Clare Judy Foster's novel, "The Rain Artist," is an intricate, chilling journey into a dystopian future marked by climate change, capitalism, and the indomitable human spirit. Drawing comparisons to works like Tim Lebbon’s "The Last Storm" and Paolo Bacigalupi’s "The Water Knife," as well as evoking the eerie vibes of China Miéville's "The City and The City," this novel positions itself within the burgeoning genre of climate fiction (cli-fi) while also dipping into the realms of social horror and weird fiction.

Foster excels at creating an atmosphere that is both beautiful and horrifying. The prose is lyrical, drawing readers into a world that is eerily similar to our own but skewed by the impacts of unchecked capitalism and environmental degradation. This juxtaposition of the gruesome and the beautiful keeps readers on edge, constantly navigating the tension between despair and a sliver of hope.

The novel's world-building is commendable. The setting is meticulously crafted, presenting a near-future dystopia that feels both possible and terrifying. Foster’s vivid descriptions and sensory details paint a landscape that is hauntingly real, drawing readers into a world where every aspect of life is commodified, and survival is a daily struggle.

"The Rain Artist" tackles heavy themes with finesse, offering a scathing critique of capitalism and its corrosive effects on society and the environment. The novel explores how economic systems exploit natural resources and human labor, creating a narrative that is both a warning and a call to action. Foster’s critique is clear yet woven seamlessly into the fabric of the story, making it both thought-provoking and engaging.

The novel features two central female characters who stand out for their resilience and depth. These characters, though living in a dystopian nightmare, are artists at heart, clinging to their creativity and humanity. Their journeys are compelling, showcasing the duality of human nature—our capacity for both destruction and creation.

However, Some readers may find the pacing uneven. While the book starts with a slow build, gradually immersing the reader in its world, it sometimes lags, with certain chapters feeling overextended. This can disrupt the narrative flow and make it challenging to stay fully engaged throughout.

Although the central characters are well-developed, other characters do not receive the same level of depth. This disparity can make some parts of the story feel unbalanced, with supporting characters occasionally acting out of alignment with their established traits, causing confusion and a lack of cohesion in the narrative.

The novel’s origins as a short story are evident, as some aspects feel underdeveloped. The transition from short story to full-length novel has left certain themes and plotlines feeling cramped, as if they were not given enough space to fully unfold. This compression can detract from the overall impact, leaving readers wanting more exploration and development.

"The Rain Artist" is a remarkable debut that stands out for its strong world-building, lyrical prose, and poignant social commentary. While it grapples with pacing and depth issues, the novel offers a unique and unsettling vision of a future that feels all too possible. Foster’s ability to blend beauty with horror creates a powerful narrative that will linger in readers' minds long after they have turned the last page.

For fans of cli-fi and dystopian thrillers, "The Rain Artist" is a must-read, promising both a harrowing and hopeful exploration of humanity's future. With its thought-provoking themes and vivid storytelling, it sets a high bar for future entries in the series. Foster’s debut is a testament to the power of speculative fiction to reflect and challenge our understanding of the world, making it a compelling read for anyone interested in the intersection of art, society, and survival.

Whowza - this was a ride.
Not for the queasy or one seeking a light mood. But if you're into beautiful writing that really really showcases the disturbing qualities of humanity and where it might be headed - this is for you.

Key points summarizing this book?
- Completely disturbing
- Gorgeous writing

Literary points:
- Multiple timelines joining into one is also usually not my fav. But this book does it very well and I didn't mind at all. The style and themes made me think of Naomi Alderman's latest book, The Future, but this one hit so much harder and executed the multi-story lines so much better.
- Haunting atmosphere was woven into the story perfectly. The atmosphere was never described in one chunk and the subtle details that arose throughout the story were bleak, dark and almost brought shivers of horror down my back.
-Character development - this part was weak for me. I never felt any attachments to the characters and their arcs weren't complex. Much more plot driven.
- Incredible metaphors and personification that bring chills.

Quotes:
- "Wealth diffused stress the way umbrellas shed rain, showering it on the people beneath them, whose job it was to support the canopy at all costs, at any cost, for life."
- "....she could patch it and stop the smoke from dragging its nails over her nerve endings."
- "Rain was priceless; someone like Yochanna would never feel its tiny fingers on her face."
- "It was a salty, pickled smell - the smell of tender, unwashed flesh festering under synthetic fibers here the crease of the thigh rubbed against the edge of the pubis and its sebaceous rind of hairs."
"Celine remembered that once, people used to call these "butterfly kisses", though everyone knew butterflies were mythic creatures, like goblins or or elves."

