We sent Adam Rex, the author of so many wonderful books himself, a copy of Abhimanyu Sukhdial’s Three Days Till EOC, the winning work in Stone Soup’s Book Contest 2019, published last September. We were so thrilled to receive this incredible review of the book from him. Thank you, Mr. Rex, and congratulations, Abhi! There are a lot of stories about the end of the world, and almost as many fictional methods for bringing that end about (zombies, war, fairy invasion, alien planning committee to build a hyperspace bypass). Not a few of them are about the very real prospect that we’ll do ourselves in with global warming. That we’ll drown beneath the weight of all the stuff we thought we couldn’t do without. I’ve seen these stories before. Every one of them has been written by a true believer—an author who warns us that we have to change course for the sake of our children, or our children’s children. But there’s something especially arresting about a story of global warming catastrophe written by an author who just may be young enough to see it come about in his own lifetime. Three Days till EOC is special because author Abhimanyu Sukhdial makes you feel an urgency he no doubt feels himself. And because, after walking you to that edge, he also has the wisdom to imagine a way we all might take a step back. Climate scientist Graham Alison is one of only a thousand or so people left alive in the year 2100. And while his fellow humans are resigned to abandoning Earth and starting fresh on Mars, Alison remains hopeful that the coming climate cataclysm can be turned back. He sets upon a journey that’s equal parts survivalist adventure and classic science fiction, building upon the work of humanity’s best and brightest to travel through space and time. And when Alison finds you can’t change the course of a river by throwing a few stones, author Sukhdial leads him to a solution that could only exist in the most hopeful science fiction: a massive social media network that actually does what it’s supposed to do—make the world a better place by giving us a common purpose. At 12, Sukhdial already understands what many of us never learn: that often the only hope of reaching someone is to pull them close, find a personal connection, and tell a story. For hero Graham Alison, it’s how you save the world. But for author Sukhdial, it’s also the way to his readers’ hearts. Three Days Till EOC by Abhimanyu Sukhdial, published by Children’s Art Foundation–Stone Soup Inc. (2020) Buy your copies at all good book stores, from Amazon, or from the Stone Soup online store here.
Abhimanyu Sukhdial
Dan Bloom, Editor of The Cli-Fi Report, reviews “Three Days Till EOC” by Abhi Sukhdial
Stone Soup Editor’s note: We sent a copy of Three Days Till EOC by Abhimanyu Sukhdial, the winner of our 2019 book contest published in September 2020, to the (grand)father of cli-fi, Dan Bloom, in Taiwan. He wrote us a wonderful letter of recommendation which he has given us permission to publish on our website, since his own, cli-fi.net, is not currently being updated. SCI FI NOVELLA by 12 year old boy in Oklahoma gets rave review from 71-year-old book reviewer in Taiwan In a new 66-page science/climate fiction novella by a 12-year-old boy named Abhimanyu Sukhdial from Oklahoma, titled Three Days Till EOC, time is running out. “It is the year 2100 and water, the thing that matters to all life, is wiping out life itself. The ice sheets have melted, the Earth has passed its last cataclysmic tipping point, and now there are only three days until the ‘End of Civilization,'” as the notes on the back cover of this well-designed and easy-to-read novella tell us. “Climate scientist Graham Alison, one of the last 1,000 humans left on Earth, is racing against the odds to save the world before the last rescue shuttle leaves for the Mars colonies. Will he manage to persuade the leaders of the past to change their behavior so that the present can be different? Or will it be precious networks of family relationships across time and space that actually save humanity?” The publishers, Children’s Art Foundation–Stone Soup Inc., sent me a copy of his book by air-mail and although it took two months to arrive at my home in Taiwan during this global pandemic, it finally arrived last week and I immediately sat down to start reading it. I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t put the book down. It’s that’s good. It’s amazing that a 12-year-old boy in America could write such a well-plotted sci-fi story and get it published. You can order it via Amazon and other book ordering sites online. This is a science fiction book set in the future–some call it dystopian, although Abhi feels that such a label limits it to just a particular sub-genre. Among the people in the book: We meet the main character Graham Hart Alison and a cast of characters, including the first Indian-American U.S. president, Mr. Ram Singh who is in office in 2052. Teens and sci-fi geeks will love it, and so will YA readers and adults, too. Famous sci-fi writers like David Brin or Kim Stanley Robinson might even enjoy reading this book. It’s a novella that combines “science fiction” with “climate fiction” and I at the age of 71-going-on-72 enjoyed every single page. This is a young writer to watch! Signed – Dan Bloom, editor, The Cli-Fi Report www.cli-fi.net
Three Days till EOC by Abhimanyu Sukhdial
