Von

Red Rain #7.5

by Rachel Newhouse

Dr. Paul Von Nieuwenhuyse has never been afraid of the law. Proudly unassimilated, he’s infamous for taking the government to court—and winning. But the law is changing, and it’s not the only enemy. When his son Nic betrays him, Paul loses custody of his daughter and finds himself on the wrong end of a restraining order. Enraged, he hacks into Nic’s database—and discovers the wicked project his son is developing on Mars. Faced with the end of the world, Paul realizes there is only one way to save both his son and Earth from destruction: by creating the antidote to the perfect superweapon.

Von is a prequel story in the RED RAIN series, a fast-paced Christian sci-fi adventure that’s perfect for fans of THE HUNGER GAMES and LEFT BEHIND.

110 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 1, 2025

About the author

Rachel Newhouse is an author, wife, secretary, and Sunday school teacher from Kansas City, Missouri. Her obsessions are sci-fi, dystopian, and kid lit. When she’s not writing, she’s cooking Asian food, growing chilis that are too spicy to eat, and watching wildly age-inappropriate shows like My Little Pony and Gravity Falls with her husband, Joe. She also really likes glitter. You’ve been warned.

Reviews

[Rachel Newhouse]

Oh, sure, let's take Nic's already complicated backstory and add the CRUSHING DISAPPOINTMENT OF HIS FATHER to the mix. That sounds like a great idea, Rachel.

I kid--there's more to it than that. Including some really spicy foreshadowing. I hope you like it.

[Jonathan Lovelace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably my least favorite in this series so far ... but that's because of me, not the story.

In both books and movies, among the stories I enjoy least are those where I know going in that the story will end in disaster. Even if there is not only a happy ending beyond, but a happier ending, I will (like Susan and Lucy at Aslan's death) avert my eyes and shout "I can't look!", or put a book down and refuse to pick it up until I'm emotionally ready (and even then, often, skip forward).

There's good reason why I love "fix-it" fanfiction of my favorite fandoms, and start rereading Pride and Prejudice or A Civil Campaign at a point after The Letter, and never felt significantly attracted to the Star Wars prequels.

So when a prequel novella from a favorite author, focusing on a character whose years-ago "worse than death" fate had already been a major plot point, came out with minimal fanfare (on the first of April) not long after I upgraded my Kindle and so all my sideloaded ebooks showed up as "unread" again ... I regret to say I let it sit unread for ten months.

And when I finally picked it up, it was as I expected, only more so. The story of how, as the totalitarian "United" consolidated power, Nic's and Cea's heroic (yet morally complicated in some ways) father became a martyr without actually dying, told with Rachel Newhouse's trademark "can't-put-it-down" narrative voice. Yet more details and connections to almost every other installment in the series. And add "tragedy" to the seemingly-ever-growing list of "notes the series has hit," or "strings to Mrs. Newhouse's bow" (if it wasn't on the list already).

And like so many of the stories in this series, only more so, I feel I must say both that I suffered through more than enjoyed this story ... and that fans of the series who enjoy dystopia, character angst, and tragic backstories should find "Von" right up their alley.

I received a "free" electronic copy of "Von" as a financial supporter on the author's Patreon. This review is adapted from this post on my blog.

[Angie Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gaaaaaah, I loved this! Dr. Von is just <3<3<3<3<3, and I loved seeing his perspective of the scene in the observatory especially, even though certain other scenes broke my heart. Loved their versions of non-compliance as well, especially the scene at the beginning and the bits with the camps. That was hilarious! But the scene at the end was so sad--and yet still a vital link in earlier books. Now I want to know if all the rest of that work is going to come into play somehow!

[Jessica Goeken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, I read this book in one sitting. Newhouse’s stories flow so well together it makes it easy. If you’re familiar with Red Rain then you already know where this particular story is going to end, and the last chapter is gut wrenching.