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A review by jenniferlewyauthor
The Deluge by Stephen Markley
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I nearly left this door-stopper at home when I went on vacation. But I’m so glad I took this beautiful creation with me. "The Deluge" by @stephen.markley is a dense, ambitious sci fi epic that imagines a near-future America that (no surprise here) is falling apart due to environmental disaster and political turmoil.
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One of the many things that kept me glued to this story is its structure. The author spun up future news articles, social media posts, and included asides to capture extra thoughts of some of the characters. I imagine the author gleefully adding to each character’s backstory in his head until some of it spilled onto the page, sometimes not even fitting into the narrative, so it burst through in juicy side notes. (That’s how real the characters felt to me.)
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I admit that some of the political back-and-forth around legislative options for carbon taxes and the like was lost on me, but I got the gist: the realistic-seeming cast of characters here represent the many facets of climate change action (and inaction). He's capture the many opinions about what's right, most effective, and quickest way to save humanity’s last chance at a future. It stirred a bit of my climate anxiety, but I’m seeing the novel through to the promising-to-be-thrilling end.
.
So, is this a “once-in-a-generation” book as its blurb states? Based on the amount of research and imagination that went into writing it, I’m inclined to believe that the author might need to rest for a generation. (Though I hope not!) In any case, it’s a masterful piece of work, and a thought-provoking, gripping read.
.
One of the many things that kept me glued to this story is its structure. The author spun up future news articles, social media posts, and included asides to capture extra thoughts of some of the characters. I imagine the author gleefully adding to each character’s backstory in his head until some of it spilled onto the page, sometimes not even fitting into the narrative, so it burst through in juicy side notes. (That’s how real the characters felt to me.)
.
I admit that some of the political back-and-forth around legislative options for carbon taxes and the like was lost on me, but I got the gist: the realistic-seeming cast of characters here represent the many facets of climate change action (and inaction). He's capture the many opinions about what's right, most effective, and quickest way to save humanity’s last chance at a future. It stirred a bit of my climate anxiety, but I’m seeing the novel through to the promising-to-be-thrilling end.
.
So, is this a “once-in-a-generation” book as its blurb states? Based on the amount of research and imagination that went into writing it, I’m inclined to believe that the author might need to rest for a generation. (Though I hope not!) In any case, it’s a masterful piece of work, and a thought-provoking, gripping read.