Mara and Dann by Doris Lessing

Mara and Dann

Doris Lessing

Imagine a world in the future, where all our knowledge and technology is long-forgotten and survival is a battle against drought, heat and war. This is both a compelling and imaginative read, following the journey of a brother and sister across 'Ifrik' as they search for a new home where water is plentiful and they can live in safety. This book will make you thirsty!

Extract
'Long ago there were civilisations so far in advance of us that we cannot begin to imagine what they were.'
'How do we know?'
'About five thousand years ago there was a terrible storm in a desert that everyone thought had always been a desert, just piles of sand, and the storm shifted the sand and exposed a city. It was very big. It had been made to keep chronicles - records - books.' ...
.... 'Some wrote it all down but others were trained to remember. And that is where all our knowledge comes from - those old libraries. But it was just as well the Memories were trained, because when the books were exposed to air they crumbled into dust and soon there weren't many left.'
Parallels
  • Factoring Humanity by Robert Sawyer
  • Crucifix Lane by Kate Mosse