The Annual Migration of Clouds
Author: Premee Mohamed
Published: 2021 by ECW Press
Right from the start, The Annual Migration of Clouds is a great read.
Author Premee Mohamed does an amazing job of creating an extremely interesting post-disaster world set in Alberta within the confines of a 160-page novella. There is a real skill to world-building in a smaller format, and Mohamed manages it exceptionally well. You are drawn in quickly and immediately want to know more.
Ah, and therein lies the disappointment.
By the end of the book, readers are left with so many questions about the disaster that changed everything, the world that now exists as a result, and the path the main characters are on. The novella creates a high level of initial frustration because there is so much more you want to know.
Then again, perhaps that is simply a case of building anticipation.
This book was released in 2021, and if you had read it upon release, you would have been begging for a sequel. Looking at it from the perspective of 2026, however, you at least know more of the story is available. In 2024, the 148-page follow-up, We Speak Through the Mountain, was released, and in 2025, a third 148-page novella in the series, The First Thousand Trees, followed. (I hope to review both in the future.)
As a quick overview, The Annual Migration of Clouds takes place in Alberta. I love it when a Canadian author sets a story in Canada, as we are frankly deluged with American settings and perspectives, leaving too many readers underappreciating Canadian stories and voices.
While many post-disaster books exist—Canadian gems such as Station Eleven and The Marrow Thieves quickly come to mind—Mohamed offers an interesting twist. Some of the survivors are infected by a little-understood parasite that may be controlling them more than they realize.
“Then came Cad, mysterious mind-altering fungi that invade the bodies of the now-scattered citizenry. Reid, a young woman who carries this parasite, has been given a chance to get away—to move to one of the last remnants of pre-disaster society—but she can’t bring herself to abandon her mother and the community that relies on her,” explains the book’s official description.
The dual nature of this book—the disaster itself, its origins, and the new reality that emerged from it—combined with the mystery of the parasite, elevates the novella considerably. It delivers a highly enjoyable reading experience while remaining a quick and accessible read.
Mark this one as a must-read if you enjoy glimpses into what feels like an all-too-real possibility for our future.
About Author
Calvin Daniels is a Saskatchewan-born, self-taught journalist. He is currently Editor of Yorkton This Week, with 35-years in the newspaper business.
The Annual Migration of Clouds
Author: Premee Mohamed
Published: 2021 by ECW Press
Right from the start, The Annual Migration of Clouds is a great read.
Author Premee Mohamed does an amazing job of creating an extremely interesting post-disaster world set in Alberta within the confines of a 160-page novella. There is a real skill to world-building in a smaller format, and Mohamed manages it exceptionally well. You are drawn in quickly and immediately want to know more.
Ah, and therein lies the disappointment.
By the end of the book, readers are left with so many questions about the disaster that changed everything, the world that now exists as a result, and the path the main characters are on. The novella creates a high level of initial frustration because there is so much more you want to know.
Then again, perhaps that is simply a case of building anticipation.
This book was released in 2021, and if you had read it upon release, you would have been begging for a sequel. Looking at it from the perspective of 2026, however, you at least know more of the story is available. In 2024, the 148-page follow-up, We Speak Through the Mountain, was released, and in 2025, a third 148-page novella in the series, The First Thousand Trees, followed. (I hope to review both in the future.)
As a quick overview, The Annual Migration of Clouds takes place in Alberta. I love it when a Canadian author sets a story in Canada, as we are frankly deluged with American settings and perspectives, leaving too many readers underappreciating Canadian stories and voices.
While many post-disaster books exist—Canadian gems such as Station Eleven and The Marrow Thieves quickly come to mind—Mohamed offers an interesting twist. Some of the survivors are infected by a little-understood parasite that may be controlling them more than they realize.
“Then came Cad, mysterious mind-altering fungi that invade the bodies of the now-scattered citizenry. Reid, a young woman who carries this parasite, has been given a chance to get away—to move to one of the last remnants of pre-disaster society—but she can’t bring herself to abandon her mother and the community that relies on her,” explains the book’s official description.
The dual nature of this book—the disaster itself, its origins, and the new reality that emerged from it—combined with the mystery of the parasite, elevates the novella considerably. It delivers a highly enjoyable reading experience while remaining a quick and accessible read.
Mark this one as a must-read if you enjoy glimpses into what feels like an all-too-real possibility for our future.
About Author
Calvin Daniels
Calvin Daniels is a Saskatchewan-born, self-taught journalist. He is currently Editor of Yorkton This Week, with 35-years in the newspaper business.
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