- Paperback: 480 pages
- Publisher: Gollancz; paperback / softback edition (17 July 2008)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0575080582
- ISBN-13: 978-0575080584
- Product Dimensions: 23 x 15.2 x 3.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 401,130 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Flood
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Review
"Baxter's vision of a drowning earth is compelling." (Lisa Tuttle THE TIMES )
"A central narrative that's as relentless as a Panzer sweeping across lowland France in 1940. Amid huge events, the author still finds time for the intimate, the human-sized." (Jonathan Wright SFX )
"He retains that uniquely easy way of dramatizing scientific possibilities into an engaging survivial narrative, while throwing in some satirical barbs." (STARBURST )
'FLOOD has an increasing sense of gravitas, and even, by the end, a genuine weight of mourning. It's actually a novel that gains in power as it goes along, and as it becomes increasingly apparent that no miracle technofixes are in sight. A largely old fashioned disaster tale presented with spectacle and efficient pacing' (LOCUS )
"Covering events from the UK to the US, from Australia to Tibet, this is a comprehensive disaster novel that has a very global feel. Perhaps mostly this book is an homage to human survivability - we endure should be our motto. [It] deserves to sit high on the blockbuster shelves." (SFFWORLD )
"For once a modern SF book where the central science doesn't need the reader to have memorised advanced quantum theory beforehand. Flood is a superbly enjoyable SF novel, although those living close to the sea may feel a bit nervous after reading it. And before anyone asks, yes, it's better than Waterworld. (THE WERTZONE )
"Bold, compassionate, exhilarating, wrenching stuff." (Niall Harrison INTERNET REVIEW OF SF )
"A gripping near-future allegory of global warming. At times, Baxter's narrative is as relentless as the inexorable waters, but that, you suspect, is his idea Deeply scary." (Jonathan Wright BBC FOCUS )
"There is a degree of optimism throughout that belies any biblical doom; the world may be changed irrevocably, but there can still be a place for humanity." (Paul cocburn INTERZONE )
"The ever readable Baxter has a page-flipper in Flood. It will make you fidget in your beach chair this summer. It is not just a literary come-uppance for climate change deniers; it will give everyone pause to think." (John C. Snider SCI FI DIMENSIONS )
"Baxter never loses sight in the bigger picture of the effect of the flood on the lives of individuals, societies and nations. The cast might be extensive, but the lives of the major players are skilfully interwoven with the plight of the planet. The sequel, Ark, will continue this enthralling story." (Eric Brown GUARDIAN )
"A central narrative that's as relentless as a Panzer sweeping across lowland France in 1940. Amid huge events, the author still finds time for the intimate, the human-sized." (Jonathan Wright SFX )
"He retains that uniquely easy way of dramatizing scientific possibilities into an engaging survivial narrative, while throwing in some satirical barbs." (STARBURST )
'FLOOD has an increasing sense of gravitas, and even, by the end, a genuine weight of mourning. It's actually a novel that gains in power as it goes along, and as it becomes increasingly apparent that no miracle technofixes are in sight. A largely old fashioned disaster tale presented with spectacle and efficient pacing' (LOCUS )
"Covering events from the UK to the US, from Australia to Tibet, this is a comprehensive disaster novel that has a very global feel. Perhaps mostly this book is an homage to human survivability - we endure should be our motto. [It] deserves to sit high on the blockbuster shelves." (SFFWORLD )
"For once a modern SF book where the central science doesn't need the reader to have memorised advanced quantum theory beforehand. Flood is a superbly enjoyable SF novel, although those living close to the sea may feel a bit nervous after reading it. And before anyone asks, yes, it's better than Waterworld. (THE WERTZONE )
"Bold, compassionate, exhilarating, wrenching stuff." (Niall Harrison INTERNET REVIEW OF SF )
"A gripping near-future allegory of global warming. At times, Baxter's narrative is as relentless as the inexorable waters, but that, you suspect, is his idea Deeply scary." (Jonathan Wright BBC FOCUS )
"There is a degree of optimism throughout that belies any biblical doom; the world may be changed irrevocably, but there can still be a place for humanity." (Paul cocburn INTERZONE )
"The ever readable Baxter has a page-flipper in Flood. It will make you fidget in your beach chair this summer. It is not just a literary come-uppance for climate change deniers; it will give everyone pause to think." (John C. Snider SCI FI DIMENSIONS )
"Baxter never loses sight in the bigger picture of the effect of the flood on the lives of individuals, societies and nations. The cast might be extensive, but the lives of the major players are skilfully interwoven with the plight of the planet. The sequel, Ark, will continue this enthralling story." (Eric Brown GUARDIAN )
SFFWORLD
"Covering events from the UK to the US, from Australia to Tibet, this is a comprehensive disaster novel that has a very global feel. Perhaps mostly this book is an homage to human survivability - we endure should be our motto. [It] deserves to sit high on the blockbuster shelves."
