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Rivers #1
Rivers
For fans of Cormac McCarthy and Annie Proulx, “a wonderfully cinematic story” (The Washington Post) set in the post-Katrina South after violent storms have decimated the region.
It had been raining for weeks. Maybe months. He had forgotten the last day that it hadn’t rained, when the storms gave way to the pale blue of the Gulf sky, when the birds flew and the clouds were white and sunshine glistened across the drenched land.
The Gulf Coast has been brought to its knees. Years of catastrophic hurricanes have so punished and depleted the region that the government has drawn a new boundary ninety miles north of the coastline. Life below the Line offers no services, no electricity, and no resources, and those who stay behind live by their own rules—including Cohen, whose wife and unborn child were killed during an evacuation attempt. He buried them on family land and never left.
But after he is ambushed and his home is ransacked, Cohen is forced to flee. On the road north, he is captured by Aggie, a fanatical, snake-handling preacher who has a colony of captives and dangerous visions of repopulating the barren region. Now Cohen is faced with a decision: continue to the Line alone, or try to shepherd the madman’s prisoners across the unforgiving land with the biggest hurricane yet bearing down—and Cohen harboring a secret that poses the greatest threat of all.
Eerily prophetic in its depiction of a Southern landscape ravaged by extreme weather, Rivers is a masterful tale of survival and redemption in a world where the next devastating storm is never far behind.“This is the kind of book that lifts you up with its mesmerizing language then pulls you under like a riptide” (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution).
It had been raining for weeks. Maybe months. He had forgotten the last day that it hadn’t rained, when the storms gave way to the pale blue of the Gulf sky, when the birds flew and the clouds were white and sunshine glistened across the drenched land.
The Gulf Coast has been brought to its knees. Years of catastrophic hurricanes have so punished and depleted the region that the government has drawn a new boundary ninety miles north of the coastline. Life below the Line offers no services, no electricity, and no resources, and those who stay behind live by their own rules—including Cohen, whose wife and unborn child were killed during an evacuation attempt. He buried them on family land and never left.
But after he is ambushed and his home is ransacked, Cohen is forced to flee. On the road north, he is captured by Aggie, a fanatical, snake-handling preacher who has a colony of captives and dangerous visions of repopulating the barren region. Now Cohen is faced with a decision: continue to the Line alone, or try to shepherd the madman’s prisoners across the unforgiving land with the biggest hurricane yet bearing down—and Cohen harboring a secret that poses the greatest threat of all.
Eerily prophetic in its depiction of a Southern landscape ravaged by extreme weather, Rivers is a masterful tale of survival and redemption in a world where the next devastating storm is never far behind.“This is the kind of book that lifts you up with its mesmerizing language then pulls you under like a riptide” (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution).
337 pages, Hardcover
First published September 10, 2013
148 people are currently reading
7310 people want to read
About the author
Michael Farris Smith
21 books885 followersMichael Farris Smith is an award-winning writer whose novels have appeared on Best of the Year lists with Esquire, NPR, Southern Living, Garden & Gun, Oprah Magazine, Book Riot, and numerous other outlets, and have been named Indie Next, Barnes & Noble Discover, and Amazon Best of the Month selections. He has also written the feature-film adaptations of his novels Desperation Road and The Fighter, titled for the screen as Rumble Through the Dark. He lives in Oxford, Mississippi, with his wife and daughters.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 465 reviews
August 20, 2017
"As I went down to the rivers to pray
Studying about them good old days
And who shall wear the starry crown
Good Lord, show me the way!"
"O fathers, let's go down
Let's go down, come on down
O fathers, let's go down
Down to the rivers to pray."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSif7...
What if Rivers not there.
Taken away like everything else that mattered to you.
Your memories remain... mostly sweet, good.
Memories and your flooded homeland.....
with the promise of more rain and hurricanes.
Pray anyway, I say.
"he is not dead, he is risen"
May 28, 2016
Yikes almighty frickin hell...It's been a long time since I've read a pulse-pounding novel.
"It had been raining for weeks. Maybe months. He had forgotten the last day that it had rained, when the storms gave way to the pale blue of the Gulf sky, when the birds flew and the clouds were white and the sunshine glistened across the drenched land."
The catastrophe from the hurricanes stretching from the Florida Panhandle to the Louisiana border was so depleted the government drew a new boundary 90 miles north of the coastline. Life below the line offers no services, no electricity, and no resources. NO PROTECTION. Who in there right mind would stay?
That's just it....'Cohen' who 'did' stay, wasn't in 'the best' of mind. His wife and unborn child were killed during an evacuation. This story was devastating from the get go. Just the descriptions of the storm - the endless wetness - the cold - the darkness - the winds -the main character owning a .22 rifle - his anxiety, and sensing his deep grief... my god, my chest was tight, my stomach in knots, and my breathing became more erratic. Around 20 pages in -- I 'jumped' ...I got scared. ( surprise storytelling).
I couldn't even begin to guess -in advance what surprises were in store in this novel. I was on the edge of my seat often... (getting prepared for the next big storm).
There are many heart-racing scenes overlapping each other. It was intense right from the start. The temperature in my own body changed a few times as I read this 'because' the descriptions were so realistic....and the emotions deeply felt.
There is a place, though, when I felt I could float and steady my breath....( not rainbows and lollipops), ...but once it's clear ( that Cohen is clear), that he has a purpose and contribution to offer other survivors...I, too, relaxed a little. I wasn't 'as' shaken any longer. Instead, I experienced being taken deeper into the minds of the characters.
Flashbacks are built into the storytelling naturally... never feeling choppy. Memories have a 'life-of-there-own', for Cohen. ( lovely memories from when he and Elisa vacationed in Venice...and regretful memories from when he didn't keep his wife an unborn child safe).
Cohen's longing for his deceased wife and unborn child is both heart-rending and beautiful.
Michael Farris Smith's entire novel is heart-rending- beautiful - intense - suspenseful-and emotionally gripping.
A POWERFUL PAGE TURNER!!! ..... ( whew....a little drained)
"It had been raining for weeks. Maybe months. He had forgotten the last day that it had rained, when the storms gave way to the pale blue of the Gulf sky, when the birds flew and the clouds were white and the sunshine glistened across the drenched land."
The catastrophe from the hurricanes stretching from the Florida Panhandle to the Louisiana border was so depleted the government drew a new boundary 90 miles north of the coastline. Life below the line offers no services, no electricity, and no resources. NO PROTECTION. Who in there right mind would stay?
That's just it....'Cohen' who 'did' stay, wasn't in 'the best' of mind. His wife and unborn child were killed during an evacuation. This story was devastating from the get go. Just the descriptions of the storm - the endless wetness - the cold - the darkness - the winds -the main character owning a .22 rifle - his anxiety, and sensing his deep grief... my god, my chest was tight, my stomach in knots, and my breathing became more erratic. Around 20 pages in -- I 'jumped' ...I got scared. ( surprise storytelling).
I couldn't even begin to guess -in advance what surprises were in store in this novel. I was on the edge of my seat often... (getting prepared for the next big storm).
There are many heart-racing scenes overlapping each other. It was intense right from the start. The temperature in my own body changed a few times as I read this 'because' the descriptions were so realistic....and the emotions deeply felt.
There is a place, though, when I felt I could float and steady my breath....( not rainbows and lollipops), ...but once it's clear ( that Cohen is clear), that he has a purpose and contribution to offer other survivors...I, too, relaxed a little. I wasn't 'as' shaken any longer. Instead, I experienced being taken deeper into the minds of the characters.
Flashbacks are built into the storytelling naturally... never feeling choppy. Memories have a 'life-of-there-own', for Cohen. ( lovely memories from when he and Elisa vacationed in Venice...and regretful memories from when he didn't keep his wife an unborn child safe).
Cohen's longing for his deceased wife and unborn child is both heart-rending and beautiful.
Michael Farris Smith's entire novel is heart-rending- beautiful - intense - suspenseful-and emotionally gripping.
A POWERFUL PAGE TURNER!!! ..... ( whew....a little drained)
July 21, 2020
Brilliant, Descriptive, Devastating & Haunting.
Cohen is a man who has lost almost everything and who is desperately trying to hold on to the only thing he has left. His home. Yet the weather has other ideas.
The torrential rains come down day after day after day. Sunshine is something seen rarely in these parts. Yet Cohen refuses to leave. Most have left for “the Line” as the Gulf Coast has been decimated and life is a shell of what it once was. There is no electricity, food or rescue. Everyone who remains is left to fend for themselves.
Cohen has always stayed above the fray. The same can’t be said for the others. Those whose actions beget desperation and violence.
Survival however is the only answer. It’s not just about Cohen however, this time, others are relying on him and this time, he isn’t going to fail them.
A gritty novel about the choices we make, family, loss, love and survival. This character driven novel by Michael Farris Smith is both hypnotizing and mesmerizing. Admittedly, I had no idea what I was getting into when I started this novel. This book has been sitting on my unread shelf for several years and I kept meaning to pick it up and read it though something about the synopsis put me off and yet, Michael Farris Smith is one of my favorite authors, thus finally I decided to grab the audiobook, which was read by the author. I found his voice to be calming and extremely soothing irregardless of the grittiness of the novel.
“Rivers” is captivating, intense, desolate and at times, quite bleak though it is also filled with feelings of love and belief in what is good and right. Cohen is a broken man who has lived through the worst of times and who has every right to give up and yet he does no such thing. His strength gives me strength for what we as a nation are going through now. The writing in this novel is incredibly descriptive, heart-wrenching, spellbinding, haunting and thought-provoking and at times, it brought me to tears. Thank you to Michael Farris Smith for being so insightful and for continuing to share your gift.
