The Time of New Weather

by Sean Murphy

THE TIME OF NEW WEATHER IS AT HAND–AND IT’S NOT A PRETTY SIGHT.

In this exhilarating adventure of absurdist wit, rollicking revolution and romance, the future isn’t what it used to be and the past won’t leave us alone. Bringing to mind1984 and Brave New World–but with his own twist of gleeful humor–award-winning author Sean Murphy presents a vision of an America gone off the an America where it literally rains cats and dogs, where a hubcap ranch is now a National Preservation Site, where a horde of circus folk and Elvis fans are on the rampage–and where some rather suspicious things are going on with time and gravity.

Into this world is born Buddy Le Blanc, a young boy with a special the ability to perform tiny miracles. Nothing big, like raising the dead or curing the sick–more like an uncanny knack for finding spare change. He longs to find a way to make a difference; but in a world where time and gravity storms can spring up at a moment’s notice (sending your belongings hurtling through the roof, or off to the Renaissance) and big business has gobbled up the U.S. government (now renamed The America Corporation), it’s hard to get your foot in the door. But when Buddy joins up with a cast of fellow seekers–renegade circus freaks, ragtag revolutionaries, a woman in search of her hat, and a particularly gorgeous journalist–in the hope of waking America up from its dream, the fate of the country may just end up in his not-so-capable hands.…

Genres: Fantasy, The United States Of America, Fiction

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

SEAN MURPHY'S debut novel, The Hope Valley Hubcap King, (Bantam/Dell, 2002/2004), won the Hemingway Award for a First Novel and was a 2003 Book Sense pick. See info on his latest, The Time of New Weather, below. He is also the author of the Pulitzer-nominated The Finished Man (Bantam/Dell 2004), as well as One Bird, One Stone (Renaissance/St. Martins 2002), a nonfiction chronicle of Zen practice in America. He has been a Zen meditation practitioner for 20 years, and teaches meditation, creative writing and literature for UNM-Taos, as well as leading writing workshops for a variety of organizations and his own Big Sky Writing Workshops

Reviews

[Holly · Rating 1 out of 5]

In Murphy's novel America is a land owned by the corporation, a place of the American dream gone bad. In this dystopian world changes made in the name of profit have resulted in shifts in environmental physics - gravity is no longer a constant, and weather is even less predictable. Enter a small group of renegades who want time to be linear, gravity to hold cows, etc to earth's surface, and rain to fall down, not up.

The premise is interesting if too wide (the balance btw real world and new world is uneasy and not believable), the characters are pawns of the writer (no more - throw out the romance altogether), and the conversational sections are awkward. Despite sections that are incredibly well written (esp some of the descriptions of American landscape - great metaphors), the overall effort fails.

[Tania · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I'm married to the author

[Tania · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I'm married to the author

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic and scarily timely read in 2025. Murphy creates this dystopian but strangely beautiful world with characters that mirror it. I haven’t enjoyed reading a book to this degree in a long time. I’d give it another star if I could!

[Linda Michel-Cassidy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just starting. I always find it weird to read a book when I know the author. Given that this is near future it's likely not autobiographical. I am often nervous when i encounter a juvenile character with a cute name who is either precocious or prescient, but I think it will be O.K.
Sean's writing is straightforward and witty and so far he's made the near-future aspects line up, logically (says the total non-scientist).
Update: 1/2 way through. I am enjoying this quite a bit. The author is incredibly clever. i also appreciate that certain viewpoints are woven in seamlessly and in a not at all preachy way. His humor is spot on and unrelenting.
The text is pretty action-packed, which I didn't expect, so I find myself reading in smallish doses. The writing is smart, extremely clever, but never gets cute.
Given when this was written, it is eerily prescient.

[Lana. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scientists have managed to play havoc with both time and gravity, and a corporation has bought out America in The Time of New Weather – it all seems rather bleak. However, there is still hope. One of these is Buddy, the worker of small miracles. With his circus co-workers, and inspired by another dissent group (The Dreamers) he sets off to put America right again. Along the way, he might also find an empty mind, love, and his father.

A whimsical, more gentle Tom Robbins, Sean Murphy infuses something magical and quirky to this satirical story. I will definitely be looking up his other books.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I randomly picked this up and it sounded pretty interesting.
As soon as I started reading, I knew I was going to love it. It's irreverent at times, but at its heart very meaningful and also romantic. The absurdities of the book's America Corporation hit pretty close to home; it's a nice sort of warning utopia novel but with a happy ending.
I would recommend this for anyone who loves a good book, for anyone who loves a good love story, and for anyone who's interested in the commercialization of modern life.

[Sidney · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun and thoughtful comic novel tinged with science fiction. It's a bit reminiscent of Vonnegut in its style.

The new weather refers to gravity storms which means things that aren't nailed down are likely to rise.

In an America taken over by corporate interests where freedoms are gradually being erroded, the ex-president and a quirky group of protesters plan a massive non-violent effort to change things.

[Holli Rahl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an odd book. So apropo in so many ways to the climate (political and weather of today). It was funny in the twists of names. Overall it was a good book. It took me a long time to read. The characters were unique and interesting enough to keep me reading. I think I will read his first novel.

[Allie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Random strip from today. I'd never heard of it, but it sounds great.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

If 1984, Brave New World and Animal Farm had a child, it would be this book.
Soo deliciously good

[Aim Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reminded me of Tom Robbins.