LauraM

I enjoyed seeing hope bloom from what starts out as a seemingly hopeless situation in “The Third Wind”.

The story begins in the not so distant future after the U.S. economic infrastructure has more or less collapsed. Tax cuts to corporations and the wealthy, which caused emergency and social services to be critically under funded, have made coping with the multiple natural disasters resulting from climate change impossible to deal with for both state and federal government agencies. As a result, shortages, famine and plagues have started breaking out all across the nation without much chance of being remedied. Resources like gas, power and the internet have nearly evaporated.

This book makes you think. How would you make a strategy for survival in a modern world where power, gas and communication were slowly being completely wiped out? Mr. Gloss does a great job showing us how one man's plan unfolds and that, in those circumstances, the best option for survival might be to develop self-sufficient communities that are protected from an increasingly desperate and dangerous world.

The book is told entirely from the first person perspective of the main character, Martin. He is a level headed, modest, soft-spoken engineer who gives the reader a trustworthy perspective from which to see the new reality take shape. Twists and turns unfold as we discover the relationship between the characters and they realize they can’t make the same assumptions as they did before about each other in the face of a crumbling United States.

I enjoyed learning about the technology of wind turbines and seeing into Mr. Gloss’ imagination of how a small community might build and operate one to provide power for their own use. It was interesting to see how the characters bonded under the strenuous circumstances. It certainly makes you appreciate the little things in life like hot coffee and a cold beer – and music, too! There is a touching scene where some people bring music back to the community in an effort to bring more joy into all their lives. It was one of my favorite sentiments in the book that even when focused on survival, a happy community is a strong community.

I would recommend this book for anyone who has some flexibility in their ideological viewpoints, as well as lovers of adventure stories about survival in the modern age.