Published on Goodreads on 7.19.20.
Cohen is a man who has lost almost everything and who is desperately trying to hold on to the only thing he has left. His home. Yet the weather has other ideas.
The torrential rains come down day after day after day. Sunshine is something seen rarely in these parts. Yet Cohen refuses to leave. Most have left for “the Line” as the Gulf Coast has been decimated and life is a shell of what it once was. There is no electricity, food or rescue. Everyone who remains is left to fend for themselves.
Cohen has always stayed above the fray. The same can’t be said for the others. Those whose actions beget desperation and violence.
Survival however is the only answer. It’s not just about Cohen however, this time, others are relying on him and this time, he isn’t going to fail them.
A gritty novel about the choices we make, family, loss, love and survival. This character driven novel by Michael Farris Smith is both hypnotizing and mesmerizing. Admittedly, I had no idea what I was getting into when I started this novel. This book has been sitting on my unread shelf for several years and I kept meaning to pick it up and read it though something about the synopsis put me off and yet, Michael Farris Smith is one of my favorite authors, thus finally I decided to grab the audiobook, which was read by the author. I found his voice to be calming and extremely soothing irregardless of the grittiness of the novel.
“Rivers” is captivating, intense, desolate and at times, quite bleak though it is also filled with feelings of love and belief in what is good and right. Cohen is a broken man who has lived through the worst of times and who has every right to give up and yet he does no such thing. His strength gives me strength for what we as a nation are going through now. The writing in this novel is incredibly descriptive, heart-wrenching, spellbinding, haunting and thought-provoking and at times, it brought me to tears. Thank you to Michael Farris Smith for being so insightful and for continuing to share your gift.
Published on Goodreads on 7.19.20.
February 3, 2017
....4.5 Stars.. After reading the prequel, IN THE BEGINNING, I knew this would be my kind of read with the fury of catastrophic weather, a nearly abandoned land and a vile preaching predator in the midst.
....RIVERS is a story of survival. Warning after warning of a destructive band of hurricanes on the way and repeated offers to purchase his property, Cohen refuses to leave his Mississippi home. Even after a close encounter with death, instead of escape, he seeks revenge unaware of the evil he is up against.
....RIVERS is also a story of lost love and bittersweet memories of what could have been.
Desperation, fear, panic and loneliness with no one to trust combined with constant rain, wind, storms and floods makes for a wild and crazy read with non-stop action and a surprise or two just to keep things interesting. And just when you think it can't get any worse, it does with and a suspenseful exciting conclusion.
My second Michael Farris Smith read turned out to be another winner for me. My only complaint is that the book summary gives away too much information, and . Read the prequel instead or go in cold turkey for the ultimate reading experience. (Am glad I did)
March 17, 2017
This was the first novel by Michael Farris Smith, and I love this man's writing!
I felt like I was right in the middle of the Gulf Coast, where the rain and storms never stopped, causing the government to draw a line where people who live below the line get no help, it's a no man's land, people who stay have to fend for themselves.
Cohen, who is grieving the loss of his wife and unborn child, chooses to stay and this is the story of what he faces, and what a journey it is! Very intense and addictive read!
I'm so happy I read Desperation Road, which led me to this first novel! I did like Desperation Road a bit more, but this deserves 5 stars as well! I will be keeping my eyes on this author!!
I felt like I was right in the middle of the Gulf Coast, where the rain and storms never stopped, causing the government to draw a line where people who live below the line get no help, it's a no man's land, people who stay have to fend for themselves.
Cohen, who is grieving the loss of his wife and unborn child, chooses to stay and this is the story of what he faces, and what a journey it is! Very intense and addictive read!
I'm so happy I read Desperation Road, which led me to this first novel! I did like Desperation Road a bit more, but this deserves 5 stars as well! I will be keeping my eyes on this author!!
September 12, 2018
Wildly, here we are again with me updating this. A year ago, we had a trifecta of hurricanes start out with Harvey in Texas, threatening to bust dams open. Now, satellite images show three hurricanes in the Atlantic and a tropical storm in the Gulf. This tense and beautiful work of suspense is the PERFECT read for those of us not storm-prepping. Crazy.
HOW MANY OF YOU ARE WATCHING HURRICANE HARVEY COVERAGE AND THINKING ABOUT THIS BOOK?? Prayers for Texas 💔
------------------
Original review:
OMG-good! Call me nuts, but I've read this novel twice in less than a year, just finished a second book club discussion on it, and participated in two author Q&As with Mississippi writer Michael Farris Smith. Seriously, the book is that good.
I confess that the publisher's blurb didn't grab me when I saw it last year, but - boy. SO WRONG! The book is set in the near-future on the Gulf Coast where the prime enemy is weather. The constant storms slamming southern Mississippi, plus the federal government's decision to abandon anybody choosing to live south of the Line (their geographical drop-dead boundary), are not too big a gap in reality to leap across,
This novel kept me in rapt suspense throughout, and although it reminded me of Cormac McCarthy's story The Road because the characters are traveling to a more hopeful location, RIVERS was more vivid in description of the dripping, overgrown countryside and largely more optimistic. I was totally invested in the characters, knowing they had a way out and cared very deeply about the main character Cohen in a way I couldn't attach to the father in The Road. Yeah, I know lots of people say Cormac is king, but honey, Smith ain't exactly a pauper when it comes to talent. Keep your eye on this author - he has it.
RIVERS follows the tale of Cohen, a young husband and father-to-be who has ignored the federal government's admonition to move north of the Line. There are no first responders down here, no power lines or hospitals, gas stations or grocery stores. But of course, certain people refuse to leave - either for sentimental, mercenary, or sometimes frighteningly bizarre motivations. Something will finally drive Cohen towards the Line, and the characters and events along the way will have you riveted.
After enduring years of finger-shriveling damp, endless storms, and repeated attempts to pour concrete and build a house-addition (a nursery for his unborn baby daughter), Cohen gives up his Sisyphus-like endeavors and heads out. Desperation and vengeance are what initially light his fire, but there are jaw-dropping events ahead that will turn him truly north.
This is an incredibly atmospheric book, but just when the endless rain and lightening strikes were beginning to grind me down, sunlit flashbacks to happy times would buoy the tale back up. Cohen's love for his wife, their daughter-to-be, and his animals made him hard to resist.
There is a scene, pretty early on, where a side character - a bad guy - has run into some trouble. Crawling around near an old church, half-demolished from the storms, this guy ends up with a handful of shattered pieces of stained-glass. Looking up, he realizes that this is the same place where he worshipped as a little boy. Read here how Michael Farris Smith describes him - one of the nobodies in his book. Every person in his stories seems real. "In the next hour, as he lay dying, he thought only of that moment of serenity, kneeling next to the church where he had been a boy before he grew into a man and realized the clarity of strength, his knees damp in the wet ground and in his palm the blue and red and purple glass.
As he lay dying, his flesh ripped like fabric, his blood flowing freely like the rain that came so often, he thought only of those beautiful shards of glass and the weight that they carried, and he found it difficult to comprehend that while he held those small holy things, how something so big and so powerful and so violent could have been so silent as it crept up behind him."
Pretty good, huh?
This crossover Southern Literature-Dystopian Adventure will keep you at the edge of your seat. In the wet reaches of kudzu vines and collapsing casino halls, you will meet thugs selling black market provisions, desperate teens trapped by circumstance, a cult leader, and other crazies who have remained south of The Line. Count me in - I'm crazy about "Rivers."Really, really good. Five stars & on my Favorites shelf.
HOW MANY OF YOU ARE WATCHING HURRICANE HARVEY COVERAGE AND THINKING ABOUT THIS BOOK?? Prayers for Texas 💔
------------------
Original review:
OMG-good! Call me nuts, but I've read this novel twice in less than a year, just finished a second book club discussion on it, and participated in two author Q&As with Mississippi writer Michael Farris Smith. Seriously, the book is that good.
I confess that the publisher's blurb didn't grab me when I saw it last year, but - boy. SO WRONG! The book is set in the near-future on the Gulf Coast where the prime enemy is weather. The constant storms slamming southern Mississippi, plus the federal government's decision to abandon anybody choosing to live south of the Line (their geographical drop-dead boundary), are not too big a gap in reality to leap across,
This novel kept me in rapt suspense throughout, and although it reminded me of Cormac McCarthy's story The Road because the characters are traveling to a more hopeful location, RIVERS was more vivid in description of the dripping, overgrown countryside and largely more optimistic. I was totally invested in the characters, knowing they had a way out and cared very deeply about the main character Cohen in a way I couldn't attach to the father in The Road. Yeah, I know lots of people say Cormac is king, but honey, Smith ain't exactly a pauper when it comes to talent. Keep your eye on this author - he has it.
RIVERS follows the tale of Cohen, a young husband and father-to-be who has ignored the federal government's admonition to move north of the Line. There are no first responders down here, no power lines or hospitals, gas stations or grocery stores. But of course, certain people refuse to leave - either for sentimental, mercenary, or sometimes frighteningly bizarre motivations. Something will finally drive Cohen towards the Line, and the characters and events along the way will have you riveted.
After enduring years of finger-shriveling damp, endless storms, and repeated attempts to pour concrete and build a house-addition (a nursery for his unborn baby daughter), Cohen gives up his Sisyphus-like endeavors and heads out. Desperation and vengeance are what initially light his fire, but there are jaw-dropping events ahead that will turn him truly north.
