Degrees of Freedom, book two of The Sweetland Quartet
17 years after the events of Skyrmion, the Sweetland Settlers are in trouble.
Something is strange about the new world the immigrants call Sweetland. Particularly for the adults, who suffer from a plague of depression and forgetting they’ve named the Saudadés, a disease which is leading to a high rate of suicide. Why are the flora and fauna so familiar, so like the plant and animal life left behind on Earth? And why are they all so afraid of the forest?
Coming April 8, 2025
Something is strange about the new world the immigrants call Sweetland. Particularly for the adults, who suffer from a plague of depression and forgetting they’ve named the Saudadés, a disease which is leading to a high rate of suicide. Why are the flora and fauna so familiar, so like the plant and animal life left behind on Earth? And why are they all so afraid of the forest?
For the native born children, who call themselves the Borns, the forest is their friend and companion. But they too notice the changes which happen sometimes right before their eyes. Sixteen-year-old Molly Whitedeer and her friends believe it has to do with the DNA of the forest, and the rhizome-like roots which seem to connect all of the living plants on the planet the children call Torzucán.
When the New America Corporation invades the Communities, Molly must flee to Lake Adan’dohi with her nephew, Joey. There she discovers Travelers from other worlds and learns about the Memories, the organic technology embodied by the forest. A technology which may lead to the destruction of both Torzucán and Earth. And Molly may be the only hope for the future.
Degrees of Freedom addresses the issues of colonialism, immigration, and the struggle for a better future.