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THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, MAY 29, 2021 • B1
Local author releases
apocalypse novel
Novel imagines life after Cascadia
Calvin Cahail
By JANAE EASLON
For The Astorian
I
magine Astoria in the midst of an apocalypse after the “Big One.”
The novel, “Edge of Darkness,” by local author Calvin Cahail,
takes its readers right into the middle of the action after a Cas-
cadia Subduction Zone earthquake and tsunami, where the survi-
vors are left to navigate the aftermath — right in the heart of Astoria.
The novel’s main character,
Jason, is separated from his wife.
He sets out to fi nd her while sur-
viving without food, shelter and
clean water.
Cahail retired early after work-
ing years in the restaurant indus-
try. He has traveled all over the
world for his career. After living
in Costa Rica, he moved to Asto-
ria full-time.
Cahail’s inspiration for the
book came from an emergency
planning meeting he attended at
his wife’s workplace, Cahail said.
“It quickly started to veer toward
the Cascadia fault. And many peo-
ple may want to put their head in
the sand about it but it is something
to think about,” Cahail said.
Quickly, Cahail realized if the
disaster did happen, he would be
separated from his wife for possi-
bly weeks if she was at work and
he was at home, he said.
“I thought that storyline would
make a wonderful book,” Cahail
said. “And that is how I got
started.”
The book details the disaster
and how it may happen but the real
story is what is going on in Jason’s
head, Cahail said.
“He doesn’t know if she is alive
and it is that struggle that is the
real key to the book,” he said.
WHERE TO
PURCHASE
THE BOOK
‘Edge of Darkness’ is available to
purchase at Godfather’s Books,
Beach Books, Amazon and the Asto-
ria Sunday Market.
One review by a reader on
Amazon states, “The storyline
is suspenseful and right on track
about major issues survivors
would face after a CSZ event.
Its survival advice is integrated
into the story, none of that obvi-
ous product placement this genre
tends to suff er from. The char-
acters are interesting, not cook-
ie-cutter heroes, and well drawn.
I particularly liked the one who’s
battling his own addiction and
grief while still trying to help
others.”
Cahail sees the cataclysmic
event as the antagonist because
it pushes against the hero. While
some writers allow the characters
to tell the story, Cahail likes to see
confl ict as the key, he said.
“If you are going out to sea in a
ship, you are likely to have a rud-
der or a way to get you where you
need to go,” Cahail said. “Con-
fl icts are the key to me. If you
have good characters and they
have legitimate reasons for having
confl ict, the confl icts will be the
rudder and keep the story going.
The reader will want to keep turn-
ing the pages.”
Cahail will sell his novel at the
Astoria Sunday Market so readers
can meet him in person to learn
more.