2017’s An Unkindness of Ghosts is my first foray into Rivers Solomon‘s work. It is a story of resistance against oppression, explicitly seen through the dual lenses of class and race, all set on a ship hurtling through space on what is often termed a “generation ship” in the genre. The name derives from understanding that, if space travel is performed at speeds below the speed of light, the journeys will take centuries, spanning generations and creating an environment where various cultural practices may take form in surprising ways.
The voyage of the Matilda is not a happy one: very stark divisions along both class and racial lines are enforced on the ship, with a nearly omnipotent leader figure at the top. Life on the lower decks is brutal, and the available strategies of resistance are often limited. Solomon’s use of different linguistic styles among the various decks/class levels is very smart and very well done, a constant reminder of the way language and privilege are related.
The protagonist is queer and neurodivergent, and Solomon’s decision to foreground their modes of perception may be key to your enjoyment of the novel. I found them incredibly compelling, and found Solomon’s ability to present their challenges responding to indirect communication, their struggles with interpersonal relationships in general, and their complicated relationship with their duties and abilities as a healer all quite impressive, making the narrative constantly engaging and, perhaps more importantly, serving as an active disruption of a lot of classic science fiction tropes.
My guess is those three paragraphs have you squarely intrigued or you’ve already moved on. If you’re still here, you’ll be interested, and probably enjoy, An Unkindness of Ghosts.