Terry Hayes is the English-born Australian screenwriter, producer and author.

His first book was the acclaimed novel I Am Pilgrim (2013).

Hayes and co-author Tammy Cohen were revealed as the writers of the tie-in novel to the film Argylle, under the pseudonym “Elly Conway”.

The Year of the Locust (2023) is his 2nd solo novel — and WHAT A NOVEL.

Any other writer would have broken it up into 3 books.

It’s LONG.

BEST consider it 3 books.

… an epic espionage thriller filled with wrath and retribution, faith and forgiveness, sacrifice, love and loss, all in the name of an almighty being.

It’s a mind-bending story of one man’s evolution from spy to savior when the world descends into “utter darkness.”

Hayes has constructed the plot as a quest narrative, taking Kane to the ends of the earth and back to save humanity from a person who has earned his place in the “pantheon of terrorism.” …

In the novel, Hayes takes us on a deep dive into the workings of the CIA and the National Security Agency when Kane prepares for each stage of his journey. The settings are immersive and the historical details remarkable.

From Afghanistan to Pakistan, from D.C. to Russia’s deep state and so many places in between, each landscape where Kane journeys is described in rich geographic detail with compelling backstories that contextualize each region’s cultures and values. …

At close to 800 pages, this is a really big book with really big themes and chapter after chapter of blockbuster action (and graphic violence), often ending in foreshadowing that cranks up the suspense.

The first three-fourths of “Year” definitely is the book many readers of Hayes’ first novel, “I Am Pilgrim” (another allusion to sacred texts), have waited 10 years to read. When the final part of the novel shifts into sci-fi territory, the sudden syncopation in the plot lines may throw some readers off. It’s bonkers and breathtaking.

Review: ‘Year of the Locust’ is a bonkers gem from the writer of blockbuster ‘I Am Pilgrim’

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.