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The Droughtlanders (Triskelia #1)

by Carrie Mac

3.95 · rating details · 112 ratings · 14 reviews

Twin brothers Seth and Eli Maddox are Keylanders brought up within the privileged and protected Eastern Key. Keylanders, the boys are told, must keep within their walls to avoid the filth and disease spread by the Droughtlanders - those who struggle to survive on the parched land between the keys. But when Eli sees their brother helping one of the wretched Droughtlanders, ...more

Paperback, 347 pages

Published September 10th 2007 by Puffin Canada (first published July 20th 2006)

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Jun 16, 2008

Shannon rated it

Shelves: fantasy, ya, apocalyptic-or-post-apocalyptic, 2008

The Droughtlanders is the first book in the Triskelia series and the premise is frightening - because it's so possible. It is set sometime in the future, untold decades or centuries after the Group of Keys has essentially dominated and manipulated the rest of the world and wiped out 92% of the world's population by weather control, water rights and biological and environmental warfare.

The Keys are a group of otherwise isolated walled cities dotted around North America (whether Keys ...moreThe Droughtlanders is the first book in the Triskelia series and the premise is frightening - because it's so possible. It is set sometime in the future, untold decades or centuries after the Group of Keys has essentially dominated and manipulated the rest of the world and wiped out 92% of the world's population by weather control, water rights and biological and environmental warfare.

The Keys are a group of otherwise isolated walled cities dotted around North America (whether Keys exist in Europe and elsewhere isn't mentioned), and between them all is a parched wasteland where impoverished, disease-riddled Droughtlanders scrape a living, often brutalised, raped and murdered by the Guards from the Keys, who think of Droughtlanders as little better than rats.

With so few people left, factories, mines and sweatshops ceased and our technological and consumer goods disappeared - but the Group of Keys established a new leisure class, ressurecting "tea parties on perfectly manicured lawns, stormy nights spent playing cards in cozy parlours, afternoons at the piano or with friends, a pantomine at Christmas" (p.31) with the healthiest of Droughtlanders to serve them.

Triskelia is a mythical place harbouring an equally mythical group of rebels. After Eli sees his mother talking and hugging a Droughtlander through a gap in the wall one night, he learns that his mother is a rebel, a Triskelian, just before she dies in a bomb blast orchestrated by his father, the Chief Regent for Chancellor East. No longer able to live with the lies, his horrible twin brother Seth who wants nothing more than to join the Guard, or his autocratic father, Eli flees into the Droughtland with a horse, his dog Bullet and vague directions to the woman who buried his mother, in the hopes of finding legendary Triskelia. On the way, he's forced to reexamine all his assumptions and prejudices about Keylanders and Droughtlanders.

This is a vivid book, tightly plotted, perfectly paced and very well written. It draws you into this world from the very first scene, and is familiar enough to be scarily believable. The post-apocalyptic premise is a logical outcome from one particular path we might walk down today, and the way different groups - the privileged and the underprivileged - would evolve to meet it also rings true. Mac has a great handle on her prose and her characters, especially with Seth and Eli, who are recognisable teenagers going through great changes and forced to rethink things - not always to great or positive effect.

The scenes of both Eli and Seth travelling in their separate ways through the Droughtlands were my favourite parts. The Droughtlands is the most interesting part of the story, for me, and the most heart-wrenching. The brutality meted out by the Guards is shocking, but helps reinforce the belief the Keylanders have that the Droughtlanders are less than animals. The Triskelian rebels aren't cliched, and the ending was quick and sudden, which worked well.

If you're looking for something new in YA fantasy, this'd be a good one to try. And - because I can't resist any opportunity to plug my favourite author - if you like this or you like these kinds of stories, I also recommend Isobelle Carmody's Scatterlings, which is one of my favourite books.(less)

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Nov 28, 2011

Jaasmine rated it

· review of another edition

The Droughtlanders is a well written book with unique plotting and characters that bring me to an entirely different world. As much as I adored the book, I sincerely hope that our future is not going to become anything like that. Eli and Seth are twin brothers that have nothing in common, however, after they both go through a series of tragedies and a path to find out their beliefs as well as the truths, they start to change their visions. At first I didn’t like Eli’s personality, not only becau...moreThe Droughtlanders is a well written book with unique plotting and characters that bring me to an entirely different world. As much as I adored the book, I sincerely hope that our future is not going to become anything like that. Eli and Seth are twin brothers that have nothing in common, however, after they both go through a series of tragedies and a path to find out their beliefs as well as the truths, they start to change their visions. At first I didn’t like Eli’s personality, not only because he was such a weakling but that he wouldn’t say a word when his brother did something unspeakable. However, when I continue with the book, I realize that he would do anything for the person he loves, and to find the truth, which is what starts his thoughts of revolution.
I like how the author writes about Seth and Eli separately first and in the end they join together smoothly. Though they never ever want to admit it, their connections as twins become greater after the events they go through, “Eli hadn’t told anyone, other than Zenith , what he’d recommended. He was ashamed that he couldn’t bring himself to exile Seth after all he’d done, that there was a large part of him what wanted his brother near, even though Seth had caused him such grief all his life.” Especially after Sabine --- their long lost sister’s appearance.
The book not only expose the vivid contrast between Droughland and Keyland, but ties events together, the truth of the death of Quinn in the beginning is revealed near the end of the book, which was not surprising but disturbing.
At the beginning I strongly disliked Seth, however, strangely, in the end I start to agree with him. The revolution must start, maybe people have different ways of thinking, but in my opinion they should stop waiting for a “right time” and make a change. It is also an amazing thing the book does, it lets you to make the choice as well. Someone might agree with Eli while some of us choose to be Seth. The book develops different views from each character which is what makes it so fascinating. I’ll definitely carry on to the second and the third book.
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May 12, 2011

