TERRA ELECTRICA

A girl journeys across a changed landscape in search of her father.

Mani has been alone in a cave, waiting for her father to return, for nearly a month. At last, hunger forces her out, and she finds Dr. Leopold MacKintosh, the one remaining scientist at a research station. They discover that Mani has the disease that has killed so many, but she isn’t sickened by it and may hold a cure. Leo becomes determined that they should go to the Ark, a scientific organization whose mission is “to use science to save the world.” He convinces her that they’ll find her father along the way. The journey is filled with dangerous obstacles, but they meet a girl called Tilde, who accompanies them after saving them from an angry mob who fear being infected. Throughout, Mani uses a carved, feathered mask to connect to another world, gaining comfort and strength from Ooshaka, her polar bear who’s the “best of all the spirit animals.” Only when they reach the Ark does Leo finally realize his mistake: “She’s a child, not an ‘asset,’ not a ‘discovery.’” Mani is a reluctant hero who’s doubly gifted: She can heal others from disease, and she can travel between two worlds. This series opener is a high-stakes adventure that unfortunately depicts Mani and her people in ways that evoke outdated fictional versions of the cultures of real Native peoples.

Propulsive climate fiction marred by problematic use of Indigenous cultural elements.