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The Swallowed World #1
The Swallowed World
THE FUTURE IS WRITTEN.
AT THE END OF OUR WORLD IT BEGINS.
THE GREAT RIFT N. Amer. informal
the wholesale collapse of the United States of America as a political and federal entity in Y3 of the DILUVIAN ERA. Major contributing factors: mass flooding of old coastal power centers; the PETROL DROUGHT and resultant crippling of transit and supply lines; the NUTRICIDE attacks and impending nation-wide famine; the ecological CALAMITIES and shortfall of aid in affected regions; and burgeoning separatist camps ushering in the sectarian bloodbath of the OLD STATE CLASHES. The fractured country plunged headlong into a new age of war, industry, and technology from which there was no returning.
(from Terminology of Post-Rift America, 3rd Ed., Y64, DE)
So begins THE SWALLOWED WORLD—a bold new futurist saga. At the crossroads of innovation and collapse, genius and madness, humankind faces the ultimate trial to which all must submit: Transformation or extinction. From literary to science fiction, horror to allegory, the apocalyptic to the mythic—this multi-volume epic is a window into a truly alien future civilization; deep in worldbuilding, rich in character, breathtaking in scope.
BOOK ONE of The Swallowed World saga opens some fifty years after the Great Rift that shattered the continent, when America is again uncharted and wild. At civilization's edge, the drowned peninsula once known as Florida, a world-weary outlaw finds himself smuggling the one cargo he never dreamed he'd possess—the future of the human race.
*This book is intended for mature readers.*
AT THE END OF OUR WORLD IT BEGINS.
THE GREAT RIFT N. Amer. informal
the wholesale collapse of the United States of America as a political and federal entity in Y3 of the DILUVIAN ERA. Major contributing factors: mass flooding of old coastal power centers; the PETROL DROUGHT and resultant crippling of transit and supply lines; the NUTRICIDE attacks and impending nation-wide famine; the ecological CALAMITIES and shortfall of aid in affected regions; and burgeoning separatist camps ushering in the sectarian bloodbath of the OLD STATE CLASHES. The fractured country plunged headlong into a new age of war, industry, and technology from which there was no returning.
(from Terminology of Post-Rift America, 3rd Ed., Y64, DE)
So begins THE SWALLOWED WORLD—a bold new futurist saga. At the crossroads of innovation and collapse, genius and madness, humankind faces the ultimate trial to which all must submit: Transformation or extinction. From literary to science fiction, horror to allegory, the apocalyptic to the mythic—this multi-volume epic is a window into a truly alien future civilization; deep in worldbuilding, rich in character, breathtaking in scope.
BOOK ONE of The Swallowed World saga opens some fifty years after the Great Rift that shattered the continent, when America is again uncharted and wild. At civilization's edge, the drowned peninsula once known as Florida, a world-weary outlaw finds himself smuggling the one cargo he never dreamed he'd possess—the future of the human race.
*This book is intended for mature readers.*
274 pages, Paperback
Published June 29, 2017
14 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
About the author
Tyler Bumpus
4 books6 followersTyler Bumpus is a human author from the Sunshine State. Yes, he is indeed the fabled and ghastly ‘Florida Man’ of urban legend and American folklore. When not prowling the swamps and beaches and Wendy’s drive-thrus of his native land, he occasionally writes things:
- The brand-spanking-new sci-fi/comedy MOONERS: a catastrophic sci-fi comedy
- The Swallowed World Saga, Books One & Two
- Awful high-school poetry in a spiral notebook
- A scathing fourth-grade book report on Goosebumps: You Can’t Scare Me! (Spoilers: those mud monsters weren’t even real mud monsters! Boo! Lame.)
(Two of those classics are sadly out of print.) Presently, he is at work on more Mooners novels for all of your moony needs. Follow him at tylerbumpus.com, as well as a bunch of crappy social medias he barely touches.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 19, 2020
This is a stark and startling look at life after the collapse. It's rare to find a post-apocalyptic book which feels like a truly unique setting, yet Tyler has managed it. You're thrown headfirst into this turbulent and deep world which is perched on the edge of a fresh disaster, and a host of three dimensional characters are there for you to tag along with.
The characters feel like true denizens of this rough world, and none of them are perfect - most pertinently Albert, the main character. You can't help but feel for them as they struggle through the unforgiving wetlands, and discover that no matter how bad some characters seem, there's always someone around the corner to be just that bit worse.
