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Rain Trilogy #1 part 1
The Rain - Part 1
There are a lot of stories about how the rain started.
The thing that always comes to mind first isn’t the how though, it’s the how much. Russell still does the math too: 15, 5,400, and 8,550. 15 inches a day, 5,400 a year, and 8,550 feet since the start.
We have no idea if it’s accurate. But it’s important to think about it, he says, because it reminds us to keep moving. I’m Tanner. Russell plucked me from the rain when I was two.
Fourteen years ago we left Philadelphia. As the water rose, we moved west, hoping the elevation would keep us warm and dry. Pittsburg, Indianapolis, Sioux Falls, Rapid City. Now we’re stranded on the islands in Wyoming. Russell thinks they used to be the Bighorn mountains. But we can’t go back now. There’s no warm and there’s no dry anymore. Just a rumor about a place where it isn't raining. So we’re going to try to make it—520 miles south to Leadville. But we can’t drift east, the Great Plains have become waterspout alley, a raging tomb of moving water.
Together we push on, surviving, heading to Leadville. But something is wrong with him now. He says it’s nothing. But his breathing doesn’t sound that way.
Exposure, pruned hands, and infection. But since, Rapid City, it’s the face eaters too. And the crack in the canoe that’s growing. And the ice I think I see on the water. Russell thinks it’s my imagination.
We cling to the last strips of the veneer. And each other.
The thing that always comes to mind first isn’t the how though, it’s the how much. Russell still does the math too: 15, 5,400, and 8,550. 15 inches a day, 5,400 a year, and 8,550 feet since the start.
We have no idea if it’s accurate. But it’s important to think about it, he says, because it reminds us to keep moving. I’m Tanner. Russell plucked me from the rain when I was two.
Fourteen years ago we left Philadelphia. As the water rose, we moved west, hoping the elevation would keep us warm and dry. Pittsburg, Indianapolis, Sioux Falls, Rapid City. Now we’re stranded on the islands in Wyoming. Russell thinks they used to be the Bighorn mountains. But we can’t go back now. There’s no warm and there’s no dry anymore. Just a rumor about a place where it isn't raining. So we’re going to try to make it—520 miles south to Leadville. But we can’t drift east, the Great Plains have become waterspout alley, a raging tomb of moving water.
Together we push on, surviving, heading to Leadville. But something is wrong with him now. He says it’s nothing. But his breathing doesn’t sound that way.
Exposure, pruned hands, and infection. But since, Rapid City, it’s the face eaters too. And the crack in the canoe that’s growing. And the ice I think I see on the water. Russell thinks it’s my imagination.
We cling to the last strips of the veneer. And each other.
78 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 18, 2013
34 people are currently reading
225 people want to read
About the author
Joseph A. Turkot
49 books110 followersJoseph Turkot is the author of eight novels and many short stories. He began writing as an independent author, and The Rain is his first release with Blackstone Publishing. He lives in South Jersey, and when not writing, he dreams of the day when he’ll be able to open an animal sanctuary.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 23, 2014
NOTE: This review is about all 5 parts of the story.
Given we’re heading into the winter months here in Australia; I could certainly picture what the world Joseph created in 'The Rain' would be like. Imagine, though, what it would be like if it didn't stop raining for a month, or a year? Sounds positively horrible doesn't it?
Well, what if it didn't stop raining - EVER?! Comprehending the amount of water that we're talking about here is almost impossible. I ended up thinking along the lines of the Kevin Costner movie - Waterworld.
The scene is set, and you're introduced to your main characters, Tanner and Russell.
At first, I thought there might be something 'dodgy' going on with that relationship, given the whole 'the world is going to hell in a hand basket' but I'm happy to say, my initial thoughts were wrong. At least about Russell.
Age is an interesting concept. In the story, age is simultaneously important and not important. People don't seem to know/share their ages with people. Tanner herself doesn't seem to know just how old she is nor how old Russell is, yet she uses her own and Russell's ages as measuring sticks for other characters she meets. Neatly done by Joseph, to allow for people of a wider age bracket to enjoy.
