'Every Dark Cloud', by Marisca Pichette

Living in a post-climate disaster world protected by a layer of artificial cloud, Mallory knows every shade of darkness, their world lit sparingly by bioluminescence. But when Rein stumbles across their path—radioactive light bleeding from their teeth, their skin twisted and burned—Mallory’s worldview implodes, and the true cost of their survival becomes all too clear.

A haunting cli-fi novella ideal for fans of Tiffany Morris and Stephanie Feldman, EVERY DARK CLOUD combines a dystopian setting and class-conscious narrative with a glimmer of hope for our shared humanity.

There’ve been many tales about what the world would be like if we had no Sun. The first image that comes to my mind is the original Matrix, with its stormy landscape and a pair of men left to stare in amazement at what their ancestors did.

‘Every Dark Cloud’ takes this further. What if the Sun became so detrimental to life that in order to survive, we must protect ourselves from it, living in total darkness?

Architect Mallory has a normal job in a normal office, until we realize that she has to operate primarily via touch and smell. Because total darkness means total. All that survives on her walk home are mushrooms and plants that can survive without natural light. Every building has scent identifiers so residents can find their way. We get a sense of this world being unsustainable, with no solution except to survive somehow.

Then a man falls from the sky. Covered in lesions as if from severe solar radiation, it appears that he came from above the protective cloud-cover - but how? Suddenly the piercing sound of sirens wail, because he’s being hunted. What’s Mallory to do?

This is a very timely ‘What if’ tale of government conspiracies, ecological disaster and also human connection, culminating in a burst of hope that’s beautifully refreshing in these cynical times. Mallory is just one person, but she’s able to make a difference; Rein’s desperate escape likewise. The system can be challenged.

It’s a relatively short book that zips along, never wasting any time and not outstaying its welcome. We can imagine the wider impact on the planet and other communities from what is perceived by Mallory - she may start out relatively naive, but she’s not at all stupid. As she considers what life might be like with light, birdsong and warmth, we’re reminded of what we might take for granted every day, and what we need to do to reconnect with the world and our fellow creatures.

This is the joy of the book: that we are gently challenged to ask ourselves what we’d do in such a situation. To continue the Matrix analogy, which pill do we take? The skill of the author here tells us that the choice is clear, and that we have the power within us.

‘Every Dark Cloud’ is truly the silver lining that we need right now.