This is an incredibly atmospheric book, but just when the endless rain and lightening strikes were beginning to grind me down, sunlit flashbacks to happy times would buoy the tale back up. Cohen's love for his wife, their daughter-to-be, and his animals made him hard to resist.
There is a scene, pretty early on, where a side character - a bad guy - has run into some trouble. Crawling around near an old church, half-demolished from the storms, this guy ends up with a handful of shattered pieces of stained-glass. Looking up, he realizes that this is the same place where he worshipped as a little boy. Read here how Michael Farris Smith describes him - one of the nobodies in his book. Every person in his stories seems real. "In the next hour, as he lay dying, he thought only of that moment of serenity, kneeling next to the church where he had been a boy before he grew into a man and realized the clarity of strength, his knees damp in the wet ground and in his palm the blue and red and purple glass.
As he lay dying, his flesh ripped like fabric, his blood flowing freely like the rain that came so often, he thought only of those beautiful shards of glass and the weight that they carried, and he found it difficult to comprehend that while he held those small holy things, how something so big and so powerful and so violent could have been so silent as it crept up behind him."
Pretty good, huh?
This crossover Southern Literature-Dystopian Adventure will keep you at the edge of your seat. In the wet reaches of kudzu vines and collapsing casino halls, you will meet thugs selling black market provisions, desperate teens trapped by circumstance, a cult leader, and other crazies who have remained south of The Line. Count me in - I'm crazy about "Rivers."Really, really good. Five stars & on my Favorites shelf.
March 28, 2019
Well... what a story. Rather grim and dark, literally. Dystopian is one of the categories that interest me. Who says this can't happen, weather changing, relentless rain and water taking the lands...it feels sort of realistic in a way. I live in The Netherlands, the low lands, below sea level, we have to protect our country against the rising waters.... So, we know the dangers of water. Rivers is a quick read.
Between 3 and 4 stars for me but rather towards 4 so that it is. The Road by Cormac McCarthy remains in the top 5 best ever reads for me as for dystopian books. Rivers is not in that region. But still a pretty good apocalyptic read. Of a lonely heartbroken man, grieving for his wife and child, surviving out there in the wildest and harshest of circumstances....with a dog... and a horse.... Well.... more later this weekend I guess. I've been sitting here trying to place this book and rate it. Let's sleep over it. I look outside, it's 22.15 Dutch time and some snow has just fallen. It's cold and it is peaceful.....
Between 3 and 4 stars for me but rather towards 4 so that it is. The Road by Cormac McCarthy remains in the top 5 best ever reads for me as for dystopian books. Rivers is not in that region. But still a pretty good apocalyptic read. Of a lonely heartbroken man, grieving for his wife and child, surviving out there in the wildest and harshest of circumstances....with a dog... and a horse.... Well.... more later this weekend I guess. I've been sitting here trying to place this book and rate it. Let's sleep over it. I look outside, it's 22.15 Dutch time and some snow has just fallen. It's cold and it is peaceful.....
May 28, 2016
We have finally damaged the earth so much that the coastal regions are being struck by unending storms and hurricanes, even the Mississippi valley has become a permanent flood zone. A line is drawn, the line delineating where services and protection will be offered, all other area and people who choose to stay in them are on there on. Of course man kind being what it is, these areas become a violent no man's land.
The tone is similar in nature to "The Road" but this is much more expansive than that book was and has many more characters that have banded together due to various circumstances. Parts of it also reminded me of "The Stand", the personal and physical journey undertaken by these characters. The comparisons are only fleeting, this book offers much more, some poignant moments, reflections back to a better time, and the message that as long as there is humanity, there is still hope. I really liked how this author balanced moments of desolation and violence, with moments of love and sacrifice.
The tone is similar in nature to "The Road" but this is much more expansive than that book was and has many more characters that have banded together due to various circumstances. Parts of it also reminded me of "The Stand", the personal and physical journey undertaken by these characters. The comparisons are only fleeting, this book offers much more, some poignant moments, reflections back to a better time, and the message that as long as there is humanity, there is still hope. I really liked how this author balanced moments of desolation and violence, with moments of love and sacrifice.
May 2, 2017
4.5 Stars
There must be some kind of way outta here
Said the joker to the thief
There's too much confusion
I can't get no relief
All Along the Watchtower - Bob Dylan
”It had been raining for weeks. Maybe months. He had forgotten the last day that it hadn’t rained, when the storms gave way to the pale blue of the Gulf sky, when the birds flew and the clouds were white and the sunshine glistened across the drenched land.”
Cohen looked around, his dog beside him, staring at the lumber that sat soaked and thought about starting yet again on re-framing that room, those walls that he’d built over and over, only to have them carried away by the waters.
”Her place to sleep, and play, and grow. Four years ago the foundation had been poured, before it was impossible to pour a foundation, before it was impossible to imagine such things as building a room onto your house.”
His thoughts drift to those moments when he first saw all his work turned to shreds, along with his hopes and his dreams. He wonders how his father would feel, all his work now gone. No trace remains of what was, no trace remains of them.
There was a point in time before the boundary line, and he can recall it, he tries to live in those moments, in his memories, but even his memories are being taken from him, just like his wife and infant daughter were. He stays because he can’t bear to leave them behind. Who would visit their grave?
Those left surviving beyond the line, are not really living, their former lives gone with the winds that relentlessly howl, blowing down most things in their path, the rain that washed all hopes of a future worth hoping for. Living outside the law, each man makes his own.
No reason to get excited
The thief he kindly spoke
There are many here among us
Who feel that life is but a joke
But, uh, but you and I, we've been through that
And this is not our fate
So let us stop talkin' falsely now
The hour's getting late, hey
All Along the Watchtower - Bob Dylan
When his house is broken into, ransacked, he cares only for a few precious items. These were all he had left of them, like his talismans conjuring his family back, he must find them, he must have these precious few things back. But first, as he is leaving, he pauses, and leaves a note, knowing the thieves will return:
”To whom it may concern—he is not dead he is risen.”
And so, a journey will begin, and it will be one hellaciously dark one. In between the devastation that surrounds Cohen, everyone left there, his mind wanders back to those days when hope was alive, as was his wife, and their soon-to-be born daughter. Days with blue skies and sunshine. His life had meaning then.
I had to keep reminding myself that this was Michael Farris Smith’s debut novel, I could sense how deliberately chosen each word was. It has often been compared to Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road,” and while I can see the comparison in tone, I felt that “Rivers” has more of a sense of hope that lives within these characters, the possibility of a future where something worth living for exists.
Heart-rending, powerful, moving, losing hope, hoping, finding reasons to keep hope alive despite what is happening in the world around you, ”Rivers” is all these things and more.
All along the watchtower
Princes kept the view
While all the women came and went
Barefoot servants, too
Outside in the cold distance
A wildcat did growl
Two riders were approaching
And the wind began to howl
All Along the Watchtower - Bob Dylan
There must be some kind of way outta here
Said the joker to the thief
There's too much confusion
I can't get no relief
All Along the Watchtower - Bob Dylan
”It had been raining for weeks. Maybe months. He had forgotten the last day that it hadn’t rained, when the storms gave way to the pale blue of the Gulf sky, when the birds flew and the clouds were white and the sunshine glistened across the drenched land.”
Cohen looked around, his dog beside him, staring at the lumber that sat soaked and thought about starting yet again on re-framing that room, those walls that he’d built over and over, only to have them carried away by the waters.
”Her place to sleep, and play, and grow. Four years ago the foundation had been poured, before it was impossible to pour a foundation, before it was impossible to imagine such things as building a room onto your house.”
His thoughts drift to those moments when he first saw all his work turned to shreds, along with his hopes and his dreams. He wonders how his father would feel, all his work now gone. No trace remains of what was, no trace remains of them.
There was a point in time before the boundary line, and he can recall it, he tries to live in those moments, in his memories, but even his memories are being taken from him, just like his wife and infant daughter were. He stays because he can’t bear to leave them behind. Who would visit their grave?
Those left surviving beyond the line, are not really living, their former lives gone with the winds that relentlessly howl, blowing down most things in their path, the rain that washed all hopes of a future worth hoping for. Living outside the law, each man makes his own.
No reason to get excited
The thief he kindly spoke
There are many here among us
Who feel that life is but a joke
But, uh, but you and I, we've been through that
And this is not our fate
So let us stop talkin' falsely now
The hour's getting late, hey
All Along the Watchtower - Bob Dylan
When his house is broken into, ransacked, he cares only for a few precious items. These were all he had left of them, like his talismans conjuring his family back, he must find them, he must have these precious few things back. But first, as he is leaving, he pauses, and leaves a note, knowing the thieves will return:
”To whom it may concern—he is not dead he is risen.”
And so, a journey will begin, and it will be one hellaciously dark one. In between the devastation that surrounds Cohen, everyone left there, his mind wanders back to those days when hope was alive, as was his wife, and their soon-to-be born daughter. Days with blue skies and sunshine. His life had meaning then.
I had to keep reminding myself that this was Michael Farris Smith’s debut novel, I could sense how deliberately chosen each word was. It has often been compared to Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road,” and while I can see the comparison in tone, I felt that “Rivers” has more of a sense of hope that lives within these characters, the possibility of a future where something worth living for exists.
Heart-rending, powerful, moving, losing hope, hoping, finding reasons to keep hope alive despite what is happening in the world around you, ”Rivers” is all these things and more.
All along the watchtower
Princes kept the view
While all the women came and went
Barefoot servants, too
Outside in the cold distance
A wildcat did growl
Two riders were approaching
And the wind began to howl
All Along the Watchtower - Bob Dylan
April 17, 2017
4.4★
I was so impressed with the writing in Desperation Road that I rushed to read this and its precursor In the beginning: A short story prequel to the novel Rivers without any story or review prep.
