Post-apocalypse novels – they’re all the rage at the moment, aren’t they?
It seems that whenever things are tough, we like to indulge in some sort of “life’s-bad-but-it-could-be-worse” situation. Whether it is as a consequence of COVID-19, or some other factor, it seems to me that they’re back in fashion.*
Whatever the reason, dealing with global life-changing events seems to be a thing – and popular. To this list we can now add Tim’s latest. He’s not a newcomer to this sort of thing, though – you might know him because of his book The Silence (2015) which was made into a very successful Netflix film starring Stanley Tucci and Kiernan Shipka and involved strange creatures that reacted to noise. He’s written other books of a similar nature as well.
This one combines a Mad Max style desert environment created by global warming with an element of Ray Bradbury theatricals and even a touch of Stephen King horror – possibly even Lovecraft as well, whilst we’re at it.
From the publisher: “With global warming out of control, large swathes of North America have been struck by famine and drought and are now known as the Desert. A young woman sets out across this dry, hostile landscape, gradually building an arcane apparatus she believes will bring rain to the parched earth.
Jesse lives alone, far from civilization. Once, he too made rain, but he stopped when his abilities caused fatalities, bringing down not just rain but scorpions, strange snakes and spiders. When his daughter Ash inherited this tainted gift, Jesse did his best to stop her. His attempt went tragically wrong, and he believes himself responsible for her death.
But now his estranged wife Karina brings news that Ash is still alive. And she’s rainmaking again. Terrified of what she might bring down upon the desperate communities of the Desert, they set out to find her. But Jesse and Karina are not the only ones looking for Ash. As the storms she conjures become more violent and deadly, some follow her seeking hope. And one is hungry for revenge.”
So, what we have here is a set of characters, all given short chapters. Most important initially is Jesse, a Rainmaker, who by using a strange piece of equipment has the power to create rain – much needed in this desert landscape. Jesse is estranged from his daughter Ash, who also appears to have inherited Jesse’s powers – although she sees it as a curse. Jesse’s ex-wife Karina is also distant having spent recent years looking for their daughter. When Ash’s powers are shown on television, Jimi – a Soaker (someone who hoards and sells water) – sets off to find her, believing that she will lead back to Jesse, who killed his father in a storm event when Jimi was younger.
Things begin with a very Ray Bradbury-esque beginning that feels both very vaudeville-ian and very strange, with a feeling of decaying Americana. The process of making rain without seeding the clouds acting through people with strange, almost arcane, powers seems like magic in a world where the landscape is dry, dreary and depressing, a near-future with drought exacerbated by climate change. It almost feels like something out of Mad Max, with the Soakers selling and rationing water as they move around the Drylands. The apocalyptic event here is the encroachment of a rise in global temperatures past a tipping point of no return.
However, (and as ever), every miracle of rain has a price and here the consequences of these storm-making events are that the rain brings other things with it. The cause of these strange events means that the story strays a little into Stranger Things territory. Interestingly, the cause of these strange powers is never entirely explained, although there are hints of a long history and various backstories to hint at such an origin.
This complication also allows the development of sub-plots. Add to this the fact that it is these powers that have separated a father from his daughter and caused the breakup of a family and we soon realise that there is a social cost to pay. In addition, we meet a friend for Ash and a desire for revenge on Jesse. The characters are flawed but understandably so and both villain and heroes have their moments of retribution and denial, not to mention redemption.
In order for this to happen, the events and characters are drawn to each other for various reasons, leading to a nicely set-up ending. A little warning here, though – the last part of the book is particularly messy, although fans of Tim’s horror novels will know what to expect and will actually find much to like here.
This is the best Tim Lebbon I’ve read in a while. It is a story with resonance today (I’m typing this on the hottest day in the UK ever recorded, which seems somewhat appropriate!) and a plot which plays to Tim’s writerly strengths. There are well-defined characters, fast paced action and moments of scary terror that build from a fast-paced start to an effective finish. A great beach read for this year – or perhaps whilst you’re sweltering in the uncommonly high Summer temperatures we seem to be having!
. *(Although some might argue that they’re always around – John Wyndham’s The Day of the Triffids (1951), Stephen King’s The Stand (1978), Chuck Wendig’s Wanderers (2019), Josh Malerman’s Bird Box (2014) and Mike Carey’s Book of Koli series (2020-2021) are quick examples, off the top of my head.)
The Last Storm by Tim Lebbon
Published by Titan Books, July 2022
352 pages
ISBN: 978-1803360423
Review by Mark Yon
