Venomous Lumpsucker, by Ned Beauman
If there could be an entertaining read about the horrors of mass extinction, this is it! A satirical mix of climate fiction and extinction fiction, it exposes the scale of the issues we face as we potentially lose up to 70 per cent of the species on earth, but it does so with a wry humour. The eponymous “Venomous Lumpsucker” is not a creature you could warm to, but it provides a good illustration of the dangers of losing unusual species.
Central to the book is the idea of “extinction credits”. These are financial instruments intended to fund the protection of vulnerable species. But, as with the real carbon credits, devise various legal and slightly dodgy ways to subvert their purpose. This highlights how ludicrous is the idea of using financial instruments as the primary mechanism for solving our environmental crises.
I didn’t really warm to either of the main characters. However, the dilemmas each of them faces as they relate to the extinction crisis are examined carefully and thoughtfully.
This is a lively and interesting way of getting across the massive problem we’re facing as we drive more and more species to the brink of extinction and beyond. Using an unappealing fish, rather than one of the more charismatic species to show us what’s happening was a good choice and references to all the other unknown and, at present, unidentified also facing extinction was managed well.