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Altered Seasons: Monsoonrise
Altered Seasons: Monsoonrise is a top recommendation for cli-fi (climate change fiction) readers seeking more depth than the usual approach to life-threatening environmental changes. - D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review. A few weeks with no sea ice in the Arctic Ocean are enough to trigger a chain reaction that alters the Northern Hemisphere beyond recognition. Isabel Bradshaw, an engineer, tries to find security for her family in an increasingly chaotic world when they are driven out of their home on the Chesapeake Bay.
- GenresDystopia
392 pages, Paperback
Published June 15, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
November 11, 2018
Altered Seasons: Moonrise by Paul Briggs is a refreshing new take on the climate-change fiction with a fresh perspective that has faith in the human race coming together instead of counting on its downfall under the pressure and stress of a global disaster.
This book is a welcome take on the very popular disaster fiction and, for a change, doesn't repeat the same age-old theme of the world falling apart at the seams under the weight of a global threat. Instead, this book focuses on how societies can come together and try to fight and re-build the threats that we all will inevitably face. The situations in this book are very relatable and characterization pretty good.
I enjoyed reading this book through the voices of different main characters (I always enjoy reading multiple POV books,) but at times it did feel like some narratives could have been a bit more polished and better. Still, looking at the entire pictures, it didn't affect the plot (the real hero of the book) a lot, so I'm not complaining.
Overall, it is a decently written novel with great execution and good command over the language as well as the genre of writing - science-fiction and dystopia. The author's unique style of writing (I'd say it was very theatre-like) was a very interesting and though it took me a while, eventually, I got used to the way the notes were made and even started liking it by the end of the book. The world-building was one of the best parts of this book as the author cleverly presented the world in a way that was both easy enough to grasp and complex enough to make it highly interesting to understand. The story itself was good and the concept so close to reality that it was hard to not be able to relate to the happenings in the story.
I'd recommend it to everyone who loves reading sci-fi and dystopian fiction, especially one that revolves around climate change.
You can also read this review on www.thereadingbud.com
This book is a welcome take on the very popular disaster fiction and, for a change, doesn't repeat the same age-old theme of the world falling apart at the seams under the weight of a global threat. Instead, this book focuses on how societies can come together and try to fight and re-build the threats that we all will inevitably face. The situations in this book are very relatable and characterization pretty good.
I enjoyed reading this book through the voices of different main characters (I always enjoy reading multiple POV books,) but at times it did feel like some narratives could have been a bit more polished and better. Still, looking at the entire pictures, it didn't affect the plot (the real hero of the book) a lot, so I'm not complaining.
Overall, it is a decently written novel with great execution and good command over the language as well as the genre of writing - science-fiction and dystopia. The author's unique style of writing (I'd say it was very theatre-like) was a very interesting and though it took me a while, eventually, I got used to the way the notes were made and even started liking it by the end of the book. The world-building was one of the best parts of this book as the author cleverly presented the world in a way that was both easy enough to grasp and complex enough to make it highly interesting to understand. The story itself was good and the concept so close to reality that it was hard to not be able to relate to the happenings in the story.
I'd recommend it to everyone who loves reading sci-fi and dystopian fiction, especially one that revolves around climate change.
You can also read this review on www.thereadingbud.com
March 4, 2019
Duped again
What I don't like us the trend of writers giving us a really good story line and then the book just ends and you get an advertisement for the rest of the story in another book coming to a book store near you! Rubbish!
What I don't like us the trend of writers giving us a really good story line and then the book just ends and you get an advertisement for the rest of the story in another book coming to a book store near you! Rubbish!
June 13, 2018
What would it be like if we’ve been a bit too optimistic about global warming, and in the reasonably near future catastrophic polar ice melt kicked off a chain reaction of disaster?
Paul Briggs takes a look at this idea in his new book “Altered Seasons: Monsoonrise,” the first in a series from Secant Publishing. Living on the low-elevation and very watery Eastern Shore of Maryland, Briggs is in a great position to consider the impact of climate change, which is already threatening island communities in the area. He wisely takes advantage of this and sets a lot of his book in the Chesapeake Bay region.