This story will probably not end up with a massive following; this is not because it's not well written. In fact I thoroughly enjoyed it and its lack of grammar/spelling issues (there were a few minor ones pointed out below), but primarily because of a few themes/subjects that run throughout the book:
1. It is written mostly as a narrative about the past, with only a small amount of the book in the here-and-now with Tanner and Russell.
2. It has aspects of horror/gore
3. It is not a very 'positive' book
4. It doesn't shy away from some hard truths about human nature
5. Joseph is also not shy about exploring those truths about human nature in some rather interesting detail.
All these points will impact potential readers, but for those who push through them, they'll likely come out the other side with a mind full of possibilities.
Just how much would you have to go through before you gave up all that it means to be a human?
I intend on reading the rest of the series. I hope there are some more happy moments for the characters, but I fear that Joseph may make their journey fraught with danger, death and destruction.
Some things I noticed (sorry no % locations as it was part of a collection):
That's what they'll have to(o), if they're not dead.
...as of they're (their) appearance of having...
Chapter 11: I pull the pull the (remove second pull the) flap of blanket...
...tinkering with (the) radio again.
**Note: I was provided with an electronic copy of this book in return for an honest review.**
Given we’re heading into the winter months here in Australia; I could certainly picture what the world Joseph created in 'The Rain' would be like. Imagine, though, what it would be like if it didn't stop raining for a month, or a year? Sounds positively horrible doesn't it?
Well, what if it didn't stop raining - EVER?! Comprehending the amount of water that we're talking about here is almost impossible. I ended up thinking along the lines of the Kevin Costner movie - Waterworld.
The scene is set, and you're introduced to your main characters, Tanner and Russell.
At first, I thought there might be something 'dodgy' going on with that relationship, given the whole 'the world is going to hell in a hand basket' but I'm happy to say, my initial thoughts were wrong. At least about Russell.
Age is an interesting concept. In the story, age is simultaneously important and not important. People don't seem to know/share their ages with people. Tanner herself doesn't seem to know just how old she is nor how old Russell is, yet she uses her own and Russell's ages as measuring sticks for other characters she meets. Neatly done by Joseph, to allow for people of a wider age bracket to enjoy.
This story will probably not end up with a massive following; this is not because it's not well written. In fact I thoroughly enjoyed it and its lack of grammar/spelling issues (there were a few minor ones pointed out below), but primarily because of a few themes/subjects that run throughout the book:
1. It is written mostly as a narrative about the past, with only a small amount of the book in the here-and-now with Tanner and Russell.
2. It has aspects of horror/gore
3. It is not a very 'positive' book
4. It doesn't shy away from some hard truths about human nature
5. Joseph is also not shy about exploring those truths about human nature in some rather interesting detail.
All these points will impact potential readers, but for those who push through them, they'll likely come out the other side with a mind full of possibilities.
Just how much would you have to go through before you gave up all that it means to be a human?
I intend on reading the rest of the series. I hope there are some more happy moments for the characters, but I fear that Joseph may make their journey fraught with danger, death and destruction.
Some things I noticed (sorry no % locations as it was part of a collection):
That's what they'll have to(o), if they're not dead.
...as of they're (their) appearance of having...
Chapter 11: I pull the pull the (remove second pull the) flap of blanket...
...tinkering with (the) radio again.
**Note: I was provided with an electronic copy of this book in return for an honest review.**
August 25, 2017
I liked the sound of the plot for the book. A man and a girl try to survive together in a world flooded by many years of continual rain, trying to find a legendary town where the ground is high and the rain has stopped. They are tracked by face eaters, humans who are cannibals and want to eat other survivors to stay alive. With a sinking canoe and dwindling supplies, life is getting grim.
There is no real character development in the book. The two heroes barely speak to each other in the present or interact with each other to make you warm to them and their plight. Instead the author just tells us about things. We are told that Russell saves her. We are told that Russell educated her about how life used to be. We are told briefly of places they stayed. But we never SEE anything! We are never shown anything to draw us into their adventures. I found myself feeling as if I was reading a report about two strangers written by someone who never knew or cared about them. The thing that really annoyed me was her endless droning on about the veneer, a concept that made no sense to me and I had no interest in the countless times that she went on about it.
