The Mesolithic hunter-gatherers lived in a rich, but constantly changing world - to which they successfully adapted. At times, Doggerland reminded me of Megan Hunter’s The End We Start From, which also describes a future marked by rising water levels. Scientists believe Doggerland flooded between 6000-8000 years ago when rising temperatures caused a mass-melting of ice and glaciers. However, Admussen in Six Proposals for the reform of Literature in the Era of Climate Change (2016) admonished that authors should “ retire the portrait of the single soul.

But the plot revolves around their relationship and the job they do day-in day-out for no apparent purpose as they battle with hostile weather, personal secrets and the loneliness of this odd cold watery world. Doggerland neither charts our path into the outrun of the climate crisis, nor offers a route to collectively avoid it. The combination of imagination, linguistic precision and the theme of harsh struggle in an unforgiving environment makes it a little reminiscent of Cynan Jones, but the whole thing is rather impressive. It took me a little while before I started to enjoy Doggerland – was the most exciting moment really going to be when the boy found a shoe in his fishing net? The Pilot on his supply boat exists as a plot necessity so that our two main characters don’t starve to death, but it is never explained why they don’t try to take advantage of this singular lifeline.The scene in which the young man finds a pristine conference room at the top of a 150 ft turbine particularly stands out in this respect. The Boy and the Old Man have not the tools, nor the spares, nor the range in their electric maintenance boat, to do more than tinker with more local turbines. More importantly, it is also a well written and captivating story – for without that, Cli-Fi is nothing. He examines evidence of Doggerland’s high-temperature technology, showing how its people were able to melt solid rock to create vitrified structures far stronger than concrete, a technique that modern science cannot replicate.

On the one hand, they may meet Nikoleris et al’s aims in giving the reader compelling individuals facing complex dilemmas whose plight generates empathy (and so promotes reflection on climate change). The monotony of the routine is only broken by occasional visits of the Supply Boat and its talkative “Pilot”, who is the only link with what remains of the ‘mainland’.As well as both being dystopias, Doggerland (like The Road) gives a lot of pages to the description of tiny details and a blow by blow account of each day where very little of importance or significance generally happens. A scientific exploration of the advanced ancient civilization known as Doggerland or Fairland that disappeared 5,000 years ago. This popular-science book tells the story of one of the most important, but least known major archaeological sites in Europe: Doggerland.

Graham Phillips has made a powerful case for advanced prediluvian “Phillips’s thorough investigations of this fascinating topic reveal not only a prehistoric lost world that is today rewriting history but also the genesis point of the stone circle culture whose greatest achievement was Stonehenge. The novel thus asks questions about responsibility and sacrifice, and comments on modern addictions and a culture of disposability. There is the mysterious and well-fed pilot who delivers supplies, in his electric boat, on a rather idiosyncratic schedule, and there is Jem’s father seen briefly in flashback at their moment of parting. The dialogue elicits many a wry smile, as well as a few sympathetic clenched fists when the old man is being especially troublesome.Long-forgotten gods and spirits began to stir in hidden groves and caverns and old traditions found new strength. The setting is the not-too-far-distant future on a vast offshore wind farm in the North Sea where two men (The Old Man and The Boy - they are named, but their names are rarely used) work as maintenance engineers. Doggerland is a superbly gripping debut novel about loneliness and hope, nature and survival – set on an off-shore windfarm in the not-so-distant future. The Boy and the Old Man, like latter day lighthouse keepers, jostle along with a well described mix of companionship and antipathy. It has an intriguing and original setting: a vast decaying wind farm in the middle of the polluted North Sea.