I have a review of Letters to Earth up on Endless Ink.
Zed’s world is connected to our own, but in a distant future, with some recognizable versions of present-day cultures, some entirely new religious cultures, and some elements directly from our world. Unexplained environmental problems require many people to live under protective domes, with others living rural, simpler existence in the Out Camps. The novel presents us with a troubled world, without getting bogged down in specifics, and suggests space colonization as a solution.
Once on the new planet, exploration, harvesting and crafting is the basis of the colonists’ lives, and this is the heart of the novella, too. When the planet rejects the planned terraforming, the colonists must rely on strangely appealing new natural resources. Alien versions of familiar foods appear, and along with fiber suitable for making important goods like thread and paper. In this intriguing world, the planet continues to provide for them in mysterious ways. The two goals, the crafting and survival of a new colony and the exploration of a mysterious planet, create the background for young Zed to grow and mature.
Source: Review of TLD: Letters to Earth, from thefictionaddiction.com – Endless Ink Publishing House
