Set against a backdrop of poisoned skies, vanishing farmland, and communities pushed to the brink, A Bad Haiku weaves together intimate stories of ordinary people navigating extraordinary crises. In Sutton, West Virginia, single mother Sandy Tomlinson and her young son Pascal flee their fracking-ravaged hometown, their journey marked by bureaucratic indifference and toxic legacies.
Honduran refugees Sarai and Erdil trek northward, escaping gang violence and environmental ruin, while Manhattan financier Brian grapples with privilege and complicity in a world teetering on collapse. Meanwhile, a covert Cuban missile operation underscores humanity’s perilous dance between ingenuity and hubris. Through these interconnected narratives, Russell crafts a mosaic of desperation, innovation, and fleeting beauty, mirroring the fragmented structure of the haiku itself—a form that distills profound meaning into sparse, deliberate strokes.
The title A Bad Haiku serves as both metaphor and critique: just as a flawed haiku strains to contain complexity within simplicity, Russell’s characters wrestle with the dissonance between their yearning for normalcy and the chaos of their collapsing world. The novel’s lyrical prose balances grim realism with moments of wry satire, such as Uncle Bob’s makeshift “swamp cooler” symbolizing grassroots resilience or the absurdity of water rationing in a town choked by corporate greed.
“This isn’t a forecast of doom,” says Russell. “It’s a reflection of our present—amplified. I wanted to explore how people retain their humanity when systems fail them. The haiku’s brevity mirrors how, even in crisis, we find slivers of grace.”
A Bad Haiku has already garnered praise for its unflinching yet compassionate storytelling. Early readers liken it to Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake and Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower, citing its urgent relevance to contemporary climate anxieties and social fractures.
A Bad Haiku is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook formats at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and all major online retailers. Libraries and independent bookstores can order copies through Ingram Spark.
Amazon: https://shorturl.at/uD8Q8
About the Author
Lanning Russell is a former high school teacher of Economics and History whose 27-year career informed his nuanced understanding of societal systems and human behavior. A lifelong adventurer, he has summited glaciated peaks, completed solo marathons, and embarked on wilderness treks—experiences that mirror the tenacity of his fictional characters. Russell holds an MBA and a Master’s in Education, blending analytical rigor with literary flair. He previously edited Event Horizon, a sci-fi and graphic arts magazine, and now channels his passion for speculative storytelling into novels that challenge and inspire. A Bad Haiku is his debut work, born from years of observing humanity’s fraught relationship with progress and nature. When not writing, Russell enjoys cycling through Oregon’s forests and mentoring young writers. He lives with his wife, Margaret, and credits his late-in-life journey into parenthood as his greatest adventure. Lanning Russell resides in Portland, Oregon, and is available for interviews, podcasts, and speaking engagements. Review copies and press materials are available upon request.
Lanning Russell
Lanning Russell
lanning616@gmail.com
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