The Drowning World (The Aquantis Series) [Kindle Edition]

Brenda Peterson (Author)

Book Description

This new YA fantasy romance novel is like The Hunger Games, set underwater in a future of rising seas, floating cities, and Flood Lands. The DROWNING WORLD is a haunting and mesmerizing story of two different people from two very different worlds. Can a mermaid and a human boy find love? Can they survive in his world and hers?

A regal and highly trained young mermaid, Marina, is half-human and half-dolphin. On her first spy mission to Skyeworld in 2020, she comes ashore on Siesta Key, Florida. On the beach, she meets feisty Lukas, a proud Cuban refugee. Marina will have to choose between the advanced civilization of Aquantis, where she has been chosen as a High Priestess, and her love for Lukas and his dangerously polluted SkyeWorld.

 Marina's magic and skill save Lukas' life. But can she save her own against a lifelong nemesis from her world?

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This underwater world is so believable and vivid and fascinating. It's a page-turner. Irresistible!"

               --Sy Montgomery, bestselling author The Good, Good Pig

"The merpeople and their resplendent undersea setting are so full and rich. Amazing and haunting, The Drowning World exceeds the grasp of The Golden Compass in its themes and imaginative reach. A wonderful novel." 

               --Marion Copeland, book critic Nature in Legend and Story

"The Drowning World is a rollicking good tale of shape-shifting, time travel, mermaids, the secret world of Aquantis, and other dreams of Peterson's glorious imagination--all set against the backdrop of powerful forces--the fate of the seas, human turmoil, young love, and what everyone feels at some point in their life: The sense of being an alien in an alien land. Its pull is oceanic--it quickly lures you deep beneath its waves while time evaporates."

                --Diane Ackerman, The Zookeeper's Wife

From the Author

Brenda Peterson is an acclaimed novelist, author of 17 books including DUCK AND COVER, a New York Times "Notable Book of the Year," and the recent memoir, I WANT TO BE LEFT BEHIND, named among "Top Ten Best Non-Fiction Books of the Year." This is her fifth novel. For more: BrendaPetersonBooks.com

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 440 KB
• Print Length: 246 pages
• Publisher: Delphinius Publishing; 1 edition (September 26, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B008SCOVKW
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #219,071 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Love Philip Pullman? Read the Aquantis Series... September 3, 2012

By TLCseattle

Format:Kindle Edition

I'm not a teen reader, years past that, yet my heart/mind loves a great fantasy read. Nevertheless, I want more than 'chick lit' with a sci-fi spin. The Drowning World is a cousin to Phillip Pullman's work with its youthful characters seeking more than a date to the prom, yet driven by the same confusion, spirit and contrariness that gives young adults the courage and naivete to tackle problems that puzzle their beleaguered and begrudgingly beloved adults.

Lovers of marine animals will especially delight as they are offered a full host of creature companions and protectors with very distinct and vocal personalities. The sibling rivalry between Aquantan sisters Marina and Pandora and the spunk and charm of Lukas, the attractive Cuban teen with sturdy land legs who is torn between the two girls keeps the story saucily effervescent. At the same time, Peterson has deeply researched the very real plight of oil spills, hurricanes and flooding on formerly pristine marine life. This offers an ideal blend of romance, adventure and education all served up in a tangy portion as spicy and enticing as the peeled shrimp Marina ravenously gobbles in her first visit to SkyeWorld. Don't wait for a life preserver - dive in, the water's amazing!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and Exciting January 1, 2013

By Courtney Peterson

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Great book, kept me interested from front to back. The author uses real world problems (global warming and pollution) in a sci-fi book that will appeal to all ages. I'd definitely recommend it for a fun and captivating read.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Mermaids and Turtles -- What's Not To Like? October 14, 2012

By Marian Allen

Format:Kindle Edition

I loved the way this book ... well ... dove right into the world, immersing the reader in unfamiliar terms and concepts. It made me bond with Marina, a mermaid-out-of-water, and Lukas, a land-boy-undersea. The terms and concepts are presented with such authority, though, I always had the feeling their principles were thoroughly understood by the author, which made me willing to relax and be carried along.

My only quibble was that Marina didn't seem sufficiently prepared for a trained Diplomat-Spy (Why didn't she carry clothes with her? Why did she repeatedly ignore her orders to eat nothing in Skyeworld?). Other than that, I was only disappointed that the story ended before I was ready to stop reading it!

