I received a free copy of this book, and I read it as part of the judging effort for the SFINCS3 novella competition. I’m part of Team TBR, but these thoughts are my own and do not reflect the final rating of the team.
A Hunger With No Name
By Lauren C. Teffeau
I had a hard time with the beginning of this novella, and if I hadn’t gotten engrossed in it later on, I’d have a hard time with the rest of the book as well. However, this wasn’t due to any flaws with the story, but rather due to how it so closely mirrors how I experience the real world of today. The slow, steady decline of the Astravan culture and society tore at my heart, because it’s really the tale of the modern-day society we’re all living in, and what we’re all experiencing. Even the parts where we tell ourselves we just have to dig in and keep it together and all will be fine came through in the story. The excuses we make for giving up what we have in favour of empty promises we really want to believe.
It’s painful.
Fortunately, there’s hope. As in the real world, so in the story, there’s always hope. Sometimes the hope is false and it comes back in crushing disappointment, and sometimes there are things worth fighting for and victories to win. Almost never do things turn out the way you’d think.
If you’re anxious about the state of the world, this may not be the book for you.
If, however, you want to put your worries and uncertainties in a context outside of the real world, this might be just what you need.
If you also want a tale about the importance of stories and storytelling, this book has got you covered.
I feel that so far, I’ve said both too much and nothing at all about the plot, and I think I’ll leave it at that. What I do want to address is the setting. This is, after all, speculative fiction.
The story plays out in a kind of post apocalyptic world, and it could be earth, and it could be something else entirely. We don’t know, and it doesn’t really matter. If this is earth, it’s moved on so far from what we know that not even the names remain, and that’s fine. The Astrava are a people living in harmony with nature along with their herds – or at least they used to. Nature no longer harmonises with them, and that’s what lies at the core of the story.
What I’ll whine about
The ending. I felt like what Thurava, our heroine, does to resolve the conflict was a bit of a villain move that hit the story out of nowhere. Maybe, if I’d paid better attention, I’d have seen what was coming, but as it were, I didn’t. The actions make sense, in a way, but I would have liked a bit more foreshadowing.
What I’ll gush about
This is a storyteller’s story, by which I mean that the power and importance of stories play a major role. As a writer myself, I can’t not love that. Not all of the stories and myths of the Astrava made sense to me, but perhaps, that just served to make the world feel more real. After all, the real world rarely makes as much sense as made up fantasy worlds.
I also want to mention again how the author does a fantastic job of tying in real world issues into the story. It’s sometimes painful to read, but that’s because it matters.
Final Words
A heavy read, but heartfelt, and well worth your while.
