Darkly imaginative and profoundly moving.
Harju-Autti’s evocative and unsettling historical fantasy turns a voyage of trade into a meditation on destiny. Set in 1751, the novel follows Captain Julius Hawthorne, a veteran sailor of the British crown, who receives royal orders to voyage to the Andaman Islands. He brings along his fourteen-year-old son, Peter, eager for his first taste of life at sea, and their loyal ship’s cat, Michi. What they find on the islands shifts their journey from one of commerce into a confrontation with fate itself.
Harju-Autti brings the early chapters alive with richly rendered nautical detail: the violent storms, dwindling provisions, and the fragile authority of a captain steering both ship and crew. These sections do more than provide background; they highlight the father–son relationship, shadowed by loss yet strengthened by their willingness to face new horizons together. The seafaring feels authentic, but the novel’s deeper currents begin to flow once the Andaman Islands appear on the horizon. There, Julius and Peter come across a society shaped by a singular and chilling phenomenon: each islander bears a forehead tattoo marking the exact date of their death. The supposed gift—or curse—originates in the legend of Drakor, a dragon who punished the people for their neglect. From this conceit, Harju-Autti builds a fascinating social tapestry. Schools are divided according to lifespan, marriages are determined by the length of years promised, and family life bends under the weight of knowing how much (or how little) time is left.
The book’s most compelling passages come from Julius’s attempts to understand the psychological and cultural effects of such foreknowledge. He listens as parents talk about raising children with only a handful of years ahead, as lovers weigh passion against longevity, and as elders prepare themselves with ritual for an inevitable departure. At its heart, the novel poses complex questions: is destiny immutable, or can love and courage change what seems carved in stone? These stories give the novel its emotional weight, shifting it from seafaring drama to philosophical reflection. The author does not offer an easy answer. Instead, he delivers a narrative that blends myth and history, balancing action with reflection in a way that will appeal to readers of both fantasy and literary fiction. Readers who enjoyed The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón and The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova will find much to admire here.
An imaginative and deeply resonant tale that lingers well beyond the last page.
Pub date March 19, 2025
ISBN 978-9528800255
Price $27.95 (USD) Hardcover, $17.95 Paperback, $9.95 Kindle edition
