The Last Storm by Tim Lebbon ~ a Review

by MK French

Much of North America has turned into the Desert thanks to global warming. A young woman travels across the land, building a structure she believes will bring rain. Jesse once made rain, but stopped when his ability called down scorpions, snakes, and spiders as well as rain. Trying to stop his daughter Ash from using his tainted ability went tragically wrong, and he feels responsible for her death. When his estranged wife Karina says Ash is alive and rainmaking, they set out to find her. They're not the only ones, and at least one is seeking revenge.

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July 2022; Titan Books; 978-1803360423
audio, ebook, print (352 pates); post-apocalyptic 

The Rainmaker ability is a trait Jesse inherited from his mother and involves using an apparatus of some kind to channel the ability. Along with the Rainmaker skill is a drive to find parts to build the idiosyncratic machine best suited to create the rain. Jesse stopped when his ability went strange and killed people, and he panicked when he realized Ash has an even stronger talent than he does. This led to the event that made him think he killed his daughter and drove him and his wife apart. Ash is very much alive, however, with her talent essentially taking over her consciousness at times. She is very much a lost soul, and just as hopeless as Jesse.

Being gifted hasn't been easy for either of them, but how they approach it is different. Jesse ran; Ash embraced it. That doesn't make it any easier to use her gift, especially when she had essentially no training or understanding, only a need to make rain to help ease the drought and fires raging throughout the Desert. The barren area is a desolate, potentially dangerous place, made worse by those who live for revenge and taking advantage of others. The Rainmaker gift is never really explained, just a bloodline power that they use; it's less important to explain how or why it works, just to know that it does and that its use is incredibly dangerous once more than just waterfalls. The people are the bigger focus in this book, the guilt that drives Jesse, the need to help push Ash through her periods of lucidity, and the desperation of a mother hoping to help her daughter drive Karina. Even the other characters that we meet have similar drives, whether it's guilt, helping, or interfering that they need to do.

I wasn't sure what I expected in terms of the ending of this novel, or how the supporting characters would fall in terms of their feelings about Ash or Jesse. The beaten down and desolate world of the desert is brutal and is evoked so vividly. This is an unforgiving world, one that doesn't deal with kindness or altruism well. That being said, we have some glimmers of it, making me hope that the future won't be so dire for the survivors. The finale is a wild ride, one that I was enthralled to read.

Buy The Last Storm at Amazon

Born and raised in New York City, M.K. French started writing stories when very young, dreaming of different worlds and places to visit. She always had an interest in folklore, fairy tales, and the macabre, which has definitely influenced her work. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband, three young children, and a golden retriever.

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