Who can you trust when the world drowns?

After catastrophic flooding, Britain has become a broken archipelago of drowned cities and lawless frontiers.

Anna and Robbie flee the ruins of London and travel north, eventually finding refuge at the Mill – a small, self-sufficient community clinging to hope in deepest Cumbria.

Food is scarce. Winters are deadly. But there is work, dignity and the possibility of a future.

Then a starving young woman and her terrified child arrive.

Nula is hiding something. Her daughter, Jamila, is frightened of men. And within weeks, people begin to disappear.

As suspicion spreads and loyalties fracture, Anna must decide how far she is willing to go to protect her friends, the man she loves and the fragile community they have built.

Hi there!

It all sounds rather grim, doesn’t it? And, admittedly, things are not exactly going swimmingly… But it is also a story about love, loyalty, community and the stubborn human urge to keep going. Whether hope survives the flood, though, you’ll have to read it to find out.

^{The shortlisted books in all categories. Image © Kim Tillyer (@witchmountain)}

We’re delighted to share that Ali Thurm’s gripping novel The River Brings the Sea was shortlisted for the 2026 Lakeland Book of the Year.

^{The shortlisted novels. Image © Kim Tillyer (@witchmountain)}

The award celebrates the books, writers, landscapes and stories that make Cumbria such a distinctive place – and Ali’s haunting vision of a future Lake District certainly offers a Cumbria unlike any you’ll have encountered before.

Published by our imprint, Lendal Press, production of the novel was expertly managed by Juliette Tomlinson, who also selected it from numerous submissions in early 2025. Technically, therefore, the glory belongs to Lendal – but as we are all one happy publishing family, we intend to stand close enough to bask in it. Well done, Ali and Juliette!

Described as a “cli-fi page-turner” and a “haunting, lyrical novel”, The River Brings the Sea combines the momentum of a tense dystopian thriller with urgent questions about community, extremism, displacement and the risks involved in trusting a stranger.

It is atmospheric, unsettling and frighteningly plausible – ideal for readers who like their fiction thought-provoking, immersive and difficult to put down.

Ali Thurm

Paperback · 288 pages · £16 £12
Published by Lendal Press

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Huge congratulations to Ali on this richly deserved recognition – and to Juliette, whose publishing skills we are always very happy to take credit for. :)

Thanks for reading, and see you again soon!

Warm wishes,
Lindsey