It took me ages to get though this because it was too disturbing at times and I genuinely needed a break. I'm usually all for dystopian literature but this really pushed my limits of what I could handle. This is the first dystopian - post apocalyptic book that had be thinking it earns a place in the horror genre (not my genre).

Difficult to rate because I was not expecting to be slapped in the face with the horror but it was also good for what it was...some of the imagery will stick with me and it did make me think about the world. And the writing is beautiful. So based on my own ranking system - that means 5 stars! Despite the gag factor.

Great premise, rich with imagination and detailed world-setting. I enjoyed the social commentary of how the wealthy hoard anything that has great value (in this case, rain).

3.3 / 5.0

This was magical and interesting in plot, but the pacing and development felt lacking. I enjoyed it overall but will not be picking up the next book. It felt unfinished somehow that I couldn’t put my finger on.

Until Next Time,
MC

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for access to this ARC.

This had potential and had some lovely writing, but I don’t think it was for me. After reading I did some research and discovered the premise was based on a short story, and I felt as a result there were some issues with plot, pacing and characters.

Interesting dystopian novel with a very engaging writing style .

I cannot wait for book 2 ! Thank your for eArc

Such a strange but involved world where rain and ice are available only to an elite few. When the world's sole umbrella maker is framed for murder, she and her ex-con assistant and a pregnant office worker must navigate a world where they are on the run. Entrancing, strange, beautiful.

The Rain Artist by Claire Rudy Foster is an uneasy, gruesome in parts, story of a greedy society-- the rich have capitalized on... rain. Foster writes beautifully and builds a bleak world for readers to think about while going about our day.

I would recommend this title to fans, with a decent stomach for the gruesome, of sci-fi, dystopia society, rich vs poor storyline.

Thank you NetGalley and Moonstruck Books for providing us with this title.

This is a near future eco-dystopian story set in America. The prose are fluid and powerful, yet mysterious - revealing information drop by drop. The story is about unlikely companions thrust into a sordid world of selfish and greedy ultra-rich tycoons and a violent takeover. What follows is fast-paced and eye opening - considering it could be a world we may very well live in one day. The ending was a bit unsatisfying but overall I rather enjoyed this work.

It's been a long time since I read a book this beautifully written! Even if it's not quite ''my'' genre, I'm instantly enveloped in this gruesome story. To be recommended!

I absolutely love the concept of this book, a dystopian world where water has become so scarce it’s only enjoyed by the 1% plus the murder of one of the richest men in the world and the only umbrella maker is framed for it. Unfortunately it did not live up to the idea. While it was beautifully written I found the story hard to follow at times and the characters lacking a distinct voice for each other. The author described an almost waterless dystopian world with almost stomach turning detail at times I just found myself detached and not emotionally connected to the story or characters.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I was given an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Rain Artist by Claire Rudy Foster is a climate fiction set in New York when rain has stopped falling and capitalism now allows for quadrillionaires. Celine is the world’s only umbrella artist, a skill that has been passed down in her family for generations, and her umbrellas are often commissioned for parties of the rich and famous, the only people who can experience rain anymore. Paul works in Celine’s building and runs an underworld trading business. When Yochanna, a young woman who is seeking to get enough money to afford an abortion, comes to Celine and Paul’s business on the same night they are tricked into disposing of a body, they’re sent on the run.

This book was a ride from beginning to end. The worldbuilding was engaging, particularly how the lack of rain impacts food, class systems, family planning, and even how the rich would respond. I’m always a big fan of authors thinking through their world and I felt Foster really delivered.

Yochanna was my favorite character of the four POVs (Paul, Yochanna, Celine, and Henry, the son and murderer of the quadrillionaire) but all four did show the different ways each character views their environment and how they ended up playing the part they did. Celine was my second favorite and I loved having a female POV character who is in her sixties.

Content warning for depictions of sexual assault, cannibalism, pregnancy, and murder.

I would recommend this to fans of darker cli-fi, readers looking for stories about what would happen if there was no more rain, and readers looking for POV chapters for older characters.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC. While I had to DNF this, I think the prose in this book was really lovely and beautiful. There just was not enough to keep me interested and want to continue reading the book. The beginning was a bit slow for me, so maybe I should try to read this book again when I am not too busy.

I really enjoyed Claire Rudy Foster's The Rain Artist. It is imaginative, propulsive and my attention was held throughout the entire read.

