Book Review: The Blossoming of the Big Tree by Dilman Dila

 

 I had seen this on Net Galley and kind of shied away from the arachnid on the cover.  I'm not opposed to spiders, but I'm also not that into them. At some point Mr. Dila reached out and asked if I might be interested in this Solar Punk novel, and after looking at the description, YES, I was. I really enjoyed this novel, and I think I will want to read at least one more novella from this author. 

I so see a different background cover offered as well.   Do you have a preference? 

  This is really interesting science fiction/climate fiction with a snappy main female character who is about 70 years old, and a bit set in her ways.  She knows she isn't like everyone else, but she also, at age 70 has learned how to cope and get along in the world, despite her aversion to socialization, and depending on others.  She understands how interconnected the world is, and how people may be depending on her and she may be depending on them.  She doesn't love it, but she knows how her world works. She's elected/voluntold to the chairmanship of National Defense, and as she understands how her world works, she accepts without a fuss.  After all- she is living in a decentralized cooperative society- and she doesn't figure any other nation/area is going to pick a fight. 

Our intrepid main character did not expect a neighboring power to invader her peaceful country. They want their inventive eco-friendly tech and food. She's got to come up with something, and fast. Her decentralized society knows it can't fight back with military power, so they are throwing all hope at the Chairperson of National Defense. What's a girl to do? Adita - who just wanted to stay home- is about to have an adventure.  

Here's how I picture our main character: 

Parks, Gordon, photographer. Daytona Beach, Florida. Woman who says she is 104 years old. Volusia County Daytona Beach Florida United States, 1943. Feb. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2017845190/.

 

Overall, I enjoyed this novella.  It has a delightful and satisfying ending, a main character that I wholly enjoyed meeting, and a lot of different points for discussion if read as a group. 

If one is going for the HRCYED (hardest Reading Challenge you'll Ever Do)  this will fall squarely in the Regions challenge, and can cover Regions in Africa. 

I hope more people will discover Dilman, for both Films and Literature! 

First Published :  7/1/2026

Pages: 110

Available as an Audio Book :  Not at this time. 

Trigger Warnings: Ecological disaster, War, Shunning (this is not a full list, read responsibly)