A single nuclear strike in the North Pacific unleashes a series of extraordinary and deadly hurricanes that inundate the Pacific Rim, obliterating everything in their paths, while a small group of visionary technologists comes up with an unusual scheme to save the world.
Mother of Storms
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From Publishers Weekly
This futuristic disaster novel by the author of A Million Open Doors opens in the year 2028, when a preemptive missile strike releases billions of tons of methane trapped in the ocean floor. The resultant atmospheric heat spawns massive supernatural hurricanes that ravage the world's coastlands and claim millions of lives. The only hope of salvation rests with astronaut Louie Tynan--who has become superintelligent, perhaps superhuman, through a computer system linked to his mind--and his desperate plan to shield the earth from the sun until it can cool. Along the way, a well-drawn cast play various roles in combatting the escalating crisis: a canny female U.S. President, an opportunistic capitalist, a spunky journalist et al. Barnes maintains a breakneck pace even while loading his narrative with vital briefings on hurricane formation, information processing and the physics of space travel; some of his speculations, in fact, are breathtaking. This winning blend of gripping thrilller and dazzling SF should establish Barnes as one of the most able and impressive of SF's rising stars.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
When a tactical nuclear strike releases massive amounts of methane from the North Pacific's ocean beds, global weather patterns transform the entire ocean surface into a massive spawning ground for hurricanes. As perpetual storms threaten to decimate Earth's population, politicians, scientists, and visionaries grope for solutions while ordinary people struggle to stay alive. In the best tradition of disaster novels, Barnes (Orbital Resonance, LJ 9/1/92; A Million Open Doors, LJ 10/15/91) juggles multiple plot lines as he builds to the grand finale. Compellingly orchestrated and filled with fascinating bits of weather lore, this novel will have broad appeal.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
By Aeneas
Format:Paperback
A friend suggested this book to read for a bit of relaxation and I wasn't disappointed. Though it starts a bit slow in order to introduce all the myriad characters, it builds up steam and does quite well to keep the attention there. Some of the scenario is not unlike the movie "The day after tomorrow", as the key element is a global superstorm, which effects the whole world, sparing no place.
John Barnes must have gone to a great deal of research as the scenario with massive amount of methane being released from the ocean floor is not so far fetched, as research in the last few years have shown the potentially devastating effect on the climate that this can have. I also liked his take on mass entertainment of the future, where people can plug in to a 3D type reality show, where the audience can experience all the emotions and sensations that the actors go through. Some novel ideas in there and some pretty creepy situations too.
John Barnes must have gone to a great deal of research as the scenario with massive amount of methane being released from the ocean floor is not so far fetched, as research in the last few years have shown the potentially devastating effect on the climate that this can have. I also liked his take on mass entertainment of the future, where people can plug in to a 3D type reality show, where the audience can experience all the emotions and sensations that the actors go through. Some novel ideas in there and some pretty creepy situations too.
By Aeneas
Format:Paperback
A friend suggested this book to read for a bit of relaxation and I wasn't disappointed. Though it starts a bit slow in order to introduce all the myriad characters, it builds up steam and does quite well to keep the attention there. Some of the scenario is not unlike the movie "The day after tomorrow", as the key element is a global superstorm, which effects the whole world, sparing no place.
John Barnes must have gone to a great deal of research as the scenario with massive amount of methane being released from the ocean floor is not so far fetched, as research in the last few years have shown the potentially devastating effect on the climate that this can have. I also liked his take on mass entertainment of the future, where people can plug in to a 3D type reality show, where the audience can experience all the emotions and sensations that the actors go through. Some novel ideas in there and some pretty creepy situations too.
John Barnes must have gone to a great deal of research as the scenario with massive amount of methane being released from the ocean floor is not so far fetched, as research in the last few years have shown the potentially devastating effect on the climate that this can have. I also liked his take on mass entertainment of the future, where people can plug in to a 3D type reality show, where the audience can experience all the emotions and sensations that the actors go through. Some novel ideas in there and some pretty creepy situations too.
