The Light Pirate

"Brooks-Dalton has a different sort of vision for the post-apocalypse, one that’s not so dystopian . . . It’s good to read an alternate and more hopeful story of how life might be experienced on a planet that is partly dying but also evolving, even if fewer humans remain."

"A reverent observation of nature’s power . . . The novel rewards readers with peace and solace after persevering through a series of tragedies that feel too close to home. The Light Pirate is a symphony of beauty and heartbreak, survival and loneliness. Combined, it’s a haunting melody of nature."

“Feels like a small miracle: a book about a world wrecked by climate change that manages to be full of warmth and compassion . . . The real genius of The Light Pirate lies in the gentleness with which Brooks-Dalton treats her characters . . . Proof that climate fiction is maturing, producing works that are both nuanced and nourishing.”

"A formidable young woman’s coming-of-age . . . Brooks-Dalton creates an all-too-believable picture of nature reclaiming Florida from its human inhabitants, and her complex and engaging characters make climate disaster a vividly individual experience rather than an abstract subject of debate."

“Brooks-Dalton paints a luminous and wrenching portrait of a frighteningly possible future.”

“Harrowing and hopeful, Pirate reveals an all-too-possible future.”

"Timely . . . Reminiscent of Delia Owens' Where the Crawdads Sing, readers especially loved Brooks-Dalton's vivid writing style."

"Gripping . . .  sustains a steady pace from one storm to the next. Climate fiction aficionados will eat this up."

"A devastatingly beautiful, yet heavy story that pictures a dystopian American in the midst of climate change disaster . . . Wanda’s deep connection to her home and a special ability keep her tethered to a place she loves, with people she loves, even if disaster has diminished the community."

"A stunning work of literary fiction . . . Both an urgent reminder of the various crises that our planet faces and a tender meditation on change and adaptability, The Light Pirate is one of the best, most sobering and downright gorgeous novels I have read in quite some time. Right from the start, Brooks-Dalton immerses readers in the tension and immediacy of an approaching storm, employing the crackling energy not just in the atmosphere but also in her characters’ inner lives . . . A searing call to action that is as daring as it is luminous and moving, [Brooks-Dalton's novel] is an instant classic and a damning portrait of our time."

“There is a luminescence here, a force that takes on a quality of the intelligence of the universe. In the glow of that light, hope and exhilaration bloom. And in these moments before the new, violent storm hits its readers, the world of this novel is unforgettable.”

“A symphony of beauty and heartbreak, survival and loneliness. Combined, it’s a haunting melody of nature.”

"Riveting, imaginative, and encouraging."

“This is one of the most daring, deeply imagined and moving novels I have read. The writer asks us to consider a near-apocalyptic future, but, in prose that is beautiful and precise, Brooks-Dalton offers us hope that we are capable of remaking this world as a gentler and more generous-hearted place. Readers will not forget this beautiful book.”

"I read this book in a whirlwind, voracious as the hurricanes at its heart. Lily Brooks-Dalton writes with the kind of intricate sensitivity that leaves one grateful to be—faultily, flimsily, adaptably, temporarily—human. Harrowing, tender, and urgent, The Light Pirate is a novel of global scope and exquisite intimacy."

"Lily Brooks-Dalton is an audacious, exquisite writer whose work pulses with humanity and hope. In The Light Pirate, her mesmerizing new novel, Brooks-Dalton achieves the impossible: she leaves us feeling grateful to be alive even as she describes, with pinpoint precision, the end of the world as we know it. Gripping, poetic, and wholly original, this book changed how I see the future. I’ll never forget it."

"This is fiction of rare and riveting achievement: it is equal parts prophecy, elegy, and revelation. The Light Pirate describes a world much like ours, one of rising seas and changing coastlines, and peers around the corner into the future to show us what awaits. How will human beings endure such loss? How will we mourn, and how will we persist? Lily Brooks-Dalton has captured the fragile beauty of our world, and our lives, with a tenderness that is both moving and galvanizing." 

PRAISE FOR GOOD MORNING, MIDNIGHT:

"Lily Brooks-Dalton is an uncanny chronicler of desolate spaces, whether it’s the cold expanse of the universe or the deepest recesses of the human heart.”

"Fans of Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven and Kim Stanley Robinson’s Aurora will appreciate Brooks-Dalton’s exquisite exploration of relationships in extreme environments."

"Brooks-Dalton writes beautifully about ambition, loss, grief, and, most compellingly, what it means to love and be loved."

"A truly original novel, otherworldly and profoundly human . . . This beautiful story reminds us of our deep longing for connection—with those we love, with strangers, with ourselves. We come to understand that, across time and distance, in the face of isolation and emptiness, it is tenderness and communication that keep us tethered to each other."

PRAISE FOR MOTORCYCLES I'VE LOVED:

"Lily Brooks-Dalton is wonderful, fresh on the scene with a big heart, a fierce spirit, a writer's eye, and a lovely sense of humor.”

"Lily Brooks-Dalton has blazed a trail all her own."

"Wow! A MUST READ! . . . Brooks-Dalton’s wonderful characters draw you in and her immersive settings capture the beauty of nature and its power, making for an incredible read."