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A Bone from the Dry Sea
Then: Between the parching land and the mothering sea live the tribe, our ancestors. One of them is a child, Li. She is different, a thinker, a questioner, bringing small changes to the age-old pattern of their lives, preparing herself and them, unawares, for the huge change coming.
Now: Four million years later that sea is now dry. Another child, Vinny, visits the site where her father is one of a team searching for the fossil remains of our ancestors. She too is a thinker, a questioner, a herald of change.
Peter Dickinson, award-winning author of Tulku, Eva and AK, has used a controversial theory of human evolution as the framework for a compelling story.
Now: Four million years later that sea is now dry. Another child, Vinny, visits the site where her father is one of a team searching for the fossil remains of our ancestors. She too is a thinker, a questioner, a herald of change.
Peter Dickinson, award-winning author of Tulku, Eva and AK, has used a controversial theory of human evolution as the framework for a compelling story.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 1993
48 people are currently reading
337 people want to read
About the author
Peter Dickinson
142 books156 followersPeter Malcolm de Brissac Dickinson OBE FRSL was a prolific English author and poet, best known for children's books and detective stories.
Peter Dickinson lived in Hampshire with his second wife, author Robin McKinley. He wrote more than fifty novels for adults and young readers. He won both the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Children's Award twice, and his novel The Blue Hawk won The Guardian Award in 1975.
Peter Dickinson lived in Hampshire with his second wife, author Robin McKinley. He wrote more than fifty novels for adults and young readers. He won both the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Children's Award twice, and his novel The Blue Hawk won The Guardian Award in 1975.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
May 7, 2009
The book that made me want to be an archaeologist. Also which prompted the reading of Elaine Morgan's books later on. I still remember a surprising number of details and facts from it, given that I read it when I was young. Also I think I must have liked the idea of the dad wanting his daughter to come join him, since my own father apparently had no such wishes.
July 4, 2015
I immediately thought about this book when I started reading Sapiens, about the history of our species. It's an odd little novel that imagines our distant ancestors as sea apes. Half of the book follows Vinny, the daugher of a modern-day paleontologist (well, taphonomist) who visits the dig site that he's working on in Africa. The other half follows Li, an ancient hominid who begins to expand the boundaries of her tribe's knowledge. I love both stories: the Li narrative is imaginative and strange, and the Vinny narrative paints an interesting picture of paleontological life. And, of course, the narratives end up colliding with the discovery of a bone from a dry sea.
On this read of the book I was much more interested in how old Vinny is supposed to be, which is the sign of a well-written YA novel. When I was reading this at 10 or 11 or 12, I never wondered about Vinny's age--the things that she did that were extremely adult, like breaking down her feelings about her divorced parents so matter-of-factly, or standing up to Joe Hamiska, felt natural. She's almost ageless in her maturity--you just know that she's younger than the others, but sometimes sees things more clearly than they do (which is why she's a good foil for Li).
On this read of the book I was much more interested in how old Vinny is supposed to be, which is the sign of a well-written YA novel. When I was reading this at 10 or 11 or 12, I never wondered about Vinny's age--the things that she did that were extremely adult, like breaking down her feelings about her divorced parents so matter-of-factly, or standing up to Joe Hamiska, felt natural. She's almost ageless in her maturity--you just know that she's younger than the others, but sometimes sees things more clearly than they do (which is why she's a good foil for Li).
February 16, 2021
A Bone From a Dry Sea is a 1992 Carnegie Medal winning middle grade novel with a dual timeline. In the past, Li, a primitive young woman in a prehistoric tribe, begins to imagine beyond her culture's current capabilities. In the present day, Vinny, the daughter of an archeaologist accompanies her father to work on a dig and must contend with the oppressive behavior of his difficult boss.
While this book has an interesting premise, the execution mostly fell flat for me. The segments of the story set in prehistoric times are well-written and engaging, but their connection to the present isn't developed that well. The present-day chapters don't delve as much into actual archaeology work as they do into the inter-personal relationships of the characters. There's the tension between Vinny's divorced parents, as well the question of whether Vinny's dad's coworker is his girlfriend, and the overbearing tendencies of Vinny's dad's boss. With all of these issues commanding attention, there isn't much room left to contemplate the implications of any of the archaeology work that is accomplished. The story ends without a strong sense of what the reader is meant to take away from it. The ending is also so abrupt, it feels like there is no conclusion to the story.
