THE STORMS ABOVE US — SPOILER-FREE READER COMPANION Matthew Einhorn MEET BLACKWATER Orren Vale — The musician A dockworker and tavern musician who knows how to give a frightened room a little breathing space. Beyond the familiar songs, he longs to discover something of his own. Senna Vey — The surveyor A meticulous surveyor with a stubborn compass and questions that will not stay filed away. Senna studies what the city has actually built, not only what its records claim. Tamsin Greaves — The former Rainwarden Two years away have not dulled her hunter’s instincts. Returning to search for a missing former apprentice, Tamsin listens carefully—especially when someone has already decided what the answer should be. Perrin Hale — The harbor craftsman On Pier Nine, Perrin reads strained timber and failing iron faster than most people read a face. When danger arrives, he starts with what can be fixed and who needs help. Old Tom Rusk — The sailor and storyteller A weathered sailor whose stories can fill the Bent Lantern. Behind the familiar performances are memories he finds much harder to put into words. PLACES IN THE OPENING CHAPTERS The Bent Lantern Maude’s harbor tavern: a hearth, familiar music, and stories that sound different when the weather turns. Brinehook Blackwater’s crowded harbor district, where work on the docks and life beside the sea continue beneath the rain. Bellrise Above the lower streets, the great bell and municipal survey gallery help the city listen, measure, and prepare. Temple of the First Light Blackwater’s principal sanctuary. Memorial lanterns hang above public shelters, records rooms, and generations of city history. Ashgate The fortified landward entrance, guarded by black gatehouse towers and iron grates. The Rainwarden yard stands inside its protection. Pier Nine A working pier of cranes, cargo, slippery planks, and crews trying to bring ships and people home before the warning changes. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1. What makes a place feel safe: its walls, its rules, or the people who keep showing up for one another? 2. How do the opening characters respond differently to uncertainty—and whose response feels closest to your own? 3. What do music, bells, and ordinary background sounds tell you about Blackwater before anyone explains the city? 4. When do established routines help people, and when should someone question them? 5. How does work—playing music, surveying, hunting, or repairing—shape what each character notices? 6. Which opening detail made you want to learn more, and what question are you carrying into the next chapter? READ IT, THEN HEAR IT Beyond the Breakwater Blackwater’s harbor is both a livelihood and a boundary. In the opening chapters, the water beyond it is never far from the characters’ thoughts. Listen with the question: what makes someone stay, and what makes them look beyond the shore? Lanterns In the Rain The novel’s first part shares this title. Its opening streets are full of small acts of care: a tightened lantern cord, an open shelter, a song played for a frightened room. Listen for your own connection between the song and those small points of light. CRAWL Blackwater’s warnings have a language. Three fast peals recall the harbor; continuous ringing is the alarm that sends people low and toward shelter. After reading the opening, notice how the title changes the way you hear the music. Explore: https://matteinhornvoiceovers.com/the-storms-above-us Copyright © 2026 Matthew Einhorn.