The ancients

In a departure from Whiskey When We're Dry (2018), Larison presents a tale of a desolate but uplifting future. Small civilizations have formed after the collapse of society. A family that lives by the sea is torn apart when Leerit, Maren, and Kushim's parents disappear and never return. The siblings decide to search for their aunt and her inland village. Meanwhile, their mother, Lilah, has been taken captive for indentured servitude in a "civilized" society. The extraction of natural resources has created a caste system of warriors, generals, and kings. Cyrus, heir to his family's wool business, wrestles with his conscience, questioning whether his own behavior is fit for a position of privilege; he must also decide who deserves to board the ark that will take a select few to greener shores--his family or his lover. Every character is on the run or wishing to escape. They must also survive great adversity, especially the siblings fighting for their lives in the wilderness. 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.

Larison (Whiskey When We're Dry) spins a provocative if tedious story of survival decades after an ecological collapse. After Maren, 12, and Kushim, nine, discover their parents are missing, they set off from their remote fishing village with their older sister, Leerit, to find the extended family who abandoned them. A parallel narrative follows their mother, Lilah, forced into slavery by her abductors, who killed their father in the struggle. Lilah toils for wool producer Cyrus to meet the new quota set by the emperor, who's promised to transport their city's residents to a land of plenty aboard an ark.. Cyrus, however, would rather spend time studying the scrolls with fragments of ancient stories (readers will recognize faint biblical echoes and canonical poetry). After Kushim is attacked and grievously injured by a bear, the siblings are split up, with imperial forces rushing Kushim to the city for care, and Leerit leaving Maren with sheep herders to join a band of guerrillas against the emperor. 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. Agent: Chris Parris-Lamb, Gernert Co. (Oct.)