First the hurricanes came, then the levees broke and suddenly the larger part of North America is under water. The government has broken down and anarchy rules. 16-year-old Stephen meets up with a college girl and they wander through the newly made waterways looking for somewhere to stop and be safe, always accompanied by the radio messages of the Swamp Hog, urging them farther inland.
Genre: fantasy
Rating: 3/5
Challenges: What an Animal, Magical March
I had high hopes for this book. The cover is lovely and the first chapter seemed hopeful, but I ended up not enjoying the disconnected tone that seemed to be trying to evoke Cormac McCarthy. That tone made this book bleak and almost boring in places. This had the potential to be a REALLY good book, engaging and appealing to teenagers. I honestly can't think of a teenager who isn't already a well seasoned reader who would finish this book for a reason other than that it's short. There's also Stephen's preoccupation with sex, both for himself and his mother and her boyfriends. It was almost like Ely was trying to hint there was some Oedipal thing going on. Any way around it, while it had the nihilism of a world falling apart down, it was as if the author just forgot to bother to add anything exciting. It's a shame because the plot had a lot of promise.
Sad! It sounded so good, and the cover looks awesome.
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