Hi!
Be the Sea is a science fantasy novel written by my friend Clara Ward, and—like my own novella The Dragon of Ynys—published by Atthis Arts. I was a proofreader for Be the Sea, but most of you will know that I write honest reviews, and that not every book I proofread gets five out of five stars. This one did!
Here is my review as originally posted on The Storygraph and Goodreads, in October 2023:
“Be the Sea is a near-future solarpunk science fiction/magical realism book that is definitely worth taking your time for. The gentle atmosphere ebbs and flows like the ocean, introducing new characters on your path, most of whom I found very loveable.
“The story is told in three acts: first you sail across the ocean with a small cast of characters, experiencing an adventure on the sea and listening to the characters’ stories and memories whenever nature allows such peaceful luxuries. Once on land in act 2, the story unfolds into something larger, with more characters, more intrigue, and higher tension.
“The reader gets to follow the characters and conversations so closely that it feels to me as if the story has actually taken me on a holiday to Hawaiʻi. I felt the water, smelled the scents of all the delicious food, enjoyed visiting an extraordinarily pretty mall. In Wend, the main character, I found one of the most relatable characters I’ve ever seen. Be the Sea contains an amazing amount of representation for queer and neurodiverse characters all around. But while I love Wend and find them so very relatable, I must admit my favourite character was Aljon, the asexual cook and local ray of sunshine.
“Throughout everything that happens, the theme that stood out most to me was the power of working together—even when interactions with other people can be challenging and confusing. Everything in the narrative is treated with kindness, including the difficult subjects that come up. (A list of content warnings can be found via https://www.atthisarts.com/content/)
“If you enjoy learning (or already knowing things) about biology, the environment and technologies that could help protect it, the memories and dreams that shape someone, or simply need to be reminded of how the traces we leave in the lives of others can make a huge difference (something we all may need to hear whenever we feel insecure), this is the book for you. Biology nerds will be particularly delighted.
“In the acknowledgements, I learned that the author’s royalties for this book will be donated to Conservation International, an organisation protecting the ocean. This fits the book and the characters’ ethics so well that I feel like it deserves a separate shout-out.”
Now let’s return to the present (free time travel!):
Today marks the launch of a Kickstarter campaign to make Be the Sea accessible as audiobook and hardcover editions. I’m part of the marketing team of this campaign and we have some really fun things planned—for example, I’ll be posting a Sea Creature of the Day over on Instagram every day! The first one is up right now. There will also be lots of cool updates from author Clara Ward on the Kickstarter page itself!
I really feel it’s important that stories like Be the Sea, which has a non-binary, neurodivergent main character along with a cast of queer and neurodivergent characters, become widely accessible. You all know I’m very fond of Atthis Arts as an independent publisher who allows our voices to be heard—and the audiobook starts from $1 thanks to the “pay what you can” setup. Aside from the audiobook, paperback, and hardcover, you can also grab an Atthis Arts book bundle (which includes my own The Dragon of Ynys as well as other great titles!), AND there’s an extra special Numbered-Edition Hardcover Edition hand-coloured by illustrator Matthew Spencer! Don’t miss it!
Be kind to our oceans!
Minerva
Minerva Cerridwen 