The book was just one long narrative which made the story drag. A lot of it talked about past events which seemed to be emotionless info dumps. It talks of how happy they were on a big cruiser but you never feel invested in the disaster that followed and you don't feel anything for the people that they lost. There was no detail about that disaster which was a pity. It could have been covered in a dream that she was having where the reader gets to see and feel what happens instead of just being blandly told about it. We only get a few bits about that boat, usually just the rumours that the passengers exchanged and then we get told the hurricane came, they fought over life boats and that is all the detail we get. It is like one long monologue about the places that they have visited and what we saw there, but there is little detail of interest and no emotion in the writing at all.
The period set in the present should have been more interesting but it was not. They are being tailed by cannibals who want to take their supplies and kill them, but the lack of emotion in the writing meant that there was no tension building or scary moments. It was all described in that same kind of dull monotone that goes right through the story. There was no excitement or feeling of danger and it was just a bit dull. The author never swept me up in the story or got me to feel anything for his characters so I was never invested in it.
I found reading this to be more of a chore than a pleasure to be honest and I certainly will not be reading on with the rest of this series. It is disappointing because I have read some really good short stories by this author.
There is no real character development in the book. The two heroes barely speak to each other in the present or interact with each other to make you warm to them and their plight. Instead the author just tells us about things. We are told that Russell saves her. We are told that Russell educated her about how life used to be. We are told briefly of places they stayed. But we never SEE anything! We are never shown anything to draw us into their adventures. I found myself feeling as if I was reading a report about two strangers written by someone who never knew or cared about them. The thing that really annoyed me was her endless droning on about the veneer, a concept that made no sense to me and I had no interest in the countless times that she went on about it.
The book was just one long narrative which made the story drag. A lot of it talked about past events which seemed to be emotionless info dumps. It talks of how happy they were on a big cruiser but you never feel invested in the disaster that followed and you don't feel anything for the people that they lost. There was no detail about that disaster which was a pity. It could have been covered in a dream that she was having where the reader gets to see and feel what happens instead of just being blandly told about it. We only get a few bits about that boat, usually just the rumours that the passengers exchanged and then we get told the hurricane came, they fought over life boats and that is all the detail we get. It is like one long monologue about the places that they have visited and what we saw there, but there is little detail of interest and no emotion in the writing at all.
The period set in the present should have been more interesting but it was not. They are being tailed by cannibals who want to take their supplies and kill them, but the lack of emotion in the writing meant that there was no tension building or scary moments. It was all described in that same kind of dull monotone that goes right through the story. There was no excitement or feeling of danger and it was just a bit dull. The author never swept me up in the story or got me to feel anything for his characters so I was never invested in it.
I found reading this to be more of a chore than a pleasure to be honest and I certainly will not be reading on with the rest of this series. It is disappointing because I have read some really good short stories by this author.
December 1, 2015
Very short story, but a very good one. This book is 95% narrative about the past and 5% about the present. I want to buy the next book, but hope it's not more of the same.
April 2, 2018
I got this book part 1 off Amazon. I was really happy, because it was really well written. I liked the characters and thought I'd found a new, good author. HOWEVER, I've noticed a new trend, and this book it a prime example. The authors are cutting a single book into several parts, releasing the first few chapters for free and then making you pay between .99 cents and $2.99 for the next few chapters. In a book like this, split into 5 parts, you end up paying more than what you'd pay for a brand new paper back for what is essentially a single book.
I like to support authors who are self publishing, and just starting out. And I don't mind paying full price for a second book of an author I already know I like. But I hate feeling like I'm being scammed. I read and recommend A LOT of books. But regardless of how good I think the author is, I will not only NOT continue to buy and recommend their books, I will make a point to let other readers know not to give their money to authors who have so little respect for the people buying their books.
I like to support authors who are self publishing, and just starting out. And I don't mind paying full price for a second book of an author I already know I like. But I hate feeling like I'm being scammed. I read and recommend A LOT of books. But regardless of how good I think the author is, I will not only NOT continue to buy and recommend their books, I will make a point to let other readers know not to give their money to authors who have so little respect for the people buying their books.
February 17, 2019
3.5 stars because it was sooo depressing, but it should be 4 stars for doing it so well! After a winter of record-breaking snow, I shudder to think of this much rain. I couldn't stand the constant rain and clouds. People from a rain forest would be set emotionally.
