Book Review: Tornado Warning By JR Tate

In the blink of an eye, the small Texas town of Harper Springs is flattened by the worst tornadic system to ever hit the area. Homes are demolished, trees are uprooted, and people are left for dead.

Taking cover in a cellar with his son, Ryan Gibson narrowly escapes the storm and gets separated from his wife. He hopes that help will come fast – his child is severely injured and the crippling weather pattern rages on, making them pawns in Mother Nature’s game.

Weeks pass with no sign of another human being. Tornadoes continue to hammer away at the already ravished land. Ryan wonders why they have been forgotten. Basic survival skills set in – their food rations get smaller, their water intake less, and their limited resources will soon be gone. With his son’s fading health and his wife still missing, he will have to make a decision soon – leave their shelter and risk death, or stay patient and hold out hope that a rescue team is on the way. A harsh truth will soon be revealed – the tranquil way of life in Harper Springs will never be the same.

My Review:
A dangerous weather pattern is threatening the town of Harper Springs in Texas and everyone is on alert. Ryan has been storm spotting for the local fire department and has a narrow escape from a deadly twister but when the next one hits, his wife is not at home, his father is miles away and he has to try and take care of his son until help arrives. However when help does not come, looters are appearing and supplies are running out, Ryan is faced with the prospect of trying to get to the town with no idea of what state it is in or what dangers he might find on the road.

Natural disasters have always fascinated and scared me in equal measures. I love watching things like Storm Chasers and I almost went on a storm chasing holiday in the US but chickened out at the last minute. Part of me wishes that I had gone now. I can never resist wild weather programmes on TV so I was interested as soon as I saw this trilogy of bad weather novels. They are also quickish reads which is ideal for a night of entertainment. I bought the series based on reading a sample couple of chapters free on Amazon and liking the look of the story and it didn't disappoint.

Ryan is a normal guy who fixes cars for a living and does his storm chaser for the local fire department whenever there are reports of bad weather coming in. During this particular period, the weather has been threatening Harper Springs and the nearby towns where his family and his wife's family live, causing damage everywhere. Ryan himself has a scary encounter with a tornado that he barely escapes from and they hope that the worst is over. However when Cecilia nips out for something she forgot for dinner, the tornado hits the town dead on. Ryan and his son Ty barely make it to the storm shelter and with no idea where his wife is, Ryan is stuck, trying to look after Ty and hoping for rescue. With only potential looters in the area and no sign of help, Ryan knows that he needs to look for help and find out what happened to Cecilia. 

The lack of law enforcement coming from the town means that isolated homes like Ryan's are a prime target for looters who want to take supplies from any survivors for themselves. Two nasty individuals are doing the rounds, killing or enslaving survivors they find and Ryan fears that they might harm his son if they can't get help soon. Ryan's father Darryl has his own problems as he sets out to find his son and grandson, dodging the same looters and hoping that no more storms are going to hit the area while he is travelling. Ryan's dilemma is over Ty who is not well enough to travel but cannot be left alone, despite Ryan needing to find help for both of them, and for his wife.  

This was an enjoyable survival story with characters that you do care about. Ryan is just a normal guy who needs to think on his feet in the aftermath of a disaster. He is not a super prepper but the extra supplies he gathered for storm season could be the difference between life and death for him and his son after the tornado hits. He is also a bit shocked by the appearance of the looters so soon after the disaster but is determined to protect his son at all costs. I also liked following Darryl on his adventure as he tries to find the rest of his family. Overall I liked the book and hope to read the rest of the trilogy soon.  

Read March 2019.
4 stars.