The world-building itself is worth a mention. Everything here has been really well thought out, and is one of the few books with a glossary that I've actually actively read through with interest. If you like your worlds fully fleshed and deep, then look no further.
I'm looking forward to the next installment.
The characters feel like true denizens of this rough world, and none of them are perfect - most pertinently Albert, the main character. You can't help but feel for them as they struggle through the unforgiving wetlands, and discover that no matter how bad some characters seem, there's always someone around the corner to be just that bit worse.
The world-building itself is worth a mention. Everything here has been really well thought out, and is one of the few books with a glossary that I've actually actively read through with interest. If you like your worlds fully fleshed and deep, then look no further.
I'm looking forward to the next installment.
April 5, 2016
In The Eternal Season (The Swallowed World Book 1), Tyler Bumpus tells a powerful story and paints a vivid picture of the future of America after it has been ravaged and divided by environmental catastrophes, lost many to famine, fought terrorism, faced governmental collapse, and has seen its world modified by genetic engineering. The society Bumpus has created is so detailed and intricate that he has included a glossary and a detailed map to help the reader navigate and understand this hostile and often depraved world.
The characters are believable, multi-layered and complex. The dialog is authentic to each character and gives the reader insight into the range of emotions they experience and the motivations that drive them as they struggle to survive in this world where humanity is a rarity and self-preservation in a common theme. This is not normally a genre I read, but I really enjoyed being immersed in this volatile world and found myself totally engrossed. It is science fiction with a bit of mysticism. It is quite intense and has some adult themes.
I found the ending very satisfying and true to the story. I look forward to the Book 2 and highly recommend this novel.
The characters are believable, multi-layered and complex. The dialog is authentic to each character and gives the reader insight into the range of emotions they experience and the motivations that drive them as they struggle to survive in this world where humanity is a rarity and self-preservation in a common theme. This is not normally a genre I read, but I really enjoyed being immersed in this volatile world and found myself totally engrossed. It is science fiction with a bit of mysticism. It is quite intense and has some adult themes.
I found the ending very satisfying and true to the story. I look forward to the Book 2 and highly recommend this novel.
January 31, 2019
"The Swallowed World" is the first book I've read that truly sprung from the womb of Goodreads. I read Bumpus' review of Gene Wolfe's "Shadow & Claw" (a book I won't pretend to like or understand), and found it thoughtful and insightful so I sought out this book. Being a fan already of the "our world is broken" genre ("Damnation Alley", "Earth Abides", "the Road", early Ballard etc.) I found this rather short book to be a worthy entry to the field.
Bumpus clearly relishes world-building; the story itself is 150 pages but is buttressed with a further 70+ pages of maps, glossaries, and appendices. Knowing there are further books to come in the series I assume much of this mountain of information will come into play further down the road.
The plot is boilerplate escape from the cataclysm, but the evolution of the protagonist and his newfound relationship with his strange bastard son, the world of sunken Florida, and Bumpus' ear for dialogue make this an intriguing quick read, and I will seek out the other books in this series.
Bumpus clearly relishes world-building; the story itself is 150 pages but is buttressed with a further 70+ pages of maps, glossaries, and appendices. Knowing there are further books to come in the series I assume much of this mountain of information will come into play further down the road.
The plot is boilerplate escape from the cataclysm, but the evolution of the protagonist and his newfound relationship with his strange bastard son, the world of sunken Florida, and Bumpus' ear for dialogue make this an intriguing quick read, and I will seek out the other books in this series.
July 28, 2023
Traveling through the "boundless" swamp of Florida in 1832, Charles Joseph Latrobe echoed others who had once, long before his arrival, called it the "Land of Disappointment." There were rumors that Florida came with a certain charm, that after passing through South Carolina and Georgia, a person might come upon some vast, peculiar beauty. But the underwhelming truth, in the eyes of Latrobe, was that Florida made him feel aimless and rudderless, like he was in a constant struggle, exhausted, never knowing if he'd achieved any progress, never knowing if he was any closer to where he wanted to be. At one point referring to an "Alligator Sink," Latrobe went on to say that "the quantity of those monsters was so great when they ascended in the spring from its unknown recesses, that the whole circle was as full as a tub of eels."
