Set in post Roman Britain, Dark Earth brings to life a period in time that has so little recorded history that its often overlooked or wildly romanticised. Dark Earth manages to be both mythical and factual, creating a beautifully described world where Gods of old and the God of new existed side by side, though not always in unity.

Isla and Blue's story is very nicely focused, primarily, on their sibling relationship, and the differences between the girls is evident in how they deal with the death of their father - the great smith - and what they both feel they must do next to survive, along with what they actually want as the story progresses.

While I felt the ending to be a little abrupt, I enjoyed the run through history as we know it and overall the pacing was good and I throughly enjoyed this, seamlessly blended, tale of myth, legend, and lesser known history, brought to life.

4/5

There is one last nightingale... the very last bird left on that wall. The rest of the plaster has cracked and fallen away... It is all going down into the dark earth, Isla thinks, remembering what Crowther had said about the marsh rising and the cities falling. It's going to take them all with it. But it hasn't taken the nightingale. Not yet. [loc. 3249]
Isla and Blue live on a nameless island in the Thames. The year is AD500 or thereabouts; the Romans ('Sun Kings') have abandoned Britain, and the ruins of their city are rumoured to be haunted. The Saxons ('Seax'), ruled by Osric, live across the river. After the death of the girls' mother, Osric exiled Isla and Blue along with their father, a Great Smith. Ostensibly this was because the smith had brought bad spirits to the camp, but clearly the reason was that he was the only man in the south of England who could make 'firetongued' (pattern-welded) swords, and Osric wanted those for himself.

But now their father is dead; Isla is terrified that Osric's soldiers will discover that she's been working in the forge, an activity prohibited to women; and without the protection of Osric and his sons, the sisters will have no home and no kin. Blue's tales of witchcraft, however, don't endear them to the superstitious Seax, and it doesn't help that the sisters are half-Iceni (through their dead mother) and wholly 'other': Blue's pet crow, Isla's mismatched eyes ...

The characters of the novel inhabit a world infested with ghosts, spirits and deities (Blue occasionally slips off to the mudflats to commune with the staked skeleton of a woman) but Dark Earth is emphatically not a fantasy novel. Every event is explicable, actual, real: it's the overlay of the characters' beliefs and perceptions (and sometimes a deliberate desire to mystify) that adds the sheen of the fantastic. Dark Earth -- the name refers to the layer of dark soil marking the years of Londinium's abandonment -- is firmly rooted in the archaeology of post-Roman London, and especially the Billingsgate Bathhouse, where the sisters encounter a predominantly female community of outcasts, scavengers and mystics. There are some beautifully evocative depictions of life in the ruins, and the need to reuse and repurpose everything that's been left behind by the vanished Sun Kings. Cremation urns become cook-pots; nails are salvaged for metalwork, now that the Roman mines have fallen into disuse; overgrown gardens still harbour medicinal herbs.

The narrative voice is Isla's, and it's clear that she doesn't understand everything she sees. She is oblivious to the growing attraction between Blue and dark-skinned Caius; uncertain about her own feelings for Senna, who rescues them from the splintering Roman bridge; convinced that she has brought a curse upon the people who have helped her. But her emotions are vivid and compehensible, despite the strangeness of the post-apocalyptic world through which she moves.

I'm a Londoner, a medievalist and a feminist, and I enjoyed this novel a great deal. It's a tale of contrasts: Romans and Saxons, men ('all swords and certainties') and women, stone and wood, ghosts and the living, pagan gods and Christianity. There were, however, two scenes which jolted me out of the story -- an account of folk banding together to save a stranded whale (what, and lose out on all that meat?!) and a passage referencing Macbeth, in which the author would have done better to paraphrase more. Nevertheless, an engaging read, with credible diversity, and a fascinating and credible depiction of a distant, poorly-documented time.

Stott's website has a page linking to some fascinating posts about her research rabbitholes.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy of this novel, in exchange for this honest review.

In theory the set up of Dark Earth was right up my street. A a feminist folk-magic post Roman London adventure, with sisters - one of whom holds the secret of forging really good swords. The idea of what Londinium after the Roman's had withdrawn forces would be like is intriguing, and this suggests pretty run down, with vagrancy and looters ruling the roost. But for some reason the mixture of hard nosed ironmongery and full moon mysticism didn't work for me. On the one hand it holds up its two anachronistic women as modern day heroines, whilst at the same time seemingly plunging them into a society which will make them outcasts almost instantly. Its also very slippery with its folklore, being as ambiguous as it can about its prophecies and dream walks. Perhaps I wanted a sense of London in a nascent form, or perhaps a larger expression of rebellion, but I found it quite hard to finish. Its not badly written but I think something in the structure or execution just didn't connect with me.

