This prize-winning sci-fi novel about wolf rewilding made me cry

When There Are Wolves Again E. J. Swift Arcadia Last year, When There Are Wolves Again by E. J. Swift was published, and this August, the novel won the hugely prestigious Arthur C. Clarke Award for science fiction. You may wonder why I didn’t review the book in this column, sworn as I am to digging out fantastic new sci-fi for New Scientist readers. The truth is I did start reading it last year, but gave up after one chapter. I thought it was going to be, for want of better words, “do-goody” and a bit dull. Advertisement Now, chastened by the praise the book has received from others, as well as the awards it has garnered, I have returned to it, determined to give it more of a go. Firstly, I stand by my assessment of the first chapter. It just isn’t that thrilling and I (sort of) excuse myself for abandoning the book. It is written from the point of view of Lucy, a girl growing up during the covid-19 pandemic, spending time with her grandparents because her parents are too busy and self-involved to look after her properly. Nothing much happens, except that the grandparents encourage the girl’s love of nature. Ah, but if only I had kept going into the second chapter, in which we find ourselves at Chernobyl and in a story about wild dogs and wolves. Here, our second hero, Hester, adopts a half-dog, half-wolf puppy. The dog-wolf, and its descendants, become the companions and loves of her life. When Hester first gets the puppy back to the UK, she is homeless and spends time on the streets, with the half-dog tucked into her clothes. Talk about tense! I have already forced two people to buy the book, which is always a sign that I think something is special This is where the book gets excellent and from here on, it is pretty much unputdownable. So, not do-goody, nor dull. Swift’s book is actually an extremely ambitious, even audacious piece of work. It realistically imagines our very near future, which is a bold thing to try and a very hard thing to pull off. As a writer, you have to somehow avoid getting wrapped up in knots about what might happen in real life even before your book gets published, or shortly afterwards. You have to really believe in your vision. Boy, does Swift deliver. The novel, which ends in about 2070, braids together the stories of Lucy and Hester over the decades. Although they only really come together at the end of the book, they are aware of each other’s work over the years. Lucy’s time with her grandparents helps her become an activist and she spends many formative years fighting for the rewilding of the UK. Ultimately, her life as a front-line activist leads to a life-changing confrontation. Meanwhile, after the success of a documentary she makes about Chernobyl, Hester becomes a well-known film-maker who chronicles the escalating environmental crisis, and the increasingly radical rewilding projects under way. Oh, it is a terrific book. While making a very clear political call for more wilderness in the UK and, indeed, worldwide, Swift somehow also delivers a really excellent novel. Very unusually for me, I burst into tears over the final lines. I felt a mixture of happiness, sadness, nostalgia, hope, grief and inspiration, all at the same time. Since then, I have already forced two people to buy the book, which is always a sign that I think something is special. I look forward to reading Swift’s previous work and anything else that she might choose to write in the future. What an achievement this is. You heard it here last! Emily H. Wilson is the author of the Sumerians series (Inanna, Gilgamesh and Ninshubar, all published by Titan) and she is currently working on her first sci-fi novel. She is a former editor of New Scientist and you can follow her on Instagram @emilyhwilson1 Emily also recommends… The Lost Rainforests of Britain Guy Shrubsole E. J. Swift’s novel reminded me of this superb non-fiction work by the (nominatively determined) Guy Shrubsole. Shrubsole’s book spurred me to visit various scraps of Britain’s surviving temperate rainforest. How wonderful if these scraps manage to grow, rather than shrink, in the years to come. When you make a purchase via the links on this page, we receive a commission.