The Transcendent Tide by Doug Johnstone #BookReview #BlogTour

It’s been eighteen months since the Enceladons escaped the clutches of an American military determined to exterminate the peaceful alien creatures.

Lennox and Vonnie have been lying low in the Scottish Highlands, Ava has been caring for her young daughter Chloe, and Heather is adjusting to her new life with Sandy and the other Enceladons in the Arctic Ocean, off the coast of Greenland. But fate is about to bring them together again for one last battle.

When Lennox and Vonnie are visited by Karl Jensen, a Norwegian billionaire intent on making contact with the Encedalons again, they are wary of subjecting the aliens to further dangers. But when word arrives that Ava’s daughter has suffered an attack and might die without urgent help, they reluctantly make the trip to Greenland, where they enlist the vital help of local woman Niviaq.

It’s not long before they’re drawn into a complex web of lies, deceit and death. What is Karl’s company really up to? Why are sea creatures attacking boats? Why is Sandy acting so strangely, and why are polar bears getting involved?

Profound, ambitious and immensely moving, The Transcendent Tide is the epic conclusion to the Encedalons Trilogy – a final showdown between the best and worst of humanity, the animal kingdom and the Encedalons. The future of life on earth will be changed forever, but not everyone will survive to see it…

 It is my pleasure to be hosting the blog tour for The Transcendent Tide by Doug Johnstone today. Many thanks to Orenda Books and Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me and for sending me an advance copy of the novel.

A trilogy about alien octopus and jellyfish like creatures who correspond telepathically with a small group of humans doesn't perhaps sound like a deeply moving, perceptive read but the Encedalons Trilogy is written by Doug Johnstone and I don't think there's a better writer when it comes to exploring human behaviour – and that's what this brilliant series is really about. The Transcendent Tide is the third book in the trilogy and I urge you to read the previous novels, The Space Between Us and The Collapsing Wave, if you haven't already. The heartrending story of Sandy, the cephalopod-like entity who arrived on Earth in search of a new home with their fellow Encedalons really deserves to be read in its entirety. 

Eighteen months have passed since the terrible events at New Broom, a makeshift US military base and the scars still run deep. Ava has been adjusting to motherhood with her daughter, Chloe, Lennox and Vonnie have retreated to the Scottish Highlands where they are studying marine science, and after making the extraordinary decision to stay with the Encedalons, Heather is adjusting to becoming a marine creature herself, while still not yet able to let go of her humanness entirely.  This small, disparate group have formed unbreakable bonds however, and while Lennox and Vonnie are understandably reticent when a Norwegian billionaire approaches them because he wants to make contact with the aliens, they don't hesitate when they learn Chloe is desperately ill and needs Sandy's help. 

Sandy and Heather are delighted to be reunited with their friends and despite Ava's fears, she trusts Sandy and Xander, their symbiotic jellyfish partner but once again, they are betrayed by greed and megalomania. The Encedalons are desperately vulnerable but it becomes clear that Sandy's close contact with humans has affected how they fight back. 

All of the characters are facing immense changes in their lives but hope for a better future proves to be difficult as they are confronted with mortal danger and the worst of humanity yet again. Therefore, the chemistry kindled between Ava and an Inuit woman, Niviaq, in spite of everything, is a touching development. Niviaq's introduction is vital to proceedings as it's through her we gain some understanding of the Greenlanders' relationship with nature and their belief in reciprocity. Connection has been the overarching theme throughout the trilogy; whether through the telepathic abilities triggered in humans who communicate with Sandy or the complex, shared collectiveness of the Encedalons and it becomes more important than ever here.

 Doug Johnstone takes pains to ensure life in this remote part of the world is never idealised and indeed, we learn that suicide rates among young people in Greenland are scandalously high but nevertheless, their sense of community is still present. This becomes extended further in an extraordinary development which is both awe-inspiring and terrifying to envisage. It shouldn't be surprising that Sandy has communicated with other beings beyond humans but their horrendous ordeals and the brutality they have been subjected to has inevitably influenced the knowledge they have passed on to their fellow sea creatures. As marine life turns on the humans who exploit the oceans, it's impossible not to be affected by the unsettling juxtaposition between wanting to cheer them on while being horrified by the violence which ensues and what this means. Perhaps most poignant of all is the transformation we see in Sandy as it becomes obvious that just as the Encedalons have impacted people, so human behaviour has influenced the behaviour of the aliens. 

Doug Johnstone's beautifully descriptive, empathetic writing meant I was totally invested in the lives of these characters throughout and as the dramatic, tragic events unfold, the sense of tension is unbearable. There is hope here with the intriguing suggestion that human and animal kind could become more interconnected than ever; however, Doug Johnstone never patronises with sentimental, easy solutions. In a book filled with light and shade, it's perhaps only right that the future should remain uncertain – I can only keep my fingers crossed that this means we may revisit the Encedalons again in the future. The Transcendent Tide is a gripping, profoundly insightful and emotional conclusion to this masterful trilogy and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

The Transcendent Tide is published by Orenda Books and can be ordered directly from their website. More purchasing links can be found here, or order from your favourite independent bookshop.

Follow the blog tour, details are below.

About the Author

Doug Johnstone is the author of eighteen novels, many of which have been bestsellers. The Space Between Us was chosen for BBC Two’s Between the Covers, while Black Hearts was shortlisted for the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year, The Big Chill longlisted for the same prize. Four of his books have been shortlisted or longlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year. Doug has taught creative writing or been writer in residence at universities, schools, writing retreats, festivals, prisons and a funeral directors. He’s also been an arts journalist for twenty-five years. He is a songwriter and musician with ten albums released, and drummer for the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers. He’s also co-founder of the Scotland Writers Football Club.

Website  Bluesky  Instagram Twitter (X)