Driftwood

A Kirkus Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of 2020 Pick

A Library Journal Best Books of 2020: Science Fiction and Fantasy Pick

In this first novel set in award-winning author Marie Brennan's incomparable Driftwood fantasy universe, enter a post-apocalyptic realm where the apocalypse has not ended, where fragments of worlds cohere into shifting myths.

Yet even as everything fades, Drifters gather to tell conflicting legends of Last, the guide—the one man who seemed immortal but may have been a fraud. Who is Last? Fame is rare in Driftwood—it's hard to get famous if you don't stick around long enough for people to know you. But many know the guide, Last, a one-blooded survivor who has seen his world end many lifetimes ago.

For Driftwood is a strange place of slow apocalypses, where continents eventually crumble into mere neighbourhoods, pulled inexorably towards the centre in the Crush. Cultures clash, countries fall, and everything eventually disintegrates.

Within the Shreds, a rumour goes around that Last has died. Drifters come together to commemorate him. But who really was Last? Lying liar, or heroic saviour? A mercenary, a charlatan, a legend? A man, an immortal—perhaps even a god?

Driftwood is the invention of bestselling author Marie Brennan. Mirroring the world that many people are currently living in, the Driftwood stories chronicle the struggles of survivors and outcasts to keep their worlds alive until everything changes, diminishes, and is destroyed. Driftwood is the first full-length novel in this world.

'Exploring found family, adaptation, and hope in the face of apocalypse, Brennan imbues this high-concept fantasy with a strong emotional core. Fantasy fans will be thrilled.' - Publishers Weekly, starred review

'An exciting delve into a conglomerate land filled with magic and mystery.' - Kirkus Reviews