Welcome to the Book Page for Three Days till EOC, a cli-fi thriller by Abhimanyu Sukhdial, age 12, winner of the 2019 Stone Soup Annual Book Contest, published on September 1, 2020 by Children’s Art Foundation–Stone Soup Inc. Awards & Listings 2022: Three Days till EOC was recognized by the 2021-22 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards in the novel writing category. As per the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards “This year the Scholastic Awards received nearly 260,000 entries nationally; 20,000 entries were from the Remote* Programs alone! In the Remote Programs, only 9 percent of all works received a Silver Key. And only 12 percent of all works submitted to our Remote Programs received an Honorable Mention. Receiving a Silver Key or Honorable Mention is an incredible achievement.” * Remote or Region-at-Large (RAL) is the regional level program for students who live outside of areas covered by Affiliate Partners. Abhi was recognized as Oklahoma recipient of the Young Promising Writer Award from the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and Promising Young Writer Awards, which specifically recognizes 8th grade writers. To qualify, students must first be nominate by their teachers, and they must submit 2 pieces of writing – a “best” piece no more than 6 pages, and a “theme” piece no more than 4 pages. Abhi selected an excerpt from Three Days till EOC for his “Best” writing and for his second piece, wrote a personal essay around the NCTE 2022 themed prompt: Exploring Boundaries. Oklahoma hadn’t had a student place for the last several years. Abhi was the sole honoree within the state this year. He was among 66 students out of total 116 nominated students in US/Canada and American schools abroad that were recognized with the Promising Young Writer Award for 2022. 2021: Three Days Till EOC was named the Honor Award Winner for the 2021 Green Earth Book Awards in the Young Adult Fiction category. This is a national award administered by The Nature Generation that recognizes children’s and YA literature that best promotes the message of environmental stewardship. As part of Abhi’s Honor Award win from the 2021 Green Earth Book Awards, he also recorded a riveting video in which he advocates for immediate climate action. You can watch this video, here. The NextGen Under 30 Oklahoma program selected Abhi as an honoree in the category of ARTS. The goal of the program is to mentor and nurture the next generation of achievers and leaders with the hope they will continue to give back to their local communities and the state. To be selected for such an honor is an incredible achievement in its own right, but Abhi’s inclusion as a teenager is especially rare! Enjoy these photos of Abhi taken at the NextGen Under 30 awards ceremony. The state of Oklahoma decided to reward Abhi and other 250 winners of the Next Gen Under 30 award with a grand event at the Embassy Suites Convention Center in Norman, OK. Enjoy a photo of Abhi and his assistant principal—also an awardee—below! 2020: Abhi’s book was selected for listing amongst the “books received in November” in Locus Magazine: it’s pretty cool to appear on a list that also includes Margaret Atwood, H.G. Wells, and J.R.R Tolkien! Reviews Adam Rex, author of The True Meaning of Smekday (2007), and the NYT bestselling Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich (2006). Adam Rex wrote an enthusiastic and generous review of Abhi’s book, which you can read in full here. “…there’s something especially arresting about a story of global warming catastrophe written by an author who just may be young enough to see it come about in his own lifetime. Three Days till EOC is special because author Abhimanyu Sukhdial makes you feel an urgency he no doubt feels himself. And because, after walking you to that edge, he also has the wisdom to imagine a way we all might take a step back.” Zillah Bethell, author of The Shark Caller (2020), The Extraordinary Colours of Auden Dare (2017) and A Whisper of Horses (2016) “I was gripped from start to finish. Abhi is an extraordinarily talented writer and I look forward to following his career.” Dan Bloom, Editor, The Cli-Fi Report We mailed of a copy of the book to Dan Bloom, inventor of the term “cli-fi,” and he sent us a wonderful letter of recommendation. You can read his complete letter here, and the quotes below give you an idea of how much he enjoyed the book! “I couldn’t put the book down. It’s that good.” “Teens and sci-fi geeks will love it, and so will YA readers and adults, too. It’s a novella that combines science fiction with climate fiction, and I at the age of 71-going-on-72 enjoyed every single page. This is a young writer to watch!” “Bravo!” UNAI (United Nations Academic Impact) “Why We Care,” a review of the book by Ramu Damodaran, Chief, United Nations Academic Impact. Available as a PDF: Why We Care – 3 September 2020 | Academic Impact; or at the UNAI website. Press, Interviews & Events Stillwater News Press Abhi’s selection as an honoree for the ARTS by NextGen Under 30 Oklahoma was publicized in the local paper. KOSU NPR Abhi was interviewed by KOSU, the regional NPR station, for an article and radio segment published on Earth Day 2021. Photo courtesy of Chelsea Stanfield / KOSU India Association of Oklahoma Meet the Author – interview and Q&A with families and students. Duke TIP Newsletter Coverage in the newsletter of Duke University’s Academic Talent Search program, TIP. Click the image to read the full article and review. Author interview with Stone Soup Intern Anya Geist Abhi and Anya have an in-depth conversation about Abhi’s writing process, the development of EOC, and the experience of writing for and winning the contest. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-susnKavHLY&t=26s Morning Edition program on TV 31 Stillwater The link to Facebook below will take you direct to the video of the show on 29/10/20. The interview with Abhi runs between minutes 12:44
