A Review of The Sandcastle in the Rain

A fast-paced story of crime and mystery for fans of sci-fi.

The Sandcastle in the Rain is the debut novel by S.R. Emonts. New to sci-fi myself, this was a thought-provoking read. The fast-paced nature of this story kept my interest while the morally gray characters made it relatable and realistic.

This novel presents a complex narrative against the backdrop of high-stakes crime fighting that kept me guessing until the end. Set in a futuristic post-apocalyptic world, The Sandcastle in the Rain questions what it means to be human and how humanity looks at the past after war. The story follows two special unit partners in the future as they grapple to take down a criminal organization that steals and replaces people's memories while also coming to terms with their own past during and immediately after the war. It's a complex storyline that made me want to go back and reread sections more carefully. Certain aspects of the book, especially little details, didn't seem to add up until the very end. Highly recommend.

The Sandcastle in the Rain Book Blurb:

Earth, 2163. 15 years after a nuclear war, only 12 fledgling settlements of humans remain on Earth, in cities sheltered from the radioactive ashes.

Artificial life, the instigator of the war, was banished to the seven colonies. Only Doctor Wasserman and his band of Outcasts have managed to evade justice, striking at the Settlements from their hidden fortress in the forsaken wastelands, THE SANDCASTLE.

MOTHS, a special police unit that hunts Organic Hazards, are all that stand between humanity and destruction.

Yet Rookie Officer Joan Lyon cares more about finding her long lost mother than following orders, and her Training Officer, Peter Ramsey, merely wishes to run out the clock until he can retire and reunite with his family in the space colonies.

When Wasserman steals a datacore from Delphi Datacore, a company that can predict events before they occur, Joan and Peter aren’t just fighting the enemy—they’re fighting their own futures.

3 Criminals

2 Detectives

1 Mystery

Review by Janine Eaby

Janine Eaby loves to read, write, and garden. She is the author of the Beyond the Water's Edge fantasy book series and enjoys experimenting with poetry.