Lead Review (The Transcendent Tide)
- Book: The Transcendent Tide
- Location: Greenland, Scottish Highlands
- Author: Doug Johnstone
This is the third and final novel in the Enceladons trilogy, and in this particular case, it is worth reading the previous two in the series.
Yes, it is a bit about extra-terrestrial beings, a bit other worldly, but these stories have such heart, portraying the human condition in its various forms, both positive and negative. The familiar characters of Lennox, Vonnie, Ava (with Chloe) and Heather continue to swim against the proverbial tide of venal human behaviour and suffer their own traumas. And, of course, there is the Enceladon, Sandy, who has withdrawn to the Arctic for the time-being.
The novel picks up eighteen months down the line, after the escape of the Enceladons (gentle, curious creatures from the sea) from being hunted down by the U.S. Army. From Scotland to Greenland, this is an allegorical story that hones in on many societal issues that face us all today. Themes of violence and the notion of otherness weave through the story as the famous 5 (well, they could be, couldn’t they?) try to hold the moral compass, fighting the groundswell of outrageous behaviour and egregious thought processes. The author maintains the tension with twists and turns, sadness, hope and plenty of surprises along the way. This is a story that sweeps the reader along, pulling at the heart strings and inflaming the sense of injustice. It is a fitting ending to the series.
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