Eye Of The Storm: Tempest Tales!

Six survival stories where extreme weather changes everything

ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS: SCOTT O'DELL (1960)

Karana’s tribe leaves the island, and she is accidentally left behind and forced to survive alone for years. Isolated by storms and harsh weather, she develops courage, independence and a deep connection to the natural world. O’Dell presents nature as both dangerous and sustaining, shaping Karana into a resilient and compassionate survivor.

LIFE OF PI: YANN MARTEL (2001)

When his ship sinks during a tempest, Pi Patel is stranded on a lifeboat with Richard Parker, a Bengal tiger. The sea immediately becomes both his jailor and teacher. Martel describes the storm with terrifying beauty, showing nature as unpredictable, overwhelming and strangely spiritual: an extraordinary survival adventure ensues.

THE PERFECT STORM: SEBASTIAN JUNGER (1997)

The terrifying force of a real Atlantic mega-storm traps the crew of the Andrea Gail at sea. Junger combines real-life research with vivid storytelling to depict towering waves, hurricane winds and the helplessness of humans against nature. The storm is depicted with brutal realism, creating tension, tragedy and awe through its relentless, destructive power.

THE STORM: ARIF ANWAR (2018)

Shahryar reflects upon his family’s history, beginning in a village on the Bay of Bengal, where a poor fisherman, Jamir, and his wife Honufa, prepare to face a cyclone of historic proportions. Anwar’s far-reaching historical fiction interlaces multiple storylines across continents and decades, with a narrative sweep that mirror the storm’s devastating path.

THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ: L. FRANK BAUM (1900)

A violent cyclone transports Dorothy and her dog Toto from the prosaic world of Kansas into the magical land of Oz. Baum presents the cyclone as a symbol of both danger and transformation – it launches Dorothy into a technicolour, often terrifying world and, despite all her adventures and newfound friendships, she soon realises there’s no place like home.

TYPHOON: JOSEPH CONRAD (1902)

A steamship sails directly into a devastating typhoon in the South China Sea. Conrad creates intense suspense as Captain MacWhirr and his crew struggle against massive swells and violent winds – the typhoon dominates the story, symbolising nature’s overwhelming force and testing the courage, endurance and sanity of everyone on board.