Post-Apocalypse is not my reading preference as I feel it's too oppressive, wreaking devastation page after page, with not much hope or satisfaction on the horizon because that’s the issue with any sort of apocalypse right?
Nonetheless it was quite compelling, timely, and believable. Years of catastrophic hurricanes have brought the Gulf Coast states to total anarchy and ruin; circumstances and souls will get worse before there is any chance of anything or anyone getting better, or as you know is going to happen, way beyond worse.
The prequel sets the reader up and the tempo is fast and furious. It could have been the opening for the novel and is not necessary to read beforehand. It did its job and made me want to follow through despite my bias, giving the reader a thorough soaking of what’s to come — greatly developed characters and storytelling abounding!
Did I have feelings of despair at the end? You bet. Warning-major spoiler:
That said, even though I am still not a fan of this genre, which is reflected in my rating, it must be admitted that Smith had me the entire way. And I totally respected him in the morning for my bereavement. I also eagerly anticipate his next offering—The Fighter in 2018.
I was so impressed with the writing in Desperation Road that I rushed to read this and its precursor In the beginning: A short story prequel to the novel Rivers without any story or review prep.
Post-Apocalypse is not my reading preference as I feel it's too oppressive, wreaking devastation page after page, with not much hope or satisfaction on the horizon because that’s the issue with any sort of apocalypse right?
Nonetheless it was quite compelling, timely, and believable. Years of catastrophic hurricanes have brought the Gulf Coast states to total anarchy and ruin; circumstances and souls will get worse before there is any chance of anything or anyone getting better, or as you know is going to happen, way beyond worse.
The prequel sets the reader up and the tempo is fast and furious. It could have been the opening for the novel and is not necessary to read beforehand. It did its job and made me want to follow through despite my bias, giving the reader a thorough soaking of what’s to come — greatly developed characters and storytelling abounding!
Did I have feelings of despair at the end? You bet. Warning-major spoiler:
That said, even though I am still not a fan of this genre, which is reflected in my rating, it must be admitted that Smith had me the entire way. And I totally respected him in the morning for my bereavement. I also eagerly anticipate his next offering—The Fighter in 2018.
February 22, 2017
Gets my vote for the worst ever depiction of Venice I’ve come across in literature. I wasn’t sure what Venice was even doing in this book. But I had the feeling the author had never been there.
Rivers has been compared to The Road but I’m afraid I found none of the artistry of Cormac McCarthy’s book here. Bit like comparing Jaws 3 with the original. Lots of generic characters (the lead character is sensitive, he’s generously attentive to women and animals but he can also be relied upon to win any fight), lots of superfluous chit-chat, lots of driving through rain and gun battles, lots of plot twists that had no plausible foundation. For me this was written by an author who’s much more influenced by popular cinema than he is by literature. Nearly every plot development feels forced. Often the author resorts to making characters act out of character to achieve the necessary twists. For example, the two kids who try to kill our hero are both, it turns out, nice kids. There’s no reason on earth why they have to kill our hero. We’re told the cult leader makes them do it. But the cult leader isn’t on hand to witness what they do. They have other choices. Another plot twist relies on a character taking years to realise something only when the plot needs him to. The house where our hero lives is miraculously immune to marauding outlaws until on the same day he’s carjacked the cult also finds his home. At the end of the novel a whole town breaks off looting to attack our hero for no apparent reason. Also, there are so many coincidences that I felt the map of this novel stretched to barely a square mile.
I thought it started off well. We’re in a post-apocalyptic America. The only weather is storms of varying intensity. The lead character, a maudlin chap who can’t let go of the past, is robbed by members of a cult. He wants his stuff back. The cult and its leader had my interest but the cult is just a temporary lay-by and the author drops it almost immediately. From then on, I’m afraid I felt like I was straddling an inflatable dinghy that had sprung a slow leak. I also took exception to its depiction of women who are reduced to providing love interest and having babies. Rather than set in the future it seemed set in a distant past in this regard, as if we were back in the Wild West.
I thought Gold Fame Citrus which has a similar premise and also, like this, includes a cult, was miles better.
Apologies to my friends here who liked this! Too much testosterone and not enough artistry for me.
Rivers has been compared to The Road but I’m afraid I found none of the artistry of Cormac McCarthy’s book here. Bit like comparing Jaws 3 with the original. Lots of generic characters (the lead character is sensitive, he’s generously attentive to women and animals but he can also be relied upon to win any fight), lots of superfluous chit-chat, lots of driving through rain and gun battles, lots of plot twists that had no plausible foundation. For me this was written by an author who’s much more influenced by popular cinema than he is by literature. Nearly every plot development feels forced. Often the author resorts to making characters act out of character to achieve the necessary twists. For example, the two kids who try to kill our hero are both, it turns out, nice kids. There’s no reason on earth why they have to kill our hero. We’re told the cult leader makes them do it. But the cult leader isn’t on hand to witness what they do. They have other choices. Another plot twist relies on a character taking years to realise something only when the plot needs him to. The house where our hero lives is miraculously immune to marauding outlaws until on the same day he’s carjacked the cult also finds his home. At the end of the novel a whole town breaks off looting to attack our hero for no apparent reason. Also, there are so many coincidences that I felt the map of this novel stretched to barely a square mile.
I thought it started off well. We’re in a post-apocalyptic America. The only weather is storms of varying intensity. The lead character, a maudlin chap who can’t let go of the past, is robbed by members of a cult. He wants his stuff back. The cult and its leader had my interest but the cult is just a temporary lay-by and the author drops it almost immediately. From then on, I’m afraid I felt like I was straddling an inflatable dinghy that had sprung a slow leak. I also took exception to its depiction of women who are reduced to providing love interest and having babies. Rather than set in the future it seemed set in a distant past in this regard, as if we were back in the Wild West.
I thought Gold Fame Citrus which has a similar premise and also, like this, includes a cult, was miles better.
Apologies to my friends here who liked this! Too much testosterone and not enough artistry for me.
September 26, 2023
The Gulf Coast of America is awash, with hurricanes coming in one after the other there seems no end to the violent storms. The government had told everyone to leave the area but the time limit for evacuation has come and gone. However, there are still people here, for reasons known only to themselves. Now a line has been drawn south of Hattiesburg, Mississippi and Baton Rouge, Louisiana and nobody is allowed to enter this area – in fact, the whole region has been abandoned.
One of those left below the Line is Cohen. He lives alone in an unfinished house with a dog and a horse for company. He gets limited supplies from a trader who happens by from time to time and thinks constantly of Elisa, his now deceased wife, and their unborn baby. We learn of the event that caused Elisa’s death amid the wild storms and Cohen’s mind sometimes slips back to a holiday they’d once enjoyed in Venice, Italy. But one day Cohen is caught out whilst attempting to do a good deed and he slips from having very little to nothing at all.
The author is the son of a Southern Baptist preacher, from Mississippi, and has put on record his view that the government’s response to Hurricane Katrina, in 2005, was ‘lethargic’. In this novel the whole Gulf Coast area has been ravaged and the focus is on the people who remain, some of whom are now desperately trying to escape whilst others search for casino cash that’s rumoured to have been buried somewhere in the region. There is no law here now, it’s survival of the fittest and dog eat dog.
Cohen is forced to attempt an arduous journey to reach the Line, he cannot survive in this area with no resources. His odyssey underway, he battles not only the unremitting weather and devastated landscape but also others who inhabit this place and who are equally driven and most often morally corrupt. It’s a dark tale but just so well written that it had me from the very start.
I’d read a later novel from Farris Smith, Desperation Road, a little while ago and I’d loved the style and quality of that book. This one is equally strong. A tale of human spirit and what people are prepared to do when all is nearly lost, either to save themselves or perhaps to save others. It’s a wonderful story that is both sad and uplifting. In mood, this book put me in mind of Cormack McCarthy's The Road. There's a distinct lack of clichés and don’t expect a happy wrap around ending either, that’s not the way this writer does it. What you should expect is writing of the highest order and a story that will probably haunt you for some time. Outstanding!
One of those left below the Line is Cohen. He lives alone in an unfinished house with a dog and a horse for company. He gets limited supplies from a trader who happens by from time to time and thinks constantly of Elisa, his now deceased wife, and their unborn baby. We learn of the event that caused Elisa’s death amid the wild storms and Cohen’s mind sometimes slips back to a holiday they’d once enjoyed in Venice, Italy. But one day Cohen is caught out whilst attempting to do a good deed and he slips from having very little to nothing at all.
The author is the son of a Southern Baptist preacher, from Mississippi, and has put on record his view that the government’s response to Hurricane Katrina, in 2005, was ‘lethargic’. In this novel the whole Gulf Coast area has been ravaged and the focus is on the people who remain, some of whom are now desperately trying to escape whilst others search for casino cash that’s rumoured to have been buried somewhere in the region. There is no law here now, it’s survival of the fittest and dog eat dog.
Cohen is forced to attempt an arduous journey to reach the Line, he cannot survive in this area with no resources. His odyssey underway, he battles not only the unremitting weather and devastated landscape but also others who inhabit this place and who are equally driven and most often morally corrupt. It’s a dark tale but just so well written that it had me from the very start.