Since we own The Dream Time by Henry Treece, which explores prehistoric society in a beautifully poetic way, and the present-day section of this book is so weak, I don't really see a reason to assign this in our homeschool. If my oldest daughter continues to show an interest in archaeology, however, I would like to find a better novel that explores archaeology without all of the side plots.
This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.
While this book has an interesting premise, the execution mostly fell flat for me. The segments of the story set in prehistoric times are well-written and engaging, but their connection to the present isn't developed that well. The present-day chapters don't delve as much into actual archaeology work as they do into the inter-personal relationships of the characters. There's the tension between Vinny's divorced parents, as well the question of whether Vinny's dad's coworker is his girlfriend, and the overbearing tendencies of Vinny's dad's boss. With all of these issues commanding attention, there isn't much room left to contemplate the implications of any of the archaeology work that is accomplished. The story ends without a strong sense of what the reader is meant to take away from it. The ending is also so abrupt, it feels like there is no conclusion to the story.
Since we own The Dream Time by Henry Treece, which explores prehistoric society in a beautifully poetic way, and the present-day section of this book is so weak, I don't really see a reason to assign this in our homeschool. If my oldest daughter continues to show an interest in archaeology, however, I would like to find a better novel that explores archaeology without all of the side plots.
This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.
September 15, 2013
All I remember was this was slow, and as my history teacher said when she assigned summer reading, "I feel bad for requiring this book but it is important to our class, so that's why I assigned Ender's Game as well." We all enjoyed Ender's Game more.
April 28, 2009
Woooooooooaaaaaahhh, what a not very good book.
June 7, 2009
The worst a book could ever get, in the beginning I was a little enthusiastic about the book, but as I continusly read, it got boring. It was really a waste of time...
March 14, 2021
I've read many reviews of this book saying it's boring. I disagree. I think A bone from a Dry sea tells an interesting story by going back and forth in time.
One point of view follows Li, a hominid girl who lived 4 million years ago. The second one it's the POV of Vinny, a modern day girl who is visiting her dad in Africa, while he is working at an archaeological dig (I'm not sure that is the correct expression. They are just looking for human bones).
The biggest flaw in this book is with Vinny's storyline. Her chapters deal mainly with her father and his problems with his boss. There is an exploration of the divorce between Vinny's parents, but because we never meet the mother, we only get the one-sided explanation from the dad.
I found it very uncomfortable how Vinny and May Ana (the father's new girlfriend) were there to calm him down, to not pressure him into opening up to them, to make him feel happy, etc. The father was a true loser and the novel caters to him and his feelings all the time.
Like "poor dad, mom just wanted to get him to talk, but he is misunderstood by everyone, that is why he behaves like that...". It was an awful way to portray the relationship between the parents.
As for the ending, there is a deus ex-machina that comes at the last minute to save everyone from the evil boss. And then the book ends abruptly, making you feel like there was not much of a point to the overall story (seriously, what is the central conflict that is resolved in this book? the father's lack of character?).
This book had more potential, but I don't think it is as bad as some other reviews say.
One point of view follows Li, a hominid girl who lived 4 million years ago. The second one it's the POV of Vinny, a modern day girl who is visiting her dad in Africa, while he is working at an archaeological dig (I'm not sure that is the correct expression. They are just looking for human bones).
The biggest flaw in this book is with Vinny's storyline. Her chapters deal mainly with her father and his problems with his boss. There is an exploration of the divorce between Vinny's parents, but because we never meet the mother, we only get the one-sided explanation from the dad.
I found it very uncomfortable how Vinny and May Ana (the father's new girlfriend) were there to calm him down, to not pressure him into opening up to them, to make him feel happy, etc. The father was a true loser and the novel caters to him and his feelings all the time.
Like "poor dad, mom just wanted to get him to talk, but he is misunderstood by everyone, that is why he behaves like that...". It was an awful way to portray the relationship between the parents.
As for the ending, there is a deus ex-machina that comes at the last minute to save everyone from the evil boss. And then the book ends abruptly, making you feel like there was not much of a point to the overall story (seriously, what is the central conflict that is resolved in this book? the father's lack of character?).
