The Transcendent Tide by Doug Johnstone

 
It's my turn today on the blog tour for The Transcendent Tide, the final instalment in the Enceladons Trilogy, by Doug Johnstone. Thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me and to the publisher for my digital review copy. I will be buying my own paperback copy to complete the set on my shelf. 

The Blurb

It’s been eighteen months since the Enceladons escaped the clutches of an American military determined to exterminate the peaceful alien creatures.

Lennox and Vonnie have been lying low in the Scottish Highlands, Ava has been caring for her young daughter Chloe, and Heather is adjusting to her new life with Sandy and the other Enceladons in the Arctic Ocean, off the coast of Greenland. But fate is about to bring them together again for one last battle.

When Lennox and Vonnie are visited by Karl Jensen, a Norwegian billionaire intent on making contact with the Enceladons again, they are wary of subjecting the aliens to further dangers. But when word arrives that Ava’s daughter has suffered an attack and might die without urgent help, they reluctantly make the trip to Greenland, where they enlist the vital help of local woman Niviaq.

It's not long before they’re drawn into a complex web of lies, deceit and death. What is Karl’s company really up to? Why are sea creatures attacking boats? Why is Sandy acting so strangely, and why are polar bears getting involved?

Profound, ambitious and moving, The Transcendent Tide is the epic conclusion to the Enceladons Trilogy, and a final showdown between the best and worst of humanity, the

animal kingdom and the Enceladons. The future of life on earth will be changed forever, but not everyone will survive to see it…

My Review

I have been eagerly awaiting this book for some time whilst simultaneously dreading it's arrival. Eagerly awaiting it because I loved the first two books in the series, The Space Between Us and The Collapsing Wave, and dreading it because I loved the first two books in the series and this is the end of the trilogy and I'm sad to see it end. This was a series I never expected to particularly like, I don't tend to read much sci-fi or fantasy. But this series has so much to say about being human and what that means, as well as being three cracking stories, that they were easy to love. The Transcendent Tide reads fine as a standalone, but I always say with a series that I feel you'll have a richer reading experience if you start at the beginning and read in order. I definitely think that for this trilogy as so much happens along the way that I wouldn't want you to miss out on! 

At the opening of this book Lennox and Vonnie are in Oban studying marine sciences, Ava is living on the shores of Loch Duich with her daughter Chloe and her sister Freya whilst Heather is getting used to her new life with the Enceladons, together with the other humans who chose to leave with them eighteen months earlier. Meanwhile, in Greenland, Inuit woman Niviaq has been having some really strange dreams. Lennox and Vonnie are understandably nervous when they are approached by billionaire Karl Jensen who is desperate to meet the Enceladons and has traced them to the coast of Greenland. They are reluctant to help him until a call from Ava tells them Chloe is seriously unwell. The decision is made and they all head off on a journey that will change all their lives...

Oh, gosh, I don't know where to start because there is so much in this book. It was so nice to get reacquainted with the main characters, I'd missed them. Lennox and Vonnie are enjoying their studies but enjoy the opportunities to be in the water even more. And Vonnie has a secret of her  Ava worries that Chloe hasn't spoken out loud yet but is reassured by the communication they do have. It was really interesting to pick up with Heather, to see how she was adjusting to life underwater with the Enceladons, and learning how she'd changed, and just as importantly, how she hadn't changed. 

New character Niviaq is brilliant. Her strange dreams suddenly have meaning and whilst it's a lot to get her head round, she knows the right thing to do. Her small community in Tasiilaq lives off the ocean, but do so with care and respect and are wary of those who treat the sea creatures differently. There is a lovely moment later in the book when that same community find themselves connected in a way they never imagined. It's a defining moment for them. And Karl Jensen is not your stereotypical billionaire - he wants to change the world for the better after a moment of realisation. 

'This is all bullshit. Capitalism, consumerism, human exceptionalism. All of it is totally fucked. We are fucking the planet, fucking each other. There's no sense of fairness, empathy or humanity.'

Things do change, but not in the way he imagines.

As in the previous two books, we see the best and worst of humanity here. And the damage we do to the planet is perfectly illustrated here, and I loved nature's response. And, as promised, there is polar bear action. The Enceladons have changed in the time we've known them, they've become more cynical, if that's the right word, because they've had to. And that hits hard.

The Transcendent Tide, from a story point of view, zips along at a pace leading towards a hell of a denouement that is heartbreaking but with positive, celebratory even, elements - you will both cry and cheer, I did anyway. But for me it's much more about the characters, who I promise you you will care about, even the aliens, and the themes of the book. The Transcendent Tide is a book about connectedness, about how we treat others, particularly those that don't look like us, and ultimately about what it means to be human. It's just we see it from an alien octopus and a collection of polar bears. Highly recommend. 

Just before I go, I need to share this quote about Doug Johnstone from fellow author Callum McSorley, 

'Doug Johnstone has emerged as the unholy, octopoid lovechild of David Attenborough and Michael Crichton … a thrilling, action-packed adventure.'

I share this mainly because it makes me smile but also because it's pretty accurate. Doug Johnstone is a hugely skilled writer you should definitely check out. 

The Author

Doug Johnstone is the author of 18 novels, most recently Living Is a Problem (2024) and The Collapsing Wave (2024). The Big Chill (2020) was longlisted for Theakston Crime Novel of the Year, and Black Hearts was shortlisted for the same award. Three of his books, A Dark Matter (2020), Breakers (2019) and The Jump (2015), have been shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year. He’s taught creative writing and been writer in residence at various institutions over the last decade, and has been an arts journalist for over twenty years. Doug is a songwriter and musician with six albums and three EPs released, and he plays drums for the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers. He’s also co-founder of the Scotland Writers Football Club, and has a PhD in nuclear physics. He lives in Edinburgh.