The Rains Came Down - by Julian Shaw [Review]

 The Rains Came Down 
by Julian Shaw

Pages: 447

Publication date: 11th July 2023

   My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(5/5) 

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Synopsis

A world where nature has claimed the streets of London… where ageless people are perilously addicted to sucking marbles… and where the deaths of three men from another world threatens the order of the universe… In this, his debut novel, Julian Shaw has created a life-affirming and enchanting parallel universe, remarkable for its torrential bursts of action and overwhelming floods of emotion.

                                                                                                                                     

When Gareth Edwards dies in a train crash, he emerges in The Meadow, a realm existing somewhere between life and death. Hunted and on the run, he finds refuge with a travelling circus and journeys with them across the splendour of this strange world, where pubs organise rebellions, cave dwellers archive Earth’s disasters – and where a network of monasteries are commissioning expeditions into the Welsh mountains that are too dangerous to speak of.

Gareth joins one of these expeditions, only to find something yet more perilous waiting for him – something with origins that reach beyond this world and into the trauma of his past.

Review

It is not very often that a book comes along and renders me speechless with it's beauty, and even more, this book offers much more than beauty, the story line is incredibly immersive and I don't think I have ever ready anything quite like this. The raw talent that Julian possesses flows from each and every page, not at one point did I feel stuck or bored, it truly gripped my soul.

The main character is Gareth Edwards, Gareth is a typical teenage boy going through the passage of becoming an adult with all it's anxiety inducing flaws, however, this all changes when Gareth is in a terrible accident and is sucked into a world very much like our own, except very much different all at the same time. Gareth arrives at The Meadow, where he is punished for having the typical mortal sins each of us have, Gareth is forced to painfully witness his own guilty sins in order for him to survive this new place he has ended up in. Following Gareth on his journey is incredible, you witness Gareth grow into an impressive young man whilst simultaneously physically he hasn't aged a day, however, The Meadow, just like Earth is plagued with traitors and a government with a hidden agenda. Gareth soon finds himself on the run as he has stumbled across someone who is incredibly powerful which The Distillery cannot let loose. On his journey, Gareth meets many wonderful characters, each of whom play an important role in his treacherous task to find a way back to Earth, if that is even at all possible.

Whilst all of this is going on, Gareth realised that his sister Cerys is also in The Meadow, where she has faced unspeakable horrors that the darkest part of society have in Earth and seemingly in the afterlife too. Gareth is eager to meet up with his sister, to re-join his earthly body side by side with his sister, but it is a merciless adventure which he needs to seek in order to find his sister again. 

I absolutely loved the uniqueness of the marbles included in this storyline, it's an incredible part of the story which I have grown to treasure, I must admit, I wouldn't mind trying a sailors mist marble myself! Each little part of the story was very thought out and executed superbly, there are many twists to meander which play a vital part of the ending of the story. I found all the different theories of the afterlife that The Meadows have very interesting, some of which were extremely parallel to the ones we have today, this story really gets you thinking about what the afterlife could hold for any of us. 

If you love a story about adventure, companionship and secrets I would highly recommend this one to you. It's by far the best book I have read this year and I would be very surprised if anything is able to beat it. This book had me laughing in parts and then in tears in other chapters, it really is a whirlwind of emotions and I'm so glad to say that I still have my marbles intact after the journey. 

About The Author

Julian Shaw, PhD., is a British author whose work spans Speculative Fiction and Science Fiction.

His writing brings together his passion for the vastness of nature, the dirty complexity of society’s edges, and the beauty of everyday interpersonal relationships.

Julian carries with him his experiences as a frontline firefighter, a university lecturer in Politics and Urban Geography, and a post-graduate researcher of extremist politics.

Click here to go to Julian Shaw's website.

Thank you for reading my review, it is very much appreciated :)