More About the Author

Sign up for my blog tour for The Drowning World on the terrific YA website: SCOTT READS IT:
http://scottreadsit.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-drowning-world-blog-tour-sign-ups.html

My new crossover YA novel,THE DROWNING WORLD, is just out in paperback and ebook. Publisher's Weekly feature interview welcomes THE DROWNING WORLD: http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/56286-author-turns-to-self-publishing-with-help-from-podmates.html

Carolyn Turgeon, best-selling author of MERMAID, features THE DROWNING WORLD: in her blog, I Am A Mermaid: http://iamamermaid.com/2012/09/04/brenda-petersons-drowning-world/

Our new children's picture book LEOPARD AND SILKIE: ONE BOY'S QUEST TO SAVE THE SEAL PUPS is just out and featured in a national NPR "LIving on Earth" story at this link:

LIVING ON EARTH: http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.html?programID=12-P13-00016&segmentID=6

And please visit our new Leopard and Silkie website: www.leopardandsilkie.com

Leopard and Silkie was a winner of the prestigious 2013 National Science Teachers Association "Outstanding Science Books for K-12"

ABC NEWS welcomes Leopard and Silkie: http://www.katu.com/amnw/segments/Saving-Young-Seals-161579195.html

"TOP TEN BEST NON-FICTION BOOKS OF 2010" BY CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR

AN INDIE NEXT "GREAT READ" BY INDEPENDENT BOOKSELLERS NATIONWIDE

WATCH Brenda's BOOK LUST "You Tube" excerpt on this page below or see the full interview with Nancy Pearl at this link: http://www.seattlechannel.org/schedule/programDetails.asp?title=3031103

Brenda's new website: www.BrendaPetersonBooks.com or www.IWantToBeLeftBehind.com

LISTEN to an audio excerpt from the new book on National Public Radio read by the author at: http://kuow.org/program.php?id=19037

"Unusually affecting and radiant...Peterson seeks a meeting of church and earth in this witty, enrapturing account of a spiritual journey of great relevance to us all." BOOKLIST, starred review

"A tender, lyrical account, Peterson expresses genuine love for her family and gratitude for their gifts. Peterson always seeks common ground." LIBRARY JOURNAL

"Blends her unique autobiography with compassionate and level-headed observations about family, food, religion, life and our relationship with living things. Peterson has a gift for describing her life's many adventures with disarming understatement and narrative poise." KIRKUS REVIEWS

"Brenda Peterson's picaresque memoir is a mesmerizing treat, at turns inspiring and hilarious. Her keen-eyed descriptions of the natural world, and a delicious sense of fun, combine beautifully with tales of protecting seals, whales, hope, and other wild things."
Diane Ackerman, author THE ZOOKEEPER'S WIFE


"A loving, luminous portrait of an irresistibly intriguing family, told by the most fascinating member of all -- the one who doesn't fit in. It's alive with stars over the Grand Canyon, scents of the sea, menus at family gatherings, and singing a descant. The story is told with such truth and tenderness that you can't help loving the whole family."
Sy Montgomery, author of THE GOOD, GOOD PIG


"I've been a fan of Brenda Peterson's novels since the witty DUCK AND COVER. But I can't think of another book at all like this memoir -- it's so odd and wonderful. Peterson writes here of family and conflicting faiths with moving and poignant humor."
Diane Johnson, author of LE DIVORCE


"Brenda Peterson, one of the most eloquent nature writers of our time, takes on human nature. Read this book and share it widely. It is that important."
Marc Bekoff, author of of THE EMOTIONAL LIFE OF ANIMALS

Visit Brenda's website at: www.literati.net/Peterson


Brenda Peterson is the author of 17 books, including a New York Times "Notable Book of the Year," DUCK AND COVER. Her memoir, BUILD ME AN ARK: A Life with Animals was chosen as a "Best Spiritual Book of 2001" and translated into Chinese. Her non-fiction books include the classic LIVING BY WATER and the National Geographic Book SIGHTINGS. Peterson's most recent novel is ANIMAL HEART (Sierra Club Books).

For the past three decades Peterson has written about inter-species relationships and edited several bestselling anthologies, including INTIMATE NATURE and FACE TO FACE. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, Body/Soul magazine, Reader's Digest, Sierra, San Francisco Chronicle, Utne Reader, and Oprah magazine. Since 1993 she has contributed commentary for Seattle's NPR stations.

Peterson's recent book, I WANT TO BE LEFT BEHIND: Finding Rapture Here on Earth is a spiritual memoir, widely acclaimed and named as a "Top Ten Best Book of the Year" by The Christian Science Monitor. Hew new children's book, LEOPARD AND SILKIE: ONE BOY'S QUEST TO SAVE THE SEAL PUPS IS JUST out from Henry Holt for Young Readers.Peterson is the founder of the grassroots citizen naturalists Seal Sitters [www.sealsitters.org] and she is also a devoted singer in a Seattle chorale. Peterson writes and teaches in Seattle, Washington by the Salish Sea.Contact her through her EMAIL: [e-mail]

author photos by: Chris Stuvek and Deb Ching