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The Last Storm
A gripping road trip through post-apocalyptic America from Tim Lebbon, New York Times bestseller and author of Netflix’s The Silence.
Struck by famine and drought, large swathes of North America are now known as the Desert. Set against this mythic and vast backdrop, The Last Storm is a timely story of a family of Rainmakers whose rare and arcane gift has become a curse.
Jesse stopped rainmaking the moment his abilities became deadly, bringing down not just rain but scorpions, strange snakes and spiders. He thought he could help a land suffering from climate catastrophe, but he was wrong. When his daughter Ash inherited the tainted gift carried down the family bloodline, Jesse did his best to stop her. His attempt went tragically wrong, and ever since then he has believed himself responsible for his daughter's death.
But now his wife Karina––who never gave up looking for their daughter—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, the estranged couple set out across the desolate landscape 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.
Struck by famine and drought, large swathes of North America are now known as the Desert. Set against this mythic and vast backdrop, The Last Storm is a timely story of a family of Rainmakers whose rare and arcane gift has become a curse.
Jesse stopped rainmaking the moment his abilities became deadly, bringing down not just rain but scorpions, strange snakes and spiders. He thought he could help a land suffering from climate catastrophe, but he was wrong. When his daughter Ash inherited the tainted gift carried down the family bloodline, Jesse did his best to stop her. His attempt went tragically wrong, and ever since then he has believed himself responsible for his daughter's death.
But now his wife Karina––who never gave up looking for their daughter—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, the estranged couple set out across the desolate landscape 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.
351 pages, Paperback
First published July 5, 2022
About the author
Tim Lebbon
266 books1,460 followersI love writing, reading, triathlon, real ale, chocolate, good movies, occasional bad movies, and cake.
I was born in London in 1969, lived in Devon until I was eight, and the next twenty years were spent in Newport. My wife Tracey and I then did a Good Thing and moved back to the country, and we now live in the little village of Goytre in Monmouthshire with our kids Ellie and Daniel. And our dog, Blu, who is the size of a donkey.
I love the countryside ... I do a lot of running and cycling, and live in the best part of the world for that.
I've had loads of books published in the UK, USA, and around the world, including novels, novellas, and collections. I write horror, fantasy, and now thrillers, and I've been writing as a living for over 8 years. I've won quite a few awards for my original fiction, and I've also written tie-in projects for Star Wars, Alien, Hellboy, The Cabin in the Woods, and 30 Days of Night.
A movie's just been made of my short story Pay the Ghost, starring Nicolas Cage and Sarah Wayne Callies. There are other projects in development, too.
I'd love to hear from you!
I was born in London in 1969, lived in Devon until I was eight, and the next twenty years were spent in Newport. My wife Tracey and I then did a Good Thing and moved back to the country, and we now live in the little village of Goytre in Monmouthshire with our kids Ellie and Daniel. And our dog, Blu, who is the size of a donkey.
I love the countryside ... I do a lot of running and cycling, and live in the best part of the world for that.
I've had loads of books published in the UK, USA, and around the world, including novels, novellas, and collections. I write horror, fantasy, and now thrillers, and I've been writing as a living for over 8 years. I've won quite a few awards for my original fiction, and I've also written tie-in projects for Star Wars, Alien, Hellboy, The Cabin in the Woods, and 30 Days of Night.
A movie's just been made of my short story Pay the Ghost, starring Nicolas Cage and Sarah Wayne Callies. There are other projects in development, too.
I'd love to hear from you!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
July 24, 2022
3.0 Stars
I have loved several of Tim Lebbon's previous books so I was interested to read his newest release. I find he tends to write really engaging pageturners.
However, this was a departure from that. I felt like he was trying to write a more character driven story. The challenge to these types of stories is that they require the reader to become invested in those people, and that wasn't the case for me here. The premise was intriguing, but the execution didn't work for me. I never got fully invested in the story. The narrative was fine, but nothing special or something I haven't read before. If you love post apocalyptic fiction, you may still want to check this one out.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
I have loved several of Tim Lebbon's previous books so I was interested to read his newest release. I find he tends to write really engaging pageturners.
However, this was a departure from that. I felt like he was trying to write a more character driven story. The challenge to these types of stories is that they require the reader to become invested in those people, and that wasn't the case for me here. The premise was intriguing, but the execution didn't work for me. I never got fully invested in the story. The narrative was fine, but nothing special or something I haven't read before. If you love post apocalyptic fiction, you may still want to check this one out.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
June 17, 2022
Huge thanks to Tim, Titan Books and Netgalley for the ARC of this one!
Over the last number of years, I’ve read a bunch of Tim’s work and really come to love his way of storytelling. No matter which book it has been, at the cores have always been family and the resolve to survive and work together, even if the ‘family’ within isn’t always the tradition parent-children dynamic.
Tim infuses his stories with heart wrenching moments and enough cliffhangers to always have the reader on the edge of their seat, and such is the case with his newest novel, ‘The Last Storm.’ 2022 is turning out to be a boom year for Lebbon fans, not only do we get this novel, but he also has a collection, a novella and a graphic novel/novella coming out, giving new and old readers of his plenty to be excited about.
What I liked: Set in the near future, where the world’s climate has continued to erode, humans now live with the results from that change. A large section of America is now deemed ‘The Desert,’ where it is always scorching hot and dust storms rage. As well, a large portion of the western side is burning up, wildfires rampaging and destroying most of that side of the country.
Lebbon takes that and introduces the Rainmakers, a familial trait that allows certain people to be able to conjure storms and cause it to rain. Though, the story picks up years after those people have seemingly disappeared. The story centers around the character, Ash. A teen girl, whose family presumed she was dead following a storm-creating incident, she is feeling herself drawn back to making rain and following the clues that call to her. Along the way she meets Cee, a woman, who decides to help her.
This relationship is the highlight of the book for me, seeing how Ash opens up to Cee and how Cee resolves to help her and be there for her. Of course, there are those out there who want to end the Rainmakers and this adds a secondary layer of suspense and thrills as one of those people track Ash and try to kill her.
Fundamentally, this book feels like a prequel to Lebbon’s phenomenal ‘Eden,’ but for one small difference. When the storms are created, a window is opened and crazy creatures come through. This was a phenomenal bit of storytelling and really had me hooting and hollering when Lebbon went full cosmic horror.
What I didn’t like: Oddly, even though Ash is the main character here, or main driving plot aspect, she often felt secondary. I think part of that was the POV changes that Lebbon employed, which may or may not work for readers. I found it to be both good and bad at times and did wish we had more Ash-central chapters.
Why you should buy this: I do see people sometimes scoff at the blurbs on books. Look, the reality is, a blurb from another author is there to generate buzz and get people excited. But I will say this – Christopher Golden declaring this Lebbon’s best is absolutely spot on. This book gallops along and not only are all of the characters great (even the random side-characters who pop up ie coffee shop people etc) but the settings play such a vital role throughout and really bring the entire story to life.
Really amazing work here, can’t recommend this one enough.
Over the last number of years, I’ve read a bunch of Tim’s work and really come to love his way of storytelling. No matter which book it has been, at the cores have always been family and the resolve to survive and work together, even if the ‘family’ within isn’t always the tradition parent-children dynamic.
Tim infuses his stories with heart wrenching moments and enough cliffhangers to always have the reader on the edge of their seat, and such is the case with his newest novel, ‘The Last Storm.’ 2022 is turning out to be a boom year for Lebbon fans, not only do we get this novel, but he also has a collection, a novella and a graphic novel/novella coming out, giving new and old readers of his plenty to be excited about.
What I liked: Set in the near future, where the world’s climate has continued to erode, humans now live with the results from that change. A large section of America is now deemed ‘The Desert,’ where it is always scorching hot and dust storms rage. As well, a large portion of the western side is burning up, wildfires rampaging and destroying most of that side of the country.
Lebbon takes that and introduces the Rainmakers, a familial trait that allows certain people to be able to conjure storms and cause it to rain. Though, the story picks up years after those people have seemingly disappeared. The story centers around the character, Ash. A teen girl, whose family presumed she was dead following a storm-creating incident, she is feeling herself drawn back to making rain and following the clues that call to her. Along the way she meets Cee, a woman, who decides to help her.
