cover image The Yellowstone Group

The Yellowstone Group

Robert Culliton. Robert Culliton, $12.99 trade paper (290p) ISBN 978-1-977079-84-8

The urgency of surviving a rapidly cooling Earth takes a back seat to the narrator’s laissez-faire coming-of-age in Culliton’s chilly debut. In the near future, reflective material is injected into the atmosphere to hinder global warming, but the result is a frost. Seeking direction and self-worth, recent college graduate and engineer Sam Roberts moves from New York to Wyoming to join the Yellowstone Group think tank to design solutions for adapting to the cold. Led by erratic venture capitalist Hermann, the group consists of geneticist Meaghan, veterinarian Caroline, geothermal engineer Dave, and Sam, who is building a prototype bicycle that can travel over snow. Consistently doubting his value among the other scientists, Sam observes nature, learns to ski, attends a Mongolian funeral rite, remembers childhood trauma, and frets over genetic manipulation. The meager science-fiction premise is subordinate to the vignettes, observations, and philosophical musing. Despite cumbersome language, the story succeeds in delivering its message of developing a sense of purpose as one cares for the environment. [em](BookLife) [/em]