Novelist, screenwriter and comics writer David Thorpe has kindly reviewed my cli-fi book ‘In Ark: A Promise of Survival’ on Amazon and says:

In Ark is a good introduction to this genre; it is slow-paced and easy to read, and raises pertinent questions about how humanity will adapt and respond to the most pressing challenge facing the entire planet.

Thank you David! You can see his full review below. I’m now enjoying his newest young adult novel Stormteller, a futuristic, romantic tragedy.

Stormteller by David Thorpe

David Thorpe

A writer of both fiction, and non-fiction titles in the field of sustainability, David has a long career in the arena of words, including writing Marvel’s Captain Britain and Doc Chaos, commissioned originally as a TV series.

For his fiction work he’s the author of the young adult novel Hybrids, in which a virus causes teenagers to merge with technology in a terror-filled near-future world. Hybrids is “a stunningly clever novel” – critiques The Times – and was winner of the HarperCollins-Saga Magazine 2006 Children’s Novelist competition.

David’s also written the novella: Doc Chaos: the Chernobyl Effect, plus many comics and cartoon strips  and was David Thorpe on MTV 2010 He also co-wrote The Fastest Forward for Comic Relief, a feature film starring Jerry Hall, and co-founded the London Screenwriters’ Workshop in the ’80s. One completed further novel is awaiting a contract: LifeTheft. and he is developing a film version of Hybrids, and is working on an science fiction novel, The Moebius Trip, which is probably the most mind-boggling time travel story you will ever read.

He’s a member of the Society of Authors and Literature Wales. He lives in Wales with his wife, the musician and composer Helen Adam.

David is also a valued consultant, workshop leader, inspirational speaker and author in the fields of carbon-free energy and sustainable development. He is a strategic thinker who uses his detailed knowledge of environmental technologies, science and initiatives at all levels, from individuals to cities, in order to show organisations and businesses how they can benefit from positive change. He is acting chair of the One Planet Council.

Here’s David’s full, kind, 4-star review for my cli-fi tale:

The premiss of In Ark is intriguing: 30 years into the future in New York City, a woman, Mya, specializes in saving digital records of human lives in an effort to preserve them in the face of looming climate catastrophe, known here as The Change. This activity attracts the attention of the mysterious managers of The Ark, based on Long Island, which claims to be creating a settlement that will conserve tens of thousands of humans while the rest of the world fries. Mya is kidnapped, along with many other people whom The Ark believes will be useful to their mission. Once inside The Ark, she is drugged and persuaded to stay, and told she must not contact any of her friends and family on the outside. After a while her best friend, Rosie, begins to hunt for her.

In Ark is an example of climate fiction, or cli-fi as it is known. But it’s not an overwhelmingly dystopic vision; most of the mass destruction happens off-camera. New Yorkers are adapting, with specialised clothing to protect against the high temperatures, food queues, prohibitively expensive taxis, and energy and water rationing. And In Ark appears to present a vision of what might be a solution: a settlement self-sufficient in food and renewable energy, with a higher quality of life than those on the outside.

Yet all is not what it seems. We are led to wonder about the real motive of the charismatic Randy, leader of the In Ark management, its program of selective breeding amongst only the youngest women, and their administering of drugs to residents.

In Ark is a good introduction to this genre; it is slow-paced and easy to read, and raises pertinent questions about how humanity will adapt and respond to the most pressing challenge facing the entire planet.