Red Rain by Aubrey Hansen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this book which is actually a novella at approximately 35,000 words. It is one of the most intriguing books I’ve read in a while. I had to set it aside for a couple of days because of my schedule and found I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Usually under circumstances like this I would keep reading a book in bits and pieces but with this one I wanted to save it until I could give it my full concentration.

In addition to an engaging storyline, there are a couple of interesting themes running through Red Rain. One is that the ultimate separation of church and state has occurred and any who refuse to renounce their religion are forced to live in internment camps. The other is that the internet is a global, cloud-based network and it’s illegal to have a device that is not connected to the cloud.

I would have liked to have seen this story be rounded out to full book length. There were a number of aspects that could have been explored more fully without adding fluff. The ending in particular seemed a little bit rushed, although perhaps I was just sorry to see it end.

Not only are there print and ebook versions of Red Rain, but it is also available in audiobook format. The audiobook is available for free until the end of October 2011 from Aubrey’s website. Red Rain Audiobook. As of this posting, up to Chapter 9 is available (which is a little over halfway through the book) and a new chapter is released two to three times a week. The audiobook is narrated by Grace Pennington. Grace has a very pleasant voice and I’ve listened to the chapters available so far a couple of times even though I had already read the book.

Book description:
“When the government allows her to accompany her father to Mars, 17-year-old Philadelphia knows she must keep her head down or be sent back to Earth. But when a search for her deceased brother’s belongings leads her into a hallway that isn’t supposed to exist, Philadelphia is faced with a question she doesn’t want to answer – the choice between returning to Earth or destroying it.”

View all my reviews