I’d read a later novel from Farris Smith, Desperation Road, a little while ago and I’d loved the style and quality of that book. This one is equally strong. A tale of human spirit and what people are prepared to do when all is nearly lost, either to save themselves or perhaps to save others. It’s a wonderful story that is both sad and uplifting. In mood, this book put me in mind of Cormack McCarthy's The Road. There's a distinct lack of clichés and don’t expect a happy wrap around ending either, that’s not the way this writer does it. What you should expect is writing of the highest order and a story that will probably haunt you for some time. Outstanding!
March 2, 2018
Damn, can this man write. When I finished this book, I looked around me and wondered what the hell I was going to do with myself. Incredible writing, atmosphere, characters, suspense… Smith has crazy talent. I loved this book even more than Desperation Road, and that’s saying something. Many other reviewers have already said it well, so nothing I can say here will be new, but I still need to get it out.
This story grabbed me by the throat and while it was painful sometimes, at no point did I ever want to put it down. For me, the most compelling facet of Rivers is the life of this lonely man Cohen, who is haunted by the ghosts of his loved ones and drowning in grief that doesn’t ever seem to abate. He’s living in a self-imposed exile, and when circumstances force him out of seclusion, make him responsible for lives other than his own, it could save him or destroy him. The path he chooses is both inspiring and thought-provoking.
These characters -- all of them, the good and the bad -- are so fucking alive and true and human and relatable in so many ways. I just don’t know how else to say it. Through each of them you can feel the power of the storms, the cold, wet, bleak, violent world in which they live. But inside them, the desire for something better is what pulls them through their darkest moments. This, I feel, is where Smith’s true gift lies; it’s his ability to create authentic characters and, through them, allow the reader to fully experience the environment in which they exist.
Michael Farris Smith’s honest, incisive writing made reading this book a profound experience. It’s one that I would recommend to all of my reading friends without hesitation. I challenge you to not be carried away by the suspense and the redemptive nature of this story. So there’s your recommendation!
This story grabbed me by the throat and while it was painful sometimes, at no point did I ever want to put it down. For me, the most compelling facet of Rivers is the life of this lonely man Cohen, who is haunted by the ghosts of his loved ones and drowning in grief that doesn’t ever seem to abate. He’s living in a self-imposed exile, and when circumstances force him out of seclusion, make him responsible for lives other than his own, it could save him or destroy him. The path he chooses is both inspiring and thought-provoking.
These characters -- all of them, the good and the bad -- are so fucking alive and true and human and relatable in so many ways. I just don’t know how else to say it. Through each of them you can feel the power of the storms, the cold, wet, bleak, violent world in which they live. But inside them, the desire for something better is what pulls them through their darkest moments. This, I feel, is where Smith’s true gift lies; it’s his ability to create authentic characters and, through them, allow the reader to fully experience the environment in which they exist.
Michael Farris Smith’s honest, incisive writing made reading this book a profound experience. It’s one that I would recommend to all of my reading friends without hesitation. I challenge you to not be carried away by the suspense and the redemptive nature of this story. So there’s your recommendation!
May 15, 2016
Excellent!
Michael Farris Smith has created in Rivers a world that might exist if the hurricanes beating the Southern USA were unrelenting and followed one upon the other until the population had to be evacuated and the area deserted. Some people would stay, some always do. Smith's main character, Cohen is one of those who stays. He is unable to part himself from the memories of his wife and unborn child who have died and are buried behind his home.
I must say I loved this book. It felt like a ride on the white water rapids, I barely breathed some of the time, I could feel the tension so palpably. Not being a fan of violent books, I liked that, despite the violent environment they had to cope with, the focus seemed much more on the people themselves. Cohen was a very alive character. I bonded with him immediately and very much cared what happened to him. Michael Smith nails his dystopian world...this is just the way I would expect it to be if such a disaster struck. After having watched the aftermath of Katrina (which none of us can ever forget), it was easy to picture the land as he describes it, the state of the cities, and the condition both mentally and physically of the people.
"Would he live in another place? And if they managed to get him somewhere, who would change his diapers and teach him his colors and ABCs and would he have friends and would he go to school and would he ever call anyone Momma and would he ever call anyone Daddy? Would he ever play T-ball or learn to ride a bike or not have to worry about being hungry? Would he ever now the story of how he was born and where he was born and who his father was and what a miracle it was that he was alive at all and would he ever now the story of the group of misfits who somehow managed to get him across the Line? He was a long shot. They were all long shots. In every direction, a long shot."
It is a story about endurance, perseverance, finding hope in the worst of situations, recovering from losses so great that you can never stand to face them, and the need for others...how others who are also beyond the edge can give you life.
"The ghosts will kill you, she thought, and then there was the image of Cohen living alone in that house, with his memories overwhelming hi when he thought they were protecting him. The power of what he had loved and what he had lost so incompetent against the careless strength of the living."
My dear Mr. Smith, if this is your first effort, I can barely wait to see your second.
Michael Farris Smith has created in Rivers a world that might exist if the hurricanes beating the Southern USA were unrelenting and followed one upon the other until the population had to be evacuated and the area deserted. Some people would stay, some always do. Smith's main character, Cohen is one of those who stays. He is unable to part himself from the memories of his wife and unborn child who have died and are buried behind his home.
I must say I loved this book. It felt like a ride on the white water rapids, I barely breathed some of the time, I could feel the tension so palpably. Not being a fan of violent books, I liked that, despite the violent environment they had to cope with, the focus seemed much more on the people themselves. Cohen was a very alive character. I bonded with him immediately and very much cared what happened to him. Michael Smith nails his dystopian world...this is just the way I would expect it to be if such a disaster struck. After having watched the aftermath of Katrina (which none of us can ever forget), it was easy to picture the land as he describes it, the state of the cities, and the condition both mentally and physically of the people.
"Would he live in another place? And if they managed to get him somewhere, who would change his diapers and teach him his colors and ABCs and would he have friends and would he go to school and would he ever call anyone Momma and would he ever call anyone Daddy? Would he ever play T-ball or learn to ride a bike or not have to worry about being hungry? Would he ever now the story of how he was born and where he was born and who his father was and what a miracle it was that he was alive at all and would he ever now the story of the group of misfits who somehow managed to get him across the Line? He was a long shot. They were all long shots. In every direction, a long shot."
It is a story about endurance, perseverance, finding hope in the worst of situations, recovering from losses so great that you can never stand to face them, and the need for others...how others who are also beyond the edge can give you life.
"The ghosts will kill you, she thought, and then there was the image of Cohen living alone in that house, with his memories overwhelming hi when he thought they were protecting him. The power of what he had loved and what he had lost so incompetent against the careless strength of the living."
My dear Mr. Smith, if this is your first effort, I can barely wait to see your second.
September 21, 2014
Bleak skies where the sun is destined never to shine again. Torrential rain, cold and pounding and relentless. Kudzu creeping and growing, its tendrils evolving into thick, twisted arms smothering everything in its path. Buildings are sinking into the very ground. The horror of never being warm and dry is chilling.
The lower portion of the country has been condemned, with most people evacuated by the government, the ones who refuse to leave their homes are left to their own devices. A line is drawn, those who stay behind have no power for lights for warmth; above the line there is power and food and law enforcement. There are plenty who stay behind and live to rue that decision. The gun law is nothing more than 'if you got one, you'd better not let nobody take it from you.'
Spirits are sapped. Sleep is preferable to almost anything else, because the heart and mind and body just can't cope with the idea of waking up to yet another day of it. The time when one could run to the store and buy anything needed is long past. All energy must be spent on salvaging the bare rudiments of what it takes to survive. As usual, there are those who take advantage of such a situation. A snake-handling nutter has designs on repopulating the area with his own progeny. He has a crew of mean-stupid mouth breathers with automatic weapons to back him up. Scary stuff here.
This was a first-reads giveaway. Thank you for a sobering look at a future no one wants. Excellent read.
The lower portion of the country has been condemned, with most people evacuated by the government, the ones who refuse to leave their homes are left to their own devices. A line is drawn, those who stay behind have no power for lights for warmth; above the line there is power and food and law enforcement. There are plenty who stay behind and live to rue that decision. The gun law is nothing more than 'if you got one, you'd better not let nobody take it from you.'
Spirits are sapped. Sleep is preferable to almost anything else, because the heart and mind and body just can't cope with the idea of waking up to yet another day of it. The time when one could run to the store and buy anything needed is long past. All energy must be spent on salvaging the bare rudiments of what it takes to survive. As usual, there are those who take advantage of such a situation. A snake-handling nutter has designs on repopulating the area with his own progeny. He has a crew of mean-stupid mouth breathers with automatic weapons to back him up. Scary stuff here.
This was a first-reads giveaway. Thank you for a sobering look at a future no one wants. Excellent read.
January 10, 2020
A captivating story, brilliantly written, and one that gripped and enthralled me from start to finish.
September 17, 2019
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
613 days ago the government made a decision regarding things down South . . . .
Hold up. Not that far South. After years upon years of being obliterated by hurricanes, it was decided it was in the best interest of the nation to establish “the Line” – a geographical boundary 90 miles north of the coastline spanning the Texas-Louisiana border all the way across Mississippi to Alabama. Mandatory evacuation was broadcast, the population was informed rebuilding efforts would cease from that point forth, services would be cut, and anyone who decided to stay were informed they were doing so at their own risk.
That’s the basic jumping off point for Rivers - a book Ron has been pushing on me ever since he read it. Actual footage of my reaction to the question “so how did you like it????” . . . . .
Did we read the same book?
Oh Rivers. How did I dislike you? Let me count the ways . . . .
#1 – Dude is supposed to have survived all on his own all this time, but gets rolled by two children at the 7% mark, which had me like . . . .
