I was provided a copy of this book by the author for a fair and honest review.
The Drowning Land is prehistorical fiction, set in northern Europe a little over eight thousand years ago. It combines adventure, a romance, and disaster against the setting of a land that literally is sinking beneath the sea.
It is based on an event that UK archeology teams described in 2009, where a huge underwater slide created a sudden and catastrophic tsunami that engulfed Doggerland. Doggerland connected Great Britain to the European continent and was a rich habitat for the Mesolithic populations. It is now submerged beneath the southern North Sea. When the author heard this description, his mental image of peoples l
ooking up at the onrushing wave triggered his desire to write a story about it. The author describes all this at the end of the book, and I wish it had come as a prologue. My lack of knowledge led to some confusion in my reading of the story.
The story:
Edan, one of the two main characters, is the member of a Mesolithic tribe, dark-skinned, blue-eyed, short and wiry. For millennia, the tribe has migrated with the seasons between the coastal ‘Summer Lands’ (Doggerland) and the highlands in the winter, following the rigid rule of tribal tradition and despite the fact that the Summer Lands are gradually being poisoned by rising salt water. Edan rescues a ‘troll’ named Tara from another predatory tribal group with wolves as their totem, led by a war-chieftain named Phelan. Tara is at least partially Neanderthal, based on her description. She has foreseen the drowning of their lands and is on a quest at the direction of her tribes’ elders to discover if the spirit world can be aroused at a sacred place – a site about which Tara has only minimal information. In rescuing her, Edan accidently kills one of Phelan’s followers, and he and Tara become separated from his tribe as they flee from Phelan’s people and the rising seas everywhere, while trying to find the place Tara seeks. Their odyssey through increasingly drowning lands is one of growth and change, and, not surprisingly, of love, and will determine their fate and that of the Summer Lands.
The author has done considerable research in making his historical fiction plausible – the living spaces, the food, the implements used and the weapons. The humans that populate this world are also very believable. Edan and Tara are compelling characters with weaknesses and strengths, and after the first few chapters, which are slowly paced, I became completely engaged in their saga. His descriptions of the different lives of various tribes – hunters, gatherers, fishermen – ring true, as well as the zeitgeist of this prehistorical time, a tribute to the author’s ability to imagine himself living eight thousand years ago. It reminds me a great deal of a favorite of mine, The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel.
Issues for me:
- The author describes the history of Doggerland and the peoples who populated it at the end of the book. I wish it had been placed at the beginning, since my lack of knowledge led to some confusion.
- The map at the beginning shows the land described by the author with the names of landmarks in the story, but I had no clue what I was looking at and where it was located relative to the larger picture of the land at that time. I badly needed a compass on that map!
- There were some slower parts to the book, which might have been eliminated with some judicious editing.
Despite the issues, I was hooked once I got into this story. I loved the characters and the alternating points of view between Edan and Tara worked for me, allowing me to get into their heads. The author has brought the landscape and history of Doggerland to brilliant life. I strongly recommend The Drowning Land as an informative and entertaining read, a definite must for historical fiction buffs.
And I think the cover art is fabulous.
About the author:
David M. Donachie is an artist, author, and games designer. He has written short stories of countless types since he was old enough to hold a pencil — many appear in his self-published anthology, The Night Alphabet, and in numerous anthologies. He lives in a garret (really a top-floor flat, but a garret sounds a lot more romantic) in Edinburgh with his wife Victoria, two cats, and more reptiles than mammals.
Yes, this is the only picture I could find and I don’t think he has those ears!
You can find the author
On his website: https://www.teuton.org/~stranger/ and https://twitter.com/bayushi_hituro
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DavidMDonachieAuthor/photos
And, although rarely, on Twitter: (@DavidMDonachieAuthor
You can find The Drowning Land on Amazon:
Thank you Noelle.
This sounds like a very different type of read. Despite the few issues you had, I’m glad you enjoyed it; Noelle.
I’ve kind of gotten into the neolithic/mesolithic historical fiction, probably from all the reading I’ve done on early Scotland and from visiting Ireland.
This sounds like a fair and balanced review, Noelle. I always like to read a reviewer’s positives and what they didn’t care for as much.
Gotta do it for a fair review. I did like this book!
I’ve developed a taste for prehistoric fiction, Noelle, when the research is well done and creates a full sense of that reality. It sounds like the author accomplished that goal. And what an interesting geological event that inspired the book. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and your recommendation. Congrats to David. 🙂
Thanks, Diana. I hope he writes another book!
Thank you so much for the review! (David M. Donachie, is me, as they say), and I think it is all very fair.
It’s my Birthday today, so finding out about this review is nice icing on the cake.
You are most welcome. I did enjoy it and I also did some researching on my own of Doggerland, just for fun. I just published a historical novel but set a few millennia in the future. Let me know when your next book comes out.
And PS, Happy Birthday!
Noelle, thanks for this mindful review. You made points that are very important to the prospective reader. How this story came about is fascinating. Best to David. Stay safe and well. Hugs on the wing!
Thanks so much, Teagan. Coming from you, those words are wonderful compliments!
Very nice blog.🌞 ❄ 2021-06-21 05h 40min
Thank you, Rena!
I haven’t read this one but know of the event. Checking it out…
Thanks for following up with me, Jacqui. Do read the notes on the research at the end of the book before reading the book – things make more sense if you do, especially since I didn’t know about the tsunami that engulfed Doggerland.
Be aware that the Afterword *does* contain some spoilers for the novel, so if you are familiar with the Mesolithic background you may prefer to read the story first.