Who Would Like This Book:
If you love dense, ambitious literary fiction that doesn’t shy away from big ideas, this is a ride you won’t want to miss. The Deluge is a panoramic saga about climate crisis that pulls you right into the eye of the storm, with characters spanning activists, scientists, politicians, billionaires, and everyday folks - each grappling with a future on the brink. Markley’s prose is punchy, clever, and sometimes darkly funny; you’ll find yourself deeply invested in both the main story lines and the sprawling, interconnected cast. This one’s perfect for fans of epic, socially-conscious novels like The Overstory or The Ministry for the Future, and for anyone who likes their fiction urgent, timely, and emotionally intense.
Who May Not Like This Book:
If doorstop-sized novels make you sweat, you might struggle here - The Deluge clocks in at nearly 900 pages and devotes significant space to character and atmosphere before the plot really gets rolling. Some readers find the multitude of viewpoints tricky to juggle, and not every character’s storyline is equally compelling. The tone can get bleak, and the near-future climate scenarios might hit a little too close to home if you’re seeking escapism or a ‘feel-good’ read. Others noted the style sometimes veers into heavy-handedness or loses narrative focus along the way.
About:
The Deluge by Stephen Markley is a highly political and activist novel that delves into the societal impacts of climate change in a near-future setting. The book follows a diverse cast of characters facing the unraveling of society due to climate change, religious fanaticism, and political extremism. Markley's writing style includes newspaper/magazine articles and notes within the text, showcasing his compassion for the characters and his skill as a novelist. The novel is described as a warning about the state of our world and the urgent need for action.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include themes of climate disaster, violence, societal collapse, addiction, and mental distress, presenting a high level of sensitivity for readers.
From The Publisher:
A New York Times Notable Book
"This book is, simply put, a modern classic. If you read it, you'll never forget it. Prophetic, terrifying, uplifting." -Stephen King
From the bestselling author of Ohio , a masterful American epic charting a near future approaching collapse and a nascent but strengthening solidarity.
In the first decades of the 21st century, the world is convulsing, its governments mired in gridlock while a patient but unrelenting ecological crisis looms. America is in upheaval, battered by violent weather and extreme politics. In California in 2013, Tony Pietrus, a scientist studying deposits of undersea methane, receives a death threat. His fate will become bound to a stunning cast of characters-a broken drug addict, a star advertising strategist, a neurodivergent mathematician, a cunning eco-terrorist, an actor turned religious zealot, and a brazen young activist named Kate Morris, who, in the mountains of Wyoming, begins a project that will alter the course of the decades to come.
From the Gulf Coast to Los Angeles, the Midwest to Washington, DC, their intertwined odysseys unfold against a stark backdrop of accelerating chaos as they summon courage, galvanize a nation, fall to their own fear, and find wild hope in the face of staggering odds. As their stories hurtle toward a spectacular climax, each faces a reckoning: what will they sacrifice to salvage humanity's last chance at a future? A singular achievement, The Deluge is a once-in-a-generation novel that meets the moment as few works of art ever have.
Ratings (7)
Incredible (4) | |
Loved It (1) | |
Liked It (1) | |
It Was OK (1) |
Reader Stats (16):
Read It (7) | |
Want To Read (8) | |
Not Interested (1) |
What can you read after
The Deluge?
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