Darwin's Adders: A Chronicle of Pagan England 2089

by Stephen Hayes

Darwin's Adders is the first book in a trilogy of speculative novels exploring several lines of thought. It is set in three time zones-present/near future, 2035-2041 and 2089 onwards. The narrative in the first third of the book flits to and fro between the different times, the narrative in the latter two thirds is consecutive from 2089 onwards. It was originally intended as a stand alone novel but so many ideas, characters, situations and plot developments occured to the writer between July 2009 when writing began and December 2012 when it concluded that a trilogy became inevitable.

I categorise it as speculative post apocalyptic fantasy.

The book comes from a Christian perspective but is written in a contemporary, reflective and witty style aimed at a broad readership. It uses drama, humour, sarcasm, satire and invention to explore a range of current issues and concerns. These include YouTubing, prepping, SHTF/WROL speculation, overdependence on technology and oil, one view of the New World Order, the intellectual and spiritual basis of western civilisation and threats facing it, conservation, energy, population, post-Christian ethics, Darwin, Malthus, media bias, democracy and much else. All of this is woven around exciting action, unexpected situations, exploration of a possible post-oil future and a range of interesting characters.

These characters include a stammering Sussex mathematician who gives up a brilliant career to care for his aged parents, secretive New World Order plotters, an establishment elite, a blacksmith who manufactures illegal intoxicants on the side, witches who act as family doctors, a druid with a sore bottom, an autistic boy who avoids euthanasia (which is legal if not compulsory for the unfit in the Darwinist/Pagan England of the 2080s) through skill with pigs and orchard management, and a snake catcher who sells reptiles for experimentation to the scientific druids at New Sarum, built near the ruins of Salisbury.

Scenes include apocalyptic visions of civilisation's end, neo-mediaeval post oil agriculture, pig killing and butchery in a village backyard, a barley mow with revived traditional song, a class of 9 year old schoolchildren being introduced to A E Housman's suicide poetry, an assize at which balanced but savage judgments are handed down to popular appeal, cannabis used for thought control and as a medium of trade allongside tally sticks, a martyrdom operation at a major religious festival, secret libraries and communication with extra corporeal cosmic intelligences.

I hope that readers will enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it, and I hope to raise a smile. The themes are controversial. But at heart the novel addreses some serious issues that will continue to exist even if people laugh at the author rather than the story.

A 'complete and unabridged' version of this story some 25,000 words longer exists on my PC. The published version was edited from it mainly for length and to save cost on the paperback when that comes out. The full version contains a few characters and scenes that are omitted but most of what was cut consisted of reflection and background. If there is sufficient interest the unabridged version, clearly marked as such, will be published.

The story will, I hope, continue with 'Hecate's Daughters: The Second Chronicle of Pagan England' in late 2013. The final book provisionally entitled 'A New Iona' will most likely follow a year later.

PS please note, this is a work of speculative fiction. The views, beliefs, assumptions and sentiments expressed by various characters, including The Storyteller, are their views, not mine.

Stephen Hayes 18th December 2012

Kindle Edition

First published December 7, 2012