#2 – Hints about his dead wife and baby are dropped so frequently at the 27% point my Kindle note said something along these lines . . . .
I have no heart. I know.
#3 – They supposedly live in the new version of the Wild Wild West where no one really even knows if highways still exist to connect them to the rest of America, and yet money remains the driving force . . . . .
Seriously. Any sort of aid/supplies have been cut off for almost TWO YEARS, they all live like marauders and yet money talks and bullshit walks rather than goods and services.
#4 – The premise is that never-ending hurricanes have been completely decimating the South for ages, and yet the stores still contain perfectly clean and usable merchandise. Not to mention anytime something is needed, dude magically comes across it. “Oh noes – I is out of gasoline. Wow! Two full five gallon jugs? Awesome!” . . . . .
#5. They kill the dog . . . .
#6. I’m not exactly what you’d call a social justice warrior, but this dumbfuck who got rolled by 7 year olds (okay, that’s an exaggeration) earlier is the one who is needed for a bunch of women to break free from the snake-handling preacherman’s cultish imprisonment of them?????
Fuck you.Joel Osteen Homeboy was so old he couldn’t even get it up anymore. Those broads would have whipped some ass.
#7 – And last but certainly not least the “big reveal” . . . . .
I mean, it pinged my hinkymeter immediately (per my gripes above) and irritated the crap out of me until the 59% mark where I could confirm my suspicions (those of you who aren’t great at ciphering clues will be waiting until almost 80%).
Oh and Bonus #8 - "Rivers #1"?????? Hell nah. I hate books in a series.
I also had issues with the instalove by dudebro who was supposedly in the deepest pits of mourning that anyone has ever experienced and also with the pacing and how every near annihilation the characters were confronted with ended up being wrapped up real succinctly with a bright red bow over and over and over again, but there aren't any fun .gifs for those.
Nearly all of my friends liked this one. Hopefully the above will help explain why it sucked turtles for me. This is my second near fail with this author. Maybe it's just not meant to be.
613 days ago the government made a decision regarding things down South . . . .
Hold up. Not that far South. After years upon years of being obliterated by hurricanes, it was decided it was in the best interest of the nation to establish “the Line” – a geographical boundary 90 miles north of the coastline spanning the Texas-Louisiana border all the way across Mississippi to Alabama. Mandatory evacuation was broadcast, the population was informed rebuilding efforts would cease from that point forth, services would be cut, and anyone who decided to stay were informed they were doing so at their own risk.
That’s the basic jumping off point for Rivers - a book Ron has been pushing on me ever since he read it. Actual footage of my reaction to the question “so how did you like it????” . . . . .
Did we read the same book?
Oh Rivers. How did I dislike you? Let me count the ways . . . .
#1 – Dude is supposed to have survived all on his own all this time, but gets rolled by two children at the 7% mark, which had me like . . . .
#2 – Hints about his dead wife and baby are dropped so frequently at the 27% point my Kindle note said something along these lines . . . .
I have no heart. I know.
#3 – They supposedly live in the new version of the Wild Wild West where no one really even knows if highways still exist to connect them to the rest of America, and yet money remains the driving force . . . . .
Seriously. Any sort of aid/supplies have been cut off for almost TWO YEARS, they all live like marauders and yet money talks and bullshit walks rather than goods and services.
#4 – The premise is that never-ending hurricanes have been completely decimating the South for ages, and yet the stores still contain perfectly clean and usable merchandise. Not to mention anytime something is needed, dude magically comes across it. “Oh noes – I is out of gasoline. Wow! Two full five gallon jugs? Awesome!” . . . . .
#5. They kill the dog . . . .
#6. I’m not exactly what you’d call a social justice warrior, but this dumbfuck who got rolled by 7 year olds (okay, that’s an exaggeration) earlier is the one who is needed for a bunch of women to break free from the snake-handling preacherman’s cultish imprisonment of them?????
Fuck you.
#7 – And last but certainly not least the “big reveal” . . . . .
I mean, it pinged my hinkymeter immediately (per my gripes above) and irritated the crap out of me until the 59% mark where I could confirm my suspicions (those of you who aren’t great at ciphering clues will be waiting until almost 80%).
Oh and Bonus #8 - "Rivers #1"?????? Hell nah. I hate books in a series.
I also had issues with the instalove by dudebro who was supposedly in the deepest pits of mourning that anyone has ever experienced and also with the pacing and how every near annihilation the characters were confronted with ended up being wrapped up real succinctly with a bright red bow over and over and over again, but there aren't any fun .gifs for those.
Nearly all of my friends liked this one. Hopefully the above will help explain why it sucked turtles for me. This is my second near fail with this author. Maybe it's just not meant to be.
April 26, 2014
This is a post-apocalyptic tale that will remind many readers of Cormac McCarthy's book, The Road. It's set in a not too far-distant future when, presumably because of climate change, the Gulf Coast from Florida across to Texas has become a soggy, desolate area of constant rain and storms where the sun never shines. Katrina-like hurricanes have repeatedly devastated the region to the point where rebuilding no longer makes any sense.
Neither does living there, and so the government has drawn a line ninety miles north of the coast, and has abandoned the region south of The Line. The people have been ordered to evacuate permanently and the government assumes no responsibility for those who ignore the order and stay behind. There are no services and there is no law there.
Inevitably, some choose to remain behind. One of them is a man named Cohen who is mourning the loss of his wife and their unborn child who were killed before the family could escape. Cohen is shackled by his memories to what's left of the house that he and his wife shared and, crazy as it seems, he remains determined to build the room addition he had planned for the baby, even though the lumber is too wet to build with, and even though the wind blows down every wall he manages to erect.
In the meantime, he must contend with the scavengers and others who have remained behind, living by the primitive law of the jungle and ready to claim ownership of anything and anyone, simply by the power of possession, at a time and in a place where legal ownership no longer means anything.
Inevitably, the fortunes turn against Cohen and he must finally head north. It's an almost impossible journey with virtually every danger one can imagine along the way. It would be tough enough for one man to make it alone, but then Cohen encounters a group of survivors, mostly women and children. Now he must decide whether to abandon them or try to take them with him, which will make the journey infinitely more difficult.
This is a beautifully written book, but at times it's awfully depressing. Smith describes the rain and cold so vividly that the reader feels almost compelled to stop every fifty pages or so to dry off or, even better, to jump under a hot shower and then dry off. The characters are very well drawn, and immediately pull you into their struggle. It's a story one is not likely to forget any time soon, and one which made this reader even more grateful for the fact that he lives in the dry and sunny northern Sonoran Desert and not along the Gulf Coast.
Neither does living there, and so the government has drawn a line ninety miles north of the coast, and has abandoned the region south of The Line. The people have been ordered to evacuate permanently and the government assumes no responsibility for those who ignore the order and stay behind. There are no services and there is no law there.
Inevitably, some choose to remain behind. One of them is a man named Cohen who is mourning the loss of his wife and their unborn child who were killed before the family could escape. Cohen is shackled by his memories to what's left of the house that he and his wife shared and, crazy as it seems, he remains determined to build the room addition he had planned for the baby, even though the lumber is too wet to build with, and even though the wind blows down every wall he manages to erect.
In the meantime, he must contend with the scavengers and others who have remained behind, living by the primitive law of the jungle and ready to claim ownership of anything and anyone, simply by the power of possession, at a time and in a place where legal ownership no longer means anything.
Inevitably, the fortunes turn against Cohen and he must finally head north. It's an almost impossible journey with virtually every danger one can imagine along the way. It would be tough enough for one man to make it alone, but then Cohen encounters a group of survivors, mostly women and children. Now he must decide whether to abandon them or try to take them with him, which will make the journey infinitely more difficult.
This is a beautifully written book, but at times it's awfully depressing. Smith describes the rain and cold so vividly that the reader feels almost compelled to stop every fifty pages or so to dry off or, even better, to jump under a hot shower and then dry off. The characters are very well drawn, and immediately pull you into their struggle. It's a story one is not likely to forget any time soon, and one which made this reader even more grateful for the fact that he lives in the dry and sunny northern Sonoran Desert and not along the Gulf Coast.
November 11, 2019
Rivers is an adrenaline-filled adventure in the near future that sucked me in completely. When I emerged from my novel-induced spell, I was surprised to look out the window and see no rain. No ravaged landscape. It was just a book! Whew. (My second Michael Farris Smith and now I am on a quest to read his other books.)
June 11, 2016
The rain was relentless. For years the winds roared, lightening cracked, vines whipped over toppled trees, water flooded abandoned buildings, and skinny animals roamed the post-Katrina Gulf Coast. The government had transported people to areas north of "The Line" in evacuation buses, but a few survivalists and treasure hunters had remained. It was a lawless world where Cohen stayed in Mississippi, unable to leave his home full of memories of his beloved wife and unborn child who had both died. Cohen had lost everyone important to him, and was filled with regret that he had not taken his wife to a safer area.
After Cohen is attacked, and his Jeep and his precious mementos stolen, he goes searching for the culprits. He finds a group of people in damaged trailers, living under the rule of a Bible quoting cult leader. If he is able to help this group of women and children escape from their desperate circumstances, they will have to navigate blocked roads and avoid ruthless looters as they travel north to "The Line".
Throughout the book there are flashbacks to happier times when Cohen and his wife vacationed in Venice, a city covered with canals of water. There are also mentions of the novel Death in Venice where the protagonist refuses to leave Venice in the midst of an epidemic. The supernatural is also in the background, appropriate for a situation over which God and Nature are the controlling forces.
