Beat the Backlist MG Review: Utterly Dark and the Face of the Deep by Philip Reeve

The first book in the Utterly Dark trilogy is one of the most beautiful works of historical speculative fiction that I have read. The world-building, the narrative voice, the characters and the plot are perfectly crafted and I honestly feel that this book and in fact the entire series deserve the highest acclaim. I have recently listened to the audiobook version of Utterly Dark and the Face of the Deep (which is perfectly narrated by Barnaby Edwards) in anticipation of the final part of the trilogy being published next month, September 2023.

The story begins on the island of Wildsea, the most westerly of the Autumn Isles, a small string of fictional islands lying between the Scilly Isles and the expanses of the western seas. The sense of place and time are majestically evoked: every character whether human, witch, troll or even ancient force of nature is written with astonishing clarity and authenticity. Young (and older) imaginations cannot help but be stimulated by such breath-taking descriptions and dialogue. Utterly Dark is an endearing character; brave, clever and with a slight sense of “otherness” fuelled by her growing sense that the sea is watching and calling to her. She lives at Sundown Watch, the ancestral home of the Dark family, who have been the Watchers on Wildsea for many generations. When her guardian, Andrewe Dark is found drowned on the foreshore, his younger brother must be summoned from London to take on the role of Watcher. While the islanders await his return, Utterly climbs the Watcher’s tower each evening and as she begins to watch for the appearance of the mythical Hidden Lands, the mystery of her own background starts to slowly emerge.

It was always at sundown they were seen. In that twilight hour when the walls between the worlds grew thin, strange things might slip between the cracks.

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I loved the way that this story explored the blurring of boundaries, whether between land and sea, science and mythology or love and possessiveness. The reluctant return of Will Dark to the island, where he tries to rationalise the traditional beliefs of the island population in the supernatural power of The Gorm with the scientific theories of the enlightenment, is the catalyst for dramatic and destructive events which reveal the true nature of Utterly’s existence. I don’t want to reveal too much about the plot for fear of spoiling anyone’s enjoyment of it. Instead, I will just say that I was totally gripped by the narrative, invested in all of the protagonists and laughed aloud at the moments of high humour, often provided by the Dearlove family.

This is a story that I would recommend for mature readers in Year 5 and 6 to read independently, to feed their imaginations. It would also make an excellent classroom read aloud, or a bedtime story for children of 9/10+. I would have loved to read it to my own children had it been available when they were younger. This trilogy really does need to be read in order, so I would advise you to read this now and swiftly follow with Book 2 in the trilogy Utterly Dark and the Heart of the Wild, before Utterly Dark and the Tides of Time is published on 7th September 2023.