Come the Eventide

by Chris Riker

A century has passed since the fall of humanity changed the natural landscape. The oceans are poison, and a fraction of Earth’s magnificent creatures remain. The only surviving humans squabble over limited resources as they cling to a fragile peace. Yet in this bleak landscape hope lives on in Earth’s other intelligent life. It all begins when Septielle, a seven-armed octopod, has a vision of a world restored—a world she will not live to see. Inspired by her vision, a dolphin named Muriel shoulders her mission and enlists any humans who will listen—including Anadare, a young islander with an ax to grind against the oppressive ruling class of tourists turned bureaucrats. An invasion of cannibalistic pirates complicates things as they declare war on a world that rejects them.

As tensions rise to a crescendo, islanders, tourists, and pirates alike must put aside their differences to send Muriel on her greatest journey yet—beyond the sea, beyond form, beyond time itself.

In his first novel, Chris Riker conducts an opus in voce giocoso that grins at the inevitable, but reminds us of the heart that all life shares.

Genres: Fiction

342 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2019

About the author

I am a writer, father, and dreamer.
I have been a journalist for ____ years. (Fine. A lot of them.) Mostly, it's involved TV, bringing people important information about their world, and also car wrecks, bad weather, and shootings. Lots of shootings. I am the author of a book that looks at the worst humans can do yet seeks to hold onto hope. That's 'Come the Eventide.' You can get more info at CometheEventide.com. It's my baby. It's about dolphins and hope! Check it out.

Reviews

[Sherry Fundin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An original and unique novel of life after the destruction caused by human. Humans, dolphins, and octopodes work together for survival. Told from all characters POV, whether human, dolphin or…

I love any books that relate to water and ecology and the creatures that live there.

Man’s inhumanity to man and everything else on the planet is nothing new. Nothing they won’t do to get what they want and the critters do hold grudges…so beware.

I was entranced, enthralled, disgusted and horrified, tense and frightened, hopeful and dismayed.

Man poisoned the earth and ecologies and species have been decimated and destroyed.

I didn’t see the twist in Chapter 14, but it makes perfect sense. And I love it. I read Come Eventide by Chris Riker in one sitting…because I had to know.

I read slower than normal, not wanting to miss a thing. I had to concentrate to follow and be surprised.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Come Eventide by Chris Riker.

See more at fundinmental

[Barbikat60 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where is the world heading to?

The dolphins and octopod know.
Chris Riker’s book deftly describes the corruption of the planet Earth because of man’s pollution. Man’s arrogance was costly and two intelligent aquatic species try to reverse the damage.

The story is at once beautiful and terrifying. It’s a cautionary tale that has ribbons of truth. Our planet Earth is heading toward destruction if we humans continue to pollute the planet and we may not be able to save Earth.

This book is an excellent way of teaching humans that this planet is not just for us and we are far from being the most intelligent species on Earth!

Chris Roker is a great writer and I demand more books from him!

A word of caution, this is not a children’s book. I think children and young adults should read it but not if they lack maturity. As far as adults are concerned, READ THE BOOK!

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Come the Eventide is the first book Chris Riker has released. I found this book to be interesting. It is set many years in the future, when humans have made a devastating impact on Earth. All living beings on the planet are finding ways to survive. The main characters of the book includes humans, octopods, and dolphins. They have to work together to help restore peace and humanity for the planet before it is too late. They find themselves in some danger when they go against pirates. Can all creatures be able to come together and work out a way to live with one another?

Mr Riker’s imagination of how he sees the Earth in the near future was fascinating. There are some twists in the story I did not see coming. It is hard to believe that this is how things would be and could be for all of mankind, environments and creatures as we know it now living on the planet. I have to admit, it does get a little overwhelming at times that made me have to reread a few pages to catch on what was going on.

I give Come the Eventide three and a half stars. I would recommend it for readers who are interested and / or passionate about climate change and seeing the possible side effects of what will the world look like in the future. I would be interested in seeing what the next book written by Chris Riker would be like.

I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.

[Abbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is both a flight of fancy and a stern reminder (without knocking you over the head with it) of our responsibility to our planet. There is a vision for our current trajectory but also hope.
The book reads like a YA book (which I happen to enjoy) but the message is for everyone on this, our one planet.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Come the Eventide is an interesting book set in the future – where mankind has destroyed our home (plant Earth) and are struggling to survive in a landscape that is hard to imagine. This is a topic that hits home especially now as we see our planet suffer from our actions. All of the ways that humans destroyed our planet are still alive and present after the catastrophic events – greed, jealousy and inequity, as it seems we tend not to learn from our past mistakes. The story is told from two viewpoints – humans and animals.

The children in this story take centre stage as they are charged with the important task of uncovering the pirates and their plans by the cruel ruling class. They meet a few dolphins who they can communicate with in such a unique manner. It is almost as if the dolphin becomes one with their minds and can speak and see their thoughts and feelings. The dolphins assist them on their task but I did not see the pirates plot coming at all and how it would impact their lives.

We learn of a bleak history for the humans (starvation, turning on each other, water that has been so polluted that fish no longer swim there) and a plan from the pirates that can be hard to read at times. The pirates are not for the faint of heart – my stomach turned at some of their acts (reader beware!).

While I really enjoyed the plot and idea behind the story, it was a bit hard to follow at times and I found I had to back track a bit to ensure I remembered the names of the characters and how they were connected. It was a busy plot so this was important, I am not sure if a character list may have helped in the beginning of the novel so that you could refer back to it if you became lost.

[Sarah Z · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This wasn’t my favourite and I struggled to get through it. I’ve been trying to figure out why because people really liked it. The writing itself is great, the story is somewhat interesting, the characters were ok...I think what it comes down to is that I just couldn’t suspend my belief to the extent this book required. The characters kept changing all the time making it difficult to keep track of or develop any sort of attachment. It has a great message about the environment, respecting it and taking care of it, but I thought it could have been executed a bit better.

After all that, this book is about the environment; past, present and future all wrapped up into separate parts with separate characters. The book issues it’s own warning that we are destroying our world and if we’re not careful, there won’t be anything left. It features a myriad of marine life who can communicate with humans and they work end up working together to do better for the environment, but not without their own struggles.

Not really for me but hey, it might be for you. I’m one of a few that didn’t really like but others seemed to.

[Ruth Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated and all opinions are 100 percent mine.

First of all, for the most part the book is clean. Readers will find no sex nor gratuitous violence. There is some minimal profanity, but this is rare rather than the norm.

This is an unusual book that may be enjoyed by those who enjoy fantasy and even those who don't typically read fantasy. I fall into the latter camp. I was concerned this may be a treatise on environmentalism and global warming and while that is a part of this story, that is not the focus.

I am a lover of animals. Dolphins are usually a favorite of mine, but octopi are not generally something that occupies my mind. This author had a way of humanizing these creatures that resonated with me on a genuine level. In fact, I became rather disgusted with most of the humans in the story. I found myself championing the take of the dolphins and octopi, and I believe anyone who can accomplish such an unusual task should be applauded.

[Amber Hawke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Come the Eventide by Chris Riker was a well written book that takes place after the fall of humanity, yet the book is not depressing like the Walking Dead and other end of the world media that drags on with no end in sight. Rather, this book is filled with hope that stays true even in the face of the ruling class and cannibalistic pirates. I loved how the role the ocean creatures and humans played in this book!

[Stacie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

Well. That was not what I expected.

I'm not sure how I got "mermaids" out of the initial description, but that's what I was expecting. And that's on me. I also don't particular enjoy the preachy "save the world!" novels, even though I know they make a very valid point. But this was just a little too out-there for me.

[Misty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Come the Eventide by Chris Riker was a brilliant read that combined many different genre elements into a beautiful and entertaining story. At first I was worried I would get confused will all the different plot elements, but they all fit together perfectly like a puzzle with no loose strings left behind. Overall I loved this book and I really liked the character Anadare.

[NormaCenva · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is very strange (in a good way), well-written story. I needed a distraction the day I downloaded it, and it was definitely a success! But it is also very calming in its writing style. Voicework is done well in the audiobook version and adds an extra zing to the story overall.