Publication date : 14 Aug. 2025
Language : English
Print length : 300 pages
ISBN-10 : 1916788629
ISBN-13 : 978-1916788626
Book Blurb
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?
My Review
So, here we are with the last book in Doug Johnstone’s wonderful Enceladons Trilogy and I’d like to thank Orenda Books and Anne Cater for letting me part of this blog tour. I am always wary when it comes to the last book in any series that I have loved so much as I want it to mesmerise me and be a fitting end, and The Transcendent Tide ticked those boxes and more. With the setting changed to Greenland, where Sandy and the other Enceladons are now living hoping to be away from danger, we are back with Lennox, Vonnie, Ava and Heather as again they have to try and save these beautiful creatures from the destructive force of humans.
As soon as I picked up The Transcendent Tide I felt that comfort that comes from returning to a book from a series and being back in the company of characters that feel are like friends. It was great to be back with Lennox, Heather, Ava and her daughter Chloe and Vonnie whose lives have dramatically changed over the course of the three books. Doug Johnstone’s portrayal of his characters has beem amazing and I have really taken them to my heart. Over the three books, one of the things I have loved the most has been the development of these characters. Heather, Ava and Lennox, all very much alone at the start of these books, have now become a family, looking out for each other with the added factor of being part of Sandy’s family as well. Now they also have Vonnie, Lennox’s girlfriend who has a secrert of her own in this book and new character Niviaq.
I never thought when I started this book that Sandy would become my favourite character: an Enceladon from Saturn’s moon Enceladus. In a strange way it is his humanity, whenhe is not human, and his benevolence that I was drawn to. They have an innocence to them that sees them showing love and kindness to those they come into contact with, and how the single beings are actually part of something bigger, becoming one. Interstingly in this book Doug Johnstone also explores how the actions of humans can begin to influence and in a way corrupt the innocence and benevolence of Sandy.
Through the new character Niviaq I liked learning more about Greenland and its folklore and. mythology that is part of their everyday lives. With their belief in a godess of the sea and sea monsters that attack those who over fish the area or simply a threat to their land, you can see why they are more open to the fact of Enceladons. All through these books the destruction of our enviroment and planet has been an important theme, as has human’s distrust of anything ‘other’ the feeling that they have to destroy what they don’t understand.
The Enceladon Triliogy has been an amazing reading experience that has made me laugh, cry, get angry and really think about the planet, the environment and our part in it’s slow destruction. The characters and their progression over the books has been a joy to follow, their personal growth and their growth as a team and family and their acceptance of new friends and the wonderful Sandy. The Transcendent Tide is a fabulous end to this series, maybe not with the finality I expected but I feel the conclusion was better than that, and one to consider. There will be may who think these books are from them, with an alien who can communicate telepathically, and maybe I though at first that but if you open your mind you will find youself part of this fascinating story with characters that are complex and troubled. I loved these books so much and feel bereft that this is my journey with Sandy, Lennox, Ava, Heather and Vonnie. I urge everyone to read these books, they are exceptional, magical and spectacular!!
