Rain Music by Patrick Swenson

Book Description

Truman Starkey heard it once, there in the ancient rain forest. A song that could raise the dead, a song that could bend time to its will. A song that might finally solve the puzzle of what Truman has lost-his ability to compose music. What Truman doesn’t know is that the mysterious song in the rain found him for a reason. His true destiny is to compose the music that will defeat the mage.

Review

Okay, before we get started, can we take a moment to admire this novel’s cover art? The author’s note mentions how the artist gathered rainwater while at Lake Quinault and painted the watercolor image with the actual rainwater from Lake Quinault. Pretty cool.

Since I’ve been reading a lot of cozy fantasy recently, this novel was a big departure for me. It is a broody, dark, fantasy-thriller set on the Olympic Peninsula.

Written in third person, Swenson uses the multi point-of-view technique to great effect. Because we, as readers, know more than any of the characters, we’re almost helpless as we watch them unknowingly walk into danger. For me, the dread built from page one until the end.

Most of the story takes place in a resort called The Cedars, a repackaging of the Rainforest Village resort on Lake Quinault. If you think “Rainforest” on Lake Quinault sounds familiar, you’re right. Patrick Swenson organizes the Rainforest Writers’ retreat I attended in 2021, 2022, and 2023.

Something Swenson did particularly well was capturing the atmosphere of the peninsula, the mood of the surrounding areas, and the creative vibe at Lake Quinault. Since I’ve been to the resort twice now, it was fun to read about the characters visiting locations I’ve been to.

No surprise, rain plays a big part in this novel. But something I found fascinating was how Swenson used rain as scene dressing, metaphor, and even to deliver some of the magic.

One thing I struggled with was the timeline of the story. As you may remember, I’m a linear reader and writer. But in this story, while the protagonist’s timeline is straightforward, other characters are not bound in time. This made it hard for me to place where (and when) an event happens.

If you’re in the mood for an unusual thriller dripping with dread and magic, check out Rain Music!

Content Warning

Kidnapping, Murder, Profanity, Sex, Violence

The header photo is a composite image. Base image by reza shayestehpour on Unsplash.