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A Hunger with No Name
Thurava of Astrava is intended to become a herder, a most honored position for her dwindling community that clings to life on the banks of the Najimov, the river that’s the lifeblood of the high desert. But the Glass City on the horizon threatens the delicate balance the Astravans have managed to hold on to for centuries, polluting the air and water as the city grows bigger and bigger. The Glass City’s clockwork liaisons offer to bring the Astravans into the Glass City’s walls, but they will have to give up their ways and their precious herds to do so. Thurava must decide who she is without her animals, using the stars as her guide, putting herself on a collision course with the secrets the Glass City holds dear.
156 pages, Hardcover
Published September 20, 2024
1 person is currently reading
198 people want to read
About the author
Lauren C. Teffeau
22 books30 followersLauren C. Teffeau was born and raised on the East Coast, educated in the South, employed in the Midwest, and now lives and dreams in the high desert of New Mexico. When she was younger, she poked around in the back of wardrobes, tried to walk through mirrors, and always kept an eye out for secret passages, fairy rings, and messages from aliens. She was disappointed. Now, she writes to cope with her ordinary existence. Her environmental fantasy novella A Hunger with No Name will be published by University of Tampa Press in the fall of 2024. Her novel Implanted (2018, Angry Robot), mashing up cyberpunk, solarpunk, adventure, and romance, was shortlisted for the 2019 Compton Crook award for best first SF/F/H novel and named a definitive work of climate fiction by Grist. She's published over twenty short stories in a variety of speculative fiction magazines and anthologies. In addition to a bachelor’s degree in English, she also holds a master’s degree in Mass Communication and spent a few years toiling as a researcher in academia. To learn more, please visit http://laurencteffeau.com.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 22, 2024
This is a beautiful Sci-fi folklore inspired story. I have a weakness for kickass heroines that don’t go around always kicking ass, but that move through their worlds with their wits as their most powerful weapon. Thurava, daughter of Sitarva of the Astravans is one of those heroines.
Yes, she is heroic but not in the violent way many stories associate with being a hero, but in a more reflective and quiet way, which is not less powerful than blasting laser left and right—btw there are no lasers in this story.
I also really liked that the story focuses on a friendship instead of a romantic relationship. These days, romance—wonderful as it is—permeates about every published book, but this story gives platonic relationships, like friendships, a privileged place, which feels refreshing. After all, we all need friends. Good friends. Friends that will show us a wider sense of reality. I think that was a big plus of this story.
That the chapters are named as the constellations in Thurava’s home world is a delightful detail. That the story follows the lesson taught by the stories behind those constellations is just very clever. That it all works together to give this book a sense of timeless and the weight of a reality that may actually exist, well, that’s just good writing.
This book presents a refreshing take on storytelling, and conflict within a story, where defeating and vanquishing is not the ultimate goal, but rebuilding and understanding are.
A bit slow in places, but as a whole very readable, A Hunger With no Name surprised me in the best possible way.
Yes, she is heroic but not in the violent way many stories associate with being a hero, but in a more reflective and quiet way, which is not less powerful than blasting laser left and right—btw there are no lasers in this story.
I also really liked that the story focuses on a friendship instead of a romantic relationship. These days, romance—wonderful as it is—permeates about every published book, but this story gives platonic relationships, like friendships, a privileged place, which feels refreshing. After all, we all need friends. Good friends. Friends that will show us a wider sense of reality. I think that was a big plus of this story.
That the chapters are named as the constellations in Thurava’s home world is a delightful detail. That the story follows the lesson taught by the stories behind those constellations is just very clever. That it all works together to give this book a sense of timeless and the weight of a reality that may actually exist, well, that’s just good writing.
This book presents a refreshing take on storytelling, and conflict within a story, where defeating and vanquishing is not the ultimate goal, but rebuilding and understanding are.
A bit slow in places, but as a whole very readable, A Hunger With no Name surprised me in the best possible way.