In the novel, a cast of several characters deal with life in a United States that is cracking under the strain of global weather disaster, primarily in the form of sustained monsoon weather propelled by climate change. Unpredictable seasonal storms dump a jaw-dropping amount of water on different regions every year, creating hordes of climate refugees and battering the economy with vigor.
It is, in fact, pretty close to a worst-case scenario that Briggs paints. It may not happen just this way (and we'd better hope it doesn't), but climate change is coming and even a more mild version might not be any picnic. It doesn't hurt to consider what a worst-case scenario might be like, and it certainly makes for good drama.
While his weather is the worst-case scenario, Briggs’ fictional U.S. society could be considered the best case scenario, in that it doesn’t completely come apart at the seams in the first year, a la Cormac McCarthy’s apocalyptic “The Road.” Rather, despite the dire refugee crises and economic blows worldwide that should be crippling, society plugs along and does the best it can.
I had to suspend belief a bit to go along with these scenarios. A more realistic one would feature weather that is much less severe, but a response from us that is much less resilent. In other words, modern society would likely fall apart under a lot less pressure than Briggs provides, especially in combination with other pressures like a rising global population and religious tension. Still, we can try to share Briggs’ optimism about the human condition and enjoy the drama that grows out of his pessimism about environmental conditions.
Briggs makes effective use of wry, sometimes biting humor and sarcasm. This is a disaster novel, but it’s funny and will have you laughing out loud. He’s also quite good at painting scenes creating his world. He shows a good bit of skill at avoiding a trap that snares many good science fiction and speculative writers, which is that they are so worried we won’t understand the future world they’ve created they beat us over the head with self conscious, paranthetical asides about the new kind of video phones everyone is using and how cheap rocket travel is these days.
Briggs, on the other hand, picks us up and drops us into a United States of the future with a few notable differences that he relies on his narrative to explain. He drops in convincing band names and new youth trends with effectiveness and little fuss, no small accomplishment.
On the other hand, his narrative voice can be a little ragged. We’re looking at the world through his characters’ eyes, and suddenly a disembodied author’s voice will be making side notes, a little like an aside in a play. This is perhaps not surprising, given the author’s involvement in theater and playwriting. I got used to it by the end, and even enjoyed the fresh style and humor it allowed, but it could be jarring.
Briggs had a lot of science and history to get across in his story arc, and sometimes the characters and the narrative suffered a little from the cramming. We weren’t always sure in the beginning who was the main character – Isabel Bradshaw? The ambitious politician Carrie Camberg? Sandy Symcox, the inventor? There’s nothing wrong with this approach, but we need one character or many. By the end the story had focused in on Isabel and would have been better served to do this from the beginning.
His characters, too, tended to all talk in the same sarcastic and witty tone. Thankfully, it was an entertaining one.
He also wasn’t always effective at making us care what happened to them. Isabel’s boyfriend I could take or leave, but she didn’t seem to feel the same way. It’s best if the reader and main character are on the same page about these kinds of things.
If you’re a climate skeptic, this book doesn’t have much time for you, and you’ll probably find it alienating. Especially if you’re a Republican. But then, it’s not clear anything will convince climate skeptics, many of whom seem to be Republicans, so the author probably didn’t sacrifice much by dismissing them so completely.
For those with open eyes to the abundant evidence of the pressing global emergency that is climate change, this book offers a congenial exploration of the kinds of trauma that might lie ahead.
If you want to read it, the book comes out Friday, June 15, and will be available on Amazon and via Barnes and Noble and other stores.
Paul Briggs takes a look at this idea in his new book “Altered Seasons: Monsoonrise,” the first in a series from Secant Publishing. Living on the low-elevation and very watery Eastern Shore of Maryland, Briggs is in a great position to consider the impact of climate change, which is already threatening island communities in the area. He wisely takes advantage of this and sets a lot of his book in the Chesapeake Bay region.
