Welcome to Venus, centuries post ecological collapse of Terra. Sol is the first of a polycule hoping to reclaim the ruins of a mad crypto-billionaire’s colony for their family, now that Venus is habitable thanks to centuries of terraforming left unchecked. What awaits Sol isn’t merely the series of technical puzzles he’s expecting, but an adventure of transformation, inside and out, that will reveal to themselves and the world the true heart of who they are.
Catnip is a long novella / short novel that is packed full of queer love, self discovery, pure joy of existing as one’s self, and a healthy dose of making fun of hyper-capitalism and techbros. I can say without reservation that it is my favorite thing I have read this year, and if you are in the mood for something that celebrates life, love, and a better future through compassion, stop reading now and go get this now!
The book is published by the author through itch.io, and while it has a few minor text errors, it is technically very sound and I didn’t find any spelling, grammar, or other errors that pulled me out of the story in the slightest. The story itself is a sweet sci-fi romance that doesn’t try to do anything crazy with the core of the genre, but instead treats you to a likeable and sympathetic protagonist that’s easy to root for, and an intriguing centuries old mystery told through found data in a very Fallout reminiscent way that I particularly enjoyed. Most importantly, Durav captures the pure joy of existence that reflects the joy I discovered when I finally found the courage and space to be who I was, instead of who I was told I was.
And cat shenanigans. So many cat shenanigans! I have read many stories that included catgirls, and I think this is the best when it comes to including smart, entertaining, in-story plausible cat tropes to the max. If you have spent any time around cats, in-person or on the internet, you will find yourself smiling and nodding repeatedly throughout this story.
Wait, you want story details? I haven’t sold you on it already? Okay, then. The story takes place about 300 years after humanity abandons an ecologically collapsing earth after putting in place reclamation projects to hopefully salvage humanity’s homeworld. The rich head towards their private off-world colonies while the poor shut themselves into hibernation pods to sleep the centuries away. Sol, our protagonist and primary viewpoint character, is a member of the latter group, an engineer landing on Venus to pave the way for his polycule to hopefully reclaim a failed Venusian colony. In the process, he discovers a lonely AI locked into her location and missing vital information about the colony. Sol lands, literally, into one of those blank spots when he crashes accidentally into a research lab and discovers that whatever he fell into is having incredible effects on his physiology. To find out what is happening to him, and what happened to the colony of Cryptopia (yes, really), he and the AI, Alexis (yes, really, I promise the names are no accident), discover the story of an out of control rich man with a god complex and the horrors of unchecked greed in contrast to the joy and support of connection with each other and the people who care about them.
The sci-fi felt neat and coherent and the only science-magic is introduced early and easily accepted, the world building is neat with some truly interesting ideas and some sharp cuts at current affairs, and the romance builds upon trust and mutual reliance. There’s one spicy love scene that does a beautiful job of putting the emotion and connection first and “tab a, slot b” details in the background.
I genuinely can’t recommend this highly enough. If you need a dose of sweet and light into a world that is increasingly feeling dark and hopeless, please give this a try. If you are someone looking to understand a trans friend or loved one or just the journey trans people go through internally before most people ever see a glimpse of the struggle, give this a try.
Thank you, Dear Reader, I hope you enjoy!
Cassandra
A Gentle Reyn of Words 