Weather Menders by Debra Denker
Publication Date: November 10, 2017
Catalyst Artistic Productions
Paperback & eBook; 298 Pages
Catalyst Artistic Productions
Paperback & eBook; 298 Pages
Genre: Sci Fi/Climate Change Fiction/Time Travel
What if Time Travel were real? What if Time Travelers from 300 years in the future told you that there was a chance that you could prevent catastrophic climate change, plagues, and wars by going back in time to key Pivot Points and ethically altering the outcome of rigged elections? What if failure would result in the destruction of the biosphere? Would you go?
In post-plague 2050 Britain, palm trees tower over the rice paddies of Stonehenge. Tara MacFarlane, a weary 96-year-old anthropologist originally from Taos, New Mexico, longs only to finish out her life in peaceful Buddhist meditation, and rejoin the great love of her later years, the humanitarian Scottish-Afghan doctor Xander, in a future incarnation. Suddenly one stifling autumn day Tara, her great-granddaughter Leona, and Leona’s boyfriend Janus are faced with a trio of Time Travelers from a future alternate Timeline where humanity and the eco-system survived and thrived.
The fate of Earth’s biosphere falls squarely on the shoulders of Tara, Leona, Janus, and Tara’s small gray cat, Georgie, who shows a surprising aptitude for telepathy. Time is short to reverse catastrophe that will bleed through into the alternate Timeline, and the Time Travelers must first determine the ideal Pivot Points by reading Time Code vibrations off the great standing stones of Avebury. Unexpectedly joined by the brave and wise cat Georgie, the six plunge into the Time Circle of Stonehenge on their mission. Where and when will they go, and will they succeed in restoring the Earth and humanity to balance?
"Weather Menders is a pioneering cli-fi novel that combines science fiction with time travel and spiritual fantasy in a unique and captivating way. The message is clear: we must act soon and be woke. Oh, and there's a telepathic time-travelling cat!" -- Dan Bloom, editor, The Cli-Fi Report
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My Take:
Weather Menders takes it's title from the name of the group of survivors living near Stonehenge in post-plague Britain in 2050. The small group of survivors call themselves the Weather Menders and their goal is to try to somehow mend the damage that has been done to the planet. While the goal is a noble one, the self-proclaimed leader of the group is not exactly the best qualified for such an endeavor.
Tara is the 96 year old Buddhist anthropologist whose story we get to follow from 2017 to 2050 and then into the past as she works with the mysterious travelers from the future to try to alter the path that their timeline has taken.
In general, I am very interested in both Buddhism and environmental issues, so several of the themes to the novel do appeal to me. There is quite a bit of information about the spiritual path that Tara is on and how she ends up with the Weather Menders. This was pretty interesting and in the process explains somewhat how the plagues and climate issues caused the decimation in the population and the digression in technology.
I like cats (although I am severely allergic) so I was predisposed to liking Georgie - the cat who can communicate telepathically with his people. Georgie is like many cats - smart, lots of attitude and surprisingly loyal through some pretty harrowing adventures.
I felt that the time travel aspect was a big lacking in explanation. I prefer detail to vagueness when it comes to sci-fi or cli-fi topics. Some of the explanations seemed a little lazy. I also wasn't entirely sold on how the ending worked out -- it just seemed a little too pat.
Having said all that, I was interested in the book and the story line --- I read it quite happily and found several of the scenarios about the path that the timeline took to be very interesting. I feel like we should take any opportunity provided by fiction to contemplate our actions and look at long term repercussions to our current behavior. I feel like Weather Menders does a nice job of bringing this idea to the reader via an entertaining story with likable characters.
About the Author
Debra Denker has been writing stories since she learned to read. Although novels and poetry were her first loves, she turned her talent to journalism in the ‘70s and ‘80s, writing about Afghanistan and the refugee situation in Pakistan for National Geographic and many leading newspapers. She has specialized in social documentation utilizing journalism, photography, and film to convey the experiences of people in war torn areas, with the intention of stimulating the empathy necessary for humans to stop violence against people and planet.
Denker is the author of two published books, the non-fiction literary memoir Sisters on the Bridge of Fire: One Woman’s Journeys in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India, and the novel War in the Land of Cain—a story of love, war, and moral choices set during the Soviet-Afghan war of the 1980’s.
Denker now writes for the award-winning conservation media website, Voices for Biodiversity, raising consciousness to help ward off the Sixth Great Extinction.
She currently lives in Santa Fe with her family of cats, Dorjee Purr-ba, Yeshe Gyalpo, and Samadhi Timewalker, but travels frequently in earthly space, and hopes to travel in time and galactic space.
Her personal blog www.mysticresistance.com explores a range of spiritual, social, and political issues and their intersection with sacred activism.
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Blog Tour Schedule
Friday, January 25
Review at Locks, Hooks, and Books
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Excerpt at The Book Junkie Reads
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Feature at Broken Teepee
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Guest Post at Maiden of the Pages
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Review at Based on a True Story
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Interview at Passages to the Past
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Feature at Just One More Chapter
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Review at Pursuing Stacie
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Feature at Cheryl's Book Nook
Monday, February 11
Review at History from a Woman’s Perspective
Tuesday, February 12
Feature at CelticLady's Reviews
Thursday, February 14
Review at A Book Geek
Giveaway
During the Blog Tour we will be giving away two paperback copies of Weather Menders! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.
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– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on February 15th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
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