Praise for THE FREE PEOPLE’S VILLAGE

“The Free People’s Village goes so hard! Sim Kern’s masterpiece burns with righteous fury. This book doesn’t pull punches — instead of hopelessness, it sliced straight through frustration, fatalism, and ennui and made me want to fight back.” —Shana Hausman, All She Wrote Books, Indie Next Selection

"A timely tale that feels like it could be ripped from the headlines, The Free People’s Village could easily fall prey to the white savior trope. Kern instead has Maddie reckon with her whiteness and the damage that she has unwittingly caused to the community she calls home in a thought-provoking and unflinching story of revolution.” Polygon.com, “The best new sci-fi and fantasy books for Fall 2023.”

“The Free People’s Village is a commentary, both compassionate and cutting, on the woke white activist’s journey and, above all, a full-throated ode to resistance and the found family that fuels it.” Megan Bell, The Southern Bookseller Review

“The Free People’s Village isn’t just a dystopian story about racial justice and climate action. It’s also a love story and a tale of queer awakening through the eyes of Maddie, who is leaving behind a strict Catholic upbringing and embracing her queerness, all while getting closer to the band’s lead guitarist. It is also about becoming resilient when your dreams of making the world a better place are crushed and you can only pick yourself up and try again.” in OutSmart Magazine, Sept. 2023 issue. “A Queer Climate Activist: Author Sim Kern releases new anarchist climate fiction novel.”

“The story focuses on a white English teacher, Maddie Ryan, who joins a Black-led group of activists fighting to save their neighborhood from being torn down to make way for a new electromagnetic hyperway. Oh, and she also plays in a queer punk band. (Definitely adding this to my to-be-read list.)” -Megan Liscomb, Buzzfeed

Interview on Houston Matters with Craig Cohen, KUHF / NPR, Sept. 5th, 2023. “Author Sim Kern imagines what would have happened in Houston if Al Gore had won in 2000.”

“The Mary Sue Book Club, September 2023: Climate Fiction To Sink Your Teeth Into, More”

"Beautiful, brilliant, and unflinching, Free People's Village will both inspire you and devour you...in the best possible way." - Nicky Drayden, author of Escaping Exodus and The Prey of Gods

"Full of furious kindness, radical community, passionate politics, and authentic friendships, 'The Free People's Village' is a sharply-written paean to hope, set in a vivid, brilliantly imagined future that alternately filled me with loathing and yearning. From the carefully crafted timelines to the intensely real characters, this was a story that yanked me into its world and didn't let me surface for hours. You live because you still can, and you organize because you still can, and you fight because you still can." —Premee Mohamed, author of The Annual Migration of Clouds and The Void Trilogy

"A thought-provoking, exciting ride. The Free People's Village is a mesmerizing portrait of revolutions-- the internal ones that call us to find and fight for the best versions of ourselves; the external that consume, invigorate, and demand as they explore paths to justice. Grounded in an imaginative landscape and rounded out by an inclusive, complex cast, FPV masterfully explores identity, morality, and the choices we make as vehicles that hold radical power in the quest for liberation. More than a love letter to Houston, its bayous, and people forgotten and remembered, Sim Kern's world sings with possibility, hope, and joy that will leave you laughing--and crying--long after the last bomb has dropped." —Ehigbor Okosun, author of Forged by Blood

“A powerful story of justice denied and the legacy of activism as well as a personal journey of growth. For those who wish to learn bravery, solidarity, and community.” —Sarah Rice, Booklist

The Free People’s Village is a Publishers Weekly top 10 pick in adult scifi, fantasy, and horror for fall 2023!

Praise for REAL SUGAR IS HARD TO FIND

"Kern is a master at creating worlds that feel vast and lived-in with very few words, as well as balancing pathos with wry humor. The result is a searing, urgent, but still achingly tender work that will wow any reader of speculative fiction." --Publisher's Weekly, *starred* review of REAL SUGAR IS HARD TO FIND

"There’s a carefully curated urgency here inspired by current world events without getting heavy-handed or preachy. The main ingredient for this collection isn’t fear, but heart. The focus of these stories doesn’t feel like trying to capitalize off anxieties about the future, but rather expressing the humanity of people and how they come together to help or support each other, even when everything seems hopeless." --Milo Todd, Foglifter

"Each story’s world is quickly drawn and made complex by the characters and the problems they face. When it comes to world-ending scenarios, the breadth of ideas on display here is incredible." --Melody Bowles, British Fantasy Society

"Through every precise, pared-back paragraph, every carefully crafted sentence, there runs a thread of continuous urgency, as Kern builds story on top of story into a thematically unified whole. You might not feel exactly hopeful about the world after diving into Sim Kern's luminous imagination, but I can promise you'll feel something --which, as these stories remind us, is surely the whole point of being alive." --Katie McIvor, Etherea Magazine

"Kern excels at creating haunting worlds and memorable characters throughout Real Sugar Is Hard to Find." --Tina S. Zhu, Strange Horizons

Praise for Depart, Depart!

"With high stakes and a solid emotional core, and a perfect balance of speculation and an all-too-real vision of climate apocalypse, Kern shows the necessity of compassion, empathy, and community in the face of crisis." --Publishers Weekly, *starred* review

"Kern’s debut novella takes climate change and makes it personal. Readers will root hard for Noah and his found family to survive the crisis they’re facing, but Noah’s internal journey proves to be just as compelling. This book is a ghost story, but it’s a love story too: to the queer community, to those we’ve lost, and all we stand to lose if we don’t take drastic action. Kern’s prose is tremendously effective and will both break your heart and offer hope." --Jen St. Jude, Chicago Review of Books

“Depart, Depart! is ultimately a story of hope. It’s a steadying hand on the shoulder of trans readers, particularly those struggling to feel safe and loved, and particularly those who feel that different parts of themselves can never be reconciled.” --Em Rowntree, The Geekiary