The Ancients

A Novel

By: John Larison

Narrated by: Dani Martineck

“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

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 distant 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.

©2024 John Larison (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"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

“The spare writing style enhances the stark and bleak atmosphere, but it also richly captures both the bounty and brutality of the natural world and the hard lessons they learn from it. Fables are interwoven throughout the story until this novel itself becomes something of a cautionary tale, emphasizing how to learn from the past in order to create a better world for the future.”—The Library Journal

Sociological SF — imaginative and deeply intelligent

The Ancients is a novel about humans in the far future, long after our imminent collapse. It’s about resilience and the culture of endurance and survival. It’s about mothers. It’s the closest I’ve seen to Le Guin without being Le Guin.

The book is imaginative and deeply intelligent. The writing carries you without getting in the way. The main characters were completely relatable. An impressive accomplishment!

Tragic yet stunningly beautiful

I’m left with the notion that we cannot totally comprehend our past nor our future, but both exist and there is a kind of hope in that despite the climate catastrophe we are marching toward.

Such a well written and thought provoking book!

I just can’t stop thinking about it… one of the best I’ve read in awhile although I wish I had a physical copy as well

Fascinating until the end

The beginning and middle of the story was engaging with a wide range of stories and threads. The end was fast and hurried with predictable scenarios. It was disappointing and a story of brutality that had lost its magnificence. It ended with rambling prose that masqueraded as satisfying closure.