Chronologically the first of the Lights in the sky novels, but the fifth to be written, After the Flood is set in London in 2043, five years before the Alpha Probe sets off for the Centauran system. The Mission is very much on the periphery here, some people have heard of it, others haven’t or remain indifferent as they attempt to live their lives in an increasingly perilous century. The novel tells the story of a diverse group of people, some (but not all) linked, as they confront the implications of runaway climate change.

• 1. Day one