I have been reading this book for a year. When I pick it up it doesnt matter where i am in the story- Im lost. And not because time has gone by and I have forgotten the story, no, because there are new timelines and new situations with each new chapter. At first it seemed like there were too many new characters being introduced in each new chapter. But eventually we started seeing the same characters. Did these characters meet up? Well getting more into the story it appears so but you have to get through so much of the story...

This book could have been amazing. The author has a way of writing that is very detailed and fantastic but it got too wordy for me. Also, I felt as though he could have written the women a little better. My husband and I read this book together and agreed the women were very clearly written by a man (LOL),

This story would be a great Netflix show! Maybe 2-3 seasons with just this one book!

I LOVED Ohio (I still think about it often and I read it 4ish years ago), so I was so excited for this one. Daunting to start and I do think a bit too long, I could've done with a few less characters, but it was so good that it really didn't matter. He creates such a unique and fully fleshed-out world and such compelling characters and it was really good and so worthwhile. I know I'll be thinking about this one too.

Climate fiction is a genre that I enjoy so I was beyond excited when I received this ARC from #NetGalley.

Stephen Markley deserves all the praise for this epic, wildly ambitious, and completely enthralling novel. It has heavy political themes, but those themes work well with the story and do not feel overbearing or preaching. There are multiple characters, but all feel fully developed with emotional depth and balance, which makes this a wonderful, although terrifying story, to get lost in.

One of my favorite books of 2023! And also one that I will revisit again and again and again because it is just that good.

I couldn't put this down. He shows a beautiful and brutal reality, and near future, that I found heart-breaking and terrifying and fascinating and compelling all at the same time. I feel fortunate to have gotten to read this before it was published, and still went out and bought a copy! Plus, I picked up his other book, Ohio, too, while I was at it - and look forward to getting that too. Really going to keep my eyes and ears peels for books from him in the future too.

This isn't an easy read, as those familiar with this author know from prior works like Ohio. Stephen Markley, in The Deluge, weaves together a thought-provoking tapestry about climate change.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

Way too long, way too much to stay connected to, perhaps because I read it in short bursts. I may give it another try someday.
Thanks to netgalley for the ebook

Slow to start but an enjoyable read with lots of depth. Disturbing and beautiful all at once. Can’t wait to read more from this author.

Such a compelling, but frightening story. I had a hard time deciding if this was fiction or nonfiction. The writing was incredible and kept me very interested.

This book was incredible. The breadth and depth of characters, the world building, the way it all comes together was a masterclass in storytelling. As someone who works in climate, it reads less like a work of speculative fiction and more like a nonfiction history book - something that is written in the future, recounting the events as they happened. Eerily realistic. I was completely enthralled.

Even though this book is fiction, it has a very realistic and ominous foreshadowing of what could happen to Earth sooner as opposed to later. This book also gives me the same appreciation as the book, "The Overstory." Trees play a critical role in the health of the environment and oxygen in the air everyone/everything breathes. I never tire of climatology books and it does not matter to me if they are fiction or nonfiction; both are equally scary and thought-provoking. There is only one planet for all inhabitants. It does not matter race, religion, cow, sheep, worm, otter, bird, etc. We all need the planet and its habit and resources for life. If unrenewable resources disappear, what happens next? Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

This book was scary AF for its very real implications despite being fiction. Yes, it was long; just south of 100o pages! But once I began reading, I cold not put this down.

A very recommended fiction book on climatology.

Thanks to Stephen Markley, NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Already available!

Interesting and well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Difficult to follow at times and a little slow. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

I have only heard amazing things about this book, and with a quote from Stephen King on the cover, I knew this was one I had to read. I truly had no idea what I was getting into. To say this book is good isn’t accurate. It’s not really enjoyable. It’s a giant bummer, honestly. But it’s such an important book and will stick with me for years.

From GoodReads: In the first decades of the 21st century, the world is convulsing, its governments mired in gridlock while a patient but unrelenting ecological crisis looms. America is in upheaval, battered by violent weather and extreme politics. In California in 2013, Tony Pietrus, a scientist studying deposits of undersea methane, receives a death threat. His fate will become bound to a stunning cast of characters—a broken drug addict, a star advertising strategist, a neurodivergent mathematician, a cunning eco-terrorist, an actor turned religious zealot, and a brazen young activist named Kate Morris, who, in the mountains of Wyoming, begins a project that will alter the course of the decades to come.

From the Gulf Coast to Los Angeles, the Midwest to Washington, DC, their intertwined odysseys unfold against a stark backdrop of accelerating chaos as they summon courage, galvanize a nation, fall to their own fear, and find wild hope in the face of staggering odds. As their stories hurtle toward a spectacular climax, each faces a reckoning: what will they sacrifice to salvage humanity’s last chance at a future? A singular achievement, The Deluge is a once-in-a-generation novel that meets the moment as few works of art ever have.

At 900 pages, this book moves slowly and methodically. If you have the stamina, it’s worth reading, but don’t expect to have the greatest time ever. Global warming is real and we are past the point of being able to salvage the earth. And as this book illustrates, the future is probably bleak. The characters weave in and out of one another’s lives, impacting the world in various ways. What I did love about this book was how all-expansive it was. Markley did his research to the 1000th degree. I could not believe all of this came from one person’s head. I can’t say I recommend this to everyone, but there are some who will find it as profound and important as I did.

This was soooo long. I am a fan of post-apocalyptic climate novels but this was a little bit too much for me. I did finish it but really had to force myself to get there.

I really enjoyed Markley's book, Ohio, but could not get into The Deluge. At 900 pages this is a tome. I am fine with a long book if the story is good. This book just had too many characters and I could not keep them straight. The topic of eco terrorism didn't grab me either. I did not finish this book after attempting twice to read it. Two stars because I know the writing is well done. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

This was a tough one for me. I love post apocalyptic novels, but the jargon in this one was hard for me to follow at times.
It was long, and at times cumbersome. While I enjoyed it overall and the writing style is fantastic, it was just a lot at the time I read it.

Is it possible for a book to be both terrifying and hopeful? Yes! The Deluge is somehow highlighting the very real and very scary concerns about climate change and what we are doing to the planet and at the same time bringing to light the human condition and the inspiration to do something about the impending doom. This book is absolutely a modern classic, as I've heard it called. It's depressing and inspiring; doom and optimism. I truly think that fiction that highlights real issues of the day is a way to reach more people and bring about more depth of change. Loved it!

Unfortunately, I didn't have time to finish the book as it was much longer than expected and I got it at a particulary busy time. I do look forward to finishing it at some point, but I really feel like the first half of the book could have been cut in half. There was a whole lot of unnecessary parts that didn't have much to do with the main point of the story. I stuck with it, but I didn't really start finding it interesting until I was almost out of time to read it.

I attempted to immerse myself in this book, but its colossal size made it difficult for me to establish a connection with any of the characters, leading me to abandon it. The frequent shifts in narrators proved unappealing, and made the book hard to follow. This is quite a long book, and while the writing is impressive on the surface, it was simply hard to get into. More of a somber read and not exactly entertaining but more thought provoking. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

Very realistic fiction and well written.
Many thanks to Simon & Schuster and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I highlighted this book on my Booktube channel. The video can be accessed here: https://youtu.be/uiqwuZFoM5s