{{Short description|2023 novel by Annalee Newitz}}{{Infobox book
| author            = [[Annalee Newitz]]
| isbn              = 978-1-250-22802-4
| pub_date          = January 31, 2023
| publisher         = [[Tor Publishing Group|Tor]]
| pages             = 352
| language          = English
| country           = United States
| genre             = [[Science fiction]]
| image             = The Terraformers cover.png
| caption           = First edition cover
}}
{{Italic title}}'''''The Terraformers''''' is a science fiction novel by [[Annalee Newitz]], published on January 31, 2023. [[Environmentalism]] is a major theme.

== Plot ==
Set 60,000 years in the future, ''The Terraformers'' traces the development of a [[terraformed]] planet over the course of 1,000 years. The planet, Sask-E, has been transformed from a wasteland into a habitable planet by human involvement. Destry, a member of a team dedicated to continuing the planet's transformation, uncovers a secret city underneath the planet's surface that changes her understanding of the planet and her purpose.

== Development and writing ==
Newitz was inspired to write ''The Terraformers'' after thinking about how fictional stories could carry messages relating to present-day environmental crises like [[climate change]]. They divided the book into three sections separated by a period of several hundred years each, which they told ''[[The Stranger (newspaper)|The Stranger]]'' was so they could track the entire [[terraforming]] process.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Baume |first=Matt |date=2023-01-31 |title=An Interview With Annalee Newitz |url=https://www.thestranger.com/books/2023/01/31/78840901/an-interview-with-annalee-newitz |access-date=2023-02-08 |website=[[The Stranger (newspaper)|The Stranger]] }}</ref> The terraforming process they describe within the book was heavily influenced by their own experience as a [[science journalism|science journalist]] and by interviews with scientists in the field.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Newitz |first=Annalee |date=2023-01-18 |title=How a planet became a character in my new novel |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg25734221-200-how-a-planet-became-a-character-in-my-new-novel/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=2023-02-08 |website=[[New Scientist]]}}</ref>

=== Publication history ===
''The Terraformers'' was published on January 31, 2023, by [[Tor Books|Tor Publishing]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Morgan |first=Adam |date=2023-01-11 |title=The science fiction and fantasy books we're excited for in 2023 |url=https://www.polygon.com/23546367/new-books-science-fiction-fantasy-2023 |access-date=2023-02-08 |website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] }}</ref>

== Reception ==
''The Terraformers'' was positively received by book critics.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Book Marks reviews of The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz |url=https://bookmarks.reviews/reviews/the-terraformers// |access-date=2023-02-03 |website=Book Marks |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Paul Di Filippo]], writing in ''[[The Washington Post]]'', described the book as having "enough ideas and incidents to populate half a dozen lesser science fiction books," praising Newitz's prose.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fillippo |first=Paul Di |date=2023-01-27 |title='The Terraformers' is a dazzling look at the distant future |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2023/01/27/annalee-newitz-terraformers/ |url-access=limited |access-date=2023-02-07}}</ref> A review by Mark Athitakis in the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' positively described the novel's optimistic message but criticized Newitz for what he viewed as cluttered prose.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Athitakis |first=Mark |date=2023-01-28 |title=In a new 'galaxy brain' novel, it's AD 59,000 — and we're still kind of a mess |work=The Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2023-01-28/in-a-new-galaxy-brain-novel-its-59-000-a-d-and-were-still-a-bit-of-a-mess |url-access=limited |access-date=2023-02-07}}</ref>

A starred review in ''[[Publishers Weekly]]'' praised the book, drawing comparisons between Newitz and fellow science-fiction writers [[Becky Chambers]] and [[Samuel R. Delany]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-09-26 |title=The Terraformers |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781250228017 |access-date=2023-02-07 |website=Publishers Weekly}}</ref> ''[[Booklist]]''<nowiki/>'s Leah von Essen praised Newitz for their sense of humor and for the "pure moments of joy" sprinkled throughout the prose.<ref>{{Cite web |last=von Essen |first=Leah |title=The Terraformers |url=https://www.booklistonline.com/The-Terraformers/pid=9769732 |access-date=2023-02-07 |website=Booklist}}</ref> ''[[Library Journal]]'' and ''BookPage'' both published positive reviews, with the former describing the book as "incredibly emotional and action-packed" and the latter commenting that Newitz was able to comment on social issues without making the reader feel "lectured, bored, or disconnected" from the narrative.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chadwick |first=Kristi |date=2022-10-01 |title=The Terraformers |url=https://www.libraryjournal.com/review/the-terraformers-1792477 |access-date=2023-02-07 |website=Library Journal}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Pickens |first=Chris |date=2023-01-31 |title=The Terraformers |url=https://www.bookpage.com/reviews/the-terraformers/ |access-date=2023-02-07 |website=BookPage}}</ref> The novel was nominated for the 2024 [[Nebula Award for Best Novel]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz (Published by Tor and Orbit UK) Nominated for Best Novel in 2023 |url=https://nebulas.sfwa.org/nominated-work/the-terraformers/ |access-date=2024-05-24 |website=The Nebula Awards |language=en-US}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==

* ''[https://bookmarks.reviews/reviews/the-terraformers/ The Terraformers]'' at [[Bookmarks.reviews|BookMarks]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Terraformers}}
[[Category:2023 science fiction novels]]
[[Category:2023 American novels]]
[[Category:American science fiction novels]]
[[Category:Novels set on fictional planets]]
[[Category:Novels set in the future]]
[[Category:Climate change novels]]
[[Category:Fiction about terraforming]]
[[Category:Tor Books books]]