Orion Rising is a slightly scary vision of a very possible future, set in the UK of 2035, showing what might happen if ‘eternal winter’ due to global warming becomes a reality. The fact that the story feels so ‘real’ because, while it is sci-fi, the time it talks about is not that far away, makes reading it all the more chilling. If it wasn’t for the heat between the main characters, this could have easily turned into a very glum tale, closer to a prediction than fiction.

Michael is a quiet statistician, focused on work and without much hope for his future to the any better. He tells the story in first person, and while I was able to feel his calm and focus on the facts in his job, I was impressed with the passion he felt once he met Paul. Of course, he doesn’t say much, but neither does Paul, so they are a good fit. Except they end up in more trouble than necessary because they never really talk. The ups and downs these two go through are heart wrenching, and watching Paul through Michael’s eyes made me want to shake him more than once.

Paul has a temper, no clue how to communicate, and contains more passion than I would have guessed. He is also stubborn and has a tendency to shut Michael out when he doesn’t get what he wants. I have no idea how he can live with himself the first time he hurts Michael, but the second time? I’m not sure I could have forgiven him so easily.

This is as much a story about the potential consequences of a colder climate as it is about human nature, persevering even in the most dire circumstances. I especially loved the message of hope it left me with, and not just the hope of technology enabling us to survive. What was more important for me was the hope of two men sticking together through all the ups and downs of a turbulent relationship – from the first soft emotions through a few extremely chilling episodes – times where I wasn’t sure if the weather outside wasn’t the ‘warmer’ of the two situations.

If you are ready for an emotional roller coaster ride set in a chilling futuristic scenario, and if human nature holds an equal or higher interest than technology, this book may be for you. I liked what it had to say a whole lot.



NOTE: This book was provided by Total-E-Bound for the purpose of a review on QMO Books. ( )