The Rain Heron begins with a fable: Heralded by the arrival of flood and black storms, sometimes this mythical bird made of cloud and rain will choose a person to attach to, granting their land the perfect conditions for a harvest of abundance. But like many fables, that of the Rain Heron contains a dark lesson: woe betide he who might seek to harm or exploit this mythical creature out of greed or spite. After this intriguing opener, author Robbie Arnott introduces us to a world gone sideways: Post ecological disaster, post resulting military coup, the residents of this country (most likely Arnott’s native Australia) are forced to make hard choices about survival (whether becoming involuntary conscripts in the military or finding ways to feed oneself while hiding from patrolling soldiers). The people on both sides are hard and impassive, but we eventually learn that everyone has a backstory, no one is the worst thing they have ever done, and while history might explain individual actions, it doesn’t excuse them: we always have a choice, and attempting to control the Rain Heron — to exploit and deplete the Earth for selfish gain — comes at a high price. Arnott’s landscape writing is lush and lyrical, even the “reality” of his post-disaster world has a hint of the fabulous to it, and as ecolit, the lesson of the Rain Heron is one we should all keep close to heart. I enjoyed the writing — from the sentences to the overall effect — very much and think this should be widely read.

The Rain Heron is unlike anything I've ever read. It is full of myth and the metaphysical. Robbie Arnott's novel is a story about what it means to use nature and capture its limited resources. It is a story with people as interconnected as nature itself. I have to say that this is the perfect book for someone looking to think about our environment and its resources in a different way. Arnott brings the reader along on a journey full of questions about what it means to work with nature and what happens when you try and steal it for your own selfish desires.

This review is based on NetGalley ARC provided in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Rain Heron by Robbie Arnott.

Wow, this was a stunning piece of literature.

It's hard to completely put into words why I was so moved by this book. I've never read anything like it, and on paper I don't know that I would have been very interested, but my goodness, I was so into it.

This is a story that slowly circles a "rain heron" which is kind of what it sounds like, a magical bird made of rain. It can help you, but it will also violently attack you if offended. And boy does this story have violence. But it also has long enduring stories, love, devotion, loathing, and sprinkles of redemption throughout. The writing is exquisitely descriptive, I was truly sad when it ended.