What Tyler Bumpus has done here, in this eerie and unnerving tale, is to imagine a future world that looks a lot like the one Charles Latrobe experienced in the past. Truth be told, I was mesmerized by the visual on the very first page, a map of this diluviated (flooded) state that feels intimately disconcerting for any current Floridian, such as I am. We are then submerged, right into the middle of that map, right into the mind of a flawed and rugged character, caught somewhere between a life that feels semi-normal, somewhere near modern Tallahassee, and a wetter, more dangerous life near whatever is left of modern Lake Okeechobee. At one point, nearer to the end, we're introduced to a terrifying group, and a philosophy of human consciousness, that nearly embodies the darkness of Thomas Ligotti's Conspiracy Against the Human Race. The best part of this novel is that Bumpus treats his readers with intelligence, never slanting too far toward the unbelievable extremes of Planet of the Apes or Total Recall, but giving us just enough in the way of nugget-artifacts and local-name-changes from the world we're familiar, enough to keep us grounded and reminded of how easily our world, our state, our children could be swallowed up by our present, persistent, and collective disregard of the climate.
What Tyler Bumpus has done here, in this eerie and unnerving tale, is to imagine a future world that looks a lot like the one Charles Latrobe experienced in the past. Truth be told, I was mesmerized by the visual on the very first page, a map of this diluviated (flooded) state that feels intimately disconcerting for any current Floridian, such as I am. We are then submerged, right into the middle of that map, right into the mind of a flawed and rugged character, caught somewhere between a life that feels semi-normal, somewhere near modern Tallahassee, and a wetter, more dangerous life near whatever is left of modern Lake Okeechobee. At one point, nearer to the end, we're introduced to a terrifying group, and a philosophy of human consciousness, that nearly embodies the darkness of Thomas Ligotti's Conspiracy Against the Human Race. The best part of this novel is that Bumpus treats his readers with intelligence, never slanting too far toward the unbelievable extremes of Planet of the Apes or Total Recall, but giving us just enough in the way of nugget-artifacts and local-name-changes from the world we're familiar, enough to keep us grounded and reminded of how easily our world, our state, our children could be swallowed up by our present, persistent, and collective disregard of the climate.
February 6, 2018
With exquisite prose, very human characters and a level of detail that you rarely see these days, Bumpus tells a tight story in a unique world that feels expansive and lived in... even as it's trying to kill everyone in it.
Gatorbrids, Newfolk, The Haze, Nutricides, Refab Farms and the Virgin Army, The Swallowed World is packed full of curiosities and horrors the suggest a world run rampant in retaliation to one disaster after another. This is an Earth gone wrong, but one that still feels very real.
With Gene-splicing an everyday occurrence, the very idea of what it means to be human has expanded beyond conventional bounds. The core of humanity is still there though, we love and we hate, we hurt one another and we hurt ourselves. The characters of The Swallowed World are some of the best I've ever read, they're well rounded with strengths and flaws to match.
Anyone can sling a few sentences together to tell a story, but you can instantly recognize when someone has taken the time and effort to craft a world that is actually worth writing about. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the sequels to The Swallowed World, I'm excited to see where this series will take me.
Gatorbrids, Newfolk, The Haze, Nutricides, Refab Farms and the Virgin Army, The Swallowed World is packed full of curiosities and horrors the suggest a world run rampant in retaliation to one disaster after another. This is an Earth gone wrong, but one that still feels very real.
With Gene-splicing an everyday occurrence, the very idea of what it means to be human has expanded beyond conventional bounds. The core of humanity is still there though, we love and we hate, we hurt one another and we hurt ourselves. The characters of The Swallowed World are some of the best I've ever read, they're well rounded with strengths and flaws to match.
Anyone can sling a few sentences together to tell a story, but you can instantly recognize when someone has taken the time and effort to craft a world that is actually worth writing about. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the sequels to The Swallowed World, I'm excited to see where this series will take me.
March 4, 2018
Short without a satisfying conclusion, but well written
Honestly, wait for a sale on this one. The author is an amazingly gifted wordsmith and world-builder, but plot-wise in this book, nothing really happens. It reads a lot like Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, but both characters don’t really go anywhere and there isn’t an ending.
This book should have been provided for free or $0.99 and not cost $2.99, as it’s really just a prelude novella to a much bigger world. The Glossary and Appendix are one-third the page count.
