Nature?
With illustrations throughout and topics for discussion at the back of the book, JL Morin deftly raises questions about busywork, economic incentives to pollute, sustainable energy, exploitation, cyborgs, the sanctity of Nature, and many kinds of relationships. With skill and expertise, she creates memorable characters whose struggles could be our own. This fast-paced novel will keep you turning pages until the end.
NATURE'S CONFESSION's awards and recognition: LitPick 5-Star Review Award; Eco-Fiction Story Contest Honorable Mention for an excerpt; Top read of the year on the Marinovich Books site; Best of a New Genre, included in “12 Works of Climate Fiction Everyone Should Read”
"The novel is epic in that it doesn’t just tell a story (which it does do too), but it puts our very survival into question while romping through the universe or discovering new quantum physics that are both scientific and spiritual in nature. In the meantime, universal symbols are unearthed, codes are investigated, fat corporations are dominating, a romance is blossoming, computers come alive, and native tribes and Nature on another planet bring our own treasured past into the future.”
—The Guardian
“Adventure, satire, dystopia, all in one well-written speculative-fiction package.”
—5-heart review, Foreword Reviews
“The readers are called to think critically about their own lives, and their own role in enabling the greed of the human race. The author’s ability to combine intense social commentary with a genuinely enjoyable reading experience is impressive…. Fans of science fiction and dystopian novels will love NATURE'S CONFESSION, and I would recommend the book to teens and young adults interested in a fun, thought-provoking read.”
—5 Star Review Award Winner, LitPick, VBat
“A classic” — Fjords Review
“As she continues to craft creative stories that are based on prominent issues, Morin is proving herself to be one of the most interesting storytellers for teens. What allowed NATURE’S CONFESSION to resonate with me was not only the fast-paced, urgent need to save the world, but the fact that love drove so much of what happens.”
—Teen Reads
“Such an evocative book” —FreeWord.com, included NATURE'S CONFESSION in “12 Works of Climate Fiction Everyone Should Read”
“Morin’s novel is the literary embodiment of a distinctly different way of perceiving, and one that will no doubt work its aesthetic, as well as political ‘magic’ on everyone who reads it…. This book should be prescribed to every student and school-going child on the planet.”
—Mail & Guardian
“ . . . I have to say it’s one of the best books I have ever read.” —I Love Books video reviews
Watch the video review:
https://youtu.be/37gsNOHcwNM
“It was incredibly tough to come up with a favourite, but in the end, I chose on JL Morin’s, Nature’s Confession. It’s a zany, fantastical read and a product of a clearly whimsical mind. This book, however, covers some serious and important topics that are affecting the planet we live on, so very relevant. It reminded me a little of ‘Star Trek’, infused with The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, and a little Dr Who thrown in the wonderful mix.”
—Voted Top Book of 2014, Marinovich
“What I enjoyed the most was the author’s ability to combine serious concerns about the environment on Earth, with a sense of humor, at times almost a double-take slapstick, and obviously her wish the polluters on earth, and the policy-makers who foster those polluters could be slapped upside of the head with a dose of reality. Instead, she gives us sublime comedy, which is much better than being preached to, or crying that the sky is falling. Although, I bet she could write a pretty good version of the Sky Is Falling.”
—Midwest Book Review
“Points to Morin for writing a diverse character without emphasizing his ethnicity . . . . This is a book that gets better the second time around . . . . NC crosses the bridge between teen and adult fiction, and may aspire to be appointed as a new classic.”
—Offbeat YA
“Caring and flawed, the enthusiastic adolescents and their disillusioned parents are extremely likable and the fact that they care what happens to one another and what happens to the environment they share makes them sympathetic. I’ve certainly met other likable characters in other science fiction and fantasy books but as these characters seem so much more so, I asked myself why. The one word answer is generosity – the sympathetic humans and androids in this story are generous toward one another. And this spirit of generosity contrasts greatly with the greedy and malicious villains, led by the evil Emperor.”
—YA Books Central
“The discussion topic at the end would provide an opportunity to raise awareness in the classroom and encourage youngsters to ‘go green’ at every opportunity as they become aware that Earth is our home and depends on us as much as we depend on it.”
—Tome Tender
“NATURE'S CONFESSION is a riveting contribution to the burgeoning field of climate fiction, providing an imaginative, powerful call for sustainable action over the myopia of corporate logic.”
—Dr. Pietari Kääpä, Lecturer in Communications,
Media and Culture, University of Stirling
Check out the video trailer:
https://youtu.be/CnO1T0msemM
Author Bio: JL Morin grew up in inner city Detroit and wrote her Japan novel, Sazzae (Gold medalist in the 2010 eLit Book Award, and 2010 Living Now Book Awards winner) as her thesis at Harvard. Adjunct faculty at Boston University, J. L. Morin is also the author of 'Occupy's 1st bestselling novel' Trading Dreams. She writes for the Huffington Post, Library Journal, and has written for The Harvard Advocate, Harvard Yisei, the Detroit News, Agence France Presse, Cyprus Weekly, European Daily, Livonia Observer Eccentric Newspapers, the Harvard Crimson and others.
Simone Weingarten, Harvard Square Editions, +1 323 203 0233, [email protected]
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