Travel Documents 60: The Jethro Parables
Genre: post apocalyptic, climate collapse
The Dust Cover Copy
All is sand and dust
Civilization teeters on the brink of collapse as the last vestiges of humanity toil beneath an unforgiving sun. Jethro finds himself the unwilling hero of a tale that brings godless men, lawless bandits, and the savage people that inhabit the fringe into conflict. With his own past haunting his every step, can he find redemption?
It hasn’t rained in years. It may never rain again.
For fans of Ray Bradbury, There Will be Blood, and Oil!
The Scene
Worldbuilding
The setup on this one is a classic: we’re back in the Dust Bowl. The water is gone. The air is full of grit. It’s hard to breathe, and hard to see a reason to keep going. With hints of Steinbeck and a dash of Bradbury in both the setup and the storyline, it’s a classic American nightmare.
The Crowd
Characterization
The characters are Steinbeck or Hemingway in style, their internal lives kept close to the vest. There’s respect, but precious little connection or empathy. There’s power in that kind of storytelling when it’s used with care, but in unskilled hands it produces wooden, dull characters.
The Lingo
Writing Style
The author touts himself as playing on the styles of Bradbury and Steinbeck…I’ll say it generally leans more Steinbeck, with none of the quiet strangeness and blossoming lyricism of Bradbury. This work comes off much harsher.
The Moves
Plot
A classic post-apocalyptic story of scarcity, hard work and unexpected generosity among great cruelty, it’s not a bad read in shape.
Overall Rating
This work could be really good. But first, it needs some reworking.