Frostlands - (Dispatch Books) by John Feffer (Paperback)

About the Book

It's 2051, and Arcadia is under attack. As the stand-alone sequel to Splinterlands begins, the sustainable compound in what was once Vermont is on high alert.

Book Synopsis

Arcadia's defense corps is mobilized to defend against what first appears to be a routine assault, one of the many that the community must repulse from para- military forces every year. But as sensors report a breach in the perimeter wall, even 80-year-old Rachel Leopold shoulders a weapon and reports for duty. The attack, it turns out, has been orchestrated by one of the world's largest corporations, CR ISPR International, and it is interested primarily in stopping Rachel's research into stopping global warming. As Arcadia prepares to defend itself against the next CR ISPR attack, Rachel contacts Emmanuel Puig, the foremost scholar of her ex-husband's work, to get information that she can use to stop CR ISPR . Arcadia intersperses the action with short reports from Emmanuel Puig on his interactions with Rachel as they meet, via V R, in different parts of the world--Brussels, Ningxia, and finally Darwin. The novel concludes with an explosive, unexpected twist that forces a reevaluation of all that has come before.

Review Quotes

"By taking us on a cautionary journey into a future planetary collapse where the term "one per cent" is redefined in a terrifying way, John Feffer forces us to look deeply at our own society's blindness to ecological apocalypse and greed. But the novel's enchantment goes beyond dystopia: the quest for salvation depends on a crusty female octogenarian who would make Wonder Woman salivate with envy." --Ariel Dorfman "A worthy sequel to the thought-provoking Splinterlands, Frostlands is triumphant and absorbing science fiction, full of ecological and societal warnings. It is a unique and imaginative look at a future Earth scarred by environmental neglect.... In a short space, Frostlands touches on a variety of intriguing subjects. The killer drones and network-hacking warfare of Frostlands aren't wild speculative fantasy of a remote future; Feffer is focused on the next fifty years or so, with an eye toward avoiding the mostly bleak landscape that Frostlands so vividly captures. Rachel and Arcadia represent the ability of humans to adapt and fight back against even self-inflicted environmental and societal wounds; their story is both edifying and entertaining." --Foreword Reviews

"Devotees of near-future science fiction adventures will root for resolute and energetic Rachel on her quest to save Earth."

--Publishers Weekly

"This fast read picks up after the death of Julian, the protagonist of Splinterlands, and can be enjoyed as a stand-alone sequel to the first book in the series. Its sense of urgency inspires readers to keep going and a pale glimmer of hope at the end is welcome after the quick, harrowing ride."

--Library Journal

Praise for Splinterlands:

Feffer's confident recitation of world collapse is terrifyingly plausible, a short but encompassing look at world tragedy. "
--Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"Feffer's book is a wild ride through a bleak future, casting a harsh, thought-provoking light on that future's modern-day roots."
--Foreword Reviews

"Just as it's especially enjoyable to read science fiction written by real scientists, Feffer offers readers a uniquely well-researched and historically robust argument for why the world turns out the way that it does, which makes it all the more relevant--and frightening. "
--Washington City Paper

"Readers who enjoy dystopian stories that hold more than a light look at political structures and their downfall will more than appreciate the in-depth approach John Feffer takes in his novel."
--Midwest Book Review

"Splinterlands is a short and powerful dystopian novel, framed as an all-too-credible account of what might happen in our lifetimes."
--Climate and Capitalism

"John Feffer is our 21st-century Jack London, and, like the latter's Iron Heel, Splinterlands is a vivid, suspenseful warning about the ultimate incompatibility between capitalism and human survival."
--Mike Davis

"Feffer's book, in short, is provocative in the best sense....The dystopic alternative, illustrated so powerfully in Feffer's Splinterlands, provides us with powerful motivation to shape a better, less splintered, future."
--W. J. Astore

"Splinterlands paints a startling portrait of a post-apocalyptic tomorrow that is fast becoming a reality today. Fast-paced, yet strangely haunting, Feffer's latest novel looks back from 2050 on the disintegration of world order told through the story of one broken family-- and offers a disturbing vision of what might await us all if we don't act quickly."
--Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickle and Dimed and Living with a Wild God, and founder of the Economic Hardship Reporting Project

"A chilling portrayal of where the politics of division could take us. Now I only hope he writes the sequel to tell us how to avoid it!"
--Naomi Oreskes, co-author of The Collapse of Western Civilization