This book will definitely have split opinions. People will either love it or hate it. It surely requires patience to go through the 900+ pages.

Parts of the story were hard to get into and parts were brilliant. Overall, I have mixed opinions about it.

Wow. Wow. Wow. The phrase that kept going through my head as I read this hefty offering was "magnum opus."  A book highly recommended by the master Stephen King was going to catch my  attention, and this truly did.

I admit my scientific and political knowledge is limited, so I didn't dwell too much on the intricacies of the massive plot, but the fact was that I was truly entertained. The story made me feel, think and dream.  That doesn't happen often. 

To read this book is to make a big time commitment -- it's loooooong. But in the end, I'm glad I stayed with it, and I'm glad I read it.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Stephen Markley’s The Deluge is the most powerful new novel I have read in several years. Tracing the dire consequences of climate change from the near past to the near future, we see how this crisis affects many groups of people, including scientists, eco-terrorists, non-violent climate organizers, national politicians, Capitol insurrectionists, young lovers, Homeland Security agents, advertising executives, desperately poor people, business leaders, Occupy activists, militia members, and the fanatical followers of a “theocratic fascist.” Each of these groups is portrayed so convincingly that you believe that Markley has had substantial experience with it. The text is occasionally enlivened by allusions to the works of such writers as Mark Twain (“Why not light out for the territories?”), Edward Abbey (“that anarchist rapper Haydukai”), and Bob Dylan (“warriors whose strength was not to fight”). Giving us the full picture requires 900 pages, but it’s well worth the commitment.

I tried to read this book, I really did. But is was so slow and very difficult to follow. I can usually read a book in less than a week but i I can barely get a chapter in a day. I'm not one to give up on a book, so I'll probably find myself coming back to this one at some point but I'm incredibly disappointed.

This was just “ehhh” for me, unfortunately - a bit too meandering and disjointed. Was good enough though that I *had* to finish, so I’d say  3.5 stars would be a sound review. 
Thanks for the ARC opportunity!

4-1/2 stars for a phenomenal novel that takes out current circumstances and projects them into a future that's equal parts terrifying and reassuring. It's a bit too long (though I can't identify anything specific that needs to be cut) and it does bog down in spots, but overall, this 896-page novel was an amazing tour through three decades of the twenty-first century (2013-2040) as climate change becomes an increasingly urgent issue and divergent groups press for change. I found it helpful to keep a list of the many characters as they were introduced, and to make notes of their connections to one another, which sometimes changed in surprising ways as the story progressed. I don't pretend to understand all the science described, and have no idea if it's all accurate, but if it is, then the author built a convincing case for comprehensive plans to remediate our present ecological, political, economic, and social crises -- all intertwined and compounding one another. Descriptions of the effects of catastrophic weather events were frighteningly realistic, as were the political machinations of those who sought change as well as those who battled equally hard to preserve the status quo. Dialog and interactions among the various characters showcased the author's ability to "speak" in the voices of many individuals with vastly different backgrounds, values, and belief systems. The Deluge was not an easy read, and the last chapter left me with unanswered questions; if it weren't so awfully long I'd be tempted to go right back to the beginning and read it all again while I still remember most of the story. Just an amazing read!

I received an invitation to read this ARC and I hesitated before accepting because I also started reading the author’s previous book.  I really should not have accepted because I do not connect with his writing style and the topic of this book is just very very deep.  I know that he is talented but just not for me.  I am not posting this review to Goodreads as I did not finish it and that would be unfair to the author.

Deluge takes the issue of climate toward disastrous results. In the not very far future characters struggle for survival   Some exert political control, others resort to violence. 
    The characters are captivating..

The Deluge
By Stephen Markley

This is a huge book in many ways – not just in number of pages, but also in numbers of characters and plot lines.  I must confess that I am still struggling to finish it.

While I like the writing style here, I find myself getting confused over what characters and what plot lines the author jumps around to.  There is so much information to get through, that I sometime have trouble keeping it all straight.  While I find myself getting bogged down at times, the author still manages to pull me in and encourage me to keep going.

