The Past Is Red

A Hugo Award finalist!
An inaugural Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction finalist!
A Locus Award finalist!

Praise for The Past Is Red:

“The Past Is Red is magical realism meets the garbage patch. Every page is a new and surprising invention. It’s hilarious and sad and filled with an inexcusable amount of wisdom.”—New York Times bestselling author Hank Green

“A gorgeous, funny, melancholy, splendid romp through a post-apocalyptic wonderland in which hope and despair are indistinguishable, and the human spirit burns with the joy and rage of a thousand suns. The Candide of our #@$\*%?! age.”—award-winning author Ken Liu

“This story is about as close to perfect as it gets.”—Seanan McGuire, New York Times bestselling author of the Wayward Children series

“Tetley’s distinctive voice and cheerful resilience in the face of misfortune make her a delightful guide through this bleak future…”—Publishers Weekly

“[The Past Is Red] is a more hopeful story than we deserve, a story where hope survives despite its fragility, and there are beautiful moments in the most unexpected corners.”—Booklist

“Valente's prose presents a stark image of humanity surviving climate ruin, corporate greed, and rich escapists. Tetley's voice is engrossing, creating a read that will make readers think about our possible future.”—Library Journal

“The Past Is Red achieves a scope and emotional power that lifts the tale beyond the sometimes wacky catalogs of trash and pop-cultural nostalgia that made The Future Is Blue so entertaining.”—Locus Magazine

“With her trademark lyrical prose, Catherynne M. Valente takes readers to a future where the remnants of humanity live on giant islands of garbage. This novella is a pointed critique of consumer culture and also a wildly inventive ride.”—Buzzfeed

“Brings joy to a future that feels bleak, and grapples with how fragile hope is... perfectly balances wit and humor with lines that made me put the book down and stare at the wall.”—Katherine Nazzaro, Porter Square Books

“The Past Is Red is an electrifying parable for this era of climate change, as bitterly optimistic and cheerfully furious as this dire hour demands. All that, and its hilarious and heroic protagonist is sure to steal that gorgeous garbage patch in your chest you call a heart.”—Southern Bookseller Review

“Valente turns her finely-wrought prose to a climate change apocalypse in what is sure to be an inventive take on a water world.”—Den of Geek