September 20, 2024
[This review can also be found on my BLOG]
**I was provided with a digital copy of the book through the author in exchange for an honest review**
CW: blood, injury, animal death, mention of parent death, grief
--
This is one of those quiet and contemplative novellas, that are light on the action but still have a big impact.
A Hunger with No Name is based on a young woman called Thurava who belongs to a community of star-worshipping nomads known as Astravans, who following the Great Scatter that fractured the world have lived off of the land. Thurava is determined to assume her mother’s mantle as chief herder of the community’s livestock however, the promises of a better life in the Glass City beckon and with each year more and more Astravans are lured towards the metropolis that is slowly depleting the natural resources in its vicinity for the upkeep of its ever growing population.
There is this dystopian-esque aura to the setting and Teffau’s storytelling really immerses you in. The presence of these eerie mechanical liaisons and all the speculative folklore linked to the stars in the night sky means the story has this nice sci-fi and fantasy blend to it. Though it is also a story that is grounded in reality as the underlying messages and parallels to our world are stark, particularly with regards to anthropogenic activities and the effects they have on the environment, heritage and culture.
With Thurava being an adolescent there is also a coming of age slant to the narrative but she immediately comes across as much more mature than other protagonists her age. Often denoted as “the star” of her people, we follow her as she strives to find a balance between what is right by her own principles and what is best for society. Despite the short length her character arc is really compelling.
What was also really beautiful was how each chapter was named for a star/constellation that is fundamental to the Astravan people’s beliefs and how they each linked to Thurava’s journey throughout the story.
Though the pacing is on the slower side this is a quick read and one that will definitely make you stop and think. I highly recommend checking this out if you enjoy spec fic and are looking for a shorter read!
Final Rating 4.5/5 Stars
**I was provided with a digital copy of the book through the author in exchange for an honest review**
CW: blood, injury, animal death, mention of parent death, grief
--
This is one of those quiet and contemplative novellas, that are light on the action but still have a big impact.
A Hunger with No Name is based on a young woman called Thurava who belongs to a community of star-worshipping nomads known as Astravans, who following the Great Scatter that fractured the world have lived off of the land. Thurava is determined to assume her mother’s mantle as chief herder of the community’s livestock however, the promises of a better life in the Glass City beckon and with each year more and more Astravans are lured towards the metropolis that is slowly depleting the natural resources in its vicinity for the upkeep of its ever growing population.
There is this dystopian-esque aura to the setting and Teffau’s storytelling really immerses you in. The presence of these eerie mechanical liaisons and all the speculative folklore linked to the stars in the night sky means the story has this nice sci-fi and fantasy blend to it. Though it is also a story that is grounded in reality as the underlying messages and parallels to our world are stark, particularly with regards to anthropogenic activities and the effects they have on the environment, heritage and culture.
With Thurava being an adolescent there is also a coming of age slant to the narrative but she immediately comes across as much more mature than other protagonists her age. Often denoted as “the star” of her people, we follow her as she strives to find a balance between what is right by her own principles and what is best for society. Despite the short length her character arc is really compelling.
What was also really beautiful was how each chapter was named for a star/constellation that is fundamental to the Astravan people’s beliefs and how they each linked to Thurava’s journey throughout the story.
Though the pacing is on the slower side this is a quick read and one that will definitely make you stop and think. I highly recommend checking this out if you enjoy spec fic and are looking for a shorter read!
Final Rating 4.5/5 Stars
September 19, 2024
A Hunger with No Name by Lauren C. Teffeau is a brilliantly written novella filled with critical themes and one that pleasantly surprised me.
The world itself was my favourite part. The way that this setting is described is amazing and I was captured by the way that Teffeau describes the world, the skies and everything else. You can really feel how these people adore the world they live in. The Astravan's worship this world and Teffeau has an encapsulating gift that holds us to these descriptions.
This helps tie to the themes present. Thurava, the main character, finds herself in the Glass City - a completely different place than the desert we are introduced to and full of technology. Here, the plot unfolds. Teffeau has us questioning existence, be it natural or otherwise. They also have us debating consumption and extinction, and if these go hand-in-hand.
This is a descriptive novel and one that rewards us emotionally and logically. Lauren C. Teffeau has created an important novel that is wonderfully written and I urge you to give this a read.
The world itself was my favourite part. The way that this setting is described is amazing and I was captured by the way that Teffeau describes the world, the skies and everything else. You can really feel how these people adore the world they live in. The Astravan's worship this world and Teffeau has an encapsulating gift that holds us to these descriptions.
This helps tie to the themes present. Thurava, the main character, finds herself in the Glass City - a completely different place than the desert we are introduced to and full of technology. Here, the plot unfolds. Teffeau has us questioning existence, be it natural or otherwise. They also have us debating consumption and extinction, and if these go hand-in-hand.
This is a descriptive novel and one that rewards us emotionally and logically. Lauren C. Teffeau has created an important novel that is wonderfully written and I urge you to give this a read.
Read
July 3, 2025This should have been a full length novel! A YA novel, in fact! This is the perfect premise for a YA dystopian!
*I am not rating books read for the World Fantasy Award.*
*I am not rating books read for the World Fantasy Award.*
January 12, 2025
Long after climate-caused collapse, some lead a rough nomadic life that sustains them until the distant tech-based, highly segmented (by class) city drains the region of water. The author demonstrates what it means to stand for environmental and social justice. How do you hold to your values, your stories, your lineage when survival is imperiled? A great story!
August 17, 2024
"A Hunger with No Name" is an impeccably written literary science fiction novella with environmental and anthropological themes. To me it evoked the themes of Ursula Le Guin, with the setting and tone of Clarke’s "City and the Stars" and the quaint video game "Sable."
The story is written in present tense, first-person POV through the eyes of the young Thurava, a member of the nomadic, star-worshipping Astravan people who live off the land in a vast desert. While I didn’t find Thurava to be an urgently compelling character, she served as a perfect vessel to experience my favorite part of this book: the world.
For me, the desert and the stars were characters in themselves. I was taken away by the setting, picturing something akin to the starlit crystal-clear summer skies of the red and rocky American southwest. The desert and stars are characterized not by adjectives or descriptions, but by the Astravan’s and Thurava’s reverence. These people love their home, its animals, the dwindling Najimov river that gives them life. Teffau clearly possesses an adept understanding of culture and history, because she wrote Astravan legends, beliefs, and behaviors in such a compelling way that the Astravans are probably my favorite human culture in any science fiction book.
It's good that I was so attached to the environment and the Astravan people, because therein lies the novella’s main theme: the conservation of natural and cultural resources. As the plot unfolds and Thurava finds herself drawn to the technologically advanced “Glass City” of Miravat, the themes become clear. With the Glass City diverting the Najimov river to benefit the consumptive needs and creature comforts of its own population, I am reminded again of the American Southwest—particularly, the dwindling Colorado River on which the entire Southwest depends, and may soon find itself without.
I'd like to praise Teffau's handling of these themes. She writes in a way that is not pretentious, respecting the reader by simply describing the situation and allowing the reader to come to conclusions on human consumption at its most rudimentary levels.
These are the questions I asked myself while reading: Is it human nature to develop and manipulate nature until we overconsume a resource until it is no more? Is it natural and inevitable for cultures to die out, to move on, to integrate into the consumers and colonizers until their beliefs and traditions become memory? As one character states during the story, “Who needs the stars when you want for nothing?” and “Holding onto the past will only bring you pain."
This begs the most important question of all: What, if anything, can be done to prevent the extinction of culture and natural resources? The author offers a possible answer to this question in the book’s climax. I really appreciated this ending—that the author was not only willing to put this resolution on paper, but that she was willing to acknowledge it as the dirty and morally grey ending that it is.
