This is a damn scary book.

Stephen Baxter‘s depiction of the rise of the sea across the planet over a period of thirty six years, from 2016 to 2052, has its roots in Spain in 2011,  when five workers are kidnapped by religious extremists, the years of torture and abuse allowing them to form a close bond. The novel itself starts as the four surviving hostages are released into the safekeeping of AxysCorp operatives.

Lily Brooke is a USAF pilot, Gary Boyle works as a NASA research scientist), and Piers Michaelmas is a British military officer; Helen Gray was raped by a kidnapper and gave birth to a daughter, Grace, whilst incarcerated. All agree to stay in touch, help each other out, and look after Grace when called upon; these complicated relationships form the backbone of Flood‘s vast apocalyptic storyline and mirror the manipulative political and economic machinations of the world’s leaders and mega-rich as they struggle to manage their populations in the face of impending disaster.

During the five years of their captivity their personal circumstances have changed as much as the weather. Coming to terms with the loss of parents, new nieces and nephews and the slowly flooding landscape, they are introduced to the man behind their rescue, and AxysCorp: Nathan Lammockson, a man with foresight and ruthless business acumen. The meeting takes place on his future-proof floating hydropmetropole moored outside Southend-on-Sea, as an unpredictable North Sea storm unleashes a massive surge, and the Thames Barrier is overwhelmed. Parts of London are evacuated and it soon becomes clear that the balance has tipped, not just in the UK, but across the globe.

Baxter gives his characters influential careers and roles, allowing them informed insights regarding the unfolding events. Lily, Piers and Gary’s privileged access to people, information, technology and transport is aided by Lammockson, who is one of the richest men on the planet. Rescuing the hostages for mainly PR reasons, he is interested in their relatively clinical, fresh, views on this ‘climate change on speed’. Gary’s friend, Thandie, a maverick scientist studying weather-systems and climate change, has a contentious theory about where all this extra water originates, is soon introduced to, and has her research proposal funded by Lammockson.

Government scientists are in denial, debating the upheavals in weather and water, referring to outdated estimates of climate change, ignoring the facts that are literally lapping at their ankles. Lammockson’s trillions enable Lily, Thandie, Piers and Gary to pursue the phenomena first hand, ‘disaster tourists’ focusing upon research, speculation and sharing their hypotheses with other scientists. Ignored by the IPCC, their findings spur on Lammockson in his ego-fueled quest to survive, make money and inspire hope in the remaining humans. The ex-hostages follow their benefactor from safe haven to safe haven, from Southend-on-Sea to Tibet, via the Andes. It becomes clear time and resources are running out, not to mention high land, over which nuclear wars are being fought. But as you’d expect, the mega-rich almost always have a plan B, or C… or in this case, Arks One, Two and Three.

The scariest thing about Flood is that it’s not even particularly prophetic. Set aside the climate change elements, and consider the state of the world’s fuel and finances, the frustrating political and religious differences that ensure such a turbulent backdrop to our lives. Baxter describes what is most probably the end of humankind (and it’s absolutely not a spoiler to say so), with this undeniable backdrop in mind.

The floods in the UK over the last two summers, those in India and now in Southern China, the storms in New Orleans and Florida, all have shown us that we’ll keep on keeping on. We’re so busy making progress, money, building on flood plains, arguing and niggling amongst ourselves, coveting what we don’t have, barely paying lip-service to those with insight, let alone solutions, that we won’t do anything about it until the waves are lapping at our ankles.

Flood traverses the globe, chillingly demonstrating the impact of the rising tides on diverse locations and populations, on both a local and countrywide scale over a 36 year countdown. Disaster tourism indeed – it’s infectious. And this is how all good apocalypse fiction works – we watch the film or read the book, and we cannot help but think of the parallels with our own lives. James Lovelock’s told us this for years, amongst others. Now it’s Stephen Baxter’s turn.

Read Flood and weep.

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