The Transcendent Tide

Lennox, Vonnie and Ava head to Greenland to meet up with Heather, Sandy and the Enceladons, commencing an epic showdown that will change everything ... The emotive, devastating yet ultimately life-affirming conclusion to the bestselling Enceladons Trilogy...
`An affecting and thought-provoking read. Johnstone's worldbuilding is top notch in this pacy eco-alien tale of peril and hope- Tendai Huchu
`Doug Johnstone has emerged as the unholy, octopoid lovechild of David Attenborough and Michael Crichton ... a thrilling, action-packed adventure- Callum McSorley
`Surprising, compelling and out of this world- Ann Morgan
`A delight! We need more novels that take on human exceptionalism with such gustö Ever Dundas
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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...
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`A brilliant novel ... a timely meditation on man's destructive nature- Ambrose Parry
`Wonderfully drawn ... a serious critique of the state of the world today in a tense thriller anchored in the lives of ordinary people- James Oswald
`One of the best writers of his generation- CrimeTime
`The perfect end to the perfect trilogy- Michael Wood
`Powerful, profound, prescient and pacy- Lyndsey Croal
Praise for The Trilogy
*Selected for BBC 2 Between the Covers 2023*
*Longlisted for the McIlvanney Prize*
`I loved it- Sara Cox
`A barnstorming thriller ... a wonderful and radical sense of a greater, wider way of seeing life on our planet- Martin MacInnes
`Science fiction gains a new author- Derek B. Miller
`If you read one life-affirming book this year, make sure it's this one- Nina Pottell, Prima
`Prioritising pace, tension and high stakes ... a plea for empathy, compassion and perspective- Herald Scotland
`An emotionally engaging read- Guardian
`A delicious, demanding departure- Val McDermid

Doug Johnstone is the author of Fourteen novels, including The Great Silence, the third in the Skelfs series, which has been optioned for TV. In 2021, The Big Chill, the second in the series, was longlisted for the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. In 2020, A Dark Matter, the first in the series, was shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year and the Capital Crime Amazon Publishing Independent Voice Book of the Year award. Black Hearts (Book four), was published in 2022, with The Opposite of Lonely (book five) out in 2023. Several of his books have been bestsellers and award winners, and his first science fiction novel, The Space Between Us, was a BBC2 Between the Covers pick. He's taught creative writing, been writer in residence at various institutions, and has been an arts journalist for twenty years. Doug is a songwriter and musician with five albums and three EPs released, and he plays drums for the Fun Lovin' Crime Writers. He lives in Edinburgh.