Everfair

Nisi Shawl

A self described steam-punk alternate history, and it is exactly that. The history involved is that of the colonization of the Belgian Congo in the 1900's. The alternate part of the history consists of Shawl envisioning Belgian King Leopold selling most of the land of the Congo to a collection of nationalists (local tribal leaders, African-American slave repatriationists, and missionaries) who work with various levels of cooperation to create an African nation. Of course, each of these groups has its own idea of what said African nation should consist of and how it should be governed. Throw in the fact that the scientists of this nation are global leaders in automation technology (developing and perfecting dirigible transportation, steam/nuclear powered bicycles, and knife throwing guns) and we get the steam-punk flavor. This is in some ways a fascinating vision and imaginative story telling. But somehow it also left me yearning for more, ultimately being too mired in the reality of colonization, race, and nation building. While providing insights about these realities along the way, I feel like a truly good alternate history will at least hint at an alternate future that is more optimistic. Here, Shawl simply provides a history that leads to a present that is different, but in many ways just as deficient in hope.
3 stars (out of 4)