Genre: Apocalypse
Length: 337 Pages
Publisher: Titan Books
Release date: July 19, 2022
Synopsis:
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…
My Review-
The Last Storm was not the typical apocalyptic story, one void of civilization, power and life as we know it. This apocalypse felt like we just slid in to it, in small incremental events. One filled with famine, drought and the struggle to survive. Large portions of the country have become a desert and fires are consuming more and more. While many other areas of the country are unaffected. There is still power, cell phones, etc. and in this near future an abundance of electric cars. Is this how the apocalypse will start, with wildfires and areas of our country living with water shortages?
In desperate times there are desperate measures. Ash, thought to be the last rainmaker, wants to help any way she can. But her inexperience with her family’s talent leads to unexpected consequences, and rain isn’t the only thing she conjures. The rainmaker lore created by Tim Lebbon didn’t fully work for me for a majority of the book. Much of it felt half constructed and undefined, until Jesse and Ash combined their talent. I loved that, even in the worst of times, people came together to fight the fires and help one another. Even in the apocalypse humanity continues to thrive, for the most part. Except, our protagonist, Jimi who is on a lifelong path of revenge after his father is killed. He was a great character and he caused his share of destruction and death. In the end, I’m not sure if he won or lost. The Last Storm wasn’t my favorite apocalyptic story, but it was a good one. This is my favorite corner of the horror genre and I’ll always dive in when I can.
Link to purchase The Last Storm
Tim Lebbon, Biography-
I’m a New York Times-bestselling horror, thriller and fantasy writer from a little village in South Wales. I’ve written over 45 novels, including several in collaboration with Christopher Golden, as well as dozens of novellas and hundreds of short stories. I’ve written tie in novels in the Alien, Predator, Helllboy, Star Wars, and Firefly universes. Maybe a mash-up of all those properties would be fun!
My novel The Silence was made into a Netflix movie starring Kiernan Shipka and Stanley Tucci. I even got to be in the movie, starring as a bloodied corpse!
My novella Pay The Ghost was a 2015 movie starring Nicolas Cage and directed by Uli Edel.
My latest novel EDEN is an eco-horror thriller. Josh Malerman calls it ‘Instantly cinematic’. Sarah Pinborough calls it ‘Smart, prescient and gripping.’
I have several other projects currently in development for TV and the big screen, including original screenplays and a TV series with a US broadcaster.
I’ve won four British Fantasy Awards, a Bram Stoker Award and a Scribe, as well as being shortlisted for the prestigious World Fantasy and Shirley Jackson Awards.
The Scary Reviews 