Christian rated it

· review of another edition

The Droughtlanders by Carrie Mac was a very interesting novel that really caught my attention and kept it through out the whole book. It had adventure, mystery, and suspense making it a great book for younger adult readers.
The Droughtlanders is a novel about a young teen that leaves the safety of his town after his mother dies to leave his dad and the guard to join the rebels outside of the city walls to fight back with his father and to show him he isn’t so weak and worthless.
At f...more

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May 10, 2011

Danny Guo rated it

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The Droughtlanders is a book written by Vancouver author Carrie Mac. It is about a futuristic world in North America where an elite group of people called “Keylanders”, because they lived in walled cities called “Keys”, controlled most of the world’s supplies. With greed and ambition their exploits wiped out 92% of the world’s population. The rest of the people who were not rich enough to live in the Key’s would be living in an area between the many Keys called the Droughtlands. This name is gi...more The Droughtlanders is a book written by Vancouver author Carrie Mac. It is about a futuristic world in North America where an elite group of people called “Keylanders”, because they lived in walled cities called “Keys”, controlled most of the world’s supplies. With greed and ambition their exploits wiped out 92% of the world’s population. The rest of the people who were not rich enough to live in the Key’s would be living in an area between the many Keys called the Droughtlands. This name is given to them since the Droughtlands rarely receive any rain as the Keylanders can control most weather movements and rainfall. An idea on how the Keylanders lived can be taken from a quote stating “tea parties on perfectly manicured lawns, stormy nights playing cards in cozy parlours, afternoons at the piano or with friends, a pantomime at Christmas” (pg 31). They lived a simple life since they thought that the complex communication and electric times of the past is what brought the world to what it is now today. It is a futuristic look at what would happen to the world if the climate and environment drastically changed and that people would continue on this path of self-destruction. The book’s main protagonist is Eli, one of the twin sons of the Chief Regent (second in power in the Key) of the Eastern Key. At first in the book Eli was a cowardly boy who couldn’t stand up for what he believed in and was always bullied by others, especially his brother, Seth. Seth and Eli have completely opposite personalities and this will be a major factor later in the book. I did not like how in the book Eli started out as a person so cowardly that he couldn’t even tell his brother when he did something wrong and then suddenly when he found out that his mother was a rebel for Triskelia, decided to support her right away. If Eli was indeed that cowardly he wouldn’t risk going against everything he was ever taught about the Droughtlands and help some people that he didn’t even know or understand. Triskelia was the rebel force of the Droughtlanders who would get even with the Keys. After his mother was found out as a rebel and killed in an attack called by his own father, Eli journeyed out to find his mother’s grave and left everything he has known to find out the truth.

I enjoyed in this book how throughout his journey of Eli though the Droughtlands, he has grown both mentally and physically and learned to accept the Droughtlanders and not discriminate against them like he was taught back in the Keylands. He has to ignore all his past knowledge of them and start fresh if he wants to survive in the Droughtlands. Throught the book there are small things that Eli does that shows how he accepts or rejects the Droughtlanders and towards the middle you can see how his attitude changes. I admit in the beginning of the book I was ready to put it down since it felt extremely slow and that I couldn’t relate to Eli’s character. Some actions he took I felt were wrong or that he was too weak and would just “go with the flow”. After reading a while of the book I finally started to see the “hero” part of Eli and how his actions before has changed to what he did now. The storyline telling is great as well since I particularly enjoyed the two parallel stories between Eli’s and Seth’s and how they merged in the end. It tells the story from two people’s point of view and lets the reader get a greater impression of how the minds of Keylanders and Droughtlanders were different.