This relationship is the highlight of the book for me, seeing how Ash opens up to Cee and how Cee resolves to help her and be there for her. Of course, there are those out there who want to end the Rainmakers and this adds a secondary layer of suspense and thrills as one of those people track Ash and try to kill her.
Fundamentally, this book feels like a prequel to Lebbon’s phenomenal ‘Eden,’ but for one small difference. When the storms are created, a window is opened and crazy creatures come through. This was a phenomenal bit of storytelling and really had me hooting and hollering when Lebbon went full cosmic horror.
What I didn’t like: Oddly, even though Ash is the main character here, or main driving plot aspect, she often felt secondary. I think part of that was the POV changes that Lebbon employed, which may or may not work for readers. I found it to be both good and bad at times and did wish we had more Ash-central chapters.
Why you should buy this: I do see people sometimes scoff at the blurbs on books. Look, the reality is, a blurb from another author is there to generate buzz and get people excited. But I will say this – Christopher Golden declaring this Lebbon’s best is absolutely spot on. This book gallops along and not only are all of the characters great (even the random side-characters who pop up ie coffee shop people etc) but the settings play such a vital role throughout and really bring the entire story to life.
Really amazing work here, can’t recommend this one enough.
Read
June 23, 2022Check out my review of this dystopian eco thriller in an upcoming issue of SCREAM Magazine!
August 17, 2022
A gripping and immersive post-apocalyptic eco-horror infused with intense family drama and driven by a tight plot and compelling, morally grey characters. Set in a near-future US where climate change has turned large sections of the country into barren, inhospitable desert. The story follows a fractured family of rainmakers, who are able to summon rain from the clearest skies. Jesse has renounced his gift after conjuring a storm that not only brought down rain, but also a plague of deadly snakes and scorpions. When his daughter Ash demonstrates an even more powerful ability for rainmaking Jesse does his best to stop her, accidentally killing her. Or so he believes. After nine years of living away from civilization, wallowing in his own guilt, Jesse’s estranged wife Karina shows up on his doorstep with news that their daughter is still alive and trying to make rain again. Together, they set out to find her before she can conjure a storm that could destroy the world. But Jesse and Karina are not the only ones looking for Ash.
What I really liked about this story:
- Tim Lebbon has a fantastic talent for worldbuilding. His vivid descriptions of the desert and extreme weather conditions had a visceral quality to them and felt almost tangible. Lebbon presents a vision of the future that is terrifying because it seems so plausible. Also the effect that the unforgiving conditions have had on society felt eerily believable, from the Soakers who travel around selling water to desperate towns at extortionate prices to the Hotbloods whose brains have been fried by the sun turning them into psychotic predators of the weak.
- A compelling cast of flawed characters, each given depth and complexity by their intriguing backstories. The actions of the characters are often morally questionable, sometimes even deplorable, but entirely understandable given the harsh world in which they live.
- Each chapter is told from the POV of one the main characters, which sucks you into the story and shows you every angle of it. The chapters grow shorter towards the end of the book, rapidly switching between POVs. This effectively amps up the tension that culminates in a nail-biting and satisfying climax.
- Overall, I found this to be an imaginative horror / thriller with a lot of emotional depth, atmospheric writing and fast-paced action.
What I liked less:
- I alternated between reading a physical copy of the book and listening to the audio version. Most of the narrators were good, except for Ash, whose whiny, monotone voice really started to grate after a while.
4.5 stars rounded up.
What I really liked about this story:
- Tim Lebbon has a fantastic talent for worldbuilding. His vivid descriptions of the desert and extreme weather conditions had a visceral quality to them and felt almost tangible. Lebbon presents a vision of the future that is terrifying because it seems so plausible. Also the effect that the unforgiving conditions have had on society felt eerily believable, from the Soakers who travel around selling water to desperate towns at extortionate prices to the Hotbloods whose brains have been fried by the sun turning them into psychotic predators of the weak.
- A compelling cast of flawed characters, each given depth and complexity by their intriguing backstories. The actions of the characters are often morally questionable, sometimes even deplorable, but entirely understandable given the harsh world in which they live.
- Each chapter is told from the POV of one the main characters, which sucks you into the story and shows you every angle of it. The chapters grow shorter towards the end of the book, rapidly switching between POVs. This effectively amps up the tension that culminates in a nail-biting and satisfying climax.
- Overall, I found this to be an imaginative horror / thriller with a lot of emotional depth, atmospheric writing and fast-paced action.
What I liked less:
- I alternated between reading a physical copy of the book and listening to the audio version. Most of the narrators were good, except for Ash, whose whiny, monotone voice really started to grate after a while.
4.5 stars rounded up.
August 15, 2023
SStars: 2 out of 5.
This book tried to marry two different ideas in the same story - a climate disaster story and a story about people with a special ability that ties them to a different world/dimension. I think the author wanted to pay homage to Stephen King and his many books that did the same thing. Lisey's Story comes to mind. That was one creepy and fascinating book.
Unfortunately, where Stephen King managed to marry the weird and the mundane into a seamless buildup of creepiness, this author failed, in my opinion.
I think it stems from the fact that the power the Rainmaker family has is never truly explained or explored other than as a tool to rain disaster and death on an already ravaged country. That and the fact that it is described almost like a drug, an addiction, makes it really unpredictable and unattractive. Also, it is never truly explained how that power is tied to the horrible draught that is killing a vast part of the States, of if there is even a connection. And if there isn't a connection, then what's the point of this power in the story?
My other issue with this book is that all the characters are unlikeable, especially Ash. I mean, I was pretty interested and invested in her story while she was on a quest to assemble her device and make it rain... Until at about 61% in the book where she unleashes rains of blood and horrors upon this town, kills several people... and has absolutely no remorse about it. That's where she lost all my support, as well as my desire to continue following her story.
I also don't understand why everyone else is making excuses for her behavior. Oh, she is so special. She can make rain out of a clear sky... Yes, she can also unleash venomous creatures that attack everything in sight along with that rain. Oh, and by the way that rain will turn into a deluge that will make matter so much worse.
Of the other protagonists we have Ashe's father, who is a coward who's response to a traumatic even had been to hide his had in the sand for almost a decade. Her mother who turned her whole life into an obsession. An ex-addict turned into Ash's insta-groupie. And a psychopatic killer. Honestly, not a single one of them is likeable or even relatable enough follow into the story.
I think I would have enjoyed this more if Ash wasn't such an unrepentant addict who made excuses every time she messed things up. Or if the supernatural element was better tied into the rest of the story.
PS: I recieved an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in Exchange for an honest review.
If you liked this review, check out my blog.
This book tried to marry two different ideas in the same story - a climate disaster story and a story about people with a special ability that ties them to a different world/dimension. I think the author wanted to pay homage to Stephen King and his many books that did the same thing. Lisey's Story comes to mind. That was one creepy and fascinating book.
Unfortunately, where Stephen King managed to marry the weird and the mundane into a seamless buildup of creepiness, this author failed, in my opinion.
I think it stems from the fact that the power the Rainmaker family has is never truly explained or explored other than as a tool to rain disaster and death on an already ravaged country. That and the fact that it is described almost like a drug, an addiction, makes it really unpredictable and unattractive. Also, it is never truly explained how that power is tied to the horrible draught that is killing a vast part of the States, of if there is even a connection. And if there isn't a connection, then what's the point of this power in the story?
My other issue with this book is that all the characters are unlikeable, especially Ash. I mean, I was pretty interested and invested in her story while she was on a quest to assemble her device and make it rain... Until at about 61% in the book where she unleashes rains of blood and horrors upon this town, kills several people... and has absolutely no remorse about it. That's where she lost all my support, as well as my desire to continue following her story.
I also don't understand why everyone else is making excuses for her behavior. Oh, she is so special. She can make rain out of a clear sky... Yes, she can also unleash venomous creatures that attack everything in sight along with that rain. Oh, and by the way that rain will turn into a deluge that will make matter so much worse.
