“With each story, we leap forward, and, with each leap forward, we have to relearn the rules of the narrative in much the same way that a time traveller would have to relearn the world. This makes for a unique and a uniquely compelling experience.”
- Aaron Schneider for The Temz Review issue 9
“Although the same city in different time periods can be unrecognizable, Ben Berman Ghan’s Toronto in What We See in the Smoke has kept some street names and locations even as the physical place moved from Earth in 2016 to Janus in 3036.”
- Catherine Lu for Augur Magazine
“Despite its unique motley demeanour, What We See ends up being a novel rich in motifs that the average Torontonian can recognize and understand. A mixture of the heinous and the righteous, and a spark of constant renewal that keeps it all in flux, Ben Ghan’s debut is a solid underscoring of the Torontonian ethos.”
- Liam Bryant for The Varsity
“What We See in the Smoke is a beautifully written, dark novel that I recommend to every type of book lover. Sci-fi fans, dystopia dreamers, and Toronto lovers. It’s a brilliant, unique piece of fiction, and if you can handle some darkness, take a peek into what fate holds for dear old Toronto.”
- Emma McQuiggan for The White Wall Review
“What we see in the smoke is not about what happened to Earth and why. It is about living with what is happening, war or no war, space station or planet. The protagonists in each of the stories do the best that they can with the situation they have been put in, whether it is to find their loved ones or save them.”
- Kriti Khare for The Nerd Daily
“The sci-fi elements are both outlandish and believable. The tone is often dark and sometimes funny, and there’s always something at stake that hits at the heart.”
- Matt M Cook at mwcook.com
“an interesting and unusual collection/novel, and one I can whole-heartedly recommend!”
- Markus Thierstein for The ScifiFantasy Network
What are your thoughts on the book? Feel free to add your own review and read more at Goodreads!