Dark Earth by Rebecca Stott

A “superb” (The Guardian) novel about two sisters fighting for survival in Dark Ages Britain that weaves “a dazzling blend of history and fantasy” (BuzzFeed)

“Rich in history and folklore…Stott is astute on the use of stories to control others and maintain power…Female defiance blazes through as her women reclaim this brutal period from the men.”—The Telegraph

The year is 500 AD. Sisters Isla and Blue live in the shadows of the Ghost City, the abandoned ruins of the once-glorious mile-wide Roman settlement Londinium on the bank of the River Thames. But the small island they call home is also a place of exile for Isla, Blue, and their father, a legendary blacksmith accused of using dark magic to make his firetongue swords—formidable blades of great prestige—and cast out from the community. When he dies suddenly, the sisters find themselves facing enslavement by the local warlord and his cruel, power-hungry son. Their only option is to escape to the Ghost City, where they discover an underworld of rebel women living secretly amid the ruins. But if Isla and Blue are to survive the men who hunt them, and protect their new community, they will need to use all their skill and ingenuity—as well as the magic of their foremothers—to fight back.

With an intimate yet cinematic scope, Dark Earth re-creates an ancient world steeped in myth and folklore, and introduces us to unforgettable women. A heart-in-mouth adventure full of moments of tenderness, this is a beautiful, profound novel about oppression and power that puts a female perspective on a historical period dominated by men’s stories.

Story Locale: Britain, circa 500 A.D.

Publication History: RH HC (7/22)

Rebecca Stott is Emeritus professor of English literature and creative writing at the University of East Anglia in Norwich. She is the author of Darwin’s Ghosts: The Secret History of Evolution, the novels Dark Earth, The Coral Thief, and the national bestseller Ghostwalk, a biography, Darwin and the Barnacle, and an award-winning memoir, In the Days of Rain. She is a regular contributor to BBC Radio and lives in Norwich.

Author Residence: Norwich, UK

Author Hometown: Cambridge, UK