Not all is bad and terrible and grim in the future. Sometimes disaster means change, and change means growth, and growth means a future full of cool ideas and good-hearted people. Hopepunk as a genre creates an opportunity for writers to explore positivity and kindness within the context of science fiction. Beckett’s “hopetopia” does just that, offering a kind action hero in a grounded but optimistic vision of the future.
Cherub “Rubi” Whiting is a VR action star turned lawyer. Luciano “Luce” Pox is an embattled client, said to be outspoken, controversial, and downright rude, in a society where bad behavior has social and financial consequences. But when Rubi shows up to their first in-person meeting in Paris, Luce is missing. Worse, the authorities think Luce is an ecoterrorist. He may be on the run from the authorities, he may be under psychological attack, or he may be caught up in a far-reaching conspiracy. Whatever the case, Rubi has to find out what’s really going on and, perhaps more importantly, who Luce really is.
L.X. Beckett is a “feminist, lesbian, genderqueer, married, and Slytherin” science fiction author and editor. Their novella, “Freezing Rain, a Chance of Falling,” a biting critique of the gig economy, appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction July/August 2018 and The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume 4. Their novel, Gamechanger, is scheduled for publication with Tor Books in September 2019. They live in Toronto, Ontario with their wife, Kelly Robson.
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