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A Novel
by John Larison
A richly imagined, sweeping novel of hope, love, and adventure set in the unforgiving world of our own descendants, by the acclaimed author of Whiskey When We're Dry.
A young boy and his older sisters find themselves suddenly and utterly alone, orphaned in an abandoned fishing village. Their food supplies dwindling, they set out across a breathtaking yet treacherous wilderness in search of the last of their people.
Down the coast, raiders deliver the children's mother, along with the rest of their human cargo, to the last port city of a waning empire. Determined to reunite with her family, she plots her escape—while her fellow captives plan open revolt.
At the center of power in this crumbling city, a young scholar inherits his father's business and position of privilege, along with the burden of his debts. As the empire's elite prepare to flee to new utopia across the sea, he must decide where his allegiance lies.
With a rapidly changing climate shifting the sands beneath their feet, these three paths converge in a struggle for the future of humanity—who will inherit what remains and who gets to tell its story. At once a sweeping survival story; an epic of the distance future; and a post-apocalyptic vision of hope and optimism, The Ancients weaves a multilayered narrative about human resilience, hope, and stewardship of our world for future generations.
"This is a moving and expansive tale illuminating the emotional range of the human spirit. Larison's lyrical writing will hook readers of plot-driven literary fiction." —Booklist (starred review)
"Larison spins a provocative if tedious story of survival decades after an ecological collapse...The pacing tends to drag under the weight of so many plot threads, but Larison fascinates with his core themes, showing how stories are used for societal control. Those willing to go the distance will find a thoughtful twist on climate fiction." —Publishers Weekly
"This thought-provoking novel from Larison is perfect for fans of Andrew Krivak's The Bear." —Library Journal
"This richly imagined journey into a dystopian future is at once cautionary and provocative, inviting us to heed the lessons of the Ancients." —Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer, New York Times bestselling author of Braiding Sweetgrass
"In a sea of post-apocalyptic novels, John Larson's The Ancients stands apart for the audacity of his world-building, the vibrant humanity of his imperiled characters, the stark, insistent drumbeat of his storytelling, and the ultimate hopefulness of his vision for the intertwined fates of our species and our planet." —Hillary Jordan, New York Times bestselling author of Mudbound and When She Woke
"This ambitious novel reaches far, far deeper than almost any post-apocalyptic tale to reframe the stakes of the climate crisis. This is a novel written by a deep soul, whose commitment to the planet, his community, and his family is on display in these pages. Larison's knife-sharp prose cuts right to the bone. He is one of our best. A true literary and intellectual maverick." —Nickolas Butler, author of Shotgun Lovesongs and Godspeed
This information about The Ancients was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
John Larison spent much of his childhood in remote regions of Australia, the Caribbean, Canada, the South Pacific, Alaska, and the American West before graduating from high school in Ithaca, New York. He studied philosophy and literature at the University of Oregon and became a renowned fly-fishing guide ahead of earning an MFA from Oregon State University. His acclaimed, bestselling novel Whiskey When We're Dry, was an Indie Next Pick and was named a Best Book by Entertainment Weekly, O Magazine, Goodreads, Southern Living, Outside Magazine, Oprah.com, HelloGiggles, Parade, Fodor's Travel, Sioux City Journal, Read it Forward, Medium.com, and NPR's All Things Considered. He lives with his family on a gravel road in Oregon.
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