In the novel, a cast of several characters deal with life in a United States that is cracking under the strain of global weather disaster, primarily in the form of sustained monsoon weather propelled by climate change. Unpredictable seasonal storms dump a jaw-dropping amount of water on different regions every year, creating hordes of climate refugees and battering the economy with vigor.
It is, in fact, pretty close to a worst-case scenario that Briggs paints. It may not happen just this way (and we'd better hope it doesn't), but climate change is coming and even a more mild version might not be any picnic. It doesn't hurt to consider what a worst-case scenario might be like, and it certainly makes for good drama.
While his weather is the worst-case scenario, Briggs’ fictional U.S. society could be considered the best case scenario, in that it doesn’t completely come apart at the seams in the first year, a la Cormac McCarthy’s apocalyptic “The Road.” Rather, despite the dire refugee crises and economic blows worldwide that should be crippling, society plugs along and does the best it can.
I had to suspend belief a bit to go along with these scenarios. A more realistic one would feature weather that is much less severe, but a response from us that is much less resilent. In other words, modern society would likely fall apart under a lot less pressure than Briggs provides, especially in combination with other pressures like a rising global population and religious tension. Still, we can try to share Briggs’ optimism about the human condition and enjoy the drama that grows out of his pessimism about environmental conditions.
Briggs makes effective use of wry, sometimes biting humor and sarcasm. This is a disaster novel, but it’s funny and will have you laughing out loud. He’s also quite good at painting scenes creating his world. He shows a good bit of skill at avoiding a trap that snares many good science fiction and speculative writers, which is that they are so worried we won’t understand the future world they’ve created they beat us over the head with self conscious, paranthetical asides about the new kind of video phones everyone is using and how cheap rocket travel is these days.
Briggs, on the other hand, picks us up and drops us into a United States of the future with a few notable differences that he relies on his narrative to explain. He drops in convincing band names and new youth trends with effectiveness and little fuss, no small accomplishment.
On the other hand, his narrative voice can be a little ragged. We’re looking at the world through his characters’ eyes, and suddenly a disembodied author’s voice will be making side notes, a little like an aside in a play. This is perhaps not surprising, given the author’s involvement in theater and playwriting. I got used to it by the end, and even enjoyed the fresh style and humor it allowed, but it could be jarring.
Briggs had a lot of science and history to get across in his story arc, and sometimes the characters and the narrative suffered a little from the cramming. We weren’t always sure in the beginning who was the main character – Isabel Bradshaw? The ambitious politician Carrie Camberg? Sandy Symcox, the inventor? There’s nothing wrong with this approach, but we need one character or many. By the end the story had focused in on Isabel and would have been better served to do this from the beginning.
His characters, too, tended to all talk in the same sarcastic and witty tone. Thankfully, it was an entertaining one.
He also wasn’t always effective at making us care what happened to them. Isabel’s boyfriend I could take or leave, but she didn’t seem to feel the same way. It’s best if the reader and main character are on the same page about these kinds of things.
If you’re a climate skeptic, this book doesn’t have much time for you, and you’ll probably find it alienating. Especially if you’re a Republican. But then, it’s not clear anything will convince climate skeptics, many of whom seem to be Republicans, so the author probably didn’t sacrifice much by dismissing them so completely.
For those with open eyes to the abundant evidence of the pressing global emergency that is climate change, this book offers a congenial exploration of the kinds of trauma that might lie ahead.
If you want to read it, the book comes out Friday, June 15, and will be available on Amazon and via Barnes and Noble and other stores.
February 6, 2019
Altered Seasons read like a wake up call. A well written and compelling one.
Through the eyes of a politician, a child genius/inventor, an engineer/meteorologist and a few other well fleshed out characters, we watch as the consequences of global warming unfolds. Slowly. Inexorably. It's like watching an avalanche. A sweeping act of nature bearing an unstoppable force.
