“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
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“(The Ancients) is a moving and expansive tale illuminating the emotional range of the human spirit. Larison’s lyrical writing will hook readers...” —Booklist (Starred)
“In this brisk, bold adventure of tribal migration, Larison confronts what it means to be human amid shifts in climate across millennia.” —Alan Scherstuhl for Scientific American
“This is a stunning, sweeping novel of humanity and hope.”—People Magazine
“A remarkable achievement – a novel that is both timely and timeless. With its compelling characters, masterful prose, and profound exploration of humanity's relationship with the natural world, it stands as one of the most thought-provoking works of dystopian fiction in recent years.” —The Bookish Elf
An Anti-Apocalypse Novel
A richly imagined, intricately woven 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 in their once bustling fishing village. Their food supplies dwindling, they must set out across a breathtaking and treacherous wilderness in search of help.
Up 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 children, she plots her escape—while fellow captives plan open revolt.
At the center of power in this failing city, a young scholar inherits his father's business and position of privilege—as well as his considerable debts. When the empire’s elite prepare to flee to a newly imagined utopia, he must decide where his allegiance lies.
As the futures they were promised crumble with the shifting environment, these characters converge in a struggle for the future of humanity—who will inherit what remains, and can they avoid repeating the mistakes of previous generations? At once a riveting survival story, an epic of the distant future, and a boldly anti-apocalypse novel, THE ANCIENTS braids a multilayered narrative about human resilience, our stewardship of the natural world, and the power of the stories we leave to future generations.
"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
“In a sea of post-apocalyptic novels, John Larison’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, NYT Bestselling author of MUDBOUND and WHEN SHE WOKE
Selected as Buzz Book for Fall/Winter 2024/2025 by Publishers Marketplace; Buzz Book Panelist
Voted an Indie Next Pick in Hardcover by independent booksellers across the country
Selected for their signed-edition clubs by Politics and Prose, The Literati, and The Strand bookstores
Selected a Best Book of October by People Magazine and Barnes and Noble