It’s clear the author worked very hard on building his world and working through each line he wrote, but the book feels like a let-down and honestly, a bit of a sucker punch to my gut due to how it ended. I don’t like posting negative reviews, so the stars I’ve given should be taken as a testament to the talent the author has, but not necessarily the work being presented.
Honestly, wait for a sale on this one. The author is an amazingly gifted wordsmith and world-builder, but plot-wise in this book, nothing really happens. It reads a lot like Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, but both characters don’t really go anywhere and there isn’t an ending.
This book should have been provided for free or $0.99 and not cost $2.99, as it’s really just a prelude novella to a much bigger world. The Glossary and Appendix are one-third the page count.
It’s clear the author worked very hard on building his world and working through each line he wrote, but the book feels like a let-down and honestly, a bit of a sucker punch to my gut due to how it ended. I don’t like posting negative reviews, so the stars I’ve given should be taken as a testament to the talent the author has, but not necessarily the work being presented.
March 22, 2020
Full disclosure here: Tyler Bumpus is my cousin. As a children's book writer, though, I don't often read long books. This was an easy read though. Great characters you really care about. Vivid descriptions. The author paints an extremely realistic look at what could be the not too distant future. Very imaginative, and bring your own imagination with as you dive in, you'll need every bit of it to keep up. A real page turner, I was hooked. Well done!
May 10, 2018
It took me a bit to get into this book. The story was not very compelling until midway and they it really sped up. The style is easy to read and keeps you coming back for more and the characters are the type that leave you asking questions.
May 2, 2016
The Swallowed World is a tour de force: taking the reader on a journey that is both realistic and allegorical in equal measure. This is the hell of humanity struggling for survival in a drowning world, and highlighting a fact with which we are all sadly too familiar: adversity brings out the worst in most people. As sea levels rise and swallow the land, so the evil that men do swallows their capacity for good. Hope lingers, however in another human characteristic – curiously highlighted in a genetically engineered version of ourselves: our capacity for fellow feeling, for empathy. It is something that even in the most terrible of circumstances the old, brutal and scarred are still capable of, though they may need to be reconnected to it by the young.
It is of course axiomatic that the creators of imagined worlds suspend their readers’ disbelief by supplying them with detail credible enough to bring that world to life. Tyler Bumpus takes this to a level I have not come across before, with intricately and convincingly detailed descriptions of the history and geography of this “swallowed” world. 20% of the book is a fascinating glossary of terms, carefully defined and cross-referenced, which not only enlightens and illuminates this volume but I suspect is an essential reference tool for future volumes in the series. There are also two appendices purporting to be by other writers from within this world, the second of which is the printed form of a fragment of a draft manuscript containing the author’s edits, the odd spelling mistake duly highlighted in academic fashion [sic] and an increasing number of ‘illegibilities’ as the writer falls further under the spell of the book he is studying and his nemesis approaches.
Each of the characters in this tale of a world that may well be coming has his or her own distinctive voice, and the language is rich, colourful and often poetic. There is precision, wit and clarity. His ‘Uncle’ character brought to mind Colonel Walter E Kurtz in Apocalypse Now, though by then, it seemed to me, we were in blood stepped in so far as to have waded a fair way into Dante’s Inferno. But just as it seems inevitable that every hope and decency must be burned and purged away in this purgatory of damned souls, salvation of a sort is found in the keeping of a promise and – finally - a selfless act.
This is a brilliantly written, very closely observed, richly detailed and - most importantly – deeply philosophical work from a writer whose career I will follow with interest. I recommend it – and him - to you without reservation.
It is of course axiomatic that the creators of imagined worlds suspend their readers’ disbelief by supplying them with detail credible enough to bring that world to life. Tyler Bumpus takes this to a level I have not come across before, with intricately and convincingly detailed descriptions of the history and geography of this “swallowed” world. 20% of the book is a fascinating glossary of terms, carefully defined and cross-referenced, which not only enlightens and illuminates this volume but I suspect is an essential reference tool for future volumes in the series. There are also two appendices purporting to be by other writers from within this world, the second of which is the printed form of a fragment of a draft manuscript containing the author’s edits, the odd spelling mistake duly highlighted in academic fashion [sic] and an increasing number of ‘illegibilities’ as the writer falls further under the spell of the book he is studying and his nemesis approaches.
