Horn Book

In this cli-fi novel set in a futuristic world suffering the effects of a catastrophic flood, twins Annalie and Will set sail in search of their father, Spinner, after agents of the dictatorial Admiralty come looking for him. After Will steals back the family’s boat from the Admiralty, he and Annalie (who has run away from boarding school with her only friend, Essie, in tow) grab Graham, the family’s talking parrot, and plot a course for Spinner’s most likely destination. Their sea voyage begins roughly halfway through the book, as they dodge pursuers, evade pirates, and escape from cannibals, all while slowly unraveling the mystery of why Spinner fled. Some answers are revealed by the book’s conclusion, but questions remain, and a betrayal in the final pages sets the characters up for a planned sequel. McConnochie does a fine job of world-building, creating vivid images of abandoned waterfront communities and also developing the technical and governing structures that shape that world. The plot-driven adventure is deepened by interactions and revelations that shape the characters as they make their way across the ocean.