This book had more potential, but I don't think it is as bad as some other reviews say.
December 1, 2017
This book is not my favorite, It started out well, then kinda went downhill
September 13, 2017
I thought the book was really boring although I was told it would get more exciting. It was not in my taste.
September 1, 2011
3+ really. I liked many things about this well written book. Dickinson writes beautifully and I stopped to reread several passages simply because of his obvious gift with language. I also enjoyed the well drawn characters and the author's ability to imagine another time millions of years ago. Sadly, I don't think the book is gripping enough (no vampires) to hold the interest of most of my students. However, those with a scientific bend or an interest in archaeology would find it fascinating.
September 30, 2008
This book needs no explaination. One of the most boring books EVER. I couldn't even read the first half of it. DON'T READ IT!!
July 18, 2009
Boring!!!!!
October 24, 2010
This is the book that got me interested in anthropology and human evolution. I read it when I was 13, and am now completing my PhD in physical anthropology.
September 15, 2011
EW. thats all that it takes to describe this book
August 24, 2020
I didn't like this book a lot, compared to the other books I've read. It's not very interesting to me. But I recommend it to people who like historical fiction.
December 21, 2022
This book has everything. It is told in two time periods, one of them a speculative pre-historic fictional tale about a sea-ape girl ("Li"), based on the idea put forth by Elaine Morgan that humans went through a period of evolution in which we spent considerable time in water.
I don't want to give any more details about that because it is at heart a simple story, but one full of discoveries and wonder. Dickinson really transported me back in (hypothetical) time to when this girl lived. The "science" of the prehistoric narrative is not necessarily reliable, but that isn't the point. It is more about imagining what it might have been like to be a being not truly human, but not truly "ape" either. It is very immersive.
Meanwhile, in the present day, a young girl goes to visit her estranged father on an archaeological dig - in the very same site where Li once lived. As the team digs up fossils of clams and pigs and other mysterious objects, they try to put together the story of Li's tribe, but with so incredibly much information missing.
There is a lot of commentary on the politics of academia, and subtext about how our interpersonal dynamics may not have changed so very much over the course of hundreds of millions of years. There's even a bit of discussion about colonialism and the ethics of foreign archaeologists running digs in previously colonized countries. Like I said, this book has everything! But at the same time, it is really a quite simple story and you can probably read it in just a day or two.
I recommend it and would love to hear anyone's thoughts if you choose to read it.
I don't want to give any more details about that because it is at heart a simple story, but one full of discoveries and wonder. Dickinson really transported me back in (hypothetical) time to when this girl lived. The "science" of the prehistoric narrative is not necessarily reliable, but that isn't the point. It is more about imagining what it might have been like to be a being not truly human, but not truly "ape" either. It is very immersive.
Meanwhile, in the present day, a young girl goes to visit her estranged father on an archaeological dig - in the very same site where Li once lived. As the team digs up fossils of clams and pigs and other mysterious objects, they try to put together the story of Li's tribe, but with so incredibly much information missing.
There is a lot of commentary on the politics of academia, and subtext about how our interpersonal dynamics may not have changed so very much over the course of hundreds of millions of years. There's even a bit of discussion about colonialism and the ethics of foreign archaeologists running digs in previously colonized countries. Like I said, this book has everything! But at the same time, it is really a quite simple story and you can probably read it in just a day or two.
I recommend it and would love to hear anyone's thoughts if you choose to read it.
November 1, 2025
"THEN: Li is a child, yet she is the thinker of her people -- our ancestors, perhaps -- who live between the land and the sea. Her intelligence and her imagination help prepare her and her people for the huge change that is coming.
"NOW: Four million years later, the sea is dry.
Another child, Vinny, visits the site where her father is one of a team searching for the fossil remains of our ancestors. Her curiosity leads to a discovery that could alter the story of human evolution."
~~back cover
Ostensibly written for young adults, I enjoyed this book very much: the alternate theory of how hominids came to be. Like The Clan of the Cave Bear series, the heroine is an oddity among her people, which leads her to be the one to make discoveries that lead towards the next step in the evolutionary process.
I loved the portrait of the expedition leader: arrogant, scheming, silverback behavior that pushes him on to keep "subordinates" in their "place." Has the author been working on such a dig? He's certainly got the dynamics down pat!
