Dark Earth
-
-
5.0 • 1 Rating
-
-
- $16.99
-
- $16.99
Publisher Description
‘Magical and evocative’ Imogen Hermes Gowar, author of The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock
‘Heartachingly poignant’ Lucy Holland, author of Sistersong
‘An ancient tapestry of legend brilliantly rewoven’ Francis Spufford, author of Light Perpetual
The new novel from the Costa-Award winning author of In The Days of Rain.
AD 500. An island in the Thames.
Isla has a secret: she has learned her father’s sophisticated sword-making skills at a time when even entering a forge is forbidden to women. Her sister, Blue, has a secret, too: at low tide on the night of each new moon, she visits the bones of the mud woman, drowned by the elders of her tribe who wanted to make a lesson of someone who wouldn’t hold her tongue. When the local Seax overlord discovers Isla's secret there is nowhere for the sisters to hide, except across the water to the walled ghost city, Londinium. Here Blue and Isla find sanctuary in an underworld community of squatters, emigrants, travellers and looters, led by the mysterious Crowther, living in an abandoned brothel and bathhouse. But trouble pursues them even into the haunted city.
Dark Earth takes us back to the very founding of Britain to explore the experience of women trying to find kin in a world ruled by blood ties, feuds and men in quest of a nation.
‘Superb … radically new and beautiful’ Observer
‘Thrilling’ Alice Albinia, author of Cwen
‘Pulses with the energy of a brave new world, a world as beautiful as it is dangerous, where a belief in myth and magic can save your life’ Katherine J. Chen, author of Joan: A Novel of Joan of Arc
About the author
Rebecca Stott is a novelist, broadcaster, historian and Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. She is Professor Emeritus at UEA. Her books include Darwin’s Ghosts and Darwin and the Barnacle, the novels Ghostwalk (a New York Times bestseller), The Coral Thief, and the Costa Award-winning memoir In the Days of Rain. She lives in Norwich.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Stott follows up the memoir In the Days of Rain with an impressive narrative set in the aftermath of the Roman Empire. By 500 CE, the Romans have abandoned Britain, their city of Londinium lies abandoned, and Seax leader Osric is consolidating his power among the diverse peoples south of the Thames. Sisters Isla and Blue live with their father, "The Great Smith," who forges Osric's ceremonial swords. The Great Smith's seemingly magical metalworking skills, Isla's differently colored eyes, and Blue's psychic gifts signal an occult power to Osric, who fears this will bring his people bad luck. As such, the family remains under Osric's protection, but he exiles them to a tiny island on the Thames. When The Great Smith dies unexpectedly, Blue and Isla travel to Osric's camp hoping to find safety. Instead, they encounter Osric's violent son Vort, who is enraged to discover Isla has defied the sacred law against women entering a forge, possibly cursing the swords she has helped make. While fleeing retribution, the sisters discover a hidden community and new possibilities for the future. Stott concretely captures the brutality of the women's world, their deep resourcefulness, and the power of the stories that sustain and endanger them. This is a memorable achievement.
