Forecast


Fiction - Historical - Event/Era
Kindle Edition
Reviewed on 11/12/2024
Buy on Amazon

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    Book Review

Reviewed by Ruffina Oserio for Readers' Favorite

Forecast by Aaron Ryan is an enthralling thriller that follows one man with extraordinary abilities and his struggle with responsibility. Roland Bishop is a weatherman who gains the unsettling power to preview impending tragedies and glimpses of the future after a lightning strike. His visions, however, bring a sense of foreboding and profound guilt when he fails to prevent disasters he has witnessed in his mind’s eye. Roland’s tumultuous journey is one of trying to make sense of his newfound ability while navigating personal conflicts, including his disintegrating marriage to Jenette. The couple’s relationship, strained by distance and misunderstanding, reflects Roland's internal chaos. As he begins to intervene in violent situations, including domestic abuse and potential terrorist plots, the conflict intensifies, both externally and within himself. Can his powers be used to save lives, or will he lose himself in trying to control it?

Aaron Ryan delivers a spellbinding tale in Forecast, offering nuanced characters, a twisty plot, and genuine relationships. Watching Roland struggle to make sense of his newfound abilities is interesting. The characters around him, including the supportive psychiatrist Dr. Penny Eggers and the antagonistic detective Roxanne Byers, represent various facets of support and scrutiny Roland must contend with in his quest for clarity and redemption. The relationship with his wife offers a backdrop against which many things happen in the narrative. Roland’s visions are intelligently interlaced with his emotional turmoil and moral dilemmas, and the author deftly explores themes such as the ethics of intervention and the heavy burden of foreknowledge. The conflicts encapsulate a mixture of psychological tension, societal fears about terrorism, and domestic violence. The writing is exquisite, and the dialogues sparkle. The first-person narrative voice creates a sense of intimacy, making readers feel like they are there with the characters.

K.C. Finn

Forecast by Aaron Ryan is a historical sci-fi thriller that follows Roland Bishop, a young meteorologist who gains the ability to see into the future after surviving a lightning strike. However, these visions only reveal impending tragedies, leaving Roland to wrestle with the ethical dilemma of whether to intervene. As he delves deeper into the source of his power with the help of a psychologist, Roland realizes that changing the future might bring about unforeseen consequences. This story is a gripping exploration of fate, chaos theory, and the moral complexities of foreknowledge in a world on the brink.

Author Aaron Ryan presents a thoughtful exploration of moral ambiguity and delves deep into the weight of responsibility and unintended consequences, encouraging readers to consider the difficult balance between intervention and fate. Historical science fiction is such an interesting subgenre, and Ryan rises to the challenge of creating an immersive and atmospheric recreation of history whilst also including powerful futuristic concepts and selling them with credible psychological and emotional responses. The taut, riveting suspense keeps readers on edge, expertly capturing the high stakes of a character torn between action and inaction in a world governed by the butterfly effect. This makes for pacing that keeps readers hooked because the whole world could change at any given moment. This level of excitement is maintained with excellent emotional twists and new developments that show Roland rising to different challenges and making readers root for him all the more. Overall, Forecast is a thought-provoking and suspenseful reimagining of history's potential paths that will leave a lasting impression on readers, and I would not hesitate to recommend it.

Doreen Chombu

Forecast by Aaron Ryan is a captivating story that follows 28-year-old meteorologist Roland Bishop, who grapples with the extraordinary burden of foresight after surviving a lightning strike. This incident grants him the ability to predict future atrocities. Roland foresees a terrorist attack involving the hijacking of planes and the explosion of major buildings. Although he lacks all the details, he knows that if he does not act swiftly to prevent the impending disaster, many lives will be lost. Torn between the moral imperative to save lives and the fear that his interventions could trigger the very disasters he seeks to avert, Roland embarks on a harrowing journey of self-discovery with the help of a psychologist. As he navigates the unpredictable consequences of his abilities, he must confront the unsettling question of whether he can alter fate or if he is destined to play a role in the tragedies he aims to prevent.

Forecast is a fast-paced drama with an intriguing storyline that keeps readers engaged from start to finish. The events frequently shift between timelines, which can be confusing at times, but Aaron Ryan skillfully weaves the different threads together, maintaining tension and character development throughout. Roland's journey of self-discovery and his struggle to control his abilities form the core of the story. He begins as a confused individual lacking confidence but gradually gains strength and clarity as he learns to embrace his unique gift. This evolution leads him to make difficult choices about when to intervene and when to let fate take its course. His abilities create numerous plot twists, and their unpredictable nature along with the moral dilemmas they present adds depth to the narrative, making it compelling. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it to anyone interested in science fiction novels that cover themes of fate, responsibility, and the complexities of morality.

Luwi Nyakansaila

Forecast by Aaron Ryan is a thrilling drama set in 2001 that follows Roland Bishop, a weather forecaster who had just survived a lightning strike and began experiencing visions of the future. These visions increasingly point to an imminent plane hijacking by an Egyptian national devoted to extreme ideologies. As Roland navigates his newfound abilities with the help of a therapist, he begins to emit uncontrollable bursts of electrical energy that result in death. His unusual powers attract the attention of the FBI, who recruit him to help prevent the upcoming hijacking. Unbeknownst to them, Roland’s powers are still evolving, and he discovers he can manipulate time, allowing him to slip between past and future moments, placing him in different timelines and bodies. Can Roland learn to control his powers and maintain his identity long enough to avert the upcoming tragedy?

Forecast is a captivating tale inspired by the 9/11 attacks, exploring themes of destiny, free will, and the ethical dilemmas of foreknowledge. The story delves into the complex question of whether Roland’s attempts to thwart the catastrophic event may actually be causing it. Readers are encouraged to reflect on the consequences of intervention and the moral complexities that arise from foreknowledge of future events. Aaron Ryan’s narrative is engaging, filled with vivid descriptions and intriguing characters. The plot is full of unexpected twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat, making it an entertaining read. The entire story is suspenseful from start to finish, and its unpredictability kept me hooked until the very end. Overall, Forecast is an enthralling blend of science fiction and psychological drama, making it a must-read for anyone who enjoys thought-provoking thrillers.

Kimberlee J Benart

How many of us wish that we could go back in time to prevent the 9/11 tragedy? In Forecast, Aaron Ryan gives us a protagonist who has exactly that chance except it’s before the event happens, and it isn’t that simple. No. It’s tough. Roland Bishop, a weatherman for a news station in New Jersey, is not a superhero but an ordinary man given extraordinary abilities that bring pain, confusion, nosebleeds, and unexpected outcomes when he experiences them. These can also bring death. The question is, when he has visions of an airplane being hijacked by Middle Eastern terrorists and bodies falling from the sky, will he stand back and watch what unfolds or try to prevent it no matter the cost?

If you want an exciting story that weaves historical fiction with science fiction, drama, suspense, and romance, Forecast by Aaron Ryan is for you. I enjoyed it and didn’t want to put it down as the plot revealed one twist after another. More meaningful to me, however, was the subject of the story. In Forecast, the author did an utterly skillful job of developing a complex plot, engaging characters, and the science fiction aspects that make the plot believable and the protagonists heroic. The highly descriptive narrative moves at a good pace and brings Roland’s supernatural experiences to vivid life in a plausible way. In an Afterword, the author explains why he felt compelled to write Forecast, and it’s a wonderful tribute to the victims and heroes of that terrible day. Highly recommended.