Of the other protagonists we have Ashe's father, who is a coward who's response to a traumatic even had been to hide his had in the sand for almost a decade. Her mother who turned her whole life into an obsession. An ex-addict turned into Ash's insta-groupie. And a psychopatic killer. Honestly, not a single one of them is likeable or even relatable enough follow into the story.
I think I would have enjoyed this more if Ash wasn't such an unrepentant addict who made excuses every time she messed things up. Or if the supernatural element was better tied into the rest of the story.
PS: I recieved an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in Exchange for an honest review.
If you liked this review, check out my blog.
June 30, 2022
The Last Storm, by author Tim Lebbon, is a beautifully brutal collision of horror, science fiction, fantasy and environmental awareness. The characters are rich and complex, the plot is unique, and the structure is engaging.
In the Last Storm, the reader is first introduced to Jesse—a man who, through genetics and a hand-made apparatus, is able to conjure rain. His power is a reflection of the world at large, so unlike his mother and grandmother (who were able to produce gentle showers in a kinder world), Jesse’s creations are fraught with scorpions and spiders that accompany a rain of water and blood. The world is succumbing to climate change, and the power of the rainmaker has become destructive and angry. Jess realizes he can no longer allow himself the luxury of practicing his craft, but his daughter, Ash, has inherited the ability. In a time that is increasingly dangerous, when earth is warming on a global scale, Ash’s belief that she can control the rain and save those in peril leads her into a storm that threatens to envelope her and the world at large.
Lebbon’s characters are well developed, with rich backstories that bring them to life. Jesse and Ash are believable even in the throes of something as far-fetched as making the heavens cry. Jesse’s almost hermit existence and the touch of madness that inhabits the mind of Ash, are revealed through the consistent integrity of their behaviors. Jesse reacts to life and those around him in ways that remain constant; Ash moves through life growing in her self-awareness. Neither ever offer any dialogue or actions that betray who Lebbon has groomed them to be. It is in this consistency that the reader loses a sense of needing to suspend disbelief and falls into the story with a conviction that yes, there ARE rainmakers. Of course there are. It’s a brilliant technique that garners and maintains reader investment.
As a reader of post-apocalyptic lit, Lebbon’s approach is a refreshing change. This isn’t an EMP taking out the grid, or a nuclear blast poisoning the earth. It’s a gorgeous, almost poetic retelling of a time in the future when death is a casual occurrence that strikes increasingly more often and with utter disregard for the sanctity of life. The devolution happens so slowly that it’s accepted as the new normal—a sobering look at a terrifying scenario resulting from global warming. The single distraction, for me, was the narrative that led to the construction of Ash’s rainmaking apparatus. It felt forced and was the only point in the book where a fourth wall came down and removed me from the action. On the other hand, the horror Lebbon unleashes through the conduit of Ash is absolutely numbing in its grotesque depiction. I actually had goosebumps and felt the need to look over my shoulder on more than one occasion.
Finally, the structure here is built in chapters that rotate between perspectives of various characters. When their stories finally intersect, the tension is positively palpable. It’s always a risk when an author attempts to build a number of storylines that eventually come together. Readers can find it difficult to follow and keep track of the changing narrative. Lebbon doesn’t suffer in his approach, as it is meticulously built in a way that makes the transitions seamless.
This is a definite must-read for those looking for something innovative, frightening and fantastical. Thanks to NetGalley and Titan Books for providing me with an ARC for review. Publication is slated for July 19, 2022.
In the Last Storm, the reader is first introduced to Jesse—a man who, through genetics and a hand-made apparatus, is able to conjure rain. His power is a reflection of the world at large, so unlike his mother and grandmother (who were able to produce gentle showers in a kinder world), Jesse’s creations are fraught with scorpions and spiders that accompany a rain of water and blood. The world is succumbing to climate change, and the power of the rainmaker has become destructive and angry. Jess realizes he can no longer allow himself the luxury of practicing his craft, but his daughter, Ash, has inherited the ability. In a time that is increasingly dangerous, when earth is warming on a global scale, Ash’s belief that she can control the rain and save those in peril leads her into a storm that threatens to envelope her and the world at large.
Lebbon’s characters are well developed, with rich backstories that bring them to life. Jesse and Ash are believable even in the throes of something as far-fetched as making the heavens cry. Jesse’s almost hermit existence and the touch of madness that inhabits the mind of Ash, are revealed through the consistent integrity of their behaviors. Jesse reacts to life and those around him in ways that remain constant; Ash moves through life growing in her self-awareness. Neither ever offer any dialogue or actions that betray who Lebbon has groomed them to be. It is in this consistency that the reader loses a sense of needing to suspend disbelief and falls into the story with a conviction that yes, there ARE rainmakers. Of course there are. It’s a brilliant technique that garners and maintains reader investment.
As a reader of post-apocalyptic lit, Lebbon’s approach is a refreshing change. This isn’t an EMP taking out the grid, or a nuclear blast poisoning the earth. It’s a gorgeous, almost poetic retelling of a time in the future when death is a casual occurrence that strikes increasingly more often and with utter disregard for the sanctity of life. The devolution happens so slowly that it’s accepted as the new normal—a sobering look at a terrifying scenario resulting from global warming. The single distraction, for me, was the narrative that led to the construction of Ash’s rainmaking apparatus. It felt forced and was the only point in the book where a fourth wall came down and removed me from the action. On the other hand, the horror Lebbon unleashes through the conduit of Ash is absolutely numbing in its grotesque depiction. I actually had goosebumps and felt the need to look over my shoulder on more than one occasion.
Finally, the structure here is built in chapters that rotate between perspectives of various characters. When their stories finally intersect, the tension is positively palpable. It’s always a risk when an author attempts to build a number of storylines that eventually come together. Readers can find it difficult to follow and keep track of the changing narrative. Lebbon doesn’t suffer in his approach, as it is meticulously built in a way that makes the transitions seamless.
This is a definite must-read for those looking for something innovative, frightening and fantastical. Thanks to NetGalley and Titan Books for providing me with an ARC for review. Publication is slated for July 19, 2022.
June 30, 2022
I've often wondered of late whether or not we'll recognize the apocalypse whenever it finally occurs. Will it be an obvious statement that the end of all that was has arrived, or merely a subtle continuation of events that have inured us and is only visible in hindsight? Tim Lebbon's The Last Storm falls into this second camp, I believe. It's arguably post-apocalyptic - a massive ecological calamity has turned much of America into the Desert with a capital D - but the apocalyptic event itself was decades upon decades in the making, and so much of life as it currently is continues apace. There's a massive drought, food scarcity, dying, withering towns, and murder aplenty - but there's also the internet and electric cars and small pockets of hope for those wandering the desolate land.
In many ways, The Last Storm reads like a post-modern, arguably post-apocalyptic, Western, albeit one tinged with flashes of cosmic horror. Jesse and his daughter Ash are Rainmakers - a pair of mythical folk-legend types with the power to draw forth storms across the draught-blighted land. In order to do so, they must connect themselves to their custom-built apparatus and enter an alternate dimension. Each time they do so, rain is not the only thing they bring forth. When Jesse performs his last miracle, he draws forth alien scorpions and snakes. Ash, just beginning to discover her own powers, is an even stronger Rainmaker, a fact that scares Jesse, who is intent on stopping her -- if he can find her.
Lebbon's latest has a lot of strong elements, each centered around a fractured family coming together in the most hellacious experiences imaginable. When his ex-wife, Karina, appears on Jesse's doorstep to enlist his help in finding Ash, he's a broken man who has worked hard to rebuild a new life for himself far away from society. Ash is lost in the thrall of her growing powers, her memory fractured from the time spent in the eye of the storm. There's parallels to power and addiction (it's telling that our two Rainmakers have to connect to their apparatuses by pushing needles into their veins as they seek a fix for the world around them, and each time they use things get worse and worse for them), and the ways in which the people around you can pull you away from the its dregs or push you deeper into using. And, of course, there's revenge, in the form of Jimi, a murderous water-dealer who poisons entire communities and kills without remorse.
