A girl named Zoe is left alone by her parents in the ruins of Norwich, which has become an island where food and water are becoming increasingly scarce. Rest assured though it’s not a rant about that but the author brilliantly interweaves our possible future into an utterly compelling story. I found the end to be a bit of an anti-climax after all the drama building in the first ¾ of the book. The belief that she will one day find her parents spurs Zoe on to a dramatic escape in a story of courage and determination that is handled with warmth and humanity. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average.

He is able to create an atmosphere - a darkness - that just puts you a little bit out of your comfort zone. She is fortunate to uncover a small rowboat submerged in the mud, and fixes it up so she can escape her town and find her parents. We were invited by the author into the chaos of what the UK may be like if problems with climate change are not solved and the clever use of the story told from Zoe's perspective allows us to visualise this 'hell' that Zoe ended up surrounded by.Floodland is a challenging novel for older readers who will be captivated by a vision of the future that is not so unbelievable. This book was the winner of the Branford Boase Award 2001 and marked the start of author Marcus Sedgwick's multi-award-winning career. This is stunning debut novel from Marcus Sedgwick and one in which the reader is instantly transported to the watery wastelands of the Fens via strong characterisation and an atmospheric tension that envelops the reader in a sea mist that chills to the bone.

The best thing about this book is that if I do not know a word I can select it and directly the meaning of the word appears. It reminded me of zombie apocalypse films where humanity either turns on each other or works together. A middle-grade short novel about a post-global-warming world in which much of what was England is now under water. He has illustrated some of his books, and has provided wood-engravings for a couple of private press books. The doom that prevails is beautifully crafted as is the glimmer of hope that pulls us through the book with its magnetism.

Zoe now has to fend for herself in a settlement which is growing smaller each day, while the people become more savage and desperate.