Fin May Save The World

Bruce Von Stiers

Fin is a teenaged girl in Australia, sometime in the near future. Her dad is an astronomer and mom is a photographer and scientist. The world in that future is far removed from what we have now, but not really. Certain sciences are being sidelined, forests are being depleted, entire species of earth's creatures are becoming extinct, and diversity is no longer seen as a positive thing.

That is the basis for a novel titled The Thinning. It was written by Inga Simpson, the author of the award-winning novels Mr. Wigg, Where The Trees Are, Willowman and The Last Woman In The World. The novel was published by Akashic Books.

Fin and her mother, Dianella, live off the grid in New South Wales. There is an upcoming celestial event that could change everything. And the outliers that Fin and her mother want to be able to help things along. But there are government and other entities that are creating obstacles.

Not only are the outliers being hunted, but there are also a group of evolved people who are being hunted too. These humans are termed “Incompletes.” The Incompletes apparently have powers that go far beyond that of a normal human.

Fin is on a mission to get to a specific place in the Warrumbungle National Park. There, she, her mother and other outliers seek to take advantage of the celestial event for a specific purpose. Along the way on this mission, Fin encounters an Incomplete named Terry. He is being hunted by the government. Terry was separated from his parents before his encounter with Fin and doesn't know if they are safe, captured or something else.

Stuck between the various story elements are pieces of Fin's life before this current journey. Her life with her friends, and love and loss, including her father having cancer. And the government putting a choke hold on various sciences, including astronomy. And to boost dwindling population growth, the government is beginning to harvest ovarian eggs of the country's teenaged girls.

There are also descriptions of various locations within the Warrumbungle National Park as Fin and Terry try to reach their final destination.

The novel creates a world that, in the current state of things, somehow doesn't seem too farfetched. Climate change, global warming, or whatever you might choose to call it, is a real thing. But certain people in power, and others, have a lot to gain from denial of a future natural world catastrophe. And by stifling the work of scientists, along with discouraging dissent and squashing protests, they are slowing accomplishing the ultimate demise of the planet.

But the end of the novel turns all of this around for a satisfying conclusion.

The Thinning is a very interesting and thought provoking novel. Simpson seems to have her finger on the pulse of how we both respect the earth and try to destroy in unequal opportunities. And she created a compelling anti hero in Fin.

The Thinning is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop. You can also order it directly from Akashic Books.

You can find more information about The Thinning at https://www.akashicbooks.com/catalog/the-thinning/

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© 2026 Bruce E Von Stiers