The Deluge

Markley’s (Ohio) chilling story is an all-too-possible story of the real dangers of rampant climate change. The story begins just beyond the present day. Global warming brings natural disasters of ever-increasing violence. Fire, floods, rising sea levels, and dust storms create global food shortages. Species extinctions occur every day. Multiple activist groups work toward solutions, but each group is too small to gain traction. Meanwhile, big corporations, evangelical religion, and dirty politics allow business as usual, contributing an increasing amount of carbon to an already saturated atmosphere. The escalation of violent government responses and catastrophic weather events ultimately bring all parties to the bargaining table, but it may be too late to save the planet and future generations. A cast of 14 skilled narrators give voice to the novel’s many characters, providing multiple viewpoints, expressing competing values and interests, and capturing their attempts to work toward solutions. The full cast allows listeners to distinguish between the many characters—no small feat in a novel of this size.