The story has characters with depth and intrigue, with each switch I found myself excited to read more of the character I had left chapters ago. What is going on with Sandy? Isabel? And we follow those women as they show us the world, through science and study and a good amount of humor and wit. Bitter wit that is sometimes a slap in the face to man's creation of our own demise.
I loved being taught as I read. Not in a condescending way but with eloquence and structure that added to the story and had me gasping, really? I didn't know that! How cool, interesting, gotta Google it!
But the most interesting part of reading Altered Seasons was that we are witnessing the book play out in real life. Published in early 2018, ( I had to check halfway through the book because it was starting to get creepy accurate) The author hadn't yet felt the violent cold of the polar vortex, the hurricane season, the heat waves. Australia is breaking records as I write this, and North america obliterated records for cold. Some places colder than Antarctica. Why is that a signal of Global warming? Have a good read with Altered Seasons and it will explain, in detail, with skill, exactly why we should be worried.
A gripping book and so very relevant. I would highly recommend!
Through the eyes of a politician, a child genius/inventor, an engineer/meteorologist and a few other well fleshed out characters, we watch as the consequences of global warming unfolds. Slowly. Inexorably. It's like watching an avalanche. A sweeping act of nature bearing an unstoppable force.
The story has characters with depth and intrigue, with each switch I found myself excited to read more of the character I had left chapters ago. What is going on with Sandy? Isabel? And we follow those women as they show us the world, through science and study and a good amount of humor and wit. Bitter wit that is sometimes a slap in the face to man's creation of our own demise.
I loved being taught as I read. Not in a condescending way but with eloquence and structure that added to the story and had me gasping, really? I didn't know that! How cool, interesting, gotta Google it!
But the most interesting part of reading Altered Seasons was that we are witnessing the book play out in real life. Published in early 2018, ( I had to check halfway through the book because it was starting to get creepy accurate) The author hadn't yet felt the violent cold of the polar vortex, the hurricane season, the heat waves. Australia is breaking records as I write this, and North america obliterated records for cold. Some places colder than Antarctica. Why is that a signal of Global warming? Have a good read with Altered Seasons and it will explain, in detail, with skill, exactly why we should be worried.
A gripping book and so very relevant. I would highly recommend!
July 20, 2018
Cli-Fi At Its Finest
I know that I usually review audiobooks and saying that a book would have been better in audio is pretty cliche for me – but that’s how this book felt. The narrative jumped around a bit and the dialogue was a bit choppy as well. Sometimes a good narrator (and even edits for the audiobook) can soften some of these issues. But, looking past that – I did enjoy Altered Seasons: Monsoonrise.
It took the bits from the climate stories and movies that I liked and threw a ton of science in there (not too much like The Storm) to make it seem and feel realistic.
The cast of characters also made this enjoyable. It jumped around between a few people – each with their own story and own reasons for being included but the main character Isabel made this book worth reading. She was intelligent and relentless. Easily one of the easiest to follow characters in a while.
Overall, Monsoonrise, while a mouthful – was an enjoyable Cli-Fi story that I hope will spur more like it. Briggs could easily write similar stories from similar points of view (much like what Tom Abrahams is currently doing).
I know that I usually review audiobooks and saying that a book would have been better in audio is pretty cliche for me – but that’s how this book felt. The narrative jumped around a bit and the dialogue was a bit choppy as well. Sometimes a good narrator (and even edits for the audiobook) can soften some of these issues. But, looking past that – I did enjoy Altered Seasons: Monsoonrise.
It took the bits from the climate stories and movies that I liked and threw a ton of science in there (not too much like The Storm) to make it seem and feel realistic.
The cast of characters also made this enjoyable. It jumped around between a few people – each with their own story and own reasons for being included but the main character Isabel made this book worth reading. She was intelligent and relentless. Easily one of the easiest to follow characters in a while.
Overall, Monsoonrise, while a mouthful – was an enjoyable Cli-Fi story that I hope will spur more like it. Briggs could easily write similar stories from similar points of view (much like what Tom Abrahams is currently doing).
