There’s something particularly strange about living in New Zealand. We’re so far away from everyone else that they see us, often, through a dreamy, idealistic haze. We’re the modern utopia. Not Australia, but with extra sheep . . . but we’ve got our own problems. Modern day New Zealand is no utopia. We have, however, been the host for some.
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Samuel Butler’s Erewhon is a seminal text of early genre fiction, exploring utopia and dystopia, artificial intelligence, and more. As we approach the 150th anniversary of this seminal text, we are thrilled to be reprinting our very namesake. With an introduction by New Zealand speculative fiction writer and academic, Octavia Cade, we gain the context and nuance needed to read and celebrate Erewhon for the modern day.
October 25, 2022 / $14.95 / 304 pages
A utopian classic with a rich legacy–influencing the work of authors from Aldous Huxley to Frank Herbert and beyond–Samuel Butler’s Erewhon deftly satirizes aspects of Victorian society with biting insight still relevant today.
When Higgs, a young traveler, stumbles upon the beautiful land of Erewhon, he soon discovers that its seemingly ideal culture is founded upon bizarre, unsettling beliefs. Crime is a sickness, while sickness is a crime. The most valuable currency is worthless, and wealth is directly correlated with morality. The greatest scholarly achievement is Unreason, and all machines have been eliminated for fear of artificial intelligence.
In a society that suppresses originality, the traveler and his values are a threat. Torn between escape and the woman he has grown to love, Higgs must contend with the strange ways of Erewhon, and where his own beliefs fit in.
Engaging with the work of Charles Darwin and inspired by the author’s time in colonial New Zealand, Erewhon is a bright, irreverent, and enduring text about religion, crime, technology, and institutional rigidity. This new edition of the 1872 classic arrives in honor of its 150th anniversary, featuring a brilliant introduction contextualizing the book from one of New Zealand’s great academic thinkers in science fiction, Dr. Octavia Cade.
Octavia Cade is a New Zealand writer. She has a PhD in science communication and a particular interest in how science intersects with speculative fiction: examples of her work on this can be found in Horror Studies, MOSF Journal of Science Fiction, Interdisciplinary Literary Studies, Supernatural Studies and various anthologies from academic presses. She has also sold over 60 short stories to markets including Clarkesworld, F&SF, and Strange Horizons. A novel, several novellas, two poetry collections, two short story collections, and a nonfiction collection have sold to various small presses. She is a four time Sir Julius Vogel Award winner and a Bram Stoker nominee. Octavia attended Clarion West 2016, and was the 2020 writer in residence at Massey University.