I honestly can't say what kind of review I would give this book over all, but I must give the author credit for the prodigiousness of his imagination. I will keep going until I get to the end.

I wanted to like this but the writing felt pretentious and I could not get through the story. I can see why people will love this one, but it was not for me.

I read Stephen King's tweet when he said THE DELUGE is a "modern classic."  I completely agree.  This is a book you won't forget.

In 2018 I read Markley’s ’Ohio’, also a story of the changing of America, but set in the years of the recession in small town America. The disenchantment that follows as life begins to morph from those idyllic memories of what once was into something they don’t recognize.

In comparison, ’Ohio’ was a walk in the park compared to Markley’s latest, ’The Deluge’, in both length as well as the scope of this story as he tackles the years that begin in 2013 up through the present and beyond - politics and politicians, and the ever growing threat of climate change and how those that deny or ignore the threat are in for an awakening, as well as those politically motivated to prevent anything that would threaten their wealth and status. Religious ‘leaders’ who insist that there is no need to worry about the ocean rising, taking over the land, destroying towns in their path.

This is an epic story, epic in length and in scope - covering 2013 to 2040, in nearly 900 pages. This story is shared so realistically that it feels as though it is more of a prophecy than fiction. And that prophecy is beyond alarming.

It should come as no surprise that the there are those people in this story who are activists trying to make others realize that the changing climate poses a real threat, as well as others who either don’t care or don’t believe, who won’t listen or have too much invested financially in certain companies that will never agree with the need for change.

This was a hard one to read at first, not because it wasn’t well written but there are so many characters, and so much going on at the start. This is an epic read so I tried to set aside a little bit more time to read this, at least all the days after except for one. Depending on what year you were born in, this is a topic that many of us have been following since before The New Seekers song ’ I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing’ attempted to bond the world in harmony in 1971 - which then ended up as a song used to sell Coca Cola…

This isn’t a book anyone will say ‘I couldn’t put this down!’, but it is one that I became invested in the more that I read it. There are often very disturbing moments, but there are also some beautiful moments that share the lengths we will go to in order to protect those we love, including putting ourselves in harm’s way. The generosity of strangers, as well as the evil in others. Politics and politicians - both those names we know (including Trump, albeit somewhat briefly) and those we don’t - play a major role, along with those who will spend their lives, some risking their lives, to make sure that the rising temperatures of the earth, and thus the seas, will be seen for what it is. This also includes an evangelical preacher who runs for office on the premise that he will save the planet through his prayers.

Many organizations and companies are formed claiming to have solutions to the global crisis, but not all are in it for the right reasons. Money is most often a factor. As this story progresses, as time passes, the threat becomes even more real. A threat to all the earth, to all humanity.

Throughout this story, Markley’s story keeps us aware of how serious this is, how little time we truly have before it’s too late to change the course, and also of how little a not insignificant percentage of people prefer to continue living as though the crisis is a figment of someone else’s imagination, as though the scientists and those people who understand and believe in science are the ones lying. There is also a focus on family, health, families and love, as well as much more.

While this story is fictional, the science is not. At times, a disturbingly realistic story, reflecting on the recent years of divisions in the world as well as the dangers of the rising temperatures and the rising seas, and the need for resolution before it is too late.


Pub Date: 10 Jan 2023


Many thanks for the ARC provided by Simon & Schuster

First off I’ll start by saying at nearly 900 pages this book is a commitment. There are many characters which at times can be confusing. Overall I found The subject matter fascinating and immediately added more titles from this author to my TBR list. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.

Such a long story, almost 1,000 pages of what we are heading for or are already in, depending on where in the world you may live. Is it possible to happen in our future? Yes, Climate change is ruining our world and the longer we argue about it and not change our lives to hold the future back, the faster we will lose what we have now.

There were too many characters for me and only Kate was someone I cared about. Some were disturbing, some were trying to help, but there were just too many to keep track of. I should say here, I have not finished the book and don't know if I will as the doom and gloom is something you can only read for so long and then you have to go do something more cheery.

A lot of research went into this and yet we didn't have to learn all of it to know how the future is heading in the wrong direction and for all the wrong reasons. It could have been a lot shorter without as much research and with fewer characters.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest opinion. The contents are scary, but likely to happen unless we all change our ways. In fact, it is already happening so maybe instead of reading, get out there and do something to prevent this from happening sooner.

In its length and breadth, THE DELUGE is a statement novel—perhaps a way of steering Markley's career from airport novelist, with his first book OHIO, into a grander American tradition. Despite moments of narrative tension and excitement, this is a novel for wonks: a play-by-play of every political maneuver between activists, corporate workers, and elected officials for the next three decades. At its worst—which comprises most of the book—it feels like reading news commentary from Vox for the next three decades in a single 900-page installment. Markley takes seriously the political reality of climate change, but his book has almost no appreciation for the natural world, so it can hardly be said to be "EcoLit." It is, above all, a political novel, but in the most sterile way: The Jungle written for people addicted to the New York Times editorial page. It will certainly win the respect of political wonks with literary bents like Ezra Klein, but I struggle to imagine that it will connect with a literary audience, who will find it exhausting. This was a misguided, though perhaps inevitable, attempt to treat climate change as a political problem above all else, which may be true in real life but is not what the novel as a form, or at least this specific novel, can do well.

I thought this dystopian novel was an interesting and scary look into our possible future. I did think it was too long, and I DNF. Thanks for letting me check it out’

This is a well-written Eco-Thriller. Within the structure of this fictional scenario lies a very real discussion, an examination of society and politics . . . of where we are and where we will be if Mother Nature decides she’s had enough of our shenanigans.

The narrative on occasion felt like it had faint echoes of The Road and The Stand in its fevered march into an uncertain future, a future not so far-fetched in its woes. I have heard many debates about our environment . . . heated arguments about whose at fault, and whose plan will be most likely to save us. You don’t have to believe one way or the other to know that the government, the economy, and polite society won’t mean a thing in the face of a large-scale disaster, of extreme thirst and hunger. After all the fingers are tired of pointing and all is said and done . . . what fraction of us will ultimately endure? Are we doomed to savagery? Or can humanity and hope survive these rising tides . . .

I'd like to thank NetGalley for an advanced copy of Deluge for my unbiased evaluation. 4 stars

A terrifying dystopian story -Stephen Markley is sure to scare you.

It's California, 2013, there are violent storms, extreme politics (wait, is it 2013?)

In Deluge, Tony is a scientist who receives death threats.  He, and many others are attempting to address the danger of climate change. There are many, many characters and all are addressing climate change in different ways.  It's very very long, but a complicated and beautifully written story that blends science, politics, and current events in to a warning to us all of what will happen if we do simply nothing. If you like dystopian, climate change realism, complicated casts and all around long but beautiful books, The Deluge is for you!
#Simon&Schuster #TheDeluge #StephenMarkley

This is hands down my favorite book of the year. Markley has showed a depth of knowledge into science,  humanity and the world that that we live in unlike any other author I have read.  Each of the characters are incredibly detailed and diverse and they stick with you long after you finish reading.  I found myself wishing for more time with each of them even though I knew my time with them was up.  This book made me feel enlightened, frightened and filled with a sorrowful longing. I thought this would be your run of the mill apocalypse novel but I was rewarded with what felt like a passionate plea from a time traveler from the future.  Like, markley has traveled back in time from 2040 to give us hope for what lies ahead in the future and to let us know there will be dark times but humanity will win in the end thanks to all of these little things he has laid out in the book.  I enjoyed the different writing styles used in the book for some of the characters, it’s something I don’t think I’ve ever seen done as well as this. This book is more than just cli-fi so it should appeal to a wide audience. I will be purchasing a paper copy when it’s released so that I can read this again in the future.

I really liked the idea of this novel, but ultimately I couldn’t really “get into” the story itself. I think, for me, it really needed to be pared down with further editing. This was a DNF for me.