The author presented an alternate theory that our ancestors four million years ago were half-sea animals: our tears are salty, our adipose tissue would have kept us warm in the co0ld ocean, etc. It's not any more ridiculous than many of the theories about our distant ancestors. Will we ever know for certain? Probably not. Unless we one day master time travelk.
"NOW: Four million years later, the sea is dry.
Another child, Vinny, visits the site where her father is one of a team searching for the fossil remains of our ancestors. Her curiosity leads to a discovery that could alter the story of human evolution."
~~back cover
Ostensibly written for young adults, I enjoyed this book very much: the alternate theory of how hominids came to be. Like The Clan of the Cave Bear series, the heroine is an oddity among her people, which leads her to be the one to make discoveries that lead towards the next step in the evolutionary process.
I loved the portrait of the expedition leader: arrogant, scheming, silverback behavior that pushes him on to keep "subordinates" in their "place." Has the author been working on such a dig? He's certainly got the dynamics down pat!
The author presented an alternate theory that our ancestors four million years ago were half-sea animals: our tears are salty, our adipose tissue would have kept us warm in the co0ld ocean, etc. It's not any more ridiculous than many of the theories about our distant ancestors. Will we ever know for certain? Probably not. Unless we one day master time travelk.
August 9, 2019
Let’s start with the good stuff: I LOVED Li’s story. She is a fascinating character, and so beautifully written. The fact that Dickenson was able to so lovingly craft her relationships without the use of dialogue was amazing. The plot was so fun and left me always wanting more.
Compared to that, Vinny’s story was kind of a drag. It was much slower moving and the central conflict didn’t make much sense to me. Vinny asks her dad and the other paleontologists about the an alternative theory of human evolution that she had read about, and they give her shit for it for the rest of the book. They think it is hogwash, and they needle her dad for letting her read it. She’s just a kid! Why should she know what is solid theory and what is bunk? Making fun of her and her dad for it isn’t helpful at all. Furthermore, I think real scientists would be thrilled to learn that a teenager was interested in their work, no matter how she came about it. I think the authors goal was to make science seem cool, but it didn’t for me. The scientists were obnoxious, and the work was tedious. I didn’t care about human evolution by the end of the book, I just cared about Li.
It’s worth a read, but if you’re in a hurry, you could seriously skip Vinnys chapters.
Compared to that, Vinny’s story was kind of a drag. It was much slower moving and the central conflict didn’t make much sense to me. Vinny asks her dad and the other paleontologists about the an alternative theory of human evolution that she had read about, and they give her shit for it for the rest of the book. They think it is hogwash, and they needle her dad for letting her read it. She’s just a kid! Why should she know what is solid theory and what is bunk? Making fun of her and her dad for it isn’t helpful at all. Furthermore, I think real scientists would be thrilled to learn that a teenager was interested in their work, no matter how she came about it. I think the authors goal was to make science seem cool, but it didn’t for me. The scientists were obnoxious, and the work was tedious. I didn’t care about human evolution by the end of the book, I just cared about Li.
It’s worth a read, but if you’re in a hurry, you could seriously skip Vinnys chapters.
January 1, 2018
Beautiful story!
Would have given it a four star had it not ended so... abruptly (perhaps thats was me wanting the story to continue.
Man haunts what shores he can. - Dedication, Pg. 4
The real excitement lay in thinking. - Pg. 34
The past is an immense ocean which we can neither sail on nor dive down into. We are stuck to our shore, which is the present. Out on the surface we can see the past of the history books, the storms and the shipwrecks, but of what happened in the far past, down in the deeps of that ocean, we have nothing to go on except the shells and bones it chooses to wash up at our feet. - Pg. 55
Dark in Africa is real dark. - Pg. 76
It’s difficult to place things such as feelings, and changes of feelings, into their exact time. - Pg. 120
You may not like it, but we’re working in a field where salesmanship has to go hand in hand with scholarship. - Pg. 134
Would have given it a four star had it not ended so... abruptly (perhaps thats was me wanting the story to continue.