The altered landscape of America as a Desert presents some pitch-perfect world-building, too. Lebbon does a fantastic job imagining a 21st Century Dust Bowl, a repercussion, and natural outgrowth, of man-made climate change. While there's plenty of electric vehicles on the road, their presence was too little too late to save humanity from the ecological catastrophe it has wrought upon the world. America is a country perpetually at war with itself and with others, launching strikes against Rio de Janeiro while food riots dominate Omaha, and wildfires engulf what little else remains. It's a hard, harsh, and perpetually violent landscape that feels like the last gasp of a dying world.
It also feels like a fair warning about the possible ecological calamities to come if we don't get our act together about the realities of climate change and soon, while we still can...
In many ways, The Last Storm reads like a post-modern, arguably post-apocalyptic, Western, albeit one tinged with flashes of cosmic horror. Jesse and his daughter Ash are Rainmakers - a pair of mythical folk-legend types with the power to draw forth storms across the draught-blighted land. In order to do so, they must connect themselves to their custom-built apparatus and enter an alternate dimension. Each time they do so, rain is not the only thing they bring forth. When Jesse performs his last miracle, he draws forth alien scorpions and snakes. Ash, just beginning to discover her own powers, is an even stronger Rainmaker, a fact that scares Jesse, who is intent on stopping her -- if he can find her.
Lebbon's latest has a lot of strong elements, each centered around a fractured family coming together in the most hellacious experiences imaginable. When his ex-wife, Karina, appears on Jesse's doorstep to enlist his help in finding Ash, he's a broken man who has worked hard to rebuild a new life for himself far away from society. Ash is lost in the thrall of her growing powers, her memory fractured from the time spent in the eye of the storm. There's parallels to power and addiction (it's telling that our two Rainmakers have to connect to their apparatuses by pushing needles into their veins as they seek a fix for the world around them, and each time they use things get worse and worse for them), and the ways in which the people around you can pull you away from the its dregs or push you deeper into using. And, of course, there's revenge, in the form of Jimi, a murderous water-dealer who poisons entire communities and kills without remorse.
The altered landscape of America as a Desert presents some pitch-perfect world-building, too. Lebbon does a fantastic job imagining a 21st Century Dust Bowl, a repercussion, and natural outgrowth, of man-made climate change. While there's plenty of electric vehicles on the road, their presence was too little too late to save humanity from the ecological catastrophe it has wrought upon the world. America is a country perpetually at war with itself and with others, launching strikes against Rio de Janeiro while food riots dominate Omaha, and wildfires engulf what little else remains. It's a hard, harsh, and perpetually violent landscape that feels like the last gasp of a dying world.
It also feels like a fair warning about the possible ecological calamities to come if we don't get our act together about the realities of climate change and soon, while we still can...
June 20, 2022
Review in the June 1 & 15 issue of Booklist and on the blog: https://raforall.blogspot.com/2022/06...
Three Words That Describe This Book: Climate Horror, high unease, multiple points of view
Preview of that post: This one is going to the the PERFECT Summer horror-thriller hybrid read. It has all of the action and suspense people crave with a touching family story at its center. While I personally enjoyed Lebbon's last book, Eden, more I 100% think this one will be more popular, like really popular. Please don't sleep on this one. Your readers will LOVE it.
Full review plus bonus material at the link above.
From notes/draft:
Thought provoking, disturbing, and family centered, this fast paced tale of high unease will appeal to a wide swath of readers such as, fans of the storytelling style of The Violence by Dawson, family centered, dark fantasy of The Changeling by LaValle, or water crisis fueled cli-fi of The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Climate Horror, high unease, multiple points of view
Preview of that post: This one is going to the the PERFECT Summer horror-thriller hybrid read. It has all of the action and suspense people crave with a touching family story at its center. While I personally enjoyed Lebbon's last book, Eden, more I 100% think this one will be more popular, like really popular. Please don't sleep on this one. Your readers will LOVE it.
Full review plus bonus material at the link above.
From notes/draft:
Thought provoking, disturbing, and family centered, this fast paced tale of high unease will appeal to a wide swath of readers such as, fans of the storytelling style of The Violence by Dawson, family centered, dark fantasy of The Changeling by LaValle, or water crisis fueled cli-fi of The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi.
June 19, 2022
Tim Lebbon is one of those writers for me that I trust. The dude knows what the hell he is doing telling a story, building worlds and characters. The novel that won me over was The Silence that in 2015 was my favorite read of that year. While I was disappointed by A Quiet Place (when I saw the trailer I thought when did The Silence cast Emily Blunt?), the movie The Silence was a valiant attempt but for this fan of the novel, I just couldn’t go there. For real seven years after reading The Silence there are scenes that still haunt me. What did I say at the time…
“This novel is in the tradition of British dystopias ranging from Day of the Triffids to 28 Days Later. The Silence is a high-concept monster novel that creates terror in the reader by milking every drop of the idea. There is a moment 2/3 of the way through the narrative that was the most brutal scene I have experienced since the ending of the Mist. I knew this scene was coming, it was obvious and Lebbon gave the reader plenty of warnings. Despite all the warnings reading it still hit me like a gut punch.”
We are not here to talk about The Silence, as Tim Lebbon has a new novel called The Last Storm, but I wanted to highlight the moment I fell into the hands of this storyteller. I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy as Tim is coming on the podcast, but my interest is high as a huge fan of Cli-fi, climate, and environmental horror. I mean I was nominated for the Splatterpunk award for best novel for my entry into the sub-genre with Ring of Fire. I am passionate about this sub-genre.
The sustainability of earth is my most gnawing personal fear, many of my favorite most disturbing reads include The 60s Ballard novels eco-horror novels, The Sheep Look Up by John Brunner, or The Bridge by Skipp and Spector. Stuff like that. I had to read this one. Somehow his novel Eden escaped me, I will fix that. Thank you to Tim for sending me this one and coming on the pod. (Recording soon)
The Last Storm takes the climate horror in an exciting new direction. It seems like it could possibly be in the same universe as Eden but I am not sure about that. Lebbon has always been a writer who was good at using the family dynamic to build and maintain suspense. I get the feeling that environmental fears are becoming a theme for this horror writer and of course, I think it is natural.
One of my favorite reads last year was John Shirley’s underrated Cli-fi novel Stormland. It took very modern climate fears – unending hurricane seasons and combined what he does best by adding Cyberpunk elements. It is a great novel. Lebbon does a similar trick here, by writing about a brutal climate future and giving it a personal spin. The family dynamic and some cosmic horror beasties. This was a bit shocking for me as I went in only knowing “Climate horror- Tim Leboon” (I was sold right there)
I admit for some reason I was expecting a cold realistic post-apocalypse drama like The Road. My fault. Regardless this novel is a supernatural horror novel set against an American dust bowl that is our future if we don’t start making changes. The narrative follows multiple points of view, and the rhythm of how we go from character to character is perfect. My only real nitpick is using first person in multiple points of view book sometimes takes me out of a story reading me I am reading a book. For the most part, the story and writing are strong enough that I was lost in the story, but I don’t think this will affect most readers.
Jesse is the character I would consider our main point of view. As the story really starts with him. He is living alone in the desert. He inherited an ability that makes him a folk hero in this future. He has the power to make rain appear, and this power had me thinking we were getting something like the John Farris novel The Fury or King’s Firestarter meets McCarthy’s The Road, and I wasn’t that far off.
In this world the rainmakers have become almost mythical, reports on the internet and TV have made these people mythical. Jesse and his (ex)wife Karina scattered after one of the storms Jesse made caused destruction that included their lost daughter Ash who they believed dead. We also meet Jimi who is a soaker, who collects and sells water. He hates Jesse whose storm really messed with him. He has been seeking him for revenge. This all comes to head when Karina thinks she has seen Ash on a video and their daughter is alive and starting to make rain, this means as she grows stronger, she will eventually bring the monsters. The race is on to find Ash.
