Storm (California Legacy) (Paperback)

by George Rippey Stewart (Author), Ernest Callenbach (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
A violent storm sweeps through California, taking on a life of her own. Making her way from the Pacific Coast, she gains momentum as she approaches the Sierra and transforms into a blizzard of great strength, covering mountain ranges and roads with twenty feet of snow. Originally published in 1941, _Storm_ is a rare combination of fiction and science by a master storyteller, drawing upon a deep knowledge of geography, meteorology, and human nature.

"In _Storm_ we are…far from freeways, from megapopulation, from sprawl, from beach TV, from stress, from road rage. And we are in touch with a much deeper reality. Of land and water and weather, of humans huddled together on the planet in a dark universe."—Ernest Callenbach, in the foreword

About the Author
George R. Stewart (1895–1980) was a professor of English at the University of California, Berkeley, and the author of many books, including _Earth Abides_, _Fire_, and _Ordeal by Hunger_.

Ernest Callenbach is the author of _Ectopia_ and _Ectopia Emerging_. He also edits the _California Natural History Guides_ series for the University of California Press.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Heyday Books (October 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1890771740
• ISBN-13: 978-1890771744
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #119,317 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Storm, A Fascinating Biography, September 23, 2000

By	Don Bein "d2bein" (WEST BEND, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Storm (Hardcover)

The book was written in 1940. I read it in February 1943 at the U. of Wisconsin. Unaware that I needed glasses, I had been rejected by the Army Air Corps as a possible fighter pilot. I stumbled into weather forecasting as a bad second choice, having no interest at all in weather. This small book, given to me by the Army, instantly converted me into an avid, aspiring meteorologist. I am so glad Amazon.com recently found a used copy for me.

The novel is unusual in its construction. The storm called Maria (this book started the custom of giving storms feminine names) is the all imposing, domineering character in the story. There are 12 chapters, one for each day in the life of the storm. Each chapter has 6-12 subchapters that tell of the two or three dozen human characters who are in the plot. We know most of them by job title, not by name. Maria connects them all together in an ever rising crescendo that reminds me of Ravel's Bolero.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A thrilling way to describe the phenomena of U.S. weather, September 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Storm (Hardcover)

For most, weather happens! It affects our lives in countless ways and sometimes wreaks havoc on them. Unless one personally experiences the sheer violence of weather like a tornado or a hurricane, we go along just being inconvenienced by it and muttering how it forced cancellation of the picnic or the golf game. Stewart's novel is a wonderful story of the seeming innocence of an obscure storm system developing far, far away that eventually will dramatically impact men's and women's lives in western United States. The people stories are poignant and suspensful as each is tied to this relentless and powerful storm as it develops and makes it's way to our shores. One gains tremendous appreciation and respect for the patterns, intensity and often times the unpredictable nature of weather -

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars California life, February 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Storm (Hardcover)

A must read for anyone who knows and loves the big california storms- you know who you are. For the rest of you, it chronicles the lifespan of one of the big pacific storms.