Lauren C. Teffeau delivers a beautiful, timely message in her novella A Hunger with No Name (2024), which takes us to a memorable, mythology-filled future. Thurava comes from the harsh desert climate of Astrava, where she tends the herd animals essential to her people’s survival. The society of Astrava is slowly withering as dramatic changes to the landscape increasingly drive the desperate members of her community to emigrate to the Glass City, a sophisticated metropolis looming nearby, promising sanctuary for Astrava’s citizens. When changing conditions in the desert finally drive the Astravans to abandon their home, Thurava journeys to the Glass City only to find its promises hollow, and the shocking truths that underlie her world.
A Hunger with No Name is thoughtful, tautly constructed allegory that powerfully conveys cautionary environmental themes against a memorable science-fictional backdrop. Thurava is an accessible, sympathetic hero, forced into a rude awakening about the realities of a rapidly changing world, as sustainable culture and traditions are challenged by the relentless churn of technological transformation — and the toxic systems that propel it. An empathetic, fierce piece of work that efficiently makes its mark.
