The science fiction storybundle Starting Hurricanes just went live. Curated by yours truly and running till July 29, it unveils eleven riveting works that illustrate that movers and shakers need not be Chosen Ones nor have god-like powers. Science fiction and fantasy (henceforth SFF) rely too heavily on these two heroism modes; as a result, “mundanes” are often belittled, too frequently shown bereft of agency, imagination, courage or any ethical/moral compass beyond narrow self-interest.
This goes hand-in-hand with the predilection of the genre for autocratic authority structures, too frequently headed by charismatic psychopaths who are given huge dollops of leeway, to say nothing of boasting “optimal” genes (which demonstrates most SFF authors’ fundamental misunderstanding of genetics and evolution). Almost always ignored are the loyalty networks and the sense of collective investment that actually make cultures and societies function—but also malfunction, when manipulated by grifters or thugs. And “regular people” can show transformative vision and power, for good or ill, just as the fluttering of insect wings can start hurricanes.
The settings in this bundle range from several versions of a devastated Earth to a Mars where terraforming attempts failed; from humanity in complex interplanetary conflicts to disquieting alien biologies; from exiles in search of a home to underdogs suffocated from being evaluated by rigid labels. The subgenres include space opera, near-future dystopia, far futures with magic-like technology, first contacts, adaptations to planetfalls. Each entry of this spectacular bundle deserves to become a visual spectacle as atmospheric and studded with world-altering events and vivid characters as Blade Runner or Serenity.
Hovering over all these explorations is the specter of the inherent limitations (and hence immovable dilemmas) of our physiologies—and the blinkers of our assumptions, that are often more hard-wired than we’d like to think. A question that has been at the forefront of humanity’s individual and collective thoughts is “How do we live honest, honorable lives?” It shapes cultures, societies, ethics systems; it determines what to pursue in science and art. And it’s not reserved to elites but one that each human being ponders, no matter what their circumstances.
The works in this bundle ask this question from multiple directions and come up with fascinating SFnal takes on this universal query, while also presenting riveting alternative worlds. So strap into your acceleration couch, go through the preflight check and start the countdown to the jump. The Starting Hurricanes bundle will take you on astonishing journeys. And keep frequencies open for more storybundles curated by Candlemark & Gleam!
