I'm writing a climate fiction series
I'm writing a climate fiction series
#0 | There Is Hope | Episodes Overview
Welcome to Story Voyager, an ‘intelligent, almost spiritual’ fiction newsletter for all sci-fi and climate-interested readers. I’m currently writing There Is Hope—a cli-fi series and my first book on Substack.
There Is Hope is a climate fiction series about life on a planet devastated by climate change and the things that give humans hope.
I started serialising There Is Hope in April 2023. The planned end is fall 2024.
The Story Voyager offer includes:
Story series or seasonal fiction series
Cli-fi shorts or monthly short stories
Reviews & Recs or monthly sci-fi book reviews & recommendations
There Is Hope
Will heat get you first on the Dust Road?
It’s the year 2550 and, following a period of 400 years—also known as the Data War—in which data moguls battled for the last natural resources, Europe is a post-apocalyptic wasteland ravaged by climate change and human greed.
The North Colonies Alliance, located in the cool north, is segregated from the Dust Tribes of climate refugees gathered in the dust bowl of Central Europe and the Japanese Seaweed Colonies situated in the largely uninhabitable south. The Siberian Cooperatives—the stewards of the Taiga, the last standing forest—have a monopoly on all natural resources in an attempt to save the planet’s ecosystem from extinction. Everything is connected by an underground trading route known as the Dust Road controlled by the mysterious Dust Pirates.
Will humans finally find their humanity in a wasteland plagued by suffering, scarcity and death? Watch the tapestry of life unfold on the Dust Road through five thrilling stories of hope and an unexpected arrival.
Episodes
The series There Is Hope is composed of five interlinked stories with recurring characters and an overarching plot.
Human Island
While making a documentary about a sacrificial ritual, a grieving mother comes to terms with the untimely loss of her daughter.
#1 ∼ A documentary
#2 ∼ A sacrifice
The Seed Grower
A farmer grows illegal seeds of resistance, but her life gets complicated when an unlikely guest joins the Midsummer festival.
#4 ∼ The delivery
#5 ∼ The ghost
#6 ∼ The escape
#7 ∼ Seeds of resistance
The Dust Pirates
During the rainmaking festival, a young boy rescues a teenage girl from danger, but her secret sends him on a perilous journey.
The Cooperatives
Release date: Fall 2024
There Is Hope
Release date: Fall 2024
Bonus stories
My story-world spans more than 1,000 years between 2400 and 3600 CE and it includes three historical periods: The Data War, The Dust Road & The Deep Dive.
This is an attempt to depict a realistic transition to a better world following a 5°C global warming at the end of the 21st century. It gets worse before it gets better, and the narratives are both dystopian and utopian in nature.
The following stories are placed in the same universe.
∼2400 CE ∼ Illegal, a Lunar Award 🥇winner
∼2530 CE ∼ Smuggler
∼3450 CE ∼ Welcome to gulmohur
Worldbuilding
Deep dives into the secondary world creation of my cli-fi series There is Hope.
How you can enjoy the series
Subscribe to the newsletter to get each episode directly in your inbox
Go to the blog to read on your desktop or mobile phone
Download the Substack App to listen to the audio version
How it works
Everything you get in your inbox will always be free to read. On the blog, past episodes of There Is Hope go behind a paywall after a month. Access the paid offering for $35/year.
If you’re new to Story Voyager and want to read There Is Hope but can’t afford a paid subscription, drop me an email and we’ll work something out.
What readers say
‘All caught up on what’s available from There Is Hope and boy was it a cathartic ride. My grief surrounding the deforestation and desertification of Iran—and, let’s be real, the world at large—has really bubbled to the surface through these pieces. What a beautiful planet we have the privilege of inhabiting. And what beautiful stories Claudia has written to remind us of that.’ — Keyon Hejazi, Stardust Press
‘Beautifully written and utterly believable, unfortunately.’ — Terry Freedman, Eclecticism
‘Claudia renders a tragically beautiful world so complete and immersive that it feels sensual even as it’s breaking your heart.’ — Ben Wakeman, Catch & Release
‘Excellent! The writing feels careful and intentional. It’s a fascinating world.’ — Peter Clayborne, Anarchy Unfolds
‘That's rough kid.’ — Ken W., Vindicators