This book has the courage to imagine a world where we actually deal with climate change. It is heartwarming in so many ways - its optimism about humanity, the queer found family, the ability of humanity to teach aliens useful things.

The aliens and the space travel are rather fantastical - there is magic language translation, magic antigravity, magic FTL. The tech that the Watershed networks feels deeply unrealistic and facepalm-inducing on so many points.

But I forgive the book for all of its inaccurracies because of how few authors are even trying to envision a world where we deal with climate change. I know only of three books that have tried this - the other two being The Ministry for the Future, and the Lost Cause. And this is the only one that doesn't have magic cryptocurrency save the day.

When compared against Ministry for the Future & The Lost Cause, I'd say Half-Built Garden shines the strongest - it actually has societal change that feels suitable to the task and a world that feels worth working towards.