Man haunts what shores he can. - Dedication, Pg. 4
The real excitement lay in thinking. - Pg. 34
The past is an immense ocean which we can neither sail on nor dive down into. We are stuck to our shore, which is the present. Out on the surface we can see the past of the history books, the storms and the shipwrecks, but of what happened in the far past, down in the deeps of that ocean, we have nothing to go on except the shells and bones it chooses to wash up at our feet. - Pg. 55
Dark in Africa is real dark. - Pg. 76
It’s difficult to place things such as feelings, and changes of feelings, into their exact time. - Pg. 120
You may not like it, but we’re working in a field where salesmanship has to go hand in hand with scholarship. - Pg. 134
February 4, 2022
Overall I enjoyed this book. I liked it because it explored a new and exciting theory of early hominid life that gets looked down upon. I never even knew that people thought that our ancestors lived most of their lives in water- the Aquatic Ape Theory was very mind opening. It took the theory seriously showing both sides of the arguments, giving us evidence such as, how our skin resembles blubber and our heart slows down in water, and doubts on the credibility. I was also fond of the structure of writing the author used, he switched back and forth from the life of Vinny with her taphonomist father and Li exploring new concepts with her tribe. The only thing that underwhelmed me was the ending, this is why A Bone From a Dry Sea only gets 4 stars. It felt like he was just scrambling to end the story quickly so it turned out very choppy and confusing.
March 10, 2025
Two stories that come together like the segments in Michner's The Source. The modern story took me back to my summer on an archaeological excavation (although this is paleontology), but fortunately our dig was with out the professional tensions of the book. (Or at least, if they were there, they were not so obvious.) The ancient story was based on the ideas of a not-widely-accepted author Elaine Morgan who argues that humans evolved from a kind of sea-ape. Whether you accept her theories or not (I don't), the story made for an intriguing fantasy with a strong female heroine. (I did find it hard to accept that all Li's cultural innovations would come from one individual.)
January 27, 2018
The author tells parallel stories, one about a special girl living 3 million years ago, another in the present. It's a terrific way to understand Earth's changing surface conditions and how it affects the life on it. It's also a good introduction to some of the debates about our most distant ancestors. A good read if you have interest in anthropology and historical geology. A nice blend of fiction/nonfiction.
February 17, 2024
This book contains two timeline, one in the present and the other in the past. The only thing connecting them is the location. The present timeline is about a girl named Vinny who is with her father at excavation where they discover multiple fossils. The timeline set in the past is about a girl named Li who lived with her tribe of humans who lived thousands of years ago. The story ties up nicely with Li cracking shells and bones that are found by Vinny in the present.
August 12, 2021
I would give the "modern" part of this book 2 stars and the ancient part 5 stars, so it averages out to about 3.5 stars. I know the ancient part is highly theoretical and nobody really knows how our ancestors lived, but I found Li's story super fascinating. Vinny's part I mainly just skimmed as quickly as possible to get back to Li.
September 21, 2022
some pages of this book are so lyrical they actually sing.
I enjoyed the 'Then' very very much. Especially the descriptions of dolphins and Li's awakening.
The modern day chapters' focus on academic squabbling didn't interest me so much and most of the adults were not likable. I couldn't ever draw a clear picture of Vinny's dad.
book reads very fast, easy to finish in a day.
I enjoyed the 'Then' very very much. Especially the descriptions of dolphins and Li's awakening.
The modern day chapters' focus on academic squabbling didn't interest me so much and most of the adults were not likable. I couldn't ever draw a clear picture of Vinny's dad.
book reads very fast, easy to finish in a day.
December 18, 2024
A very interesting read. Even though it's fiction, there is an underlying truth to it and it generated enough of my interest in a unique line of thinking of our evolution that I purchased the book which it refers to. Very easy to read and I enjoyed the brief part at the end giving the truncated biography of the author.
October 24, 2017
This book is a pleasant little read! I enjoyed the plot split between the modern day and four million years ago, and also quite like how Peter Dickenson has not tried too hard to marry the different plot together which would create an inevitable cliche!
June 10, 2017
I wasn't ready for this book to end when it did.
September 17, 2018
Enjoyable Story
I liked this story. I loved the past and present connections.
Well written. My first by this author, but definitely not my last.
I could not stop reading!!
I liked this story. I loved the past and present connections.
Well written. My first by this author, but definitely not my last.
I could not stop reading!!
October 2, 2018
Clever idea, clunky writing. I didn’t make it past three chapters.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews