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rosietomyn 's review for:
Dark Earth
by Rebecca Stott
Dark Earth by Rebecca Stott is a compelling tale of two sisters living outside of Londinium during the Dark Ages that followed the fall of Rome.
Dark Earth is a novel that doesn't fit neatly into either the category of historical fiction or mythology/fantasy. Stott perfectly blurs the lines and while the story offers many fantastical elements, it consistently feels very real. It's haunting and magical, while also explaining some of the superspicious beliefs that characterized the return to tribal life after Rome's destruction.
I particularly enjoyed how Stott captured the superstitions surrounding Roman ruins and the legacy loss in those spaces. Left with only verbal histories, and religious biases, the people surrounding the ruins cobble together their own mythological understanding of the "Sun Gods" who used to inhabit the spaces.
Stott also captures the real history of reuse and recycling of ruins - explained by current archeological digs and findings that suggest Saxon and Druid movement through post-Roman spaces.
Dark Earth is curious, haunting, and inspiring. It reads like Mythology, but also sheds light on little bits of interesting post-Roman history and why the Dark Ages truly was a dark age of information loss.
The interpersonal relationships in the book are also interesting, especially those between the women. I would definitely recommend this read to anyone who enjoys mythological retellings, historical fiction, or feminist literature.
Dark Earth is a novel that doesn't fit neatly into either the category of historical fiction or mythology/fantasy. Stott perfectly blurs the lines and while the story offers many fantastical elements, it consistently feels very real. It's haunting and magical, while also explaining some of the superspicious beliefs that characterized the return to tribal life after Rome's destruction.
I particularly enjoyed how Stott captured the superstitions surrounding Roman ruins and the legacy loss in those spaces. Left with only verbal histories, and religious biases, the people surrounding the ruins cobble together their own mythological understanding of the "Sun Gods" who used to inhabit the spaces.
Stott also captures the real history of reuse and recycling of ruins - explained by current archeological digs and findings that suggest Saxon and Druid movement through post-Roman spaces.
Dark Earth is curious, haunting, and inspiring. It reads like Mythology, but also sheds light on little bits of interesting post-Roman history and why the Dark Ages truly was a dark age of information loss.
The interpersonal relationships in the book are also interesting, especially those between the women. I would definitely recommend this read to anyone who enjoys mythological retellings, historical fiction, or feminist literature.