September 26, 2023
I initially really loved this novel. It was a gripping and plausible-seeming story of what could happen to the United States' economy and society if climate change wreaks havoc on a global level beyond our ability to manage it. It seemed well-researched, and the cast of characters was interesting and compelling. The narration is quirky, with interesting asides that speak directly to the audience, which I thought this was interesting. The world-building was excellent, with vivid and believable details about a United State as it descends into difficulties. Mid-way through the book the pace slowed a bit, and towards the end, the stories of just of a few of the characters dominated over the story of how climate change was affecting society, which made the story less exciting than at the beginning. And then...the novel just stopped. It did not even stop in a cliffhanger manner, which I would not have enjoyed, but it just stopped. There was a scene, I turned the page, and there was a "And find out what happens next in the next book" page. This really damaged my overall impression of the book. I suggest waiting for the second book and reading them together.
August 21, 2018
This book gives a terrifyingly plausible glimpse at a world thrown into chaos by climate change, but it works as well as it does because it manages to balance earth-shattering events with small, personal stakes. We see how extreme weather forces millions to evacuate around the world, but we see it through the eyes of a woman who's just trying to help her family survive losing their home to rising sea levels and ever-worsening storms.
A lot of authors would have centered this kind of story around an action hero type, but Briggs smartly populates his book with more down-to-earth heroes — engineers, scientists, and well-meaning politicians trying their best to cope with an insurmountable problem. As a result, every character ends up feeling real and relatable, and what could have been a Roland Emmerich movie of one global disaster after another has real emotional stakes. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
A lot of authors would have centered this kind of story around an action hero type, but Briggs smartly populates his book with more down-to-earth heroes — engineers, scientists, and well-meaning politicians trying their best to cope with an insurmountable problem. As a result, every character ends up feeling real and relatable, and what could have been a Roland Emmerich movie of one global disaster after another has real emotional stakes. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
June 19, 2018
I enjoyed Altered Seasons: Monsoonrise, the first part of a series.
The novel is told around the lives of several characters that react to the weather disaster caused by climate change, giving volatile storms which drop a disastrous amount of water every year, thus creating multitudes of refugees across what becomes a battered country. Although the author takes an extreme case of climate change he does appear to sanitise the effects to the people and the country, although the effects are graphically described the horrors of such an event are pretty generally quietly tucked away.
I did however enjoy reading the book it does bring forward some fresh perspectives of coping with climate change, I look forward to the next one in the series.
Thanks to Netgalley, who provided an advance copy of this novel, in exchange for an honest book review.
The novel is told around the lives of several characters that react to the weather disaster caused by climate change, giving volatile storms which drop a disastrous amount of water every year, thus creating multitudes of refugees across what becomes a battered country. Although the author takes an extreme case of climate change he does appear to sanitise the effects to the people and the country, although the effects are graphically described the horrors of such an event are pretty generally quietly tucked away.
I did however enjoy reading the book it does bring forward some fresh perspectives of coping with climate change, I look forward to the next one in the series.
Thanks to Netgalley, who provided an advance copy of this novel, in exchange for an honest book review.
April 1, 2018
I am a nerd for cli fi. This was a very well written and researched book but it told a story not just information overload. The characters were from different backgrounds and therefore had different perspectives on the events as they happened. The fact that politics, buisness, and science all were addressed in the book shows the author understands that events like this(even though fictional, for now) effect everyone. He had a very global perspective and the consequences were a bit frightening.
August 7, 2018
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The palpable effects of global weather disasters on our world is presented here in a very believable, convincing way. With monsoon storms dumping indescribable amounts of water on the United States, the characters in this book find themselves struggling for survival daily. Well written, but a little over-the-top for me, only my opinion.
The palpable effects of global weather disasters on our world is presented here in a very believable, convincing way. With monsoon storms dumping indescribable amounts of water on the United States, the characters in this book find themselves struggling for survival daily. Well written, but a little over-the-top for me, only my opinion.
