Review: Weather Menders: A Climate Change Time Travel Novel

I’m sure we all have these special books: the ones that stay with us long after we finish them. The ones that we read again and again. The ones that we tell everyone about. Weather Menders: A Climate Change Time Travel Novel is one of those books for me.

I read it for the first time six years ago. I’ve re-read it at least three more times since then. And every time, I love it a little bit more.

I rarely read Fantasy. I’m not a big fan of Sci-Fi. I had never even heard the term “Cli-Fi” until I received a copy of this book from the author. Cli-Fi is the abbreviation for Climate Fiction, a genre that deals with climate change and global warming. Cli-fi books may take place in the world as we know it or in the future.

When I first received the book, I was immediately intrigued with the premise of Weather Menders. A novel about reversing climate change through time travel, featuring a time-traveling cat? Okay, I’ll give it a try. And I’m so so glad I did!

From the publisher:

In post-plague 2050 Britain, palm trees tower over the rice paddies of Stonehenge. Tara MacFarlane, a weary 96-year-old anthropologist originally from Taos, New Mexico, longs only to finish out her life in peaceful Buddhist meditation, and rejoin the great love of her later years, the humanitarian Scottish-Afghan doctor Xander, in a future incarnation. Suddenly one stifling autumn day Tara, her great-granddaughter Leona, and Leona’s boyfriend Janus are faced with a trio of Time Travelers from a future alternate Timeline where humanity and the eco-system survived and thrived.

The fate of humanity and most of Earth’s species falls squarely on the shoulders of Tara, Leona, Janus, and Tara’s small gray cat, Georgie, who shows a surprising aptitude for telepathy. Time is short to reverse catastrophe that will bleed through into the alternate Timeline. … Joined by the brave and wise cat Georgie, the six plunge into the Time Circle of Stonehenge on their mission. Where and when will they go, and will they succeed in restoring the Earth and humanity to balance?

I found myself drawn into the story from the first few pages. The characters are immensely likeable and relatable, something I did not expect from this genre. The setup of the actual story, and the way it plays out, is fascinating. The post-apocalyptic world in 2050 is tempered by the fact that spiritual traditions, especially Buddhism, Native American beliefs and other ancient practices have remained important and play a key role in how the story unfolds. And of course, there’s Georgie the cat, who is pivotal to the story, and to saving the planet.

There are so many layers to this book. It takes us to exotic locations around the world. It’s a time travel adventure. It’s a sobering look at a what our future may look like if we don’t wake up and change how we treat the planet. At its heart,this book is a timeless love story – of love between humans, and of humanity’s love for the planet. It’s magical, whimsical and spellbinding.

Every time I read this book, I can hardly put it down, even though of course by now, I know how it ends. At the same time, I don’t want it to end.

The story is incredible, the writing is luminant, and the depth of the material is breathtaking. Even if this is completely outside of the range of what you normally read, give this book a chance. You won’t be disappointed.

If you followed me for a while, you may remember that I chose Weather Menders for our 2018 Book of the Year.

Weather Menders is available from Amazon.

*Purrs of Wisdom is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to products on Amazon and affiliated sites. This means that if you decide to purchase through any of our links, we get a small commission. We only spread the word about products and services we’ve either used or would use ourselves. I received this book from the author. Receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.