Wasn’t sure what to make of this book,. Its a period of history i have very little knowledge about and I was surprised to learn that Loninium was abandoned for over 400 years after the Romans left. the book has an ethereal , mystical quality to it, and it is not fast paced, but it is atmosphereic. most of the characters are quite cliched and not deeply drawn. I was particularly annoyed about the use of the word cloisonne , as it is a C19 french word and looked completely out of place in a novel set in the dark Ages.
I also found the ending very unsatisfying, almost rushed. So i am afraid this is a 3 star, from me..

As a fan of myth retellings, I enjoyed reading a book about the history and myth of a place that I haven't read about yet. I enjoy reading about family bonds, and the sibling connection in this story is lovely!

However, I overall found the plot was quite lacking, I wasn't particularly interested in or motivated in any narrative. A critque I have is that referring to everything as "The Great ..." e.g. the Great Sickness, the Great Smith, the Great Fire, the Great River etc. feels a tad bit lazy to me.

It wasn't a favourite read of mine but I would still consider reading more of this author.

Thanks: Received from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

A magical, mythical tale set in post Roman Britain. I loved the writing style and it was well paced. The huge amount of research that must have gone into this book's writing was evident without being overwhelming. A variety of myths and legends are seamlessly weaved together to create a unique story. Overall a spellbinding and mesmerising tale.

Thank you to Net Galley and 4th Estate and William Collins for providing an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own

N.B. Error message 'Unable to find book with ISBN "9780008209247" on Goodreads.' appears when trying to share to goodreads - posted separately and link available below

I am a bit of a newbie when it comes to the fantasy and mythology genre, but, I am widening my perspectives and so dar loving it. The author has done this brilliantly. The story is beautifully written, the characters come alive on the page, the settings pop and all characters have a believable voice. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

I had really hoped to enjoy this book but I didn’t. If this wasn’t an arc, I would have considered lemoning it
I felt like the first half dragged a little, it was very slow paced and not a lot happened during the first half. There were some important events during this time but the events didn’t take up many pages.
I didn’t like Isla at all, I just couldn’t warm to her. She made terrible decisions and her actions seemed so foolish. I did enjoy Blue, she was such a fascinating character
I enjoyed the second half more than the first.
The romance felt so unbelievable as the reader was told about the romance before being shown anything to hint at there being a romance. I’d have bought the romance if there were hints before sudden declarations that seemed to come from nowhere.
The ending was so abrupt! There was such a build up and then everything was over in less than a page.
I wanted to enjoy this book but unfortunately it really wasn’t for me.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for early access to this wonderful ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ah, this was such a great read. Let’s dive in first with what I loved:
- The differences between the two sisters, Isla and Blue, are brilliantly laid out for us.
- Isla’s worries have us on edge as if we’re experiencing it firsthand. What’s more, her reactions to Blue’s unpredictable behaviour as a result are realistic and raw.
- I liked that this didn’t focus first and foremost on a romance. I appreciated the focus on the sisterly bond and the will to survive as a woman alone.
- The weaving of historical fact and myth is well executed and I loved that we saw a clash between the leftover Celtic and Roman beliefs with Christianity on the doorstep.

What I didn’t like
- I struggled to connect with Blue and her actions, but I understand that this directly motivates Islas actions - sometimes she was unbearable though
- The ending for me was too abrupt and where I was expecting resolution found something else entirely.

Read if you like
📖 - Character driven historical fiction such as: Sistersong, Circe, The Song of Achilles
📺 - Cursed, Game of Thrones
- found family
- Families being messy
- Sibling dynamics
- Mythology; Celtic, Roman

What a glorious journey into ancient history

The Romans have left Britain and the city of Londinium lies in ruins as neither Britons nor migrants will enter it. Isla and her sister Blue live on an island in the Thames with their father the Great Smith. They were exiled to the island after marauders kidnapped the sisters’ mother. Their father was blamed for the attack because he made fire-tongued swords for Lord Osric, the Seax Lord of the South Lands. The Great Smith has almost finished the greatest of all swords, which will be handed to Osric’s son-in-law when he drops dead, and the girls take it on themselves to deliver the sword to Osric.

We follow these two young girls as they first make the journey to the palace of Osric and encounter his extremely ambitious evil son and their escape to live with the outcasts inside the ruins of Londinium.

Rebecca Stott’s writing, the storyline, and the characters, each one with a unique quality and capability. The eerie ancient city of Londinium, the magic that prevailed at the time, with its superstitions, blessings and curses makes for one of the most beautiful, breath-taking reads I’ve had for a long time.

Thank you, Rebecca Stott, for all the research you did before giving us this sweeping landscape of ancient Britain. I’m certainly going to be reading up on what you discovered on your quest to present this glorious read.

Rony

Elite Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

“… so many studies of this period, even now, and historical novels of the period too, focus almost entirely on men.”

‘Dark Earth’ is the kind of historical fiction that is set in a time you think you know all about, but you delve into it only to find yourself utterly in the dark. I have been studying Classics and the historical records of the Ancient Greeks and Romans with keen interest for some time now, along with a customary interest in Norse myths. When I started this novel, this knowledge helped me greatly. But Stott doesn’t dwell amidst the times of history when everything was recorded. Instead, she takes one of those eras that remains shrouded in mystery, lacking written records or tales of certainty. She takes the tales that do survive, monuments that archeologists have excavated, and the myths that happened because of the crossing of a number of cultures, and weaves a story of women and their space in this society.

Londinium in 500AD is a perfect place to set up a story that constructs history from bits and pieces of records, wrought with magic and superstitions and stereotypes whose standing is questioned. Isla and Blue are the central characters, but they are also part of the wide spectrum of experiences that women have gone through, always in the background. It is the story of the growth from innocence to self-discovery for the two sisters. And it is woven beautifully with threads of the lives of everyone they come across, and every place they live in.

Stott displays a great knowledge of Roman, Anglo-Saxon and Germanic people, the occupation of England by the Romans and what remained when they left. The creative construction of localised terms was impressive enough, but the concluding section where the modern muddles with the ancient truly completes the book as one of the best of this year.

I must say, I picked up this book mostly because I liked the blurb, but it was nothing compared to the treasure the novel held. In three hundred pages we have a story that would otherwise be called an epic if it was sung by bards of ancient times, with two brothers instead of sisters. In fact, the story became a legend, only with the vanquishers becoming men.

I loved the tug of war between that what has been taught and that which the heart and destiny lead the girls to. Isla struggles with the taboo of being a female blacksmith and a lesbian, while Blue lives with secrets that break people. Their love for each other and their final reconciliation with love as a multifaceted entity felt a great incorporation. The story blurs the line between true mystic and magic, and senseless rules. The shrouding of a slowly-collapsing Londinium in mythical and historical adds to the effect, and the way characters like Blue and Crowther are constructed fit right in. The novel also perfectly captures the politically disturbed climate of the time. The subtle references to the various ancient English and Roman monuments that barely survive now makes the it a pleasure to read.

Stott is also brilliant at creating the environ of her novel. At times it felt I was myself in the same place, looking at a disembowelled head of a Roman god, or hearing the sharp tong of a Firetongue sword being made. The arc of loss and gradually finding humanises the story despite its magical elements. Most importantly, it goes back to the message that the ancient myths constantly convey: It is not the gods and their temperament that decide our path to fate, it is our own choices. We forge our lives.

This has been a truly pleasurable read, and a cherishable piece of work that can be studied over and over, with all its references to history, myths and archeology.

A fascinating book, a mix of historical fiction and fantasy, set during the Dark Age in a Londinium which is a sort of ghost town.
I was fascinated by the historical setting even if I wasn't a huge fan of the sisters. They're not very likeable and the lyrical style of writing didn't always help.
The author did a good job in delivering a vivid and impressive historical background and a plot that starts slowly and becomes more gripping after some chapters.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Two women doing their best to come to terms "with their fixed place in society". A great story of turmoil and trauma as they battle literally and figuratively to find and make their place in the world of a totally male dominated and orientated society. Fortunately, as is so often the case, men underestimate the woman's collective mind and the women find their way to survive and prosper - yes, I am definitely male!

Treat yourself and read this book, not just for the main tale but for all the supporting, interesting historical information.

This was a difficult book to get into. AD 500, we are talking post Roman Britain, but why complicate things? Londinium ( London) is referred to as The Ghost City, and the Romans are the Sun Kings, probably due to living in the sunnier climes of Italy.
Two sisters, Isla and Blue, live with their father on an island in the Thames. Father is known as The Great Smith, he is a blacksmith, a skilled forger of wrought iron, and makes such fireswords that Nobles and Kings wish to buy one. Isla helps with the smithing of the swords, women are forbidden by law to do such work, which would be news to the many women who did make such implements. W hen father dies, Isla and Blue manage to escape the island, they want to try and return to their mother’s tribe, the Ikeni ( in Norfolk we say Iceni), that has been ruled by a great Queen, Boudicca.
This book manages to redeem itself in all the fascinating archeological detail that runs through this tale. Fabulous descriptions of buildings and frescoes painted upon the walls of these villas, herbs and medicines used, food stuffs, ovens, materials, shoes, hunting equipment, the layout of these immense buildings and the temples dedicated to numerous Gods, these discoveries make you wonder why we sank back into the Darker Ages. The road networks, the bath houses, I greatly enjoyed my family holiday to Hadrians Wall, and visited the museum there, it made history human.
The last 60% of this book comes to life, but it is a struggle to read. A book about the power and love of female relationships , that’s what should have been concentrated upon.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers 4th Estate, for my advance digital copy, in exchange for my honest review. I gave this a three star rating, just not for me. I will leave reviews on Goodreads and Amazon.

Based in post Roman Londinium around 500AD, I was drawn to the book by the cover and that fact that I enjoy historical fiction, particularly set in London. There was however, something about this book that just didn't quite gel for me. Despite that, I would still recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fantasy.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy of the book in return for an honest review.

A unique novel with a brilliant concept. It's well researched and the author has fun with the myths, stories and traditions of the time. I loved the sisters characters but the plot and pace were far too loose and disappointing. I was also lost at times when the narrative veered too quickly and the resolution is a bit weak. 3.5 stars in terms of writing but 4 stars for imagination.

I’m going to have to abandon this one… it’s spoiling my weekend, keep glancing at my kindle and thinking ‘ugh’.

Maybe I’m not the right person for this type of book, but there’s something about stories set in the Dark? Middle? Ages that just makes the dialogue so painfully stilted and depressing.

It doesn’t help that woman are treated like sub human scum. And this is a book about two young woman. But it’s also the ‘Father once told us… Mother used to say…’ dialogue that’s so cold and transactional and is just getting us to the next part of the story.

I’m not big on my history from this time period, so my reading was pretty broken while I looked up certain references, tribe names, geography etc to work out if the reference was fantasy or real.

40% in and all I can really say about the sisters is one is plain speaking, the other a bit kooky. Not the authors fault, but the superstitions and witchcraftery I find a bit tiresome.

What was on the author was making the sisters have conversations like ‘why don’t they ask her if she actually wants to marry him…. Because they don’t ask women who they want to marry…. The women never get remembered only the men… maybe she doesn’t want to be remembered…’ The feminist critique just didn’t work between two young women who were surely, first and foremost, terrified about getting raped and/or murdered at any second.

Wow! What a book!

The story of two sisters growing up in a male dominated world with magic and myth.

This story is like nothing I have read before and in the first quarter I struggled. The language used is olde (deliberate spelling) and it took a little while for me to get sucked in. But I did and I spent the rest completely immersed in such a wonderful tale. In a world where today we are still reeling from the laws set over what women can and can't do, this was perfectly written. I love folklore too and so this brought all of it together in one story. I would definitely read more and if Rebecca wants to write a series, I'd be jumping straight in for the next installment!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book. I absolutely loved it.

A fascinating read. It was different to what I had read before so it gave me a new area to read. It is set in the dark Middle Ages. It is a great story that demonstrates sisterhood. However, it was slow paced for me.

Overall, I rate it 3 stars.

I absolutely LOVED this literary historical fantasy in the vein of Circe, Sistersong, and Ariadne, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoyed those books. From my perspective, you will not be disappointed and I devoured this magical, character-driven novel in a couple of days.

The atmosphere is so lush, mystical, and portentous. I could feel the weight of the sisters' world, their fates, and the choices they had to make on my shoulders as I read. The author imbues the story and its characters with a worldview that sees a sign, an omen, a curse, a blessing in all the natural occurrences and coincidences that we take for granted in modern times. This really evoked the time period and setting to create a clear backdrop against which the characters struggle towards their fates.

The historical research that went into the novel is tremendous and was done with care. It has also been incorporated into the fantasy story with care and thought, and I loved the way in which the author imagines the various people and places with which her characters would have been familiar, through their eyes. I think this might have been off-putting for readers who were looking for a straight-up historical novel, but to me you don't lose any of the historicity that way. I think it adds a real flavor of the time and character to the novel, to have the linguistic elements mesh so clearly with the world-building, particularly in a novel based in a time period where language, magic, and natural world were so closely intertwined.

This is one of my new favorite books and the best book I have read so far this year. I absolutely loved it and can't wait to read it again.