Feed Them Silence

October 1, 2022

A neurological interface allows Dr. Sean Kell-Luddon to do something she's always wanted: to enter the mind of an animal--in this case, one of Earth's last remaining wolves--and experience the world as it does. But this research is dangerous, threatening her mental and physical health, driving her from her wife, and possibly threatening the wolf itself. Following the debut novel Summer Sons and numerous Nebula/Lambda/Hugo-nominated stories.

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Starred review from November 21, 2022
This impressive novella from Mandelo (Summer Sons) probes the bounds of human empathy in the face of ecological crisis. Sean, a middle-aged researcher in the year 2031, embarks on a study that will link her brain to the brain of a wolf whose habitat has been shrinking rapidly. Her wife questions her motivations, and indeed, Sean’s interest in experiencing a wolf’s perspective of the world is initially largely personal. But as the season changes and the wolves struggle to survive, she becomes increasingly invested in the pack’s ability to persevere and thrive. Mandelo achieves a remarkable feat in capturing the wolf’s-eye view, creatively and believably describing the interiority of a wolf’s mind and offering a complex look at what effect Sean’s connection to this different way of thinking might have. Through this close link between woman and wolf, Mandelo delivers a powerful message about environmentalism and the limits of technology that doubles as a page-turning story about a collapsing marriage. Urgent, intimate, immediate, this is sure to wow.

January 6, 2023
In this unsettling novella, Mandelo (Summer Sons, 2021) envisions a near future in which only a few wolves remain in the wild. University researcher Sean Kell-Luddon has accepted corporate funding for a project in which she is both investigator and subject. Her team implants devices in both her and a local wolf who has been caught, sedated, and released. Using proprietary technology, she can enter the mind of "her" wolf, which the team has named Kate, and experience what it feels like to be part of a pack on the edge of starvation. Sean's obsession with her project has driven a wedge between her and her skeptical wife, Riya, who points out that the wolves can't give their consent to participate. Prickling unease slowly builds as the onset of winter leads the pack, and Sean, into dangerous territory. Mandelo deftly illustrates the disintegration of a marriage while addressing serious questions: can a profit-driven company ever truly fund conservation? How much self-sabotage can a relationship sustain? Climate-fiction readers, Sarah Gailey fans, and folk-horror aficionados should all take note.

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November 1, 2022

In the near future, neuroscientist Dr. Sean Kell-Luddon creates a novel observational experiment using a neural brain-mesh to combine her brain with Kate's, a wolf who is part of one of the world's last wild packs. By pursuing her life's dream, though, Sean is also fraying her marriage with her wife. As marital tensions rise, her research method also presents a terrifying complication for both her and Kate. Sean will need to navigate the implications of her research on both her personal and professional lives. The novella presents an interesting "what-if" scenario wrapped within an ethical conundrum. This allows Mandelo to focus on the relationships between their characters and to push them in unsettling and challenging directions. VERDICT Supported by Mandelo's (Summer Sons) characteristic, melancholic prose, this novella may not be for every reader, but it will appeal to those who appreciate delving into thorny ethical dilemmas and will make readers consider their own beliefs regarding ethics, research, technology, and relationships.--Laura Hiatt

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.