The book was bleak but very well written, and reminded me a bit of Cormac McCarthy's The Road. It was very intense, leaving me feeling exhausted like I had been through a battering storm myself. (Or maybe it was because I stayed up to 3 am finishing the book!) I liked Cohen as a character--a good man who is capable of being tough to protect others, a man who had lost hope only to find hope rekindled. I enjoy post-apocalyptic literature that has the element of believability, and recommend this book to readers who enjoy this genre.
After Cohen is attacked, and his Jeep and his precious mementos stolen, he goes searching for the culprits. He finds a group of people in damaged trailers, living under the rule of a Bible quoting cult leader. If he is able to help this group of women and children escape from their desperate circumstances, they will have to navigate blocked roads and avoid ruthless looters as they travel north to "The Line".
Throughout the book there are flashbacks to happier times when Cohen and his wife vacationed in Venice, a city covered with canals of water. There are also mentions of the novel Death in Venice where the protagonist refuses to leave Venice in the midst of an epidemic. The supernatural is also in the background, appropriate for a situation over which God and Nature are the controlling forces.
The book was bleak but very well written, and reminded me a bit of Cormac McCarthy's The Road. It was very intense, leaving me feeling exhausted like I had been through a battering storm myself. (Or maybe it was because I stayed up to 3 am finishing the book!) I liked Cohen as a character--a good man who is capable of being tough to protect others, a man who had lost hope only to find hope rekindled. I enjoy post-apocalyptic literature that has the element of believability, and recommend this book to readers who enjoy this genre.
May 13, 2016
Insurance companies refer to storm damage as an act of God, yet I doubt that anyone would see any touch of the divine in the climatic cataclysm that has befallen the Gulf Coast in Michael Farris Smith’s debut novel. In a world where Hurricane Katrina was just the beginning,
Among the latter is Cohen, a husband grieving the death of his wife and unborn child, who is unwilling to abandon their grave in the sodden soil behind his house. When he is attacked and robbed by raiders he sets out to track down and recover his property. Thus begins a story of an arduous journey that many have compared to Cormac McCarthy’s The Road in an environment as harsh and forbidding as any found in Mad Max, only much, much, much wetter.
For a debut novelist, Farris Smith has the chops of a seasoned professional. I expected, and on several occasions thought I found, minor bloopers or loose ends in the story but this talented author consistently made a mockery of my expectations and all the way to the last page regulary took the story in an entirely different direction from what I thought he would.
I highly recommend this book and am excitedly looking forward to his next two releases; Desperation Road, coming out next year, and The Fighter, coming in 2018.
***
FYI: On a 5-point scale I assign stars based on my assessment of what the book needs in the way of improvements:
*5 Stars – Nothing at all. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
*4 Stars – It could stand for a few tweaks here and there but it’s pretty good as it is.
*3 Stars – A solid C grade. Some serious rewriting would be needed in order for this book to be considered great or memorable.
*2 Stars – This book needs a lot of work. A good start would be to change the plot, the character development, the writing style and the ending.
*1 Star - The only thing that would improve this book is a good bonfire.
It has been 613 days since the declaration of the Line, a geographical boundary line drawn ninety miles north of the coastline from the Texas-Louisiana border across the Mississippi coast to Alabama. A geographical boundary that said, we give up. The storms can have it. No more rebuilding and no more reconstruction. The declaration came after several years of catastrophic hurricanes and a climate shift suggested that there was an infinite trail of storms to come…”Beyond the Pale the only law is might makes right. The only residents are scavengers, raiders, treasure hunters and those clinging to a live that has long since blown away.
Among the latter is Cohen, a husband grieving the death of his wife and unborn child, who is unwilling to abandon their grave in the sodden soil behind his house. When he is attacked and robbed by raiders he sets out to track down and recover his property. Thus begins a story of an arduous journey that many have compared to Cormac McCarthy’s The Road in an environment as harsh and forbidding as any found in Mad Max, only much, much, much wetter.
For a debut novelist, Farris Smith has the chops of a seasoned professional. I expected, and on several occasions thought I found, minor bloopers or loose ends in the story but this talented author consistently made a mockery of my expectations and all the way to the last page regulary took the story in an entirely different direction from what I thought he would.
I highly recommend this book and am excitedly looking forward to his next two releases; Desperation Road, coming out next year, and The Fighter, coming in 2018.
***
FYI: On a 5-point scale I assign stars based on my assessment of what the book needs in the way of improvements:
*5 Stars – Nothing at all. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
*4 Stars – It could stand for a few tweaks here and there but it’s pretty good as it is.
*3 Stars – A solid C grade. Some serious rewriting would be needed in order for this book to be considered great or memorable.
*2 Stars – This book needs a lot of work. A good start would be to change the plot, the character development, the writing style and the ending.
*1 Star - The only thing that would improve this book is a good bonfire.
April 13, 2023
Rivers is set before Salvage This World and can be read as a prequel; however, it is unnecessary. Reading both together enhances the strong sense of place and the characters' desperation due to the weather. There is also a short story prequel to Rivers In the Beginning; however, I have yet to read it.
What is going on between the pages
Set in a dystopian future where climate change has ravaged the Gulf Coast, it rains day after day after years of catastrophic hurricanes that devastated the region. The government has drawn a boundary line ninety miles north of the coastline. Life below the line offers no services, electricity, or resources, and those who stay behind live by their own rules. The story follows the struggles of Cohen as he navigates a world submerged in water and overrun by chaos. He stayed behind and buried his wife and unborn child after they were killed during an evacuation attempt. He finds a purpose in the wake of a storm created by the weather and humans. Themes of humanity, morality, survival, redemption, love, family/friendship, and the search for meaning in a world that has lost its way are explored.
"It's a tribute to what was there before Katrina and what's been rebuilt after. It's a tribute to the people who have remained and weathered the storm so to speak." Michael Farris Smith.
My Two cents
Michael Farris Smith has a way of writing the characters' desperation that drives the story forward. He shows us a haunting tale of greed that brings out the worst of humanity. We also see a glimmer of hope through the unlikely bond the characters develop, giving me that emotional pull I love so much. There is a lot of dark human drama between the pages as the world crumbles due to climate change and humanity. As the human condition and the darker corners of the human experience are explored, there are moments of desolation and violence with moments of love and sacrifices, and the story's heart is the unlikely bond between the characters.
The raging rivers are a powerful metaphor for the passage of time, the inevitability of change, and the relentless force of nature.
Traveling Friends buddy read with Debra.
What is going on between the pages
Set in a dystopian future where climate change has ravaged the Gulf Coast, it rains day after day after years of catastrophic hurricanes that devastated the region. The government has drawn a boundary line ninety miles north of the coastline. Life below the line offers no services, electricity, or resources, and those who stay behind live by their own rules. The story follows the struggles of Cohen as he navigates a world submerged in water and overrun by chaos. He stayed behind and buried his wife and unborn child after they were killed during an evacuation attempt. He finds a purpose in the wake of a storm created by the weather and humans. Themes of humanity, morality, survival, redemption, love, family/friendship, and the search for meaning in a world that has lost its way are explored.
"It's a tribute to what was there before Katrina and what's been rebuilt after. It's a tribute to the people who have remained and weathered the storm so to speak." Michael Farris Smith.
My Two cents
Michael Farris Smith has a way of writing the characters' desperation that drives the story forward. He shows us a haunting tale of greed that brings out the worst of humanity. We also see a glimmer of hope through the unlikely bond the characters develop, giving me that emotional pull I love so much. There is a lot of dark human drama between the pages as the world crumbles due to climate change and humanity. As the human condition and the darker corners of the human experience are explored, there are moments of desolation and violence with moments of love and sacrifices, and the story's heart is the unlikely bond between the characters.
The raging rivers are a powerful metaphor for the passage of time, the inevitability of change, and the relentless force of nature.
Traveling Friends buddy read with Debra.
April 24, 2016
Holy God, what a book! I was of two minds the whole time I was reading, sick of the storms and the wet and the hunger and
the violence that was inherent in life below "the line", but needing to get back to it whenever I had to put the book down. I won't rehash the plot outline, as the book description gives you the gist of the story, but there is enough action in this one to satisfy anyone. Some people have classified this as a post-apocalyptic novel, but it was not difficult at all for me to see these events happening in this country just a few years down the road. Scary thought, but also a reminder not to lose our humanity and goodness when the bad times come.
Two very important things I learned during the reading of this book: 1. Do not open locked doors inside abandoned gas stations if you don't know what's behind them.
2. When the authorities tell you to evacuate, GET THE HELL OUT!
Michael Farris Smith is hopefully working on another book, because I will read anything he writes in the future. This book was a work of art, and when you realize the source of the title it will make you gasp.
(Just as an aside, if there are any doctor types or personal trainers reading this review, I would love to know if a book that makes your heart race while reading it is a viable alternative to aerobic exercise. Just asking, it could be a healthy alternative to all that exertion, and certainly much more pleasant for us readers.)
the violence that was inherent in life below "the line", but needing to get back to it whenever I had to put the book down. I won't rehash the plot outline, as the book description gives you the gist of the story, but there is enough action in this one to satisfy anyone. Some people have classified this as a post-apocalyptic novel, but it was not difficult at all for me to see these events happening in this country just a few years down the road. Scary thought, but also a reminder not to lose our humanity and goodness when the bad times come.
Two very important things I learned during the reading of this book: 1. Do not open locked doors inside abandoned gas stations if you don't know what's behind them.
2. When the authorities tell you to evacuate, GET THE HELL OUT!
Michael Farris Smith is hopefully working on another book, because I will read anything he writes in the future. This book was a work of art, and when you realize the source of the title it will make you gasp.
