I have to say, this is one of the best books I've read in a very, very long time! ( )

I mostly enjoyed this, I found myself zoning out in some spots, but I kept on because I wanted to see how it ends. I don't want to spoil anything, but it definitely throws some unexpected, and neat, sci-fi twists at you. ( )

Set in a dry, dusty Canadian town during the Depression Era, young Robert Steelgate is missing his young brother Matthew. Yet the disturbing thing is that he seems to be the only person missing him. A stranger comes to town promising rain and that is the same time kids start disappearing. Coincidence, or not?

This book was like a really good episode of The Twilight Zone. Things start off so plain, so dried out, so matter-of-fact. Then young Matthew, who insisted he be allowed to walk to town that day (instead of riding in the cart with his mom), meets a pale stranger (Abram Harisch) on the road. Meanwhile, Robert is left at home to read his science fiction story (The Warlock of Mars) that his uncle lent him. Reluctantly, Robert sets his book aside to see to the chickens like he promised only to find some scared chickens and some nasty blood eggs. Yuck! That’s when Sargent Ramson and Officer Davies show up to take Robert to town to be with his family as they begin the search for Matthew.

With a blend of historical fiction, mystery, and science fiction, the author spins a tale of a town hoping too hard for good rains, of good people willing to let their memories of lost children slip from them, and of how one boy with a strong, questioning imagination may be the only one to save them. Quite frankly, it was those scared chickens and their blood eggs that sucked me into the story. It was spooky and yet the biologist in me wanted an egg to examine. But I couldn’t have one of those eggs, but I could examine this story. From there, I wasn’t disappointed.

Abram with the odd eyes (I think he’s an albino) sets up a movie screen and the town gathers to see the attraction. Once the stranger has gained some small amount of trust with the town, he starts setting in his motion his bigger plan: promise the rains & happiness, take their wealth & memories, keep his end of the bargain with an unknown entity (which means more children disappear). At one point, Abram confides a bit in Robert because Robert has this innate ability to see through Abram’s charms. That was an eerie scene!

The ending reveals the master plan of Abram while also keeping some things up to the reader to decide. I liked that there was a little mystery left over at the end. We have everything resolved that counts, but the exact how and why of it may never be fully understood. Also, there is some wonderful imagery involving butterflies and moths. It’s a recurring small touch that kept me hooked. I was quite pleased with the ending. Not everything ended in rainbows but enough did for me to say it was a happy ending for our main character, Robert.

I received a copy of this book at no cost from the author with no strings attached.

Narration: Arthur Slade was pretty good as a narrator for this story. He had distinct voices for each person and decent female voices. I especially liked his voice for Robert’s uncle who was always giving him SFF books that his mom might not approve of. ( )

The cover enticed me, and I thought it would be set in the Dust Bowl. Not really. I was surprised to find it science fiction. A mysterious, perhaps soul-less man comes to town and mesmerizes people in order to distract them from the fact that he's taking the local children in order to gather their souls and essence (a kind of dust).

Deals with the theme of responsibility, (childhood wonder vs. reality/responsibility) very creatively--had me thinking, wondering. The protagonist is "on the cusp" of becoming an adult and therefore barely able to maintain his sense of wonder, belief in that which seems absurd, and so a man/being who exploits the "adultness" of the town can safely (maybe) reveal the awful truth of what he's doing to him, sure that as soon as the boy matures (like in a day or two?) he won't remember or even believe what he's being told. The few adults who have not succumbed to man's mind drug cannot solve the mystery/crime because they cannot believe in preposterous things, such as the truth. Interesting....

My son accused me of being a "non-believer" in all of these things he seems so naive to believe. I sigh. I thought about that often as I loathed these parents, but to whom I could also relate. Very thought-provoking in a simple way.

I believe its intended audience is middle school kids, but I can't see any of my students bearing with it. I found out, after reading this, that the girl who borrowed it and raved about it had actually given up after the 2nd chapter and didn't want to admit it. I liked it as an adult. ( )

RGG: Set in Saskatchewan during the Dust Bowl, this is a very spooky sci-fi story about the disappearance of children. Of course, the mysterious stranger brings the possibility of rain. Nice accompaniment to Out of the Dust.