A Mountain in the Air: A Trilogy by Laura Koerber – Review by Tara Johnson Barnes
A Mountain in the Air: A Trilogy by Laura Koerber
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Three novellas in one, all set in a mystical, dystopian future world that has been ravaged by climate change.
Coyote Jim is a shapeshifter who spends most of his time in the human form. He has lived in the desert all of his life but when climate change destroys all he knows he sets off in his truck in search of a new home. Along the way he meets numerous people and discovers they are also searching for better lives. In Coyote Jim’s journey of self discovery, he also finds love and hope.
Raven Woman’s Tavern is set in the near future in an abandoned mining town that is occupied by a small group of survivalists eking out a meagre existence. The story is centered on Rachel the Raven Woman, a shapeshifter, and her tavern. Many, but not all, of the community’s citizens are law abiding folks.
The third novella is focused on a musician named Pete who had a following back in the 1990’s but chose to disappear into the mountains. After forty years of living in solace he finds himself lonely and decides to approach people through their dreams.
Raven Woman’s Tavern was the first book that I read by this author, and I loved it. When I saw the trilogy available with three novellas included, I knew that I needed to read it. The novellas all gave a glimpse into how lives would be if we were suddenly stripped of all the modern conveniences, we have grown accustomed to having and often take for granted. This is something that I have though of often and found myself wanting a simpler life. Learning to fend for myself and be more self sustainable started with growing and canning my own food. These are skills that seem to have become lost through the years and I am hoping to pass these skills onto the next generation. Every year I build up on my skills and knowledge of plants and of being self-sustainable.
All three novellas include shapeshifting, magical realism, drama, and all contain the underlying important message about the havoc wreaked on the world by climate change. The author did a marvelous job of describing the characters, their lives, and the worlds they were struggling to survive in. The author’s description of a dystopian world ravaged by climate change really makes the reader more aware of the damage and pollution we are all part of creating. Unless we learn to stop destroying the earth we are destined to live in a world like the characters in the novellas. The world where fields of wildflowers grow on the mountain as far as the eye can see is the world I want to leave for future generations. Kudos to the author for bringing such an important topic to light. A great read!
