Ahoy there me mateys! This was me last read of 2018 and I loved it! This is a dystopian where the Earth is almost completely covered in water. There are small island settlements where the “landlockers” live. But the majority of folks are “damplings” who spend their time on boats and ships of all sizes. The story follows two women – a landlocker named Callanish and a dampling named North.

The beauty of this tale for me was in the differences of the two cultures and how they viewed each other. The religions, lifestyles, beliefs, prejudices, and priorities just felt so real and wonderfully complex. Personally, I would rather be in the dampling culture (Arrrr!) despite them being treated as second-class citizens. Though eating seaweed in all its varieties might get a little bit old.

Despite me love of the dampling life, I did actually enjoy the character of Callanish a lot better. Part of it was her lifestyle. She works as a Gracekeeper. Her job is to administer burial rites to damplings. Also Callanish had more agency in her own life while North never really stood up for anything she wanted or believed in. I understand the reasons why but it was hard for me to stomach. Plus there was some mystery to Callanish’s past which made her sections more interesting.

The book did have some minor flaws for me. There were some unanswered questions regarding how exactly the sea trade worked. If land was so scarce, where did the cruise ship come from? How did they maintain their ships? Are there dockyards somewhere? The damplings can eat food from the sea like fish and seaweed and such. So why are they so dependent on landlocker food?

Also the plot had a bit of silliness to it. It was a minor issue because the world-building had captivated me. But the floating circus (aye, really!) didn’t seem feasible in all its parts. The ringmaster was a bit ridiculous in his denial. The marriage and house subplots had big holes and were overly dramatic. I wanted the bear to go away half-way through the story. The answer to the mystery in Callanish’s past was very less than satisfactory. There were these other pieces like the military and the religious cruise ship that seem incongruous to the rest of the world and the story being told.

But honestly, I didn’t care. I read this in one sitting and the time flew by. It worked for me and I can’t wait to see what else this author comes up with. Arrrr!

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