A Review of Dr. Raima Larter’s “The Kiss Catastrophe”

Few novels leave the reader hooked from the onset. With vivid imagery the tale begins with Sydney (Syd), a young woman who has just realized she has been dating a married man. Syd, whose father has suffered from a stroke, finds solace in the arms of man by the name of Jake who has lost both parents in a car accident caused by a firestorm. 

Firestorms are ravaging the Earth and Jake is determined to fight back against the sources of climate change that took the lives of his parents and continue to threaten the planet. Together Syd and Jake discover a vast ocean visible through a cave in the desert. There they find a rock portal that is a passageway to Planet Cascadia.

As a seasoned writer who has authored many novels, Larter is no stranger to literary descriptions and beautiful details. Vivid, familiar images are interspersed among visions of another world. She visualizes and writes about a world that is so different from ours and yet has familiar aspects. With lots of cliffhangers, this novel is hard to put down.

Marla, an “In-Betweener,” fears the destruction of Cascadia and reaches out to a famous poet named Ruddy, hoping that he could save their planet. Ruddy’s wife, Reeta, is taken away by “Bright Siders” to a “Breeder Colony” in Cascadia to perform the task of giving birth to numerous children as a “mother,” none of whom she gets to keep. At one point, she is chosen for a ritual called “Scatter Time,” but she is not sure what that ritual would entail and dreads what would become of her.

Larter writes science fiction with the authority of a long-time scientist. Her expertise takes the reader to a different level of appreciation. She writes with the command of one who understands science, its limitations, and its possibilities. “The Kiss Catastrophe” is a stunning portrayal of the inhabitants of two planets coming to each other’s aid as Earth meets Cascadia.