"A Hunger with no Name" is never action-driven; it has almost no physical conflict aside from a couple of spats with a carnivorous reptilian fauna and some near-misses with the denizens of Miravat. This is a read for spec-fic enthusiasts interested not in space battles or monsters, but in contemplative, often-soothing, sometimes-hard-to-swallow meditations on conservation. If a beautifully written literary adventure appeals to you, however, then I *highly* suggest you join Thurava’s journey under the stars.
The story is written in present tense, first-person POV through the eyes of the young Thurava, a member of the nomadic, star-worshipping Astravan people who live off the land in a vast desert. While I didn’t find Thurava to be an urgently compelling character, she served as a perfect vessel to experience my favorite part of this book: the world.
For me, the desert and the stars were characters in themselves. I was taken away by the setting, picturing something akin to the starlit crystal-clear summer skies of the red and rocky American southwest. The desert and stars are characterized not by adjectives or descriptions, but by the Astravan’s and Thurava’s reverence. These people love their home, its animals, the dwindling Najimov river that gives them life. Teffau clearly possesses an adept understanding of culture and history, because she wrote Astravan legends, beliefs, and behaviors in such a compelling way that the Astravans are probably my favorite human culture in any science fiction book.
It's good that I was so attached to the environment and the Astravan people, because therein lies the novella’s main theme: the conservation of natural and cultural resources. As the plot unfolds and Thurava finds herself drawn to the technologically advanced “Glass City” of Miravat, the themes become clear. With the Glass City diverting the Najimov river to benefit the consumptive needs and creature comforts of its own population, I am reminded again of the American Southwest—particularly, the dwindling Colorado River on which the entire Southwest depends, and may soon find itself without.
I'd like to praise Teffau's handling of these themes. She writes in a way that is not pretentious, respecting the reader by simply describing the situation and allowing the reader to come to conclusions on human consumption at its most rudimentary levels.
These are the questions I asked myself while reading: Is it human nature to develop and manipulate nature until we overconsume a resource until it is no more? Is it natural and inevitable for cultures to die out, to move on, to integrate into the consumers and colonizers until their beliefs and traditions become memory? As one character states during the story, “Who needs the stars when you want for nothing?” and “Holding onto the past will only bring you pain."
This begs the most important question of all: What, if anything, can be done to prevent the extinction of culture and natural resources? The author offers a possible answer to this question in the book’s climax. I really appreciated this ending—that the author was not only willing to put this resolution on paper, but that she was willing to acknowledge it as the dirty and morally grey ending that it is.
"A Hunger with no Name" is never action-driven; it has almost no physical conflict aside from a couple of spats with a carnivorous reptilian fauna and some near-misses with the denizens of Miravat. This is a read for spec-fic enthusiasts interested not in space battles or monsters, but in contemplative, often-soothing, sometimes-hard-to-swallow meditations on conservation. If a beautifully written literary adventure appeals to you, however, then I *highly* suggest you join Thurava’s journey under the stars.
April 25, 2025
A beautifully crafted coming of age story with environment v technology theme.
Highly recommend this short novella to any young person feeling stuck in the Serpent's Fork (of balancing Nature and Technology in their lives) . . . And to the older people who care about them.
Highly recommend this short novella to any young person feeling stuck in the Serpent's Fork (of balancing Nature and Technology in their lives) . . . And to the older people who care about them.
September 3, 2024
I enjoyed the juxtaposition of these two cultures. This really felt like a true fantasy/science fiction cross over. It dealt with real life issues of loss of cultural identity as people move into big urban centers and the struggles many indigenous communities face with a changing climate. I live in New Mexico and could feel the author's love for it. Really enjoyed this book. Only minor criticism would be the ending felt a little rushed but would recommend this book.
March 22, 2025
It started slow and I had trouble getting into it. I eventually enjoyed story but it was a slow read for me.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
May 29, 2025
Rounded up from 4.5
A story about displacement born of greed and what it might take to give your people and life way a fighting chance again.
A story about displacement born of greed and what it might take to give your people and life way a fighting chance again.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews