Author: Joe Hill
Genre: contemporary, thriller-horror
Rating: 4/5
Verdict
*slight spoilers ahead*
Strange Weather is a compilation of 4 short novels, each centred around an unusual weather phenomenon. With timelines ranging from the 1980s to the time of publication (2017), you’re taken on a fast-paced journey through the lives of a diverse cast of individuals.
In the order you read them in the book, the stories are:
Snapshot
Set in Silicon Valley in the 1980s, we follow 13 year old Mike as he observes the fatal impact of a camera that removes memories snap by snap. His childhood nanny Shelley Beaukes has fallen victim to the camera and its owner and it’s up to Mike and his technical ingenuity to stop further mental rampage from happening.
Loaded
A story all about guns, we follow the antics of Randall Kelleway, an ex-soldier that was dismissed in disgrace. Now a controlling, hot-tempered mall security officer, he’s involved in a gun dispute that doesn’t go to plan. Now, as a wildfire comes ever closer to the town, it’s up to journalist Aisha Lanternglass to uncover the truth behind Kelleway.
Aloft
Aubrey Griffin goes skydiving with the girl of his dreams, Harriet. However, this dream quickly becomes a nightmare as the plane’s engine turns off mid-flight. Aubrey jumps, but rather than diving down to the ground he lands on a cloud. And this cloud doesn’t want him to leave.
Rain
Pins and needles take on a whole new meaning in this story. One day it starts to rain, but rather than raindrops it was crystal needles that fell from the sky, tearing through the landscape and people. As the simple becomes difficult, Honeysuckle must travel to find her girlfriend’s father. Whilst she makes this journey she finds out information that might help her discover who caused this new deadly rain to appear.
Generally speaking, each of these stories is a captivating read. In each story Hill takes a simple concept and twists it to create something new. The topics covered in these short stories are hard-hitting and the narrative of each reads like it’s experiencing a never-ending adrenaline rush. There’s action packed into every moment, with the tension and unease building up to a crescendo. The short bursts of narratives helps the book have an episodic feel overall, with the theme of strange weather tying the stories together. The weather wasn’t as central to any of the stories as I anticipated. Instead, the focus was on the consequences caused by each weather scenario.
Despite being short stories you get to know the main characters quite well. The little details aren’t there but the need-to-know is covered. From Lanternglass’s tragic backstory in Loaded to Mike’s bond with Shelley in Snapshot, it’s the relationships that create the intimacy and backbone of these stories.
Each story provides the right amount of description, allowing you to create a world in your mind without becoming caught up in the minute details. There’s gore and violence, but physical horror doesn’t feel like the focus of these stories, though it has an undeniable presence. In Strange Weather, the horror of each story comes from human behaviour. Though there are moments of compassion and love scattered throughout the narratives, once again Hill shows the monstrosity in this world comes from within. A common theme in his work (see Horns and Locke & Key for reference).
Strange Weather is a book that lives up to its title, the strangeness lingering throughout the premise and execution of each story. Whilst none of these stories leave you with a warm fuzzy feeling, they do leave your mind reeling. Disturbing and incredibly tense, this book could not have been written by anyone else.
Find the book on Goodreads!
Escape Through The Pages 