This book was written in a clear style and was not hard to understand. It deals with some major issues in our world right now and lets the reader ponder about his or her action and how that can affect the future. I would definitely read the second and third book and relive the story again.
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Jul 29, 2011

Neill Smith rated it

· review of another edition

The people of the Keys can conrol the weather. The people of the Droughtlands are subject to starvation and disease. Eli and Seth’s mother, wife of the regent of the Eastern Key, is an undercover rebel who is working with the Triskelia, the secret organization of Droughtlanders who are planning to overthrow the government. When Eli’s father arranges to have his mother killed Eli flees Keyland and makes his way to his mother’s people in Droughtland. However nobody will trust a Keylander and h...more

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Apr 27, 2009

Rebecca rated it

· review of another edition

The Droughtlanders is the first book in the Triskelia Trilogy, and with it comes a vivid story of self-discovery, love, justice and survival. The mature themes in this book - violence and poverty among them - is aimed at an older teen audience. The frightening truth in the story is that it’s quite realistic, and we can easily image the issues we face in our world today being borne into this future. As it goes, the Keys have dominated and manipulated the world, wiping out 92% of the population...moreThe Droughtlanders is the first book in the Triskelia Trilogy, and with it comes a vivid story of self-discovery, love, justice and survival. The mature themes in this book - violence and poverty among them - is aimed at an older teen audience. The frightening truth in the story is that it’s quite realistic, and we can easily image the issues we face in our world today being borne into this future. As it goes, the Keys have dominated and manipulated the world, wiping out 92% of the population.
The Keys (Keylands) are isolated and walled cities in North America. There are maybe 8 or more, situated at intervals around parched, diseased and impoverished Droughtland where Droughtlanders scrabble to survive in the harshest of conditions.
With the decimated population, the world stopped functioning with the amounts of third world manufacturing (etc.) but the Keys managed to keep taking, the primary resource now water, creating a functioning leisure class in each of the Keys; “tea parties on perfectly manicured lawns, stormy nights playing cards in cozy parlours, afternoons at the piano or with friends, a pantomime at Christmas” (pg. 31). Millions still survive in the droughland, but with contageous sicks, disease and violence that kill off many each day.
This science-fiction, fantasy is based on a mythical Droughtland rebel force - "Tiskelia was either a religious cult for the feeble-minded or a myth born of drug-induced visions and the misplaced idealism of Droughtlanders with potent imaginations." (pg. 20) - which turns out to be not so mythical, but perfectly real as well as strong and clean. After Eli sees his mother embracing a Droughlander through the wall and she is murdered for being a Droughland rebel leader, he flees from the Key and away from his unbearable father and cruel twin brother, Seth, with only a horse, a dog, trinkets of his mother’s origin and measly directions. He enters a quest to first find his mother’s grave, and then the legendary Triskelia. His adventures force him to re-evaluate each assumption and prejudiced knowledge base of Keylanders and Droughtlanders.
Seth, on the other hand, sets out on a different quest to kill Eli for his defiance of their father's high position and also because he despises his kind-hearted brother - Seth being cruel and selfish.
Eli's character development is something of a marvel. Mac's ability to twist his assumptions and predjudices of Keylanders and Droughtlanders based on each small influence he comes by on his journey are incredible. Eli transforms from his horrible stereotyped view of droughtlanders - "No one was dressed in the smartly cut clothes of the Keys; they wore the tired tunics and threadbare pants of the Droughtland instead, a look Eli associated with sicks and filth." (pg. 24-25) - to realizing it's more of his history than he can imagine and Eli grows to love his new home, friends and unexpected family member.
It’s vivid, tightly-plotted, perfectly placed, extremely well-written, and an intensely engrossing coming-of-age type novel of two twin boys. It scarily and accurately links upper and lower world classes, and provides evidence of the outcome of such a meeting between the two. Seth and Eli’s separate and eventually entwining adventures in the Droughtland are the best parts, the description of the Droughtland a heart-wrenching and brutal truth.(less)

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Apr 07, 2011

Scott Neigh added it

Another near-future dystopia aimed at a YA audience. I have mixed feelings about it. Some interesting stuff -- clear attention to a very oppressively organized society, in this case with control over the weather standing in for control over the means of production. You have to be patient to get past the first few chapters, though. It's like the author's original version was a hundred pages longer and some editor told her to cut it down, and in that process the emotional logic of the decisions ma...more

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Jan 05, 2009

Patricia rated it

· review of another edition

This first book of the Triskelia trilogy is an engrossing read for older teen readers.– a science fiction story about warring twin brothers, part of the privileged few living in the Keys, who have adequate food and water. The miserable Droughtlanders are deprived of rain & food and harassed by the elite forces that patrol their parched lands to make sure they won’t make any trouble. However, there is a plot afoot to destroy the Keylanders... Mature content– violence & sexual, makes this bes...more

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Oct 21, 2009

Sam rated it

Recommends it for: EVERYONE

What I don't understand at all is why this isn't published by Penguin in the UK. Wake up, this should be the number one best seller. Brilliant, fully realised world that rivals Patrick Ness's Knife of Never Letting Go. Carrie Mac is a wonderful writer that can really take risks with what her characters do and the world it is set in. I need book three -

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Nov 25, 2008

Thomas rated it

· review of another edition

Good adventure. The characters are easy to relate to. A very engaging plot that reels you in like mad. Heck...I'm like a trout.

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Jul 01, 2007

Elizabeth James rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: anyone that can read about some saddness, nad likes different plot lines.

I really enjoyed this book, it takes place in the future of the world after global warming, and is about two brothers. This is the first of a trilogy, and a book that I definatly enjoyed.