Six months since the earth-shattering events of The Space Between Us, the revelatory hope of the aliens visit has turned to dust and the creatures have disappeared into waters off Scotland’s west
coast. Teenager Lennox and grieving mother Heather are being held in New Broom, a makeshift US military base, the subject of experiments, alongside the Enceladons who have been captured by the authorities. Ava, who has given birth, is awaiting the jury verdict at her trial for the murder of her husband. And MI7 agent Oscar Fellowes, who has been sidelined by the US military, is beginning to think he
might be on the wrong side of history. When alien Sandy makes contact, Lennox and Heather make a plan to escape with Ava. All three of them are heading for a profound confrontation between the worst of humanity and a possible brighter future, as the stakes get higher for the alien Enceladons and the entire human race…
Doug Johnstone is the author of 16 previous novels, most recently The Opposite of Lonely (2023) and The Space Between Us (2023). The Big Chill (2020) was longlisted for Theakston Crime Novel of the Year, and Black Hearts was shortlisted for the same award. Three of his books, A Dark Matter (2020), Breakers (2019) and The Jump (2015), have been shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year. He’s taught creative writing and been writer in residence at various institutions over the last decade, and has been an arts journalist for over twenty years. Doug is a songwriter and musician with six albums and three EPs released, and he plays drums for the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers. He’s also co-founder of the Scotland Writers Football Club, and has a PhD in nuclear physics.
This is the second novel in the new trilogy by Doug Johnstone. Here we pick up six months on from the ending of The Space Between Us and the first question in my mind was what would we, the humans, have learned. The Enceladons are an advanced species who understand only empathy and togetherness, and tolerance of differences. They are refugees from a far off place who need help and understanding, yet seem only to receive mistrust, mistreatment and even destruction. This novel is a story with a massive learning curve if you are willing to listen.
I found myself in tears at the treatment these creatures received just for being different. It’s a massive story about othering and the lengths most people will go to to be shown something different, and about fear of the unknown becoming aggression.
During this novel I felt angry, I cried at the injustice and at certain characters fates. And this is the beauty of any of Doug Johnstone novel I pick up. The people, their relatability and things that make you say ‘I get that’ and this was no different. Throughout, I cheered the humans who welcomed and helped the Enceladons. The humans who saw different beings but accepted them as they were.
Am I a sci-fi geek you may ask? No. Not at all. I am however looking more at speculative fiction and sci-fi such as this because it gives hope in our often troubled world.
With thanks to Anne Cater, the publisher and the author for the advanced reading copy of this book.
Books’n’banter 