The dynamic that being a rainmaker sets up in this world is fascinating, because why wouldn’t they just bring the earth back? The problem is this magic is supernatural, the price is high. It is painful and dangerous, and in the end, it actually opens holes to other worlds filled with monsters. That is where the cosmic horror comes in. I love the idea of the slow dusty painful climate death that creeps by inches across a dying landscape versus the wet madness of the storm hiding a dread from another reality.
Lebbon has a reputation for writing horror, but he has written lots of science fiction, even if much of that is for media tie-in franchises. He does a wonderful job with the world-building. One thing I really liked is this rare case of a post-apocalypse, that still has parks, phones, TV, cars, and the internet.
“The park itself is marked by drought. Grass is dead. A large pond contains a mere puddle of muddy water, and a few scruffy ducks pad across its oily surface. Hardy trees persist here and there, but planting beds are home to cacti and a few swathes of invasive devil grass. Even in the city people are fighting against the painful truth of change. They don’t call it the climate crisis anymore, or global warming, or any other name that might have once have been used to urge positive action. Now, this was the norm.”
When I read a book, I dog-ear pages I want to talk about in my reviews, and in this case, most of the things I took note of were world-building, but so much of the horror of this world is the novel and a glimpse into our future. Lebbon gives us a supernatural thriller but the bones are built on the speculative horror of this future.
“The fire raged across the desert after starting in scrubland. There are a thousand ways for such a blaze to begin: sun shining through on to a scatter of dried plants; sparks from a passing vehicle; Sometimes it’s intentional. On a landscape fried dry by terrible drought and baked day after day by a merciless sun. Fire was a demon that stalked from place to place, searching for where to settle its blazing roots.”
I want to also point out that the prose is some of Lebbon’s best. Not flowery at all but perfectly calibrated for the story giving moments of dark beauty. Several chapters end with powerful moments that hit hard. “Eight in the morning, clear sky, already ninety degrees in the shade, the world was nothing like it had been yesterday.”
That weather report is an important detail. These powerful chapter-ending shots are throughout the novel. Perfectly timed cliffhangers and gut punches at the end of chapters keep you reading.
Before I write about spoilers let me just say that I loved this novel, and had fun reading it. Like many novels the more I thought about it. I enjoyed elements I missed in my first reading. So I recommend this book for fans of SF climate horror hybrids. Tim Lebbon fans will be there. I still think the silence is a better novel to start one, but both are great.
OK spoilers…
The Last Storm is a CLI-FI novel, it has effective world-building, but it also has rich characters, and as Lebbon does so well there is a strong family dynamic. Jessie and Ash are tragic figures who have such important talents but it ends up being a curse. This is a powerful story on many levels as a piece of science fiction it would be easy to focus on the dynamic of the rainmakers and the allegory they represent in the drought-stricken future. That is the heart of the story part of the story.
“The rain felt good,” Cee says. “Like…no rain I’ve ever felt before.”
“Fresh,” I say. “Pure.”
“Right, until it started raining blood.”
Besides being a fun Slayer reference, this is the price that rainmakers makers pay. It is the fear Ash’s family lives with. What do the creatures falling in the raining blood represent? “The fires are closing, a glimpse of hell in the rear-view mirror. The wipers smeared blood, and for the first time he wondered where it all came from, and the pain that must be suffered there to make so much.”
They represent but the ghosts of the world we have killed off. The price of returning the water to our world is the ghosts of the world humanity has killed off. The best kind of science fiction uses the future to reflect on how we live our lives today. The sad reality is it is harder and harder to write a novel about the future without grim, dark horror. This novel is a cross-genre classic. Science Fiction horror at its finest.
“This novel is in the tradition of British dystopias ranging from Day of the Triffids to 28 Days Later. The Silence is a high-concept monster novel that creates terror in the reader by milking every drop of the idea. There is a moment 2/3 of the way through the narrative that was the most brutal scene I have experienced since the ending of the Mist. I knew this scene was coming, it was obvious and Lebbon gave the reader plenty of warnings. Despite all the warnings reading it still hit me like a gut punch.”
We are not here to talk about The Silence, as Tim Lebbon has a new novel called The Last Storm, but I wanted to highlight the moment I fell into the hands of this storyteller. I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy as Tim is coming on the podcast, but my interest is high as a huge fan of Cli-fi, climate, and environmental horror. I mean I was nominated for the Splatterpunk award for best novel for my entry into the sub-genre with Ring of Fire. I am passionate about this sub-genre.
The sustainability of earth is my most gnawing personal fear, many of my favorite most disturbing reads include The 60s Ballard novels eco-horror novels, The Sheep Look Up by John Brunner, or The Bridge by Skipp and Spector. Stuff like that. I had to read this one. Somehow his novel Eden escaped me, I will fix that. Thank you to Tim for sending me this one and coming on the pod. (Recording soon)
The Last Storm takes the climate horror in an exciting new direction. It seems like it could possibly be in the same universe as Eden but I am not sure about that. Lebbon has always been a writer who was good at using the family dynamic to build and maintain suspense. I get the feeling that environmental fears are becoming a theme for this horror writer and of course, I think it is natural.
One of my favorite reads last year was John Shirley’s underrated Cli-fi novel Stormland. It took very modern climate fears – unending hurricane seasons and combined what he does best by adding Cyberpunk elements. It is a great novel. Lebbon does a similar trick here, by writing about a brutal climate future and giving it a personal spin. The family dynamic and some cosmic horror beasties. This was a bit shocking for me as I went in only knowing “Climate horror- Tim Leboon” (I was sold right there)
I admit for some reason I was expecting a cold realistic post-apocalypse drama like The Road. My fault. Regardless this novel is a supernatural horror novel set against an American dust bowl that is our future if we don’t start making changes. The narrative follows multiple points of view, and the rhythm of how we go from character to character is perfect. My only real nitpick is using first person in multiple points of view book sometimes takes me out of a story reading me I am reading a book. For the most part, the story and writing are strong enough that I was lost in the story, but I don’t think this will affect most readers.
Jesse is the character I would consider our main point of view. As the story really starts with him. He is living alone in the desert. He inherited an ability that makes him a folk hero in this future. He has the power to make rain appear, and this power had me thinking we were getting something like the John Farris novel The Fury or King’s Firestarter meets McCarthy’s The Road, and I wasn’t that far off.
In this world the rainmakers have become almost mythical, reports on the internet and TV have made these people mythical. Jesse and his (ex)wife Karina scattered after one of the storms Jesse made caused destruction that included their lost daughter Ash who they believed dead. We also meet Jimi who is a soaker, who collects and sells water. He hates Jesse whose storm really messed with him. He has been seeking him for revenge. This all comes to head when Karina thinks she has seen Ash on a video and their daughter is alive and starting to make rain, this means as she grows stronger, she will eventually bring the monsters. The race is on to find Ash.
The dynamic that being a rainmaker sets up in this world is fascinating, because why wouldn’t they just bring the earth back? The problem is this magic is supernatural, the price is high. It is painful and dangerous, and in the end, it actually opens holes to other worlds filled with monsters. That is where the cosmic horror comes in. I love the idea of the slow dusty painful climate death that creeps by inches across a dying landscape versus the wet madness of the storm hiding a dread from another reality.
Lebbon has a reputation for writing horror, but he has written lots of science fiction, even if much of that is for media tie-in franchises. He does a wonderful job with the world-building. One thing I really liked is this rare case of a post-apocalypse, that still has parks, phones, TV, cars, and the internet.
“The park itself is marked by drought. Grass is dead. A large pond contains a mere puddle of muddy water, and a few scruffy ducks pad across its oily surface. Hardy trees persist here and there, but planting beds are home to cacti and a few swathes of invasive devil grass. Even in the city people are fighting against the painful truth of change. They don’t call it the climate crisis anymore, or global warming, or any other name that might have once have been used to urge positive action. Now, this was the norm.”
When I read a book, I dog-ear pages I want to talk about in my reviews, and in this case, most of the things I took note of were world-building, but so much of the horror of this world is the novel and a glimpse into our future. Lebbon gives us a supernatural thriller but the bones are built on the speculative horror of this future.