Abandoned-series:
Abandoned after 1 book, because it was so sad. This was so depressing that I don't think I will read any more of the series, but it wasn't that it wasn't a good story (double negative :)! A very interesting story, but just too depressing for my taste.
Likes:
* Math of rain fall
Dislikes:
* RAIN...
* Human depravity
With-reservations:
violence,
For-review:
Received a free review copy as part of What Tomorrow May Bring for [David Estes Fans & YA Book Lovers Unite] R&R #69
Abandoned-series:
Abandoned after 1 book, because it was so sad. This was so depressing that I don't think I will read any more of the series, but it wasn't that it wasn't a good story (double negative :)! A very interesting story, but just too depressing for my taste.
Likes:
* Math of rain fall
Dislikes:
* RAIN...
* Human depravity
With-reservations:
violence,
For-review:
Received a free review copy as part of What Tomorrow May Bring for [David Estes Fans & YA Book Lovers Unite] R&R #69
November 14, 2013
By: Joseph A Turkot
Published By: J.A.T.
Age Recommended: Adult
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: 4
Series: The Rain
Review:
"The Rain" Part I by Joseph A. Turkot was short and very interesting take on the apocalypse. Wow! This was definitely a read that will keep your interest in what is going with Russell who has found and saved Tanner. It is raining and it never stops giving them only 'misery.' and now their are cannibals coming. Now, the jest of it all is that this weather will drive humanity insane. There are really some very interesting characters that seem to be very intriguing as well as developed. Now, I will leave you the reader to pick up "The Rain Part I" to see what this short read is all about. Finding out the meaning of the word 'veneer' will be of great interest in this short read which turns out to be a great analogy. I liked the way this author brought this out for the reader and if this keeps your interest there will be more in his Part II.
Published By: J.A.T.
Age Recommended: Adult
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: 4
Series: The Rain
Review:
"The Rain" Part I by Joseph A. Turkot was short and very interesting take on the apocalypse. Wow! This was definitely a read that will keep your interest in what is going with Russell who has found and saved Tanner. It is raining and it never stops giving them only 'misery.' and now their are cannibals coming. Now, the jest of it all is that this weather will drive humanity insane. There are really some very interesting characters that seem to be very intriguing as well as developed. Now, I will leave you the reader to pick up "The Rain Part I" to see what this short read is all about. Finding out the meaning of the word 'veneer' will be of great interest in this short read which turns out to be a great analogy. I liked the way this author brought this out for the reader and if this keeps your interest there will be more in his Part II.
April 13, 2015
The concept is good, the people seem interesting - but you just don't get under their skin. Perhaps it's because it's falling off, perhaps it's because the characters just aren't really well written.
And everything that happens just seems too convenient and easy. Linear, is the therm I think is best for this. It's all so linear.
You know you gotta read the last two books, but beware: it's just a few hours quick read, and no depth.
And everything that happens just seems too convenient and easy. Linear, is the therm I think is best for this. It's all so linear.
You know you gotta read the last two books, but beware: it's just a few hours quick read, and no depth.
December 1, 2013
/i've received my copy for free from the author/
I really liked it. At moments i was asking myself if writing it in 3rd person would't have been better, but then always something happened that pulled my attention back to the story. I would definitely read a second part!
I really liked it. At moments i was asking myself if writing it in 3rd person would't have been better, but then always something happened that pulled my attention back to the story. I would definitely read a second part!
February 18, 2014
This was a free short story and it was fantastic. It's frightening to read on a way because of all the rain we've had and the flooding already. It's something that could happen. I can't wait to read more from this author. Give this one a go, you won't be disappointed.
February 6, 2015
Not a happy, fun book but a brilliant read. Desperate and gritty, truly end of the world stuff. Just noticed average star ratings which to me are too low for this book. It is a depressing read, but worth more than 3.3 stars IMHO.
April 2, 2014
Quick read. Good read! Definitely on the must reads for post-apocalyptic fans!
March 31, 2015
Oh, this book - this book! Loved it. I downloaded the next part and cannot wait to read it!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews