What do you think?
Rate this book
The Ancients
A richly imagined, sweeping novel set in the climate-changed 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 distance 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.
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 distance 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.
396 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 15, 2024
132 people are currently reading
10743 people want to read
About the author
John Larison
7 books375 followersJOHN L A R I SON spent much of
his childhood in remote regions of Australia,
the Caribbean, Canada, the South Pacific,
Alaska, and the American West before graduating
from high school in Ithaca, New York. He
studied philosophy and literature at the University
of Oregon, and became a renowned flyfishing
guide ahead of earning an MFA from
Oregon State University, where he stayed to
teach while writing Whiskey When We’re Dry.
He lives with his family on a small farm in rural Oregon, where he is at work on his next novel.
his childhood in remote regions of Australia,
the Caribbean, Canada, the South Pacific,
Alaska, and the American West before graduating
from high school in Ithaca, New York. He
studied philosophy and literature at the University
of Oregon, and became a renowned flyfishing
guide ahead of earning an MFA from
Oregon State University, where he stayed to
teach while writing Whiskey When We’re Dry.
He lives with his family on a small farm in rural Oregon, where he is at work on his next novel.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 184 reviews
October 24, 2024
“The Ancients” is a complex dystopian novel that I found challenging to connect with. Revolving around three sets of characters, the backstory remains ambiguous. This seems to be in a future where conditions are primitive, possibly due to a climate disaster. I understand the sermon the author was preaching; the pacing was just sluggish and the journey too long.
Thank you to Viking and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Viking and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
June 27, 2024
The prose? Evocative. The landscape? Harsh and fleetingly beautiful. The story? A testament to human resilience and hope.
This novel is a journey—one that everyone should take.
Set in a world where the line between past and future blurs, the story follows several different perspectives, all through a lens of survival. The characters’ depth and versatility shine against the ever-changing backdrop, embodying endurance in the face of overwhelming odds.
I couldn’t exactly pinpoint where in time the story fell, but ultimately it was irrelevant—the themes are timeless and universal. The spare writing style starkly captures their world yet enriches it with sensory detail, creating a contrast that kept me engrossed from start to finish.
The interwoven fables lent a mythical quality, transforming the narrative into a profound cautionary tale of survival, loyalty, and the quest for a better future.
TL;DR: This novel is a masterful blend of evocative storytelling and poignant themes. If you want a thought-provoking, emotionally charged literary experience, read this book.
Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for the early review copy!
This novel is a journey—one that everyone should take.
Set in a world where the line between past and future blurs, the story follows several different perspectives, all through a lens of survival. The characters’ depth and versatility shine against the ever-changing backdrop, embodying endurance in the face of overwhelming odds.
I couldn’t exactly pinpoint where in time the story fell, but ultimately it was irrelevant—the themes are timeless and universal. The spare writing style starkly captures their world yet enriches it with sensory detail, creating a contrast that kept me engrossed from start to finish.
The interwoven fables lent a mythical quality, transforming the narrative into a profound cautionary tale of survival, loyalty, and the quest for a better future.
TL;DR: This novel is a masterful blend of evocative storytelling and poignant themes. If you want a thought-provoking, emotionally charged literary experience, read this book.
Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for the early review copy!
July 16, 2024
I'm giving this five stars because of the book's high quality. It was moving, and I got attached to the characters. It is fairly slow-paced, though, and may not be accessible to all readers. It's the kind of literary book you have to be in the mood for. I'm writing a Booklist review, although I need some time to digest it before I come up with anything coherent.
August 26, 2024
So we have been here before?
Yes, child, this has all happened before, and like the last time, we wil learn again to thrive.
from The Ancients by John Larison
The Ancients imagines a far future world that seems all too familiar, a place we have read about in ancient history, and more unsettling, it is too much like the world we live in.
The Emperor demands endlessly greater tribute, depleting the land in the endeavor to meet his demand. The ‘barbarians’ with bronze weapons capture the ‘heathen’ for slave labor while claiming to better their lives–at least they are fed. Coastal tribal groups distrust each other over differences in culture.
In a lifetime, the fishing folk have seen the dunes overtake the land, the fish disappear. Rather than starve, an entire village leaves for the mountains to follow the elk. One family remained behind. A barbarian ship captures the mother to be a slave, the father drowning in the sea, leaving their three children alone to fend for themselves.
The oldest girl leads her siblings up the mountain to join the villagers. Tragedy strikes, separating the three. The oldest girl becomes a warrior rising up against the barbarians. The middle child bonds with sheep herders who take her in. The boy is sent to the barbarian city to be healed. Their stories reveal an entire world in crisis.
Cyrus, a master in the city, must increase his wool tribute. He has been a scholar until his father’s death. He is forced to borrow money from a powerful general. The man he loves has married. His mother is pushing for him to marry, too. He hopes to be on the massive ark the emperor is building to take the people across the sea, hopefully to a green and thriving place.
Cyrus grows from a sheltered, self absorbed boy. He sees the workers, stolen from their homes, who labor in his wool processing factory, who mine the valuable plastic. He reads ancient scrolls that shatter everything he ever believed about history and the world. Most importantly, he learns that the stories we tell create the world we believe in. Change the story and change the world.
In the author’s note, Larison reveals the inspiration for this story. “History reveals countless examples of technological regression,” he tells us. “Any technology may be just as fragile as the ecosystem of nature, culture, and alliance that fueled it.” We exploit the world to collapse. Yet, humanity survives, even if only a few hundred. There will be a future. Another chance to get things right.
The story is a warning, but not without hope.
Thanks to the publisher for a free book through NetGalley.
Yes, child, this has all happened before, and like the last time, we wil learn again to thrive.
from The Ancients by John Larison
The Ancients imagines a far future world that seems all too familiar, a place we have read about in ancient history, and more unsettling, it is too much like the world we live in.
The Emperor demands endlessly greater tribute, depleting the land in the endeavor to meet his demand. The ‘barbarians’ with bronze weapons capture the ‘heathen’ for slave labor while claiming to better their lives–at least they are fed. Coastal tribal groups distrust each other over differences in culture.
In a lifetime, the fishing folk have seen the dunes overtake the land, the fish disappear. Rather than starve, an entire village leaves for the mountains to follow the elk. One family remained behind. A barbarian ship captures the mother to be a slave, the father drowning in the sea, leaving their three children alone to fend for themselves.
The oldest girl leads her siblings up the mountain to join the villagers. Tragedy strikes, separating the three. The oldest girl becomes a warrior rising up against the barbarians. The middle child bonds with sheep herders who take her in. The boy is sent to the barbarian city to be healed. Their stories reveal an entire world in crisis.
Cyrus, a master in the city, must increase his wool tribute. He has been a scholar until his father’s death. He is forced to borrow money from a powerful general. The man he loves has married. His mother is pushing for him to marry, too. He hopes to be on the massive ark the emperor is building to take the people across the sea, hopefully to a green and thriving place.
Cyrus grows from a sheltered, self absorbed boy. He sees the workers, stolen from their homes, who labor in his wool processing factory, who mine the valuable plastic. He reads ancient scrolls that shatter everything he ever believed about history and the world. Most importantly, he learns that the stories we tell create the world we believe in. Change the story and change the world.
In the author’s note, Larison reveals the inspiration for this story. “History reveals countless examples of technological regression,” he tells us. “Any technology may be just as fragile as the ecosystem of nature, culture, and alliance that fueled it.” We exploit the world to collapse. Yet, humanity survives, even if only a few hundred. There will be a future. Another chance to get things right.
The story is a warning, but not without hope.
Thanks to the publisher for a free book through NetGalley.
January 4, 2026
Together, we are the Ancients’ grateful children. Hear them singing: Every tool you need you have in excess. Do not fight water—ride it.
Set centuries in the future but borrowing its worldview from humanity’s earliest days, The Ancients is a sweeping literary epic that serves as both a cautionary tale and a treatise on the power of hope.
It follows three separate narratives that expand outward before converging as the story advances: We meet Leerit, Maren, and Kushim, siblings undertaking a long and dangerous journey to reunite with their family; Lilah, a mother who has been captured by raiders and forced into labor in an unfamiliar city; and Cyrus, a young scholar thrust into a position of unstable power when he inherits his father’s position - and debts.
The Ancients is a story with a clear, definitive message, but it takes its time exploring that message. As a result, its sinuous, intricate, and densely plotted storyline isn’t going to resonate with every reader. I really enjoyed it, though. It spoke to my love of post-apocalyptic fiction set in stark worlds, where advanced technology has been lost and society has returned to a more primitive way of life. Sadly, even in this stripped-down future society, we see humanity making the same mistakes, creating a new world of haves and have-nots. But at the same time, these characters display the best of humanity: resilience, a willingness to persevere and to help each other, a perpetual hope for a better world.
John Larison’s world-building is strong, with a good balance of specific details and elements that are left more ephemeral. The Ancients requires a close and attentive read, because there’s a lot that’s inferred rather than explicitly stated. The writing is gorgeous, the setting is rich and evocative, and the characters are vibrant and so imperfectly human. If you’re willing to give it the time and attention it deserves, The Ancients is a rewarding and revelatory reading experience. Thank you to Viking for the complimentary reading opportunity.
August 20, 2024
Thank you to Viking/Penguin and NetGalley for the ARC of the novel.
Earlier this year I read Golden Days by Carolyn See, a novel that in part imagines life in a post-nuclear war southern California. The world See describes before the nuclear annihilation is one of Los Angeles glamour, parties at mansions, the accumulation of wealth, while in the air there is the distinct scent of doom. It is never addressed directly, but there are references to tensions in the political sphere, chest-thumping politicians, whispers that grow louder of a nuclear threat. Would they really do it? But life goes on (what else can one do?), until it suddenly doesn't. The final section of Golden Days is the aftermath of the nuclear battle written with great detail and attention to the devastation on the environment and the human survivors. Eventually those survivors make their way to the California coast, where they join other survivors on a beach where the sand has melted into glass. And these survivors start to build community again.
I thought of See's novel when I finished The Ancients. John Larison has written a novel that is an acclamation of the human spirit, a celebration of the human will to live, and a reminder that humans thrive in community. In The Ancients, the existential threat is environmental made worse by the dominant civilization's refusal to change and adapt to the new reality. Instead of moderating their wants into needs, the empire seeks to extract more resources from a dwindling supply, causing devastating suffering for the many people not wealthy enough to purchase even the basics to sustain themselves. The leaders of this empire continue on this path of destruction because they have created an exit plan for themselves, a means of survival that does not have room for everyone.
Of course, there are echoes here of today's world with climate change and its potentially devastating effects along with the stories of the super-rich building their bunkers and spaceships in order to survive. They have their escape plans ready to go. The world of The Ancients is the world we are creating (destroying?) now, generations into the future. It is a world where humans are once again hunters and gatherers, living symbiotically with their environment, appreciating what nature provides without wasting the resources. Yet those humans who live in concert with nature suffer the consequences created by those who don't, those who seek material wealth above all else. And the cycle begins again. But Larison's novel is ultimately hopeful, seeing in humans the potential to survive, to come together and live together as community. There is an appeal in the novel, I think, quiet, yet insistent, that maybe it is time to try a matriarchal approach to civilization. Larison's female characters are as strong as men, as fierce, yet ultimately the wiser, the ones gifted with the "longer view."
The Ancients is a fast, entertaining novel. Larison jumps right into the narrative, and readers are pulled along for a great story with characters that move you. What begins as three separate narratives get funneled into a cohesive final whole that is satisfying and rich. In some parts almost Biblical, in other parts violent, and in other parts tender, The Ancients is a novel that is compelling in its writing and its vision.
Earlier this year I read Golden Days by Carolyn See, a novel that in part imagines life in a post-nuclear war southern California. The world See describes before the nuclear annihilation is one of Los Angeles glamour, parties at mansions, the accumulation of wealth, while in the air there is the distinct scent of doom. It is never addressed directly, but there are references to tensions in the political sphere, chest-thumping politicians, whispers that grow louder of a nuclear threat. Would they really do it? But life goes on (what else can one do?), until it suddenly doesn't. The final section of Golden Days is the aftermath of the nuclear battle written with great detail and attention to the devastation on the environment and the human survivors. Eventually those survivors make their way to the California coast, where they join other survivors on a beach where the sand has melted into glass. And these survivors start to build community again.
I thought of See's novel when I finished The Ancients. John Larison has written a novel that is an acclamation of the human spirit, a celebration of the human will to live, and a reminder that humans thrive in community. In The Ancients, the existential threat is environmental made worse by the dominant civilization's refusal to change and adapt to the new reality. Instead of moderating their wants into needs, the empire seeks to extract more resources from a dwindling supply, causing devastating suffering for the many people not wealthy enough to purchase even the basics to sustain themselves. The leaders of this empire continue on this path of destruction because they have created an exit plan for themselves, a means of survival that does not have room for everyone.
Of course, there are echoes here of today's world with climate change and its potentially devastating effects along with the stories of the super-rich building their bunkers and spaceships in order to survive. They have their escape plans ready to go. The world of The Ancients is the world we are creating (destroying?) now, generations into the future. It is a world where humans are once again hunters and gatherers, living symbiotically with their environment, appreciating what nature provides without wasting the resources. Yet those humans who live in concert with nature suffer the consequences created by those who don't, those who seek material wealth above all else. And the cycle begins again. But Larison's novel is ultimately hopeful, seeing in humans the potential to survive, to come together and live together as community. There is an appeal in the novel, I think, quiet, yet insistent, that maybe it is time to try a matriarchal approach to civilization. Larison's female characters are as strong as men, as fierce, yet ultimately the wiser, the ones gifted with the "longer view."
The Ancients is a fast, entertaining novel. Larison jumps right into the narrative, and readers are pulled along for a great story with characters that move you. What begins as three separate narratives get funneled into a cohesive final whole that is satisfying and rich. In some parts almost Biblical, in other parts violent, and in other parts tender, The Ancients is a novel that is compelling in its writing and its vision.
July 30, 2025
This is quite an epic, but it didn't really wow me. It felt like one long fable almost. I see that many people are calling this science fiction and future looking, but it is the opposite, takes place in the very far past. The title says it all – the ancients.
These people are dealing with climate change, but don't understand it as such.
The story follows several characters, and some from peoples...they are enemies, likely only because they are other, different. We have a family, three siblings lost their parents. They do not know they were kidnapped, her mother survives. These three go in search of their auntie who a while before left to walk up and across the mountains.
There is also a noble, who has his own struggles, one being a lover of men in a world where it is unknown. He is a scholar, but only in his spare time. His father recently died and now he is in charge of the production of wool.
The noble lives in a grand city, while the family lives in a village, a small place. There are many adventures, of a sort that take place.
Throughout there is hope that conveyed. Your ancestors survived and so shall you. The author is telling us there has been climate change before, humans survived and we will again.
Wish I did enjoy it more. Maybe it’s a book to be reread and glean more out of it with a second reading.
These people are dealing with climate change, but don't understand it as such.
The story follows several characters, and some from peoples...they are enemies, likely only because they are other, different. We have a family, three siblings lost their parents. They do not know they were kidnapped, her mother survives. These three go in search of their auntie who a while before left to walk up and across the mountains.
There is also a noble, who has his own struggles, one being a lover of men in a world where it is unknown. He is a scholar, but only in his spare time. His father recently died and now he is in charge of the production of wool.
The noble lives in a grand city, while the family lives in a village, a small place. There are many adventures, of a sort that take place.
Throughout there is hope that conveyed. Your ancestors survived and so shall you. The author is telling us there has been climate change before, humans survived and we will again.
Wish I did enjoy it more. Maybe it’s a book to be reread and glean more out of it with a second reading.
July 24, 2024
In a world of sea and sand, everyone looks for green land. Kushim, Maren, and Leerit are a trio of siblings who struggle to survive in the wilderness after they are abandoned by their parents in their rundown fishing village. Their mother Lilah is a captive torn away from her home by desert raiders, and she’s desperate to reunite with her children. Cyrus the city-dweller grapples with conflicting loyalties and forbidden love. The environment continuously shifts and collapses around them, but every versatile character is an expression of human endurance.
This is a poignant climate fiction novel that is post-apocalyptic but with a prehistoric feel. 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. This thought-provoking novel is perfect for fans of The Bear by Andrew Krivak.
(This review was originally written for Library Journal magazine.)
This is a poignant climate fiction novel that is post-apocalyptic but with a prehistoric feel. 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. This thought-provoking novel is perfect for fans of The Bear by Andrew Krivak.
(This review was originally written for Library Journal magazine.)
March 1, 2025
Interesting dystopian story, fully developed characters, a slow burn to tie everything together but well worth the wait.
November 20, 2024
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
This book is very dense. It follows a set of siblings on their journey to find people and land where they can survive, their mother who was stolen for her labor, and the Emperor's son who has to give up the life he wants for the life he was born into.
The book is set in a world ravaged by environmental damage and the land and water are yielding less and less food. An ark is being built with the intention of taking people from the land to a greener place where food will not be in short supply. The caveat of course is that not everyone will fit so not everyone is going to go. The wealthy and those in power are the ones who will travel while the poor are, of course, going to be left with promises the ark will return for them.
There is a lot of culture commentary in so many areas from matriarchy structures of tribes to homosexuality being frowned upon to the impact of climate change.
It is a well written book, albeit heavy and packed with information and characters. It is not one that you can devour in a day, but one you would be better off taking your time with.
This book is very dense. It follows a set of siblings on their journey to find people and land where they can survive, their mother who was stolen for her labor, and the Emperor's son who has to give up the life he wants for the life he was born into.