Format:Paperback
Looking at reviews of other John Barnes books, it seems as though reviewers can't write three sentences without invoking Robert Heinlein's name, as in "Barnes continues in the vein of..." or "Writing in the spirit of...". Interestingly for this novel, Barnes has cast aside his +5 Mantle of Robert Heinlein and is instead channeling Greg Bear.
Just as in most of Greg Bear's books (such as "Blood Music", "Slant" and "Darwin's Radio") Barnes' tale presents us with a bevy of characters confronted with a looming crisis who are affected by it in different personal ways. Story threads featuring the President, a nervy reporter, the Astronaut, a college student and a Porn Star are thrown at the reader. ("Slant" had most of these, including the Porn Star.)
Often, these story threads intersect. Will the college student meet the Porn Star? Will the Porn Star meet the President? Are the President and the Astronaut star-crossed lovers? (Yes, Yes, and thankfully, No.)
Barnes' strength appears to be in building interesting, internally consistent and plausible worlds. The "device" for this book is XV. XV is like TV, but for your brain. Just plug in and feel what others are feeling. Apparently, this is a wonderful way to sustain a world-wide riot.
For the hard-SF crowd, the book picks up in the middle with computer-brain interfaces leading to Metaphysical Problems of the Self. But I think that this pushes the final portion of the book into metaphysical gobbledygook, making the ending a bit of an anticlimax.
The brisk pacing of the book makes it hard to put down, which makes for good beach reading. I only wish that the ending had more punch.
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3.4 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
weather and disaster go together!
This story starts a little too slowly for me. The real action begins at about one third of the book. However, I learned a good deal on weather patterns. Read more
Published on April 7 2003 by C. Campagna
5.0 out of 5 stars
Father of Posthumanity
On the surface, "Mother of Storms" is basically a book about a global ecological disaster, a calamity novel along the lines of "Lucifer's Hammer" or "The Forge of God", in which... Read more
Published on Sep 17 2002 by Mike Treder
3.0 out of 5 stars
Worth reading, but not great
The novel Mother of Storms has some ok plotting, some ok sex scenes, and plenty of fascinating information about meteorology. Read more
Published on Feb 17 2002 by not4prophet
2.0 out of 5 stars
An amazingly boring disaster story
I did not like this book very much. The author had an interesting concept, but through his tedious long-winded writing turned what should have been fascinating and thrilling into... Read more
Published on Dec 3 2001 by Davlo
5.0 out of 5 stars
On the edge, but a terrific hard-science SF read
On the surface Mother of Storms is a tale of climatological disaster writ large. What I found more fascinating and engaging though were the incredible evolutions in technology... Read more
Published on Aug 24 2001 by Eric J. Kristoff
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fans of David Brin's "Earth" take note.
In spite of the book's many flaws, fans of David Brin's "Earth" and Bruce Sterlings "Heavy Weather" should buy "Mother of Storms. Read more
Published on May 30 2001 by Aaron Bennett
5.0 out of 5 stars
Get real, you illiterates!
This book was compelling enough that I am writing this review several years after having read it as I go order a copy for a sailor friend. Read more
Published on Feb 13 2000 by Brian Crawford
1.0 out of 5 stars
poor characterization, flat plot, & sexist
I found none of the characters the least bit compelling or sympathetic. The best characterization in the book is of the different hurricanes! Read more
Published on Oct 19 1999
1.0 out of 5 stars
poorly organized and written
This book is one of the worst I have ever started to read ("started" because I couldn't finish it). Read more
Published on Aug 30 1999 by J. Strout
1.0 out of 5 stars
Wow, this book really sucks!
This inane, silly novel begins slowly and and then proceeds to go downhill. If you are into cartoonish, unrealistic sex, this novel is for you. Read more
Published on Aug 21 1999
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