In 'Flood' by Stephen Baxter, the world faces a catastrophic global disaster as rising sea levels engulf major cities like London and New York, forcing humanity to fight for survival on the last remaining areas of land. The novel follows a diverse group of characters as they navigate the apocalyptic events caused by the flooding, offering a human perspective on the unfolding catastrophe amidst a backdrop of awe-inspiring ideas and unforgettable moments.
The narrative delves into the consequences of extreme climate change, portraying a future where society is disrupted, governments are challenged, and individuals struggle to cope with the rising waters and shrinking land. Baxter's writing style intricately weaves together the personal stories of the characters with the larger-scale disaster, creating a compelling and thought-provoking exploration of how humanity grapples with an impending global crisis.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings for Flood include themes of climate disaster, societal collapse, and some graphic depictions of human suffering due to the flood.
From The Publisher:
Four hostages are rescued from a group of religious extremists in Barcelona. After five years of being held captive together, they make a vow to always watch out for one another. But they never expected this. The world they have returned to has been transformed-by water. And the water is rising.
Ratings (1)
It Was OK (1) |
Reader Stats (15):
Read It (1) | |
Want To Read (9) | |
Did Not Finish (1) | |
Not Interested (4) |
1 comment(s)
Flood is your standard end of the world science fiction novel, written by a mathematician/aeroengineer-turned-novelist. Baxter's background in hard science gives the book a strong foundation in engineering, climatology, geology, biology, and even astronomy that is both interesting and accessible.*
Unfortunately, by choosing the hard science route, Baxter sacrifices in character development and plotting. This is the opposite of McCarthy's
The Road, in which the reader never knows what happened to the world; the focus instead is on the day to day survival of one man and his son. In contrast, Baxter has a dozen major characters criss-crossing the globe over 40 years, providing a terrifying overview of the collapse of society without ever really getting into one character's head. Ultimately Baxter and McCarthy are working on different projects, nullifying any direct comparison (other than the acknowledgment that McCarthy is an artist, Baxter a scientist with a way with words).
Although I enjoyed it, this is the kind of science fiction I avoided as a child and teen: very much about ideas, not so much about people. After closing the book I am still downright baffled as to some of the characters' behavior and motivations. The book did have its moments, though, especially in its condemnation of governments who refuse to recognize the evidence of global flooding because it is just too damn scary to think about.
If you want to sleep at night, don't read the Afterword, in which Baxter cites the studies that support his theory of global flooding.
*As far as I know. I haven't seen the inside of a science classroom since 1999. Yikes.
What can you read after
Flood?
About the Author:
Stephen Baxter is a trained engineer with degrees from Cambridge and Southampton Universities. Baxter is the winner of both the British Science Fiction Association Award and the Locus Award, as well as being a nominee for an Arthur C. Clarke Award,…
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