The book is set in a world ravaged by environmental damage and the land and water are yielding less and less food. An ark is being built with the intention of taking people from the land to a greener place where food will not be in short supply. The caveat of course is that not everyone will fit so not everyone is going to go. The wealthy and those in power are the ones who will travel while the poor are, of course, going to be left with promises the ark will return for them.
There is a lot of culture commentary in so many areas from matriarchy structures of tribes to homosexuality being frowned upon to the impact of climate change.
It is a well written book, albeit heavy and packed with information and characters. It is not one that you can devour in a day, but one you would be better off taking your time with.
November 5, 2024
4.0 though end wasn’t as strong as the rest of the book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 18, 2024
3.5 stars
Nicely written story about how tradition and myth can bind people over time, and the possibilities that emerge when you let that go. Reminded a bit in feel of The Bear by Andrew Krivak.
Nicely written story about how tradition and myth can bind people over time, and the possibilities that emerge when you let that go. Reminded a bit in feel of The Bear by Andrew Krivak.
October 17, 2024
I really enjoyed this. A unique take on a dystopian society (two, actually) and the way they conflict and interact with each other.
November 1, 2024
I am so torn with rating my perception of this book. It took me a while to figure out the timeline and characters, and how they all connected. I read this slowly and with deep thought, which usually means a book is full of prose and poetry that I love, but I wouldn’t say the author is a “beautiful” writer because I was mostly just finding myself lost in thought. Wondering. I love books that make me pause with awe, and this only scratched that surface toward the end as everything wrapped up. I’d recommend it if you want to consider a Time Before and are more reflective on your place in this world, how far we’ve come, and the possibility that we are reinventing civilizations that have already gone before us. This is definitely more of a 2.5 than a 2 for me, meaning it was okay.
November 18, 2024
A very satisfying and well-written bit of speculative fiction. I hesitate to even call it post-apocalyptic because it takes place so far in the future (at least 800 years) that there is no trace of, or any memory of, anything technological. We’re literally back in the Bronze Age. I wouldn’t it call it science fiction, for the same reason, though there is a long history of putting this kind of survival story in the SF category. However, this is a completely unique take on survival and social conflict that doesn’t draw any immediate comparisons to other post-apocalyptic stories. So I like that it is unique, and that it tells a compelling story in one nicely-paced arc without need for yet another trilogy or ongoing series.
The writing is efficient and doesn’t get in the way of itself, which allows for a very clear picture of events in the reader’s mental imagery. Style is a very subjective matter, but for me it finds a nice middle ground between the prosaic literalism of Blake Crouch and the transcendent ponderings of Martin MacInnes (In Ascension).
The concept, prose, and characters are all interesting, but what impressed me most was Larison’s ability as a story teller. Pacing was perfect; not once did the story flag. A couple of times I was momentarily puzzled by the shift from one story line to another – and there are three primary stories that unfold here – but then I noticed the helpful symbols at the start of paragraphs (a sun, elk tracks, a sailing ship) which indicate which story is being told. And I like how the story flows forward without flashbacks or one narrative skipping ahead while we catch up with another. That was the real purpose of the shifts within each chapter, so I applaud this technique.
I liked that for once characters didn’t do stupid things that make the reader flinch and recoil (“oh no, don’t do that!”), that the reasoning behind actions is explained to the reader so that we have some degree of sympathy for all the characters – even those who are fighting against each other. I also found it fascinating how everything was interconnected and how it all comes together at the end.
A solid four-star read, better than many other books that I’ve generously rounded up to four stars, but not quite a five-star favorite. Still, a keeper for my library, to enjoy again sometime in the future. I recommend this mostly to readers who enjoy historical fiction, rather those that might be expecting something along the lines of a zombie apocalypse.
The writing is efficient and doesn’t get in the way of itself, which allows for a very clear picture of events in the reader’s mental imagery. Style is a very subjective matter, but for me it finds a nice middle ground between the prosaic literalism of Blake Crouch and the transcendent ponderings of Martin MacInnes (In Ascension).
The concept, prose, and characters are all interesting, but what impressed me most was Larison’s ability as a story teller. Pacing was perfect; not once did the story flag. A couple of times I was momentarily puzzled by the shift from one story line to another – and there are three primary stories that unfold here – but then I noticed the helpful symbols at the start of paragraphs (a sun, elk tracks, a sailing ship) which indicate which story is being told. And I like how the story flows forward without flashbacks or one narrative skipping ahead while we catch up with another. That was the real purpose of the shifts within each chapter, so I applaud this technique.
I liked that for once characters didn’t do stupid things that make the reader flinch and recoil (“oh no, don’t do that!”), that the reasoning behind actions is explained to the reader so that we have some degree of sympathy for all the characters – even those who are fighting against each other. I also found it fascinating how everything was interconnected and how it all comes together at the end.
A solid four-star read, better than many other books that I’ve generously rounded up to four stars, but not quite a five-star favorite. Still, a keeper for my library, to enjoy again sometime in the future. I recommend this mostly to readers who enjoy historical fiction, rather those that might be expecting something along the lines of a zombie apocalypse.
October 12, 2024
In the midst of despair there comes hope. This novel primarily deals with the strength of will of people struggling with the results of perhaps war or climate change many centuries earlier. Family is the center of lives and rulers fight for control of the people. The descriptions of setting are amazingly poetic and easily pictured. The storyline could easily be seen as the future result of our current political and environmental paths.
Thanks to NetGalley and Viking Press for the ARC to read and review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Viking Press for the ARC to read and review.
September 12, 2024
This book definitely takes some patience to get through. It is quite long and very slow paced.
The book is a story of people who try and survive a world where the earth is becoming inhabitable.
The book would have benefitted greatly if it would have started with some background information. It just dove right into the story, and I never really figured out what time period it was from, how they ended up in the situation they were in, and where they were. There was also several different groups of people, and it was never explained who they were or what their differences were. An extra chapter at the beginning setting all of that up would have been helpful and eliminated confusion.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The book is a story of people who try and survive a world where the earth is becoming inhabitable.
The book would have benefitted greatly if it would have started with some background information. It just dove right into the story, and I never really figured out what time period it was from, how they ended up in the situation they were in, and where they were. There was also several different groups of people, and it was never explained who they were or what their differences were. An extra chapter at the beginning setting all of that up would have been helpful and eliminated confusion.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
January 7, 2025
The Ancients by John Larison is a thought provoking, dystopian read, set in the far future in a world destroyed by climate change and mass extinction. Humanity is forced to start again, and here we follow young hunter-gatherers and siblings, Leerit, Maren and Kushim. Their parents have disappeared and so the three must go on a journey to find them and the rest of their village, who'd previously moved on while their family stayed where they were.
Along the way, we encounter raiders, barbarians, a wool factory in a distant city, and a space ark built for the privileged.
Want to know more? Be sure to pick your copy up to find out.
So all in all, I very much enjoyed this read, my first one of 2025.
It's evocative, it's poignant and it'll have you pondering themes of family, society, the effects we are all currently having on our planet, and the far reaching consequences our actions will inevitably have on future generations.
It's a brilliantly detailed and descritive read, it's incredibly imaginative with rich, thick writing.
I'd say it's slow paced, but for this type of novel, that's no a bad thing, but rather a positive, as this is a read to take your time with, to savour and I'm sure, like me, it'll have you up late turning the pages long after you should have gone to sleep.
5 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from me.
Along the way, we encounter raiders, barbarians, a wool factory in a distant city, and a space ark built for the privileged.
Want to know more? Be sure to pick your copy up to find out.
So all in all, I very much enjoyed this read, my first one of 2025.
It's evocative, it's poignant and it'll have you pondering themes of family, society, the effects we are all currently having on our planet, and the far reaching consequences our actions will inevitably have on future generations.
It's a brilliantly detailed and descritive read, it's incredibly imaginative with rich, thick writing.
I'd say it's slow paced, but for this type of novel, that's no a bad thing, but rather a positive, as this is a read to take your time with, to savour and I'm sure, like me, it'll have you up late turning the pages long after you should have gone to sleep.
5 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from me.
September 11, 2025
A young boy and his older sisters awaken one day to find themselves alone in their village. As food supplies run low they set out on a journey to discover the fate of their parents. Meanwhile, raiders are transporting the children's mother along with other human cargo to a port where the last days of empire are being lived out. Here lives a young scholar, in a position of privilege he must decide where his allegiance lie.
The Ancients interweaves three stories that I found quite challenging to follow if I am honest. There is little in the way of back story and I found the pace to be incredibly slow that I did lose interest a number of times. The idea behind the story I found intriguing and I was looking forward to seeing where it would go but the journey for me took too long. I enjoyed the world building, it was very evocative of a sparse and beautiful landscape and I enjoyed the hints of how they got there. I just would have liked the past to have been explored a bit more.
The Ancients interweaves three stories that I found quite challenging to follow if I am honest. There is little in the way of back story and I found the pace to be incredibly slow that I did lose interest a number of times. The idea behind the story I found intriguing and I was looking forward to seeing where it would go but the journey for me took too long. I enjoyed the world building, it was very evocative of a sparse and beautiful landscape and I enjoyed the hints of how they got there. I just would have liked the past to have been explored a bit more.
January 2, 2025
The Ancients was definitely an interesting read. Think of it as a thoughtful take on where humanity might be headed, though fair warning: it's not your typical beach read and can not be read in one sitting at all.
You've got three main storylines weaving together in a world ravaged by climate change. There's a group of kids (led by this resourceful young boy and his older sisters) trying to survive in the wilderness after losing their parents. Meanwhile, their mom's been captured by raiders and is plotting her escape from what's basically a human trafficking operation. Then there's this young scholar in the last remaining "civilised" city, dealing with his inherited wealth and privilege while everything's falling apart around him.
I'm giving it 3.75 stars, though I had to round up to 4 on Goodreads (seriously, why no half stars?). The author, Larison, chose this stark writing style, very deliberate, often distant. It works for the story they're telling, especially given the themes of isolation and abandonment, but it definitely slows down the pace. If you're looking for fast-paced action, this isn't it.
What really stands out is how well-crafted the characters are. You get just enough detail to understand their motivations without getting bogged down in unnecessary backstory. And while climate change is obviously the big theme here, the focus stays on the human story - how people adapt, survive, and try to maintain hope when everything familiar has been stripped away.
If you enjoyed Station Eleven or The Road but want something more focused on environmental collapse, this could be worth your time. It's definitely a slow burn, but the kind that sticks with you after you finish the last page. Perfect for those nights when you want something that makes you think about where we're all headed without completely destroying your faith in humanity.
Think of it as climate fiction for grown-ups who've been around long enough to appreciate a slower, more nuanced approach to dystopian storytelling.
You've got three main storylines weaving together in a world ravaged by climate change. There's a group of kids (led by this resourceful young boy and his older sisters) trying to survive in the wilderness after losing their parents. Meanwhile, their mom's been captured by raiders and is plotting her escape from what's basically a human trafficking operation. Then there's this young scholar in the last remaining "civilised" city, dealing with his inherited wealth and privilege while everything's falling apart around him.
I'm giving it 3.75 stars, though I had to round up to 4 on Goodreads (seriously, why no half stars?). The author, Larison, chose this stark writing style, very deliberate, often distant. It works for the story they're telling, especially given the themes of isolation and abandonment, but it definitely slows down the pace. If you're looking for fast-paced action, this isn't it.
What really stands out is how well-crafted the characters are. You get just enough detail to understand their motivations without getting bogged down in unnecessary backstory. And while climate change is obviously the big theme here, the focus stays on the human story - how people adapt, survive, and try to maintain hope when everything familiar has been stripped away.
If you enjoyed Station Eleven or The Road but want something more focused on environmental collapse, this could be worth your time. It's definitely a slow burn, but the kind that sticks with you after you finish the last page. Perfect for those nights when you want something that makes you think about where we're all headed without completely destroying your faith in humanity.
Think of it as climate fiction for grown-ups who've been around long enough to appreciate a slower, more nuanced approach to dystopian storytelling.
December 15, 2024
I read to 50% so there was something compelling about this novel. It is set in a distant future where not much of humanity has survived. The currency is made from mined plastic, but other than that, this book reads less like dystopian fiction and more like a history lesson. It is a retelling of how humans have formed societies based on superstition, cultural traditions, and power dynamics, set in the future. I don’t doubt that we will repeat our same patterns, but I didn’t find it offered me anything new to think about.
I received an advance copy via NetGalley.
I received an advance copy via NetGalley.
October 28, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
The Ancients is a well crafted dystopian story of two societies on the brink of ecological collapse. The Coastal communities are matrilineal, lead a simple existence, give thanks and pray to their Mother the Sea. In this climate damaged land, resources grow increasingly more scarce. The Coastal people are forced to leave their villages in search of more favorable fishing and hunting grounds. At the center of this story are three siblings whose life course is changed when their parents leave to find food and never return.
A more technologically advanced, patriarchal society, reside among the hills where they worship the Sun. The patriarch is on his death bed, and his son Cyrus has no interest in taking a wife to secure his position as heir to the throne. Instead he wishes to be a scholar, and to study alongside Ashair his secret lover. Meanwhile, conflict and rebellion threaten. Desertification encroaches on their land, and shrewd political leaders plan their escape. An arc is built to sail for more prosperous lands to colonize, but not all will be allowed aboard.
If speculative climate fiction is your thing, then give The Ancients a read. You will find themes of human resilience, stewardship of the earth’s resources, the power of myth making, and questions about who gets to control the story.
Many thanks to the author John Larison, @VikingBooks, and @NetGalley for the pleasure of reading this imaginative tale in exchange for an honest review.
The Ancients is a well crafted dystopian story of two societies on the brink of ecological collapse. The Coastal communities are matrilineal, lead a simple existence, give thanks and pray to their Mother the Sea. In this climate damaged land, resources grow increasingly more scarce. The Coastal people are forced to leave their villages in search of more favorable fishing and hunting grounds. At the center of this story are three siblings whose life course is changed when their parents leave to find food and never return.
A more technologically advanced, patriarchal society, reside among the hills where they worship the Sun. The patriarch is on his death bed, and his son Cyrus has no interest in taking a wife to secure his position as heir to the throne. Instead he wishes to be a scholar, and to study alongside Ashair his secret lover. Meanwhile, conflict and rebellion threaten. Desertification encroaches on their land, and shrewd political leaders plan their escape. An arc is built to sail for more prosperous lands to colonize, but not all will be allowed aboard.
If speculative climate fiction is your thing, then give The Ancients a read. You will find themes of human resilience, stewardship of the earth’s resources, the power of myth making, and questions about who gets to control the story.
Many thanks to the author John Larison, @VikingBooks, and @NetGalley for the pleasure of reading this imaginative tale in exchange for an honest review.
December 30, 2024
Expansive is definitely the first word I’d use to describe this novel that spans genres from post apocalyptic to speculative fiction. Expect a bit of a slow burn but I think the individual plot threads come together well at the climax. There is definitely a poignant message here about the cycles of civilization and hope for the future. Ultimately, I think this book really works as a thoughtful tale about humanity without necessarily saying anything groundbreaking.
August 25, 2024
It was an entertaining read. The narrative revolves around 3 main deities: the Sea, the Sand and the Sun. We follow characters devoted to the Sea into the capital of the Sun empire. They call each other barbarian and don’t understand each other’s language. We witness a panicked construction of the Ark that should save civilization from being buried under the sand that’s blowing in all directions. The story touches on issues of homosexuality, slavery (hey, we put food on their table and give them jobs!), extensive growth of production without any measure, wealth inheritance, corruption, claim to power by birth, blinding faith, hunters and gatherers vs scholars and manufacturers.
It definitely gives a general “Game of Thrones on climate change” vibe. There are some intriguing science fiction lines that are left underdeveloped, hints on who the ancients might be (us) and how human society is bound to spin in samsara of prosperity and disaster even when they stay as close to the land as possible. This idea of always having a possibility of a fresh start somewhere else (oh hi, Mars).
It definitely gives a general “Game of Thrones on climate change” vibe. There are some intriguing science fiction lines that are left underdeveloped, hints on who the ancients might be (us) and how human society is bound to spin in samsara of prosperity and disaster even when they stay as close to the land as possible. This idea of always having a possibility of a fresh start somewhere else (oh hi, Mars).
July 24, 2024
This book is the tale of a journey into the unknown, traveling through the harsh landscape of the future; The only goal (at first) is survive. The author masterfully weaves in myths and fables into each persons story: you have siblings attempting to find the rest of their family, the son of a wool merchant trying to balance his position of power while dealing with his father’s debts and the siblings’ mother trying desperately to reunite with her children.
This multi-narrative novel is a sweeping tale of hope, survival and resilience in a climate-shifting world.
This multi-narrative novel is a sweeping tale of hope, survival and resilience in a climate-shifting world.
Read
March 1, 2025I won an ARC of this in a giveaway and tried to read it, I really did. However, I stopped around halfway through because it was a snoozer.
I'm finally ready to admit that I will not be returning to The Ancients. I'm just... not at all interested.
I'm finally ready to admit that I will not be returning to The Ancients. I'm just... not at all interested.
March 4, 2025
This read like it was written by an early AI model. Slow af, boring, really had no purpose of existing.
April 10, 2025
I chose this book randomly from the available audiobooks on Libby and it turned out to have a devastating star crossed gay lovers plot which I’m trying intentionally not to read but it was really good and so up my alley I’m kind of ashamed. Is every book gay now? Should I reread the Song of Achilles or should I be happy?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 12, 2025
I absolutely loved it.
September 19, 2025
Loved the different stories and perspectives and how they all intertwined.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 184 reviews