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book begins in 2016 with the story of five hostages held in Barcelona, where it's raining heavily and won't stop. They're rescued by a team sent by Nathan Lomockson - a technocrat and very rich man - but not before one of them is brutally killed. The remaining four pledge to look out for each other from then on. Lomockson himself takes a lifelong interest in each of them, and their fates thereafter are tied in with his. The ensuing events in the novel take place over a span of around sixty years.
The narrative moves forward by chronological increments as the world's water level increases, and continues to rise. The episodic structure suits the book perfectly - it's a neat narrative trick. Baxter provides us with a series of snapshots of important events and details the human reaction to each stage of the increase.
Nathan sets himself up as a would-be saviour of the world. He appears at pivotal points throughout the story as the sea levels rise higher and higher, and we see the impact of important events on his and/or one or more of the former hostages. Although a hard-boiled, nuts and bolts SF writer, Stephen Baxter realises that his book would be nothing if the reader weren't allowed to engage emotionally with the characters.
And even though the characterisation isn't as strong as your average mainstream writer's, it's still good enough to carry the story of the watery death of an entire planet.
If you remember back to your schooldays (a harder and harder job for some of us!) the hydrologic cycle taught us that there is not one extra drop of water now than there was at the time of creation. So where is the extra water coming from? Melting icecaps? That would only be responsible for a limited increase. The author comes up with a fairly plausible reason for the scenario - and guess what? - we're responsible! But I'll say no more about this aspect, as I don't want to spoil the book for readers.
This is a big fat tome but I galloped through it very quickly. There are a lot of evocative scenes that resonate in the mind long after the book is finished, and it reminded me of why I fell in love with SF in the first place some thirty years ago. I for one am greatly looking forward to the follow-up `Ark', due out next year.
The narrative moves forward by chronological increments as the world's water level increases, and continues to rise. The episodic structure suits the book perfectly - it's a neat narrative trick. Baxter provides us with a series of snapshots of important events and details the human reaction to each stage of the increase.
Nathan sets himself up as a would-be saviour of the world. He appears at pivotal points throughout the story as the sea levels rise higher and higher, and we see the impact of important events on his and/or one or more of the former hostages. Although a hard-boiled, nuts and bolts SF writer, Stephen Baxter realises that his book would be nothing if the reader weren't allowed to engage emotionally with the characters.
And even though the characterisation isn't as strong as your average mainstream writer's, it's still good enough to carry the story of the watery death of an entire planet.
If you remember back to your schooldays (a harder and harder job for some of us!) the hydrologic cycle taught us that there is not one extra drop of water now than there was at the time of creation. So where is the extra water coming from? Melting icecaps? That would only be responsible for a limited increase. The author comes up with a fairly plausible reason for the scenario - and guess what? - we're responsible! But I'll say no more about this aspect, as I don't want to spoil the book for readers.
This is a big fat tome but I galloped through it very quickly. There are a lot of evocative scenes that resonate in the mind long after the book is finished, and it reminded me of why I fell in love with SF in the first place some thirty years ago. I for one am greatly looking forward to the follow-up `Ark', due out next year.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
For some reason the end of the world is rarely terrifying. From even the nastiest plagues, the most ferocious wars, the most apocalyptic asteroid strikes or alien invasions there is usually hope - hope of recovery, of rebuilding, a glimmer of light at the end of a long dark tunnel.
The brilliant thing about Flood is the sheer lack of hope. For once you lose the land you lose everything. Any terrestrial species, however brilliant, is doomed from the moment the waves lap around the highest mountains. Baxter at his hard sci-fi best here, providing a plausible mechanism for an implausible catastrophe. The episodic treatment works well and the characters, although a tad cliched (the grizzled old astronaut, a brace of plucky hardbody female scientists, several annoying teenagers) are engaging enough to carry the story along.
The brilliant thing about Flood is the sheer lack of hope. For once you lose the land you lose everything. Any terrestrial species, however brilliant, is doomed from the moment the waves lap around the highest mountains. Baxter at his hard sci-fi best here, providing a plausible mechanism for an implausible catastrophe. The episodic treatment works well and the characters, although a tad cliched (the grizzled old astronaut, a brace of plucky hardbody female scientists, several annoying teenagers) are engaging enough to carry the story along.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The story of a great flood drowning the world is an interesting premise, and could have been a truly fantastic read. Baxter makes a dutiful effort in walking us through the shock felt by the near-Earth's inhabitants when the waters rise and don't subside. I enjoyed the set-up for his protagonists, as they, too, have been separated from this world by a few years and can therefore justifiable be confused. As they learn, we learn, and it helps to avoid exposition dumps (at least in the beginning of the novel).
as we progress, however, it becomes apparent that there isn't really a point to the story, except perhaps 'humans deserve it'. We don't see the human cost of suffering - we're always with the survivors, and they don't seem to spend much time thinking about anyone they've lost. Main characters are killed out of sight, and the constant influx of dozens of new characters, all given equal weight, is disorienting. The human relationships become more and more unbelievable as the story progresses, with mothers refusing to talk to their children even in this drowned world because of who they shack up with, people being passed around like objects, and allegiances changing every chapter. Most frustratingly, a lot of weight is placed mid-way through until the end on the relationship between our protagonist and one of her former hostage friends. A romantic relationship is manufactured out of thin air, and we are later informed that the middle-aged man is in fact in love with the protagonist's niece. Given that the last time we met said niece she was 16, that's a little creepy. (This also follows some other suvivalist also trying to walk off with the girl, a la '28 Days Later'). His 'love' continues through him killing people she loves, and everyone around him tolerating this kind of behaviour because 'he can't help it'.
Meanwhile, billions of people die in between chapters, unmentioned and unnoticed.
Baxter's idea is strong, solid. There was real potential there, especially in the first third. But his relationships are unconvincing, and there is too much pseudo-science here for the book to hold water (!) otherwise. Most of all, he tries to turn a human tragedy into a political discussion by focusing on the most privileged strata, those that somehow always come out on top. What would have been much more interesting would be more of a focus on the less-fortunate, those that have to struggle to survive, rather than simply be affiliated with a multinational.
as we progress, however, it becomes apparent that there isn't really a point to the story, except perhaps 'humans deserve it'. We don't see the human cost of suffering - we're always with the survivors, and they don't seem to spend much time thinking about anyone they've lost. Main characters are killed out of sight, and the constant influx of dozens of new characters, all given equal weight, is disorienting. The human relationships become more and more unbelievable as the story progresses, with mothers refusing to talk to their children even in this drowned world because of who they shack up with, people being passed around like objects, and allegiances changing every chapter. Most frustratingly, a lot of weight is placed mid-way through until the end on the relationship between our protagonist and one of her former hostage friends. A romantic relationship is manufactured out of thin air, and we are later informed that the middle-aged man is in fact in love with the protagonist's niece. Given that the last time we met said niece she was 16, that's a little creepy. (This also follows some other suvivalist also trying to walk off with the girl, a la '28 Days Later'). His 'love' continues through him killing people she loves, and everyone around him tolerating this kind of behaviour because 'he can't help it'.
Meanwhile, billions of people die in between chapters, unmentioned and unnoticed.
Baxter's idea is strong, solid. There was real potential there, especially in the first third. But his relationships are unconvincing, and there is too much pseudo-science here for the book to hold water (!) otherwise. Most of all, he tries to turn a human tragedy into a political discussion by focusing on the most privileged strata, those that somehow always come out on top. What would have been much more interesting would be more of a focus on the less-fortunate, those that have to struggle to survive, rather than simply be affiliated with a multinational.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Interesting theme, promising start, but lost the plot...
I really like authors merging science and fiction. Flood looked very promising in this regard and for the first 100-200 pages I was quite excited about the book. Read more
Published 23 days ago by H. C. Vaandrager
Water, water everywhere
This reminded me (fairly obviously why) of Flood by Richard Doyle - same scenario - but both authors have treated the subject in very different ways. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Keen Reader
Told, not shown
This is the type of book that gives science fiction a bad name. The central premise is intriguing and sprinkled with details that appear, at least superficially, plausible. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Ian Brawn
Too Long. Too Implausible.
Baxter's apocalyptic novel offers fresh perspective on at least the causes of rises in sea-levels. Some research tends to suggest that subterranean oceans exist, presumably under... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Rod Williams
Dull as (Flooded) ditchwater
Just need to echo the sentiments of other reviewers here. An overlong drawn out essay on the effects of various levels of flooding with no attempt to explain why the flooding... Read more
Published 7 months ago by S. Mackenzie
Like walking through treacle
you know when you see a book, read the review and think it may be quite a good read???...well I learned a valuable lesson....don't be fooled. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Mr. D. Gore
Good Idea - Rubbish book
Yawn - this book starts well and then becomes so dull/tedious/boring it is a real struggle to get through. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Mr. R. Kingdon
Rip-off
I love Stephen Baxter. He is my favourite author. His publishers are imposing ludicrous pricing of £6. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Axeman
Brilliant idea, perhaps a bit drawn out...
I really enjoyed reading this, the idea behind it is terrifying and that alone keeps you reading just to find out what's going to happen. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Kralia
Fast Paced, Exciting Scifi
This isn't the 'Cosy catastrophe' of writers like John Wyndham. The sea levels are rising, the world is drowning. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Mo
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