The Forcing: The visionary, emotive, breathtaking MUST-READ climate-emergency thriller

This is a hard book to review. The Forcing takes place in a world where a climate emergency was inevitable, disaster was just around the corner, the population had reached 13 billion, one third of the animals had become extinct, the seas were full of toxic waste and we did nothing. All those older than the prescribed age (ie born before 1990) were deemed responsible for the current state of the world, and were to be ‘relocated’, their property and assets confiscated. It is probably the first time I have read a book that blames the millennials rather than the boomers for the state of the earth.I thought it was going to be all Logan’s Run – anyone over 30 send to ‘Carousel’ where they were exterminated (if I remember correctly), Michael York as a handsome Sandman-turned-rebel who goes on the run to help people escape. The Forcing, however, is much darker, more terrifying and potentially could happen if we don’t address the issues now.Poor David Ashworth (our narrator), known as ‘Teacher’ is an 89-er. He’s done his best to educate his students, but there’s nothing more he can do. I’m afraid I couldn’t stand his wife May. I know she is bipolar and we have to be understanding, but still. She’s horrible to him. She’s also horrible to their son Lachie, who is part of the youth government, but still couldn’t find a way to prevent her from being relocated with her husband – she would rather stay behind on her own.Then there’s Derek Argent – our potential ‘villain’ of the piece – rude, arrogant, very wealthy, powerful – he reminds me of Donald Trump. Maybe he is supposed to. His wife Samantha is equally rude and selfish.Kwesi and Francoise are a couple and they are both lovely. He is much older than her but she chose to go with him even though she didn’t need to. That’s true love. Finally we have Lan, though we don’t see that much of him. This motley band of diverse characters are thrown together in one apartment, with barely any belongings, rationed food and water, and no hope for the future. It’s time to plan their escape.The Forcing is certainly a very bleak read, seemingly devoid of hope. The main protagonists find themselves acting out of character, though not to the extent that some of the dreadful people they meet along the way do. It’s a dangerous world and one that those who survive will barely recognise. It’s a terrifying look at the future and one that I hope will never happen, in my lifetime, in that of my children, or my grandchildren. But there is still a chance of redemption if we act now. I just hope someone is listening…Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours

I had the best month of reading in January and what an amazing finish to the month with this outstanding book! This is dystopian fiction at its best and a definite 5 🌟 read!This story is frightingly realistic. The world is falling apart due to climate change and in a last attempt to try and save it a youth government have taken over in North America. All those older than a prescribed age are deemed responsible for the terrible state of the world and are to have their assets confiscated and are to be 'relocated' to a unknown destination in the abandoned southern deserts.Unfortunately much of the world has become uninhabitable and food sources are limited. David Ashworth and his wife May find themselves among the thousands being relocated. As the truth of their situation is revealed they plan a perilous escape. But the world outside is more dangerous than they could have imagined.This book captivated me from the first page. The book is cleverly written and well researched. There were some brilliant characters that had such great depth. I loved David (Teacher) and Francoise but Argent was a fascinating character too.The plot kept me turning the pages and I found it such an engrossing and plausible, original story. It is such a good wake up call that we need to protect our planet to avoid this devastation in the future! This is another book that will stay with me for a long time and I definitely intend to check out the previous books by this author.