January 31, 2022
This is an interesting Cli-Fi book. Basic story is loss of North Pole ice and the effects on group of varying people.
The characters flow together in a seamless fashion, although at times the storyline is choppy. I liked the characters realism and depth. The science used in story was great.
I hope Paul Briggs continues with similiar Cli-Fi books. I enjoyed the book.
The characters flow together in a seamless fashion, although at times the storyline is choppy. I liked the characters realism and depth. The science used in story was great.
I hope Paul Briggs continues with similiar Cli-Fi books. I enjoyed the book.
October 18, 2023
Poorly contrived. I wanted to like it but the narrative voice completely turned me away. Don’t waste your time with it.
March 13, 2018
I truly enjoyed Altered Seasons: Monsoonrise, the first installment in a series that promises to be very interesting.
Most novels or movies on the impacts of climate change usually show all hell breaking loose in a single day (or skip that part altogether). Altered Seasons is different, and much more realistic, in that it describes the process over years. Still it manages to remain captivating, as we follow these events through the lives of four main characters.
As I was reading this book, I wondered if maybe it should not become required reading for most of us, as a reminder of what may lay ahead.
I'm really looking forward to the next one in the series.
Thanks to Netgalley, who provided an advance e-book copy of this novel, in exchange for an honest book review.
Most novels or movies on the impacts of climate change usually show all hell breaking loose in a single day (or skip that part altogether). Altered Seasons is different, and much more realistic, in that it describes the process over years. Still it manages to remain captivating, as we follow these events through the lives of four main characters.
As I was reading this book, I wondered if maybe it should not become required reading for most of us, as a reminder of what may lay ahead.
I'm really looking forward to the next one in the series.
Thanks to Netgalley, who provided an advance e-book copy of this novel, in exchange for an honest book review.
August 19, 2018
Polar ice caps melt
This is an excellent book about climate change told over a few years. To start, the polar ice caps in the Arctic Ocean melt completely. They come back the next year but are smaller and this just continues in this pattern.
This book, told as fiction, shows the reader the dire consequences of this happening and the effects on weather patterns around the world.
I almost stopped reading this book at the very beginning - because the author stuck in some really annoying narrator voices. Actual example below:
"While we’re waiting for something to happen, let’s get her backstory out of the way."
This does happen more than once and it's jarring each time but the rest of the book is good enough to (mostly) overlook these intrusions into the flow of the story.
There is science in this book, a lot of meteorology - climate and weather - but these were interesting to me. There are also a few different fleshed out characters in the story.
The book supposedly takes place in the near future. The author did a wonderful job with world building and development of characters and most of the dire scenarios in the book sound all too possible.
I didn't realize until I reached the end of the book that it's the first in a series but at least this book didn't end in a terrible cliffhanger.
I highly recommend this book to people who enjoy climate thrillers, science fiction, or post apocalyptic tales.
I received this book from Secant Publishing through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.
This is an excellent book about climate change told over a few years. To start, the polar ice caps in the Arctic Ocean melt completely. They come back the next year but are smaller and this just continues in this pattern.
This book, told as fiction, shows the reader the dire consequences of this happening and the effects on weather patterns around the world.
I almost stopped reading this book at the very beginning - because the author stuck in some really annoying narrator voices. Actual example below:
"While we’re waiting for something to happen, let’s get her backstory out of the way."
This does happen more than once and it's jarring each time but the rest of the book is good enough to (mostly) overlook these intrusions into the flow of the story.
There is science in this book, a lot of meteorology - climate and weather - but these were interesting to me. There are also a few different fleshed out characters in the story.
The book supposedly takes place in the near future. The author did a wonderful job with world building and development of characters and most of the dire scenarios in the book sound all too possible.
I didn't realize until I reached the end of the book that it's the first in a series but at least this book didn't end in a terrible cliffhanger.
I highly recommend this book to people who enjoy climate thrillers, science fiction, or post apocalyptic tales.
I received this book from Secant Publishing through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews