Force of Nature (novel)

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Force of Nature
Author Jane Harper
LanguageEnglish
SeriesAaron Falk
GenreNovel
Publisher Pan Macmillan
Publication date
26 September 2017
Publication placeAustralia
Media typePrint
Pages377 pp.
ISBN 9781760554781
Preceded by The Dry  
Followed by Exiles  

Force of Nature is a 2017 novel by the Australian author Jane Harper. [1]

Contents

This novel is the second in the author's Aaron Falk series, following The Dry in 2016, and preceding Exiles in 2022. [2]

Synopsis

This thriller is set in the thickly forested mountains north-east of Melbourne, again featuring Federal Agent Aaron Falk. A group from a Melbourne tech company go on a retreat in the mountains, where Alice Russell, one of the women in the group, disappears while navigating the Mirror Falls trail. Falk has been investigating the company for financial irregularities, and the woman was his secret informer.

Critical reception

Writing in The Guardian Amanda Coe called the novel "a gripping procedural, with the narrative chops and assured pace of a Hollywood thriller. Elevator pitch: Deliverance with oestrogen, or a menopausal Picnic at Hanging Rock...As in The Dry, Harper deploys end-of-chapter hooks and narrative misdirections with aplomb. But with a style that is efficient at best (people never smile: instead, their mouths always 'lift at the corners'), Force of Nature begs for an internal dynamism. Perhaps Falk is the problem. In The Dry he's personally connected to a story that forced his exile from his hometown. Here, it's strictly business, and given the nature of that business – the clue is in 'financial' – he is more methodical accountant than maverick cop." [3]

In the Chicago Review of Books Greer MacAllister found a lot to like about the book: "Nearly all of the main characters of Jane Harper's new Australia-set thriller, Force of Nature — a loose follow-up to The Dry — are more unpleasant than pleasant, more misbehaving than misunderstood. And you'll enjoy the book a lot more because of it...Force of Nature is only Harper's second novel, but it clearly displays her background of more than a decade in journalism. Once the core players are introduced, the novel ramps up to a brisk, compelling pace with red herrings and revelations popping up regularly." [4]

Publishing history

After the novel's initial publication in Australia by Pan Macmillan in 2017, [1] it was reprinted as follows:

The novel was also translated into Swedish in 2017; Chinese, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Italian, Greek and Croatian in 2018; Norwegian, Hungarian, Spanish, Polish, Japanese, Indonesian, Ukrainian and Czech in 2019; Bulgarian, Finnish, Lithuanian, Russian, Persian, and Romanian in 2020; Portuguese and Latvian in 2021; and Turkish and Arabic in 2022. [8]

Awards

Film adaptation

The novel was adapted as a film in 2024 under the title Force of Nature: The Dry 2 , with Eric Bana in the lead role of Aaron Falk and also featuring Anna Torv and Deborra-Lee Furness. The film was directed by Robert Connolly from his own script. [13]

See also

Notes

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References

  1. 1 2 "Force of Nature by Jane Harper (PanMacmillan 2017)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  2. ↑ "Austlit — Aaron Falk by Jane Harper". Austlit. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  3. ↑ ""Force of Nature by Jane Harper review – five go feral in the outback"". The Guardian, 10 March 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  4. ↑ ""Force of Nature Is Even Better Than The Dry"". Chicago Review of Books, 13 February 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  5. ↑ "Force of Nature by Jane Harper (PanMacmillan 2018)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  6. ↑ "Force of Nature by Jane Harper (Little, Brown 2018)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  7. ↑ "Force of Nature by Jane Harper (Flatiron 2018)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  8. 1 2 "Austlit — Force of Nature by Jane Harper". Austlit. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  9. ↑ ""Getting Away with Murder"". Sister in Crime, 1 June 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  10. ↑ "Sisters in Crime: Davitt Awards 2018". The Booktopian. 14 August 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  11. 1 2 "Austlit — Force of Nature by Jane Harper - Awards". Austlit. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  12. ↑ ""Indie Book Awards 2018 shortlists announced"". Australian Independent Booksellers. 14 January 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  13. ↑ Vlessing, Etan (9 September 2022). "IFC Films Nabs Eric Bana Crime Thriller 'Force of Nature' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
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