Marie Howalt Heart of the Storm

Change is coming to the far-future Tuscan wasteland, and it will leave no one untouched. Things are finally stable in the small community of rebels who have reclaimed the ruins of Siena. And more people are leaving the safety of Florence to cross the barren landscape and try their luck in the new settlement. When a new Covey of wanderers arrive, Teo offers them respite and starts to dream of new horizons. Renn finds himself eager to rejoin the wanderer life and is faced with a difficult decision. In his own home, Luca begins to tire of his comfortable, post-apocalyptic routine of technological tinkering. Meanwhile in Florence, the political climate is shifting, leaving a family of four in the outer city slums, and the powerful Mayor's own son questioning their safety. Heart of the Storm is the final installment of Marie Howalt's Moonless trilogy. Picking up the threads from the previous two books, it weaves the personal tales of the post-apocalypse into a thrilling conclusion as Renn, Luca, Teo and the other Sienans tackle their biggest challenges yet. "I read through the whole book in one sitting. Yes, you read that right. It took me a single 8-hour sit-down to finish the whole book. Every page absorbed me in. Simply a magnificent testament to Howalt's talent. "There are no worlds to save or big armies to slay in Marie Howalt's Moonless Trilogy. Just a small candle of hope at the end of the world held on with decency and heart, by characters of dreams and life, written from Siena, with love." - Aden Ng, author of The Chronicles of Tearha, adenng.com "A thought-provoking adventure through a post-apocalyptic world unlike any other. While the stellar worldbuilding takes center stage in this one, the primary adventure story is smooth and the characters' personal storylines also keep us curious and cued in. In the wake of 2020, Heart of the Storm hits home and feels oddly timely in discussing life post-apocalypse. We may not have taken it this far last year, but the smart writing of this novel offers astute glimpses into the realities of the after-effects of life-changing events. The prose is witty, thoughtful, and captivating. You're going to want to see this far-future Tuscan wasteland." - Robyn-Lee Samuels, Independent Book Review "Poignant, evocative, and thoroughly gripping... Howalt offers a brilliant mix of exhilarating hope and grim reality... Highly entertaining with surprising emotional depths, this series conclusion is just as much fun as the earlier two books. SF aficionados won't want to miss this one." - The Prairies Book Review