Each of the characters in this tale of a world that may well be coming has his or her own distinctive voice, and the language is rich, colourful and often poetic. There is precision, wit and clarity. His ‘Uncle’ character brought to mind Colonel Walter E Kurtz in Apocalypse Now, though by then, it seemed to me, we were in blood stepped in so far as to have waded a fair way into Dante’s Inferno. But just as it seems inevitable that every hope and decency must be burned and purged away in this purgatory of damned souls, salvation of a sort is found in the keeping of a promise and – finally - a selfless act.
This is a brilliantly written, very closely observed, richly detailed and - most importantly – deeply philosophical work from a writer whose career I will follow with interest. I recommend it – and him - to you without reservation.
February 28, 2016
I've been wracking my brain for the past 12 hours trying to figure out just how to express how much I liked this book.
There is world building going on here the likes of which I have not seen for a long, long time. A future North American continent that has been laid waste by not only geological catastrophes and apocalyptic weather, but also by war, famine, and disease. All of these things lead to a perfect storm that literally breaks the world. The book was reminiscent of Aftermath by LeVar Burton and The Road.
Amongst all of this ruin, there is incredible technology still being used. It's an amazing blend of a technological society living in a new dark age. There is also a hint of the evolution of human beings and a hope that something better may rise out of this broken world, although I have a sneaking suspicion that things are gonna get worse before they get better.
The characters of this story.... wow. You're going to run the range of emotions with them. I very much liked the fact that the main character count was kept low. I often have a hard time following who's doing what when I'm having to follow a bunch of different characters. Kudos to Mr. Bumpus for keeping it simple and letting me get to really know a select few instead of hardly getting to know a bunch.
This story is for mature readers. There is not a lot of terrible violence spread throughout, but there is one particular part that... well, when you get there, you'll know it.
The author graciously included a glossary, which to be honest, is worth the price of the book alone. It's a story in and of itself. Not to mention maps and chapter art. You can tell that Mr. Bumpus put a tremendous amount of work into this story and to say I'm excited to read new books as they come out is an understatement.
There is world building going on here the likes of which I have not seen for a long, long time. A future North American continent that has been laid waste by not only geological catastrophes and apocalyptic weather, but also by war, famine, and disease. All of these things lead to a perfect storm that literally breaks the world. The book was reminiscent of Aftermath by LeVar Burton and The Road.
Amongst all of this ruin, there is incredible technology still being used. It's an amazing blend of a technological society living in a new dark age. There is also a hint of the evolution of human beings and a hope that something better may rise out of this broken world, although I have a sneaking suspicion that things are gonna get worse before they get better.
The characters of this story.... wow. You're going to run the range of emotions with them. I very much liked the fact that the main character count was kept low. I often have a hard time following who's doing what when I'm having to follow a bunch of different characters. Kudos to Mr. Bumpus for keeping it simple and letting me get to really know a select few instead of hardly getting to know a bunch.
This story is for mature readers. There is not a lot of terrible violence spread throughout, but there is one particular part that... well, when you get there, you'll know it.
The author graciously included a glossary, which to be honest, is worth the price of the book alone. It's a story in and of itself. Not to mention maps and chapter art. You can tell that Mr. Bumpus put a tremendous amount of work into this story and to say I'm excited to read new books as they come out is an understatement.
April 25, 2016
I understand that there is a new subgenre gaining popularity: global warming apocalypse fiction. It’s not a topic I would normally find attractive; I prefer my fantasy peril less realistic. But I took a chance on The Eternal Season, and I am so glad I did. I read it in one sitting. I simply could not put it down.
This book is a remarkable achievement for what appears to be the author’s first novel. It is terrifying in its realism and specificity, heartbreaking in its losses and cruelties, and breathtaking in its scope. The author has created a violent and detailed world of the near future, its more sci-fi elements grounded in the realities of human nature. Presumably we will see even more of this altered American landscape in the sequels in progress. Albert, Raoul, and Remy are by turns captivating, flawed, frightening, and beautiful. This may be the best indie novel I’ve yet read. I highly recommend this book.
This book is a remarkable achievement for what appears to be the author’s first novel. It is terrifying in its realism and specificity, heartbreaking in its losses and cruelties, and breathtaking in its scope. The author has created a violent and detailed world of the near future, its more sci-fi elements grounded in the realities of human nature. Presumably we will see even more of this altered American landscape in the sequels in progress. Albert, Raoul, and Remy are by turns captivating, flawed, frightening, and beautiful. This may be the best indie novel I’ve yet read. I highly recommend this book.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews