The end of the world is something we tend to think everyone will face into together. But how will society behave. Will we pull together or perhaps go backwards. The challenges we face some are easy to imagine and others are perhaps more subtle but have bigger consequences. In Elizabeth Anne Martin’s fascinating Dry Lands we see a world rocked by catastrophe but unusually this time the focal point is a mother and child.

The world over a few years is destroyed by The Shift, cause unknown but left to the rapid rise of the oceans destroying east and west coasts of America and many other parts of the world. Liv and her husband Felipe decide as things in he cities are getting worse they need to gamble so with their three year old son Milo that they should flee to go inland to find Felipe’s mother who lives in a remote mountain settlement. However their gamble of a helicopter ride goes horribly wrong. Liv and Milo are left alone in the countryside with few provisions and many miles to go before their destination can be reached and many dangers lie in wait.

A tale of a parent and child in an apocalypse on a long journey. I prefer in blogs not comparing any book directly to another book but if you know your dystopian fiction this should ring a bell. Dry Lands however is not directly in dialogue with that tale but what it brings powerfully is how a story changes with character. Felipe who we hardly meet in the tale is the tough survivalist, Liv was not trained in any of this and is primarily a mother of a toddler. The child in the story is not an old before their years young teenager but a child not even toilet trained and very unaware of the world they’re now in. Martin explores how the apocalypse would be for those not skilled in it; the particular issues women and children would face and asks the question how much humanity would be lost in the process. A tough read but not necessarily a bleak one.

From the gut-wrenching start where an an accident leaves Liv and Mili on their own it’s a story asking how would you survive. It’s not a tale exploring the whys and bigger issues behind the Shift it’s more how we react under extreme pressure. Liv has to start learning how to make fire, hunt and the dangers of being very alone. But throw in a toddler and we find this gets even more difficult. A young child will want to be lifted over a long day’s journey; their sense of danger is limited and their emotional state and temper tantrums make it an even harder experience. Milo is not picking up the is not getting the wisdom of the ages instead toilet training while hoping the supply of nappies can last that little bit longer is a harder issue when you’re miles from nowhere. We get the lack of medicine that makes cuts and food poisoning starker issues; a story that explores how periods and even pregnancy are made even harder when the world starts to fall apart.

As well as the physical tolls the world throws at Liv there is a fascinating story collation of how people may change when they’re desperate. We find there are dangerous raiders and wanderers - some will fight for your rations but women can also be viewed as playthings or property. Liv calls these people ‘bullies’ so Milo can understand they should be avoided. This raised the question how much of a bully does Liv herself need to be to survive this world. It’s a fascinating arc and there are glimpses of Liv before the world changed. She is a very lonely person and has been let down by the people she’s trusted. Even Felipe shows that when times are tough he sees his wife as a tool. Liv is a fascinating character as she as much as us is not yet sure what she is capable of which adds tension to the story.

The final third of the book explores how authority may change into something nastier. As the world falls we find camps and armed groups taking charge but for unknown purposes. How a state could change the rights of women and children in order to support its own plans is a powerfully delivered section that also explores how those with even minor disabilities could fare badly if felt not productive. Again things we’ve seen before but the way the focus is shown is a highlight.

While definitely a hard read this is not a fully despairing one. It’s about tough choices and the fragility of life and kindness. The appearance of a deaf horse named Mosey adds a little light to the tale and there are other characters who show they are prepared to be kind. But this world is not always going to be fair this will lead to several shocks but it’s more about not giving in that really powers the book along. My only issue was a slightly under developed romantic relationship that appears briefly in the book which I didn’t think quite landed as well as it could have.

Dry Lands is a powerful feminist work of post-apocalyptic fiction. It reminds us that the end of the world is not treating everyone the same and yet it also offers hope and the power of resolve. Martin is clearly an author to look out for and this is highly recommended.

A solid debut. This was an interesting take on the dystopian genre told through matter of fact narration and the perspective of a widowed mother trying to navigated the collapse of society with her young son.

It was good, but the story is somewhat predictable and the prose is often quite basic. A good debut and as easy read.

Thank you @NetGalley and @FlameTreePress for the advanced reader copy.
#DryLands #NetGalley

Dry Lands follows a desperate mother on her journey to find safety for her toddler son in a world ruined by catastrophic worldwide flooding. I am a fan of post-apocalyptic stories, and this one is more literary fiction in a post-apocalyptic world rather than a fast paced thriller. That doesn’t mean there isn’t action and adventure, however. Our heroine certainly faces much adversity.

In fact, sometimes I felt that things were a little too convenient for her, which is one of the reasons I did not rate this book 5 stars. But unlike other apocalypse stories, the main character makes a ton of mistakes, so it is way more believable and relatable.

I liked how the story wrapped up, although again, I thought some things were just a little too convenient. I won’t spoil it but some things just didn’t add up to me. Not enough to make me mad, but it definitely had me questioning and confused.

I’d be happy to see a follow up to Dry Lands, because I think the world Martins created is interesting and I liked the characters enough to see what happens next for them.

4 Stars!

The apocalypse is, necessarily, a large event. There are thousands of stories about the apocalypse that take a broad look at the unravelling of society by whatever means and sprinkle a bit of human-interest in. This can be an entertaining read, but the true tragedy of the apocalypse would lie in the triumphs and struggles of the individuals who live through it. Elizabeth Anne Martins takes this approach in Dry Lands as she follows a single woman trying to find her way through a world that has crumbled around her.

The ocean began rising and the land was flooding. Governments fell quickly and chaos began to spread throughout the land. Liv found temporary sanctuary in an abandoned motel along with her husband and son, Milo. She knew it would not last, but it was better than what was out in the shrinking world. As the waters close in, her husbands trades her body to a helicopter pilot to escape from the encroaching sea and a journey to her childhood home. Now Liv's husband and the pilot are both dead and she is left alone with Milo and the pilot's child that she never wanted growing inside her.

Liv finds a place to settle in for a little while as she prepares for the journey ahead of her. She gets comfortable in her makeshift home with her horse and son as her only companions, but she knows it will not last. The hunters from the encampments, groups of people who have banded together to live off of the misery of others, are always on the prowl and it is only a matter of time before they find her. As she struggles to survive and slowly makes her way toward her final destination, Liv comes to understand that the end of the world as she knew it was only the beginning. There danger lurking in every shadow, but there is also beauty and friendship and possibly even redemption at journey's end. She must somehow find the strength to see it through and hope that a brighter future awaits her.

Dry Lands starts off slow and left me wondering just where the book was heading. It took me a little while to get invested in the book and I was beginning to wonder if I ever would, and then it clicked. I mention this because readers need to be aware that it may take a little work to get going with this one, but it was well worth the effort once things fell into place. Martins takes a little bit of time setting up the story with some background (but not too much) on the disaster that changed the world and getting Liv into place. To be honest, this was not too interesting to me and was a bit formulaic. There was nothing new with the set up to the story and it almost reads as if Martins is aware of this and is just going through the steps to get to the meat of the tale.

Once it gets going and settles in on Liv's struggles in a changed world, Dry Lands is a very good and sometimes emotionally moving read. Martins pours a lot of humanity in the story and takes a deep look into what it is to be alone and survive in a world that has changed dramatically and has turned against the "common" person. The difference between this novel and many of its peers, though, is that much of this story is more about surviving emotionally rather than physically. The physical challenges are present and help shape the narrative, but it is the emotional struggle of a woman and an mother left alone against the world that drives the story. There is a sense of isolation that weighs heavily upon everything in the story as Liv deals with not only finding a way to survive but to thrive for both her and her child (as well as the child growing within her). This is a powerful novel that deals with love and loss pitted against each other to show that the apocalypse is not only about finding food to fuel the body but also about finding emotional food to fuel the soul and make life worth living again. Dry Lands takes a little bit of time to get going, but once it does, it is a book that is hard to put down and which is sure to push the reader to emotional boundaries that will leave the reader alternating between elation and tears. The apocalypse has never felt so personal before, but Liv keeps the spark of humanity burning in a world that has turned to darkness. Highly recommended for readers who are ready to emotionally invest in a novel and keep a box of tissues handy.

I would like to thank Flame Tree Press and NetGalley for this review copy. Dry Lands is scheduled to be released on May 14, 2024.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of Dry Lands by Elizaberh Ann Martins

I think this might be my favorite book so far this year! Wow!!
This is an amazing story of what one woman is capable of during a catastrophic event, Survival! What she will do to save her family and herself. The strength and endurance to save her son and provide sustenance during a trek throughout several states in the hopes of getting to safety. The story is of the struggles she has along the way, the people she meets, the decisions she has to make.
I loved the characters, the authors description of them allowed you to see them in your mind, the settings were well described as were the characters actions.
I felt so many emotions reading this novel, from laughing out loud to tears.
I hope an event like this never happens in our world, but the author made this story so believable
I would gladly read more books by this author
I received an ARC of this book and my review is voluntary

Dry Lands sounded right up my street: Liv, her young son, and a horse are struggling to survive in a flooded post-apocalyptic world that has turned to cannibalism and corruption. For me, it was a middling success. The novel certainly demonstrated the strength and resilience of a mother faced with the worst circumstances, but I felt a little disconnected from the story for some reason.

We also only get glimpses into the flood and the cannibalistic gangs, whereas I would have liked those elements to have been further fleshed out. I also would have liked the horse to have been more developed—as it stands, she felt more like an object than her own character. But overall, it was a quick read and kept me intrigued throughout!