(Just as an aside, if there are any doctor types or personal trainers reading this review, I would love to know if a book that makes your heart race while reading it is a viable alternative to aerobic exercise. Just asking, it could be a healthy alternative to all that exertion, and certainly much more pleasant for us readers.)
April 2, 2019
5 Stars!
April 21, 2020
I had previously read Michael Farris Smith’s Desperation Road and loved it, so thought I’d check out one of his earlier works. Unfortunately, Rivers did not work as well for me. I liked certain elements, but the overall impression falls in the middle of bell curve.
The positives:
- The premise for this climate-related apocalyptic novel is unusual and creative. The US government abandons a region below “The Line,” which runs 90 miles north of the Gulf Coast due to the never-ending hurricane-force storms that are pounding the area. After offering to buy the land and relocate the people, those who decide to stay are on their own, leading of course to desperation, mayhem, and violence.
- The main character, Cohen, is one of the people who decide to stay below the Line in Mississippi. He is wracked by grief due to the loss of his wife and unborn child. He cannot let go of the past. His character is well-developed and complex.
The negatives:
- The rest of the characters are shallow and underdeveloped.
- Plot points that make little sense or are too obviously used as devices.
- The creepy relationship between the older man and the young girl (it would have helped if she were at least in her twenties).
- The pacing is highly erratic: long portions where not much happens, followed by super high-energy thriller-style action.
If you enjoy thrillers, you will probably like this more than I did.
The positives:
- The premise for this climate-related apocalyptic novel is unusual and creative. The US government abandons a region below “The Line,” which runs 90 miles north of the Gulf Coast due to the never-ending hurricane-force storms that are pounding the area. After offering to buy the land and relocate the people, those who decide to stay are on their own, leading of course to desperation, mayhem, and violence.
- The main character, Cohen, is one of the people who decide to stay below the Line in Mississippi. He is wracked by grief due to the loss of his wife and unborn child. He cannot let go of the past. His character is well-developed and complex.
The negatives:
- The rest of the characters are shallow and underdeveloped.
- Plot points that make little sense or are too obviously used as devices.
- The creepy relationship between the older man and the young girl (it would have helped if she were at least in her twenties).
- The pacing is highly erratic: long portions where not much happens, followed by super high-energy thriller-style action.
If you enjoy thrillers, you will probably like this more than I did.
December 18, 2019
Between the late 90’s and the early 2000’s I was part of something I can see now was kind of a film club. Every weekend me and three friends would jump in the car and drive a 70km round trip to go to the closest cinema to our tiny little village at the end of the world. We watched whichever film was on show that weekend, so obviously not all of us finished every session feeling totally pleased with what we had watched. But that only made for a more exciting discussion on our way back home. We watched so many films that after a couple of years we all became very demanding. We just wanted them all to be amazing (according to each other’s taste). I, personally, completely changed the way I saw a good film. A well written screenplay became the thing for me that made a film good, or not! I started really not caring about all those blockbusters full of fireworks and cheesy cliches and after a while we were having really heated discussions about films like ‘Magnolia’ or ‘The Hours’ which I loved but no one else did, or ‘Godzilla’ which they all loved, while I didn’t give a puff about it. We had really different tastes and we rarely agreed about any films, but we were friends and we all loved watching films and our weekend routine lasted for years.
Happy days.
If ‘Rivers’ was a film (and because it’s very cinematic indeed) I would put it in the blockbuster full of cliches category. It started really well giving a nice introduction to the set up and the main character and I was totally invested in the story and more than ready for the apocalypse. The pace was quick, the story felt real and all too possible and then, 100 pages in, the cheese made its first appearance in the story. After that, it was all unbelievable coincidences, too many characters with not enough character development and unnecessary details and conversations (so much chit chat during the apocalypse!!! What the heck!!!) My eyes were rolling over, and over, and over. And it didn’t get any better. Most of the time I couldn’t even remember I was reading about the biggest storm ever.
I’m not going to give any spoilers but I can tell you that even ‘Rivers’ as a title was a really really bad choice.
I hate it when an author is, obviously (for me), trying to add unnecessary details just so he can please all kinds of readers. So here, in this story, we can find cowboys, hurricanes, babies, speeding cars, dogs, horses, Venice (Awww!!!), religious fanatics, guns and not just one but two love stories. One which happened in the past (irrelevant and far too cheesy) and another one happening in the present (unbelievable and boring).
After the following passage I couldn’t take it any longer and couldn’t wait to finish this thing:
“He reached over and lifted her shirt and ran his hand across her tan stomach, and then he set the ring box on her bare skin. She stopped humming. Sat up and looked at him and smiled and he smiled back and she didn’t open it but squeezed it in her hand and fell back on top of him and they rolled in the sand, laughing and kissing and crying a little.”
This was just out of a Nicholas Sparks/Norah Roberts kind of novel and I couldn’t believe what I was reading.
No, no, no, no, I’m sorry (not sorry) Mr Smith, but this was not good. It was a good attempt but it all fell flat and was far too predictable. I wanted to be surprised, I wanted tension and suspense. I wanted dangerously close flying debris. I actually can’t believe no one was swept away by such huge storms never to be seen again, and that’s just, just...
Unforgivable.
Happy days.
If ‘Rivers’ was a film (and because it’s very cinematic indeed) I would put it in the blockbuster full of cliches category. It started really well giving a nice introduction to the set up and the main character and I was totally invested in the story and more than ready for the apocalypse. The pace was quick, the story felt real and all too possible and then, 100 pages in, the cheese made its first appearance in the story. After that, it was all unbelievable coincidences, too many characters with not enough character development and unnecessary details and conversations (so much chit chat during the apocalypse!!! What the heck!!!) My eyes were rolling over, and over, and over. And it didn’t get any better. Most of the time I couldn’t even remember I was reading about the biggest storm ever.
I’m not going to give any spoilers but I can tell you that even ‘Rivers’ as a title was a really really bad choice.
I hate it when an author is, obviously (for me), trying to add unnecessary details just so he can please all kinds of readers. So here, in this story, we can find cowboys, hurricanes, babies, speeding cars, dogs, horses, Venice (Awww!!!), religious fanatics, guns and not just one but two love stories. One which happened in the past (irrelevant and far too cheesy) and another one happening in the present (unbelievable and boring).
After the following passage I couldn’t take it any longer and couldn’t wait to finish this thing:
“He reached over and lifted her shirt and ran his hand across her tan stomach, and then he set the ring box on her bare skin. She stopped humming. Sat up and looked at him and smiled and he smiled back and she didn’t open it but squeezed it in her hand and fell back on top of him and they rolled in the sand, laughing and kissing and crying a little.”
This was just out of a Nicholas Sparks/Norah Roberts kind of novel and I couldn’t believe what I was reading.
No, no, no, no, I’m sorry (not sorry) Mr Smith, but this was not good. It was a good attempt but it all fell flat and was far too predictable. I wanted to be surprised, I wanted tension and suspense. I wanted dangerously close flying debris. I actually can’t believe no one was swept away by such huge storms never to be seen again, and that’s just, just...
Unforgivable.
November 2, 2016
3.99 Kindle Special 10/27/16
Oh my, what a fantastic, intense read! This is definitely a favorite for 2016. I felt a connection with the setting because we were stationed in Gulfport, MS and lived in Biloxi when my husband was in the Navy. I'm very familiar with the area.
"It was as if they were being returned to the earth, driven into the ground by the force of the storm, their stiff bodies less skin and bone and more mud and root with each passing moment."
Katrina was only the beginning and years of devastating storms have caused the US to cede the Southeast coast to Mother Nature from Florida to the western Louisiana border. Life below the Line has no services, no electricity, no resources and no laws, Cohen chose to stay. The storms and rain are an ever present back drop, but the book takes the reader in unexpected directions. Intense, suspenseful and thought provoking. Powerful writing! I can't wait to read more from this Mississippi author. It's hard to believe this is Mr. Smiths first novel. Read it!!
Oh my, what a fantastic, intense read! This is definitely a favorite for 2016. I felt a connection with the setting because we were stationed in Gulfport, MS and lived in Biloxi when my husband was in the Navy. I'm very familiar with the area.
"It was as if they were being returned to the earth, driven into the ground by the force of the storm, their stiff bodies less skin and bone and more mud and root with each passing moment."
Katrina was only the beginning and years of devastating storms have caused the US to cede the Southeast coast to Mother Nature from Florida to the western Louisiana border. Life below the Line has no services, no electricity, no resources and no laws, Cohen chose to stay. The storms and rain are an ever present back drop, but the book takes the reader in unexpected directions. Intense, suspenseful and thought provoking. Powerful writing! I can't wait to read more from this Mississippi author. It's hard to believe this is Mr. Smiths first novel. Read it!!
April 29, 2016
An endless line of hurricanes has battered the Gulf Coast for years, below the a boundary called "the line" everyone has been evacuated aside from some who stay in this wet, rotting place. This debut novel by Mississippi author, Michael Farris Smith, was stunning. Anyone who has lived on the coast and experienced hurricanes could easily imagine this sort of reality. Superb writing and great characters. Can't wait to see what is next from this author. Thank you Mississippi Library Commission for this recommend.
January 3, 2022
Michael Farris Smith has written an action-packed apocalyptic novel with a runneth-over plot. Every imaginable tangent emerges from the devastating weather pattern resulting in a chunky and uneven flow. I was invested enough to finish and see how it ended although the constant comparison between the beautiful old world and the nasty new world became repetitive. Rounded down to 3 stars.
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