“The fire raged across the desert after starting in scrubland. There are a thousand ways for such a blaze to begin: sun shining through on to a scatter of dried plants; sparks from a passing vehicle; Sometimes it’s intentional. On a landscape fried dry by terrible drought and baked day after day by a merciless sun. Fire was a demon that stalked from place to place, searching for where to settle its blazing roots.”
I want to also point out that the prose is some of Lebbon’s best. Not flowery at all but perfectly calibrated for the story giving moments of dark beauty. Several chapters end with powerful moments that hit hard. “Eight in the morning, clear sky, already ninety degrees in the shade, the world was nothing like it had been yesterday.”
That weather report is an important detail. These powerful chapter-ending shots are throughout the novel. Perfectly timed cliffhangers and gut punches at the end of chapters keep you reading.
Before I write about spoilers let me just say that I loved this novel, and had fun reading it. Like many novels the more I thought about it. I enjoyed elements I missed in my first reading. So I recommend this book for fans of SF climate horror hybrids. Tim Lebbon fans will be there. I still think the silence is a better novel to start one, but both are great.
OK spoilers…
The Last Storm is a CLI-FI novel, it has effective world-building, but it also has rich characters, and as Lebbon does so well there is a strong family dynamic. Jessie and Ash are tragic figures who have such important talents but it ends up being a curse. This is a powerful story on many levels as a piece of science fiction it would be easy to focus on the dynamic of the rainmakers and the allegory they represent in the drought-stricken future. That is the heart of the story part of the story.
“The rain felt good,” Cee says. “Like…no rain I’ve ever felt before.”
“Fresh,” I say. “Pure.”
“Right, until it started raining blood.”
Besides being a fun Slayer reference, this is the price that rainmakers makers pay. It is the fear Ash’s family lives with. What do the creatures falling in the raining blood represent? “The fires are closing, a glimpse of hell in the rear-view mirror. The wipers smeared blood, and for the first time he wondered where it all came from, and the pain that must be suffered there to make so much.”
They represent but the ghosts of the world we have killed off. The price of returning the water to our world is the ghosts of the world humanity has killed off. The best kind of science fiction uses the future to reflect on how we live our lives today. The sad reality is it is harder and harder to write a novel about the future without grim, dark horror. This novel is a cross-genre classic. Science Fiction horror at its finest.
January 12, 2023
I enjoyed this one.
It’s definitely a bleak read and it didn’t really end the way I wanted to, but I was riveted all the say through.
While I didn’t love Ash as much as I’d expected to, I found myself definitely wishing the best for her.
A unique and compelling story.
It’s definitely a bleak read and it didn’t really end the way I wanted to, but I was riveted all the say through.
While I didn’t love Ash as much as I’d expected to, I found myself definitely wishing the best for her.
A unique and compelling story.
June 20, 2023
An interesting read and felt pretty original to me. Sort of a mash up of post apocalyptic, dust bowl from the past & magical fantasy. I liked the characters, though the main character of Ash was not all likable which is more realistic. I enjoyed the other characters as well and the idea of rainmakers as both savior & threat. Overall a good read!
July 27, 2022
An absolutely brilliant book from Tim Lebbon here, right from page one.
Can't fault it. The world, the characters, the originality. It's all here. The pacing is absolutely spot on. The different perspectives worked seamlessly. In the final chapters, I'd say the last 70 or so pages, I found that I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. I felt like I was taking a battering from every side. What a ride. Beautifully written.
Easy 5 stars.
Can't fault it. The world, the characters, the originality. It's all here. The pacing is absolutely spot on. The different perspectives worked seamlessly. In the final chapters, I'd say the last 70 or so pages, I found that I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. I felt like I was taking a battering from every side. What a ride. Beautifully written.
Easy 5 stars.
June 24, 2022
This review is for an ARC copy received from the publisher through NetGalley.
What. A. Story. Tim Lebbon has crafted a speculative fiction/apocalyptic tale so very different from all the others out there. In Eden, Lebbon gave us a PA world with regions overtaken with wild vegetation. In The Last Storm, a very foreseeable near future has much of the United States (at least) ravaged by dried up, burnt out land referred to as "The Desert" as a severe lack of water has turned the land to sand and ash. Jesse comes from a rare lineage of people with a special gift. They are Rainmakers who use a special apparatus to call forth rain from the skies. But doing so taps into something dangerous, and after an attempt to call the rain brought scorpions, other lethal creatures and death he hangs up his apparatus. Now his daughter, Ash, is answering the calling within her to be a Rainmaker, even stronger than her forebears ever were. With his estranged wife Karina, it's up to Jesse to try to save her and the world from the dangers that lurk within the power of rain.
While the strangeness of what makes a Rainmaker took a little time to fully grasp, the narrative of this book just flowed at a quick pace. Had it not gotten late at night I would have devoured this novel in one sitting. I have to agree with the esteemed Paul Tremblay that this is Lebbon's best writing to date.
One thing I didn't care for (major late book spoiler - you have been warned) End minor complaint.
What. A. Story. Tim Lebbon has crafted a speculative fiction/apocalyptic tale so very different from all the others out there. In Eden, Lebbon gave us a PA world with regions overtaken with wild vegetation. In The Last Storm, a very foreseeable near future has much of the United States (at least) ravaged by dried up, burnt out land referred to as "The Desert" as a severe lack of water has turned the land to sand and ash. Jesse comes from a rare lineage of people with a special gift. They are Rainmakers who use a special apparatus to call forth rain from the skies. But doing so taps into something dangerous, and after an attempt to call the rain brought scorpions, other lethal creatures and death he hangs up his apparatus. Now his daughter, Ash, is answering the calling within her to be a Rainmaker, even stronger than her forebears ever were. With his estranged wife Karina, it's up to Jesse to try to save her and the world from the dangers that lurk within the power of rain.
While the strangeness of what makes a Rainmaker took a little time to fully grasp, the narrative of this book just flowed at a quick pace. Had it not gotten late at night I would have devoured this novel in one sitting. I have to agree with the esteemed Paul Tremblay that this is Lebbon's best writing to date.
One thing I didn't care for (major late book spoiler - you have been warned) End minor complaint.
July 4, 2022
I admit it. I love well done post-apocalyptic books. I love a futuristic novel where things didn't go so well. There's a dark side to me that needs feeding and The Last Storm certainly satisfied my cravings for a while.
In a future where all of the warnings about global warming in the United States have come true--vast desserts and out-of-control fires--there has emerged a family of Rainmakers. The ability to create rain to quench the parched earth and tame the fires comes down through a single family's bloodline and culminates with Jesse and his daughter Ash.
Jesse, who had a bad experience with attempting to create rain for a drug lord, attempts to save his daughter from similar grief with a drug designed to nullify her abilities. Thinking he killed her instead, he retreats to a cabin to live out his days alone. Meanwhile, his wife Karina is convinced Ash is still alive and while searching for her comes across an odd occurrence that has the fingerprints of a Rainmaker all over it. Karina drags Jesse out of his hermitage and together they go in search of Ash.
Ash, who ran away after what she perceived as her father's attempt to kill her, has been slowly experimenting with her abilities to create rain. All with bad results. Although neither Ash nor Jesse know it, Ash has abilities far surpassing her father or the family's previous Rainmakers. Will she be able to harness her abilities to create rain or will her gift endanger her life?
This is a fast-paced novel with a fascinating story line that could convincingly be true. The characters, with their all too human flaws, draw the reader in. The writing clearly portrays a world on the brink of disaster and the perils it contains. It's a gritty family drama with real world consequences that I couldn't put down or quit talking about to my friends. I highly recommend this book.
The publication date is July 17 in the United States.
In a future where all of the warnings about global warming in the United States have come true--vast desserts and out-of-control fires--there has emerged a family of Rainmakers. The ability to create rain to quench the parched earth and tame the fires comes down through a single family's bloodline and culminates with Jesse and his daughter Ash.
Jesse, who had a bad experience with attempting to create rain for a drug lord, attempts to save his daughter from similar grief with a drug designed to nullify her abilities. Thinking he killed her instead, he retreats to a cabin to live out his days alone. Meanwhile, his wife Karina is convinced Ash is still alive and while searching for her comes across an odd occurrence that has the fingerprints of a Rainmaker all over it. Karina drags Jesse out of his hermitage and together they go in search of Ash.
Ash, who ran away after what she perceived as her father's attempt to kill her, has been slowly experimenting with her abilities to create rain. All with bad results. Although neither Ash nor Jesse know it, Ash has abilities far surpassing her father or the family's previous Rainmakers. Will she be able to harness her abilities to create rain or will her gift endanger her life?
This is a fast-paced novel with a fascinating story line that could convincingly be true. The characters, with their all too human flaws, draw the reader in. The writing clearly portrays a world on the brink of disaster and the perils it contains. It's a gritty family drama with real world consequences that I couldn't put down or quit talking about to my friends. I highly recommend this book.
The publication date is July 17 in the United States.
December 14, 2022
3.5/5
The Last Storm is the perfect novel for those who love an apocalyptic story with a combination of human emotions, fast-paced action, and horror elements.
It’s a post-apocalyptic tale about a group of people attempting to survive on a sun-ravaged earth. It follows a few characters, but the most important one is Ash, a young woman with an extraordinary gift that feels like a burden. She’s a Rainmaker, and she’s traveling with a guitar case filled with enigmatic items and spare parts. She is determined to construct a device that will permit her to access her power, one that can bring down rain.
Simultaneously, the story follows her parents, trying to find her through an arid landscape of a ruined, parched America. In The Last Storm, global warming has wrecked the Earth. Water is scarce in most places and flooding has become a regular occurrence in other areas. Subsequently, vast sections of North America are now arid and desolate, where famine and drought have forced people to adopt a new way of life that is marked by fierce hostility.
Lebbon knows how to write an interesting and fast-paced story; he filled The Last Storm with emotions, action, horror, suspense, and well-written characters. A family drama adds nuance to climate fiction. Not to mention that climate and rain affect the story and characters in various, and imaginative, ways. The action scenes are intense and violent, and the picture of a broken, desperate country is memorable. But there’s more to it than just action and family drama. It also highlights preventive measures that can be taken to make sure we never wake up in a future like this.
I recommend The Last Storm to anyone looking for a good dystopian read that balances its pulpy and reflective sides. I had a good time listening to the audiobook version of the story
The Last Storm is the perfect novel for those who love an apocalyptic story with a combination of human emotions, fast-paced action, and horror elements.
It’s a post-apocalyptic tale about a group of people attempting to survive on a sun-ravaged earth. It follows a few characters, but the most important one is Ash, a young woman with an extraordinary gift that feels like a burden. She’s a Rainmaker, and she’s traveling with a guitar case filled with enigmatic items and spare parts. She is determined to construct a device that will permit her to access her power, one that can bring down rain.
Simultaneously, the story follows her parents, trying to find her through an arid landscape of a ruined, parched America. In The Last Storm, global warming has wrecked the Earth. Water is scarce in most places and flooding has become a regular occurrence in other areas. Subsequently, vast sections of North America are now arid and desolate, where famine and drought have forced people to adopt a new way of life that is marked by fierce hostility.
Lebbon knows how to write an interesting and fast-paced story; he filled The Last Storm with emotions, action, horror, suspense, and well-written characters. A family drama adds nuance to climate fiction. Not to mention that climate and rain affect the story and characters in various, and imaginative, ways. The action scenes are intense and violent, and the picture of a broken, desperate country is memorable. But there’s more to it than just action and family drama. It also highlights preventive measures that can be taken to make sure we never wake up in a future like this.
I recommend The Last Storm to anyone looking for a good dystopian read that balances its pulpy and reflective sides. I had a good time listening to the audiobook version of the story
March 4, 2022
Climate change has dessicated the world. Rainmakers, people with the magic to summon water from the air, and soakers, folks who clean up water and bring it to places it is needed, are who are keeping people alive.
But when a rainmaker's efforts go badly wrong, it separates a family and sets others at enmity with the rainmaker and his child, who follows in her father's footsteps.
THE LAST STORM is a page-turner that will keep you up all night and haunt your dreams for days to follow. I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys dystopia, Americana, and just good strong gritty storytelling.
R. Kyle, March 2022
But when a rainmaker's efforts go badly wrong, it separates a family and sets others at enmity with the rainmaker and his child, who follows in her father's footsteps.
THE LAST STORM is a page-turner that will keep you up all night and haunt your dreams for days to follow. I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys dystopia, Americana, and just good strong gritty storytelling.
R. Kyle, March 2022
July 17, 2022
3 stars. There were some things that I liked a lot about, like the cultural commentary and exploring eco horror in a post-climate change and nearly destroyed America. However, the multiple POVs didn't work and I felt the characterization was lacking. I didn't care about the plot or the characters enough to want the ending to happen or something big to go down. I was a part of the blog tour for this novel and I am so grateful for the opportunity. Check out my post where I recommend ten books to see if this is a book for you blog post. Full review to come later.
March 12, 2023
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
First off, the easiest way to describe this book is Stranger Things meets The Stand. If both of these sound like fun, you might like this book. One thing of note is that while this book attempts to build character, it falls a little flat simply from the disorganized / chaotic story telling format. Multiple POV’s within this genre can work but it comes down to how well each character is developed. With this book, you have 3 interesting characters and one of which is even more so simply from the things she can do. The others are there for I suppose background / setting building. If you are a fan of dystopia / sci-fi you might like this book but do not go into it expecting sheer excellence.
3.5 out of 5 for me.
First off, the easiest way to describe this book is Stranger Things meets The Stand. If both of these sound like fun, you might like this book. One thing of note is that while this book attempts to build character, it falls a little flat simply from the disorganized / chaotic story telling format. Multiple POV’s within this genre can work but it comes down to how well each character is developed. With this book, you have 3 interesting characters and one of which is even more so simply from the things she can do. The others are there for I suppose background / setting building. If you are a fan of dystopia / sci-fi you might like this book but do not go into it expecting sheer excellence.
3.5 out of 5 for me.
January 8, 2024
Am I the problem? Kom halvveis, prøvd å utsette den på biblioteket i 3 mnd, Deichman nektet meg noe mer tid. Jeg prøvde. Boken lovte skrekk og gru, men it was giving tafatt mann. Kanskje jeg prøver på nytt en annen gang (probably won’t)
June 22, 2023
I thought this was going to be the usual PA/dystopian fare but there is a great angle here that really adds a unique take on the genre.
9/10
9/10
June 20, 2022
Netgalley provided ARC.
That was intense and thrilling all the way through. Had to continually stop just to catch my breath.
That was intense and thrilling all the way through. Had to continually stop just to catch my breath.
July 23, 2022
The future has nothing to offer the population except for a lack of water causing a prolonged deadly drought. Society’s need for this precious liquid has developed into an outlaw style of living. Rumors of those who possess a gift handed down from generation to generation begin to surface. These are known as Rainmakers, people who have the power to create rain and who are heavily sought after for profit as well as personal gain. However this talent can be saddled with unexplained horrific results. A family bloodline of Rainmakers adheres to their own powers and discovers a gift can be a cruel reality.
The Last Storm by Tim Lebbon focuses on ecological horror, a global warming crisis that forces desert dwellers to search for a better way of living. Soakers, Rainmakers and others are the direct result of this catastrophic plague that grips the country. Armed with apparatuses composed of circuit boards and mechanical components, with the rain comes a meteorological horror of blood, snakes, scorpions and spiders.
Lebbon brings to life a landscape of tension, fear and unrelenting savagery in his novel. Having this unnatural danger looming over the reader, creates a despairing emotional state of apprehension that slowly rises from each and every page. These psychological experiences range from the cruelty of mankind to the unsettling strangeness of a manipulated Mother Nature. It’s the calm before the storm, so seek your oasis of sanctuary and experience now what everyone will be talking about later. The Last Storm is proof Lebbon remains a master at horror storytelling. A five star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Horror Bookworm Recommendation.
