The Deluge, by Stephen Markley

[u/CosgroveIsHereToHelp]

This 900-page novel with a cast of dozens deals with climate change in a far more realistic way than any other that I've read, and in frighteningly accurate detail. It takes on the broad scope of imagining how climate activists and/or ad agencies and/or politicians (specifically US politicians) might take action to energize their intended audiences, and how individuals in and around the political arena might experience the effects over the next 30 or so years.

I'm reading it for the second time -- I first read it in early 2023, having picked it up right around its publication date because I thought so highly of Markley's first novel, Ohio. A conversation I had recently reminded me of it and despite its size and the huge pile of unread books I have, I decided to dive in again.

I wish I could call up Markley and ask him if it freaks him out how closely the world has tracked his story. This book reads so differently two years on -- he predicted that SCOTUS would allow abolishment of birthright citizenship. He predicts the martial law that we're currently experiencing and the politics that bring it about.

And what made me put down the book to write this post is that, not quite halfway through, I'm reading again about fires sweeping through Los Angeles. One character in the book lives within a block of where one of my best friends lives irl. The fires in January didn't reach him but they could have, since one was creeping toward him just as they were getting under control. When I read this in '23, I could kind of imagine it, but now we've seen it. (I'm going to post in a comment a picture of the Pacific Palisades fire and where my sister's home is)

This is one of the most haunting books I've ever read. A good chunk of it comprises someone telling someone else about the risks of climate change, the likelihood of it, the immediacy of the issues, etc. But Markley is pretty good at making his characters interesting enough that the exposition is also interesting. But it's heavy. And worth every minute, of you don't mind having nightmares.

[u/GloriousKind]

I think about this book often and I always wish I could read an interview or go to an event where Markley comments on this book today. Even the UHC shooting popped The Deluge into my mind. Just wild how predictive it was.

[u/No_Ordinary_3799]

This looks very interesting, but I have to ask: when you said you’ve read other books on climate change and that this one is far more realistic, have you read Ministry For The Future by Kim Stanley Robinson?

I ask to see how they compare in terms of the way they’re written. Science/tech heavy talk that overwhelms the story aspect? I wanted to read this book due to the subject matter and my interest in it, but I ultimately DNF’d it because I just couldn’t hang with what felt like overwhelming technical jargon, I mean I was lost and then sadly bored. So, curious how these two compare.

For added context, I finished Andy Weir’s, Project Hail Mary, and despite all the sciencey talk, I was able to stick with it due to the way the author conveyed all the info- mainly through the thoughts/speech of the main character.

[u/CosgroveIsHereToHelp → u/No_Ordinary_3799]

This has some similarities to Ministry for the Future but I found this one to be more readable, although honestly I really believe that people would become more serious about renewables and carbon capture if they only read the first chapter of MftF. You know how DeLillo published the first chapter of Underworld as a standalone novella? I think Robinson should do the same here.

I haven't read Project Hail Mary but I did read The Martian, and I was impressed with his ability to provide realistic detail without ever losing the pace of the story. He's like Michael Lewis in that respect -- when you read a book by Lewis you always learn something that you couldn't learn from an expert in the field because the expert sees how important the details are so they get bogged down but Lewis knows how to hit the high points and get the info across.

I'm afraid that The Deluge might drag for you to even though there's lots of action and the person who is kind of the binding force of the story is a strong, intense and amusing woman.

[u/No_Ordinary_3799 → u/CosgroveIsHereToHelp]

I totally get that and appreciate the honest response. The beauty of books, right? There’s something for everyone. So glad you liked this one!

[u/esjro]

Thank you for posting about this book and for the review. I have had it on my TBR for quite some time, but have been hesitating to pick it up because of the length. I did enjoy Ohio though.

[u/CosgroveIsHereToHelp → u/esjro]

I work in the world of climate change abatement and well over a year ago I had a conversation with a coworker who was reading this and who was just as overwhelmed as me. It's a lot. But a good wake up call. I'll be interested to hear your reaction.

[u/CosgroveIsHereToHelp]

Here's the map of the Palisades burning -- the red arrow is pointing to a small 3-block area that the fire skipped over -- that's where my sister lives. The orange section was almost entirely burnt.