The Rain Artist is a beautiful story set in a world where rain is only available for the richest of the rich. We mainly follow Celine, who is the last umbrella maker in the world, as she unknowingly gets wrapped up in the murder of one of the richest men on earth. It was quite a strange and unique story, I've never read anything like this before. It took a while for me to get into it, as it wasn't what I expected. The beginning felt a bit too sprawling in the sense that the POVs were switching quite often in a way that made me unsure of who we were following, and made it harder to get to know the characters in a way that made me care. Further into the book, however, this became more clear and it started making more sense why the POVs were switching the way they did. Because of this, and it not being the most straightforward of stories, it took a long time for me to get swept up into the story, but around the halfway mark I started really enjoying it. The writing is beautiful and there are lots of stunning similes and metaphors regarding flowers and water. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

"The Rain Artist" by Claire Rudy Foster is a stunning novel with the potential to become a classic. Foster's brilliant prose and masterful worldbuilding create a dystopian setting where rain is a luxury for the wealthy, celebrated through extravagant rain parties with custom umbrellas made by the elusive Celine. The story unfolds with the framing of Celine for murder, involving one of her own exquisite umbrellas, leading to chaos and the involvement of ex-con Paul. The narrative, though brilliantly executed, leaves readers longing for more, as the engaging plot is difficult to put down. Foster's exploration of billionaire depravity is taken to another level, yet the characters, particularly Celine, Yochanna, and Paul, inject a bit of humanity. Overall, "The Rain Artist" is a standout work, leaving me eagerly anticipating Foster's next literary endeavor.

THE RAIN ARTIST has ambitions it isn't quite ready to pull off just yet—unfortunately I found its roots in a short story to be a bit too obvious. It's is a bummer, because there are so many delicious aspects that I really enjoyed, but none of them seem to be given the room to breathe and become fully realized.

The prose is beautiful, but the pacing is uneven from chapter to chapter, and it seems like the characters aren't given the same amount of depth throughout either. I found the first few chapters to be really interesting: I particularly enjoyed the chapters on Paul's incarceration because the writing was evocative and the visceral details painted a horrifying picture of the world he was in. Similarly, the introduction to Yochanna was discomfitting but well-written. It gave readers a vivid sense of how Yochanna is surviving in a capitalist hellscape; how autonomy is stripped from her, and how she closes herself off from the world in an attempt to protect herself further. But as the chapters went on, characters seemed to be acting out of alignment with what has been revealed to us as the reader, and it doesn't seem like much work was put into making those actions make sense...

It seems like there were a lot of possible stories that could have been told, and that wanted to be told, and that unfortunately drowned each other out in the end. I'm curious to see what Foster does next, because it's clear to me that they have a strong vision for their stories!

Thank you NetGalley and Moonstruck books for the ARC.

Celine Broussard is an umbrella maker for the ultra wealth who have rain parties. They use the umbrellas as status symbols and a way to show off to each other.

The book was written beautifully but the pacing was off. I almost DNF because the first couple chapters it felt like nothing was happening. I was not a fan of the graphic details and was hoping of equally awful retribution. I was not a fan woman being described by only their bodies.

The concept of water becoming a rare resource is so interesting. It seems like the author was trying to comment on climate change and its dystopian feel, but it doesn’t really seem set in reality. I would consider this to be more of a commentary on the wealth gap and capitalism than climate change.

This is such a hard one for me to rate. It’s set in a world where it doesn’t rain and only the wealthy have access to rain, but it missed the mark for me.

In the far future, rain no longer falls for anybody but the wealthy, who have purchased all the water and ice left in the world - everyone else survives on synthetic food and hydration packs. The world's only remaining umbrella maker, Celine, is accused of murdering one of her wealthy clients and must clear her name.

Hot take: she never officially clears her name. She also only probably has one (maybe two) actual conversations with anyone, including her two companions. This is one of those rare books that I feel like could really benefit from being longer - tell me more about this futuristic America, the separate underground culture that's developed, and the characters themselves. There was so much more that the author needed to write to make this book feel complete.

The worlds only Umbrella Maker Celine Broussard, supplies hand crafted umbrellas to the ultra rich, in a futuristic dystopian New York. Rain parties have become Celines business in a world without any water and natural vegetation. Working away in her studio fronted by a Flower shop run by Paul a past convict. While delivering Umbrella party favours, Celine and Paul witness a murder. Celine unknowingly has agreed to get rid of the body of Robert Weiss, ultra trillionaire and empire owner of Otzara; a city high above NYC where it still rains. Yochanna an office employee running from her impoverished life, hopes to cash in stolen valuable stamps for some money at Broussard's, but ends up getting tangled in the police chase. A fantastic Fantasy of underground colonies,temples,runes and empires built in the skies. It will sweep you away! Beautifully Written. Highly recommended.

Thank you Netgalley, for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest Review!