The Last Storm by Tim Lebbon focuses on ecological horror, a global warming crisis that forces desert dwellers to search for a better way of living. Soakers, Rainmakers and others are the direct result of this catastrophic plague that grips the country. Armed with apparatuses composed of circuit boards and mechanical components, with the rain comes a meteorological horror of blood, snakes, scorpions and spiders.
Lebbon brings to life a landscape of tension, fear and unrelenting savagery in his novel. Having this unnatural danger looming over the reader, creates a despairing emotional state of apprehension that slowly rises from each and every page. These psychological experiences range from the cruelty of mankind to the unsettling strangeness of a manipulated Mother Nature. It’s the calm before the storm, so seek your oasis of sanctuary and experience now what everyone will be talking about later. The Last Storm is proof Lebbon remains a master at horror storytelling. A five star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Horror Bookworm Recommendation.
November 13, 2022
While this book advertised itself as post-apocalyptic which is certainly in my prime interest zone, the ultimate plot became so far fetched and boring that it was incredibly difficult to make it through.
Set in scorching weather with little to no rain for large swaths of time, this book focuses primarily on rainmakers who have a genetic link of (magic?) that allows them to be connected to storms and create rain. While post-apocalyptic is by definition a bit far fetched...there was literally, magic in their blood. The book also tried to weave several narratives together for these characters that ultimately come together and have a climax at the end. However, it was very jumpy at the beginning and overall quite dull.
Pass on this and read the new Hugh Howey which is a similar concept, just more interesting.
Set in scorching weather with little to no rain for large swaths of time, this book focuses primarily on rainmakers who have a genetic link of (magic?) that allows them to be connected to storms and create rain. While post-apocalyptic is by definition a bit far fetched...there was literally, magic in their blood. The book also tried to weave several narratives together for these characters that ultimately come together and have a climax at the end. However, it was very jumpy at the beginning and overall quite dull.
Pass on this and read the new Hugh Howey which is a similar concept, just more interesting.
February 2, 2023
Almost gave up on this one. It was too weird for me. I liked the climate change angle of the apocalypse, but it swerved into Stephen King territory of wtf? Also I’m not a fan of changing pov with every new chapter. My first Tim Lebbon and maybe my last.
July 2, 2022
The Last Storm by Tim Lebbon is a highly recommended dystopian horror and climate science fiction novel.
A large area of the Great Plains in North America is now known as the Desert after years of drought. The people remaining in the area have a hard scrabble, bleak existence between the famine and drought. Ash is a young woman traveling around the vast wasteland looking for parts that she needs to build a rain making device. The parts she needs will call out and sing to her. She is one of the mythical Rainmakers.
Jesse made and wielded a rainmaking device of his own. The last time he made it rain, he brought forth not only water, but also venomous scorpions, snakes, and spiders. After this he has eschewed using it again. Now he lives alone. Ash is his daughter and inherited his abilities, but Jesse believes she is dead. When his estranged wife Karina unexpectedly arrives, informing him that Ash is still alive and planning to start rainmaking, the two set out to find her. But they aren't the only ones looking.
The opening of The Last Storm tells of the last time Jesse used his device. The narrative clearly describes the process to make it rain, but also the horror which followed. It is understandable why he hides from the world, why he would not want Ash to make a device. Ash on the other hand is completely in thrall to her need to make a device. The need is in her blood and she is compelled, one could say born, to do this. This is her coming-of-age story, but as with any story of maturation there is always a hurdle or challenge that must be confronted or overcame.
This is an excellent, compelling, and harrowing horror novel that should appeal to many readers. The characters are all fully realized and portrayed with a rich depth and understanding of human nature. It is their development and portrayal that make this a powerful, atmospheric novel. Chapters alternate between the point-of-view of multiple characters. This helps the plot move along quickly while developing the characters and describing the changed landscape they live in. The parched land itself becomes a character as any lush plants are long dead while nasty devil grass thrives. (I have a few qualms over some minor plot points that most readers will likely accept or overlook.)
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Titan.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2022/0...
A large area of the Great Plains in North America is now known as the Desert after years of drought. The people remaining in the area have a hard scrabble, bleak existence between the famine and drought. Ash is a young woman traveling around the vast wasteland looking for parts that she needs to build a rain making device. The parts she needs will call out and sing to her. She is one of the mythical Rainmakers.
Jesse made and wielded a rainmaking device of his own. The last time he made it rain, he brought forth not only water, but also venomous scorpions, snakes, and spiders. After this he has eschewed using it again. Now he lives alone. Ash is his daughter and inherited his abilities, but Jesse believes she is dead. When his estranged wife Karina unexpectedly arrives, informing him that Ash is still alive and planning to start rainmaking, the two set out to find her. But they aren't the only ones looking.
The opening of The Last Storm tells of the last time Jesse used his device. The narrative clearly describes the process to make it rain, but also the horror which followed. It is understandable why he hides from the world, why he would not want Ash to make a device. Ash on the other hand is completely in thrall to her need to make a device. The need is in her blood and she is compelled, one could say born, to do this. This is her coming-of-age story, but as with any story of maturation there is always a hurdle or challenge that must be confronted or overcame.
This is an excellent, compelling, and harrowing horror novel that should appeal to many readers. The characters are all fully realized and portrayed with a rich depth and understanding of human nature. It is their development and portrayal that make this a powerful, atmospheric novel. Chapters alternate between the point-of-view of multiple characters. This helps the plot move along quickly while developing the characters and describing the changed landscape they live in. The parched land itself becomes a character as any lush plants are long dead while nasty devil grass thrives. (I have a few qualms over some minor plot points that most readers will likely accept or overlook.)
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Titan.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2022/0...
September 2, 2022
THE LAST STORM - TIM LEBBON
TIM LEBBON creates his own very original and unique hell world in THE LAST STORM!
They weren’t kidding when they said “it’s his best” because… it is!
The story is touching, gripping, scary, shocking, surprising and the raw bleak ending will haunt you long after you’ve read it.
Tim proves once again that he is a master when it comes to eco post apocalyptic horror. He has a remarkable talent at description and the emotions are very present, making you feel for each characters. I don’t remember a book giving me so much anxiety as to the fate of the characters.
It is so cinematic, I really wish it’ll make it to the big screen one day!
Until then, do yourself a favour, grab a copy and embrace THE LAST STORM!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
TIM LEBBON creates his own very original and unique hell world in THE LAST STORM!
They weren’t kidding when they said “it’s his best” because… it is!
The story is touching, gripping, scary, shocking, surprising and the raw bleak ending will haunt you long after you’ve read it.
Tim proves once again that he is a master when it comes to eco post apocalyptic horror. He has a remarkable talent at description and the emotions are very present, making you feel for each characters. I don’t remember a book giving me so much anxiety as to the fate of the characters.
It is so cinematic, I really wish it’ll make it to the big screen one day!
Until then, do yourself a favour, grab a copy and embrace THE LAST STORM!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
July 20, 2022
The perfect book to read during the heatwave (kind of). Loved the concept of the rainmakers and their cobbled together devices (similar to ET making an interstellar radio transmitter from odds and ends). The environmental apocalypse is really just a backdrop to a smaller scale story about relationships, something that works brilliantly, with the author moving the characters around like chess pieces so they finally come together in the thrilling finale. Top stuff.
July 11, 2022
A really impressive blend of SF thriller and horror in which a family struggled in a USA struggling with huge climate change. With shades of a Western and cosmic horror it’s a lean and atmospheric tale that is perfect for a hot summer
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
July 5, 2022
Gripping and a fantastic take on climate change. How would you use your powers if you can make it rain but also never knowing what your rain could bring you. Tim does it again with an excellent book and a story that just pulls you through that you just don't want to end.
September 2, 2022
This book is awesome. I loved the characters, the pacing is awesome, the concept is super interesting, and I loved how the chapters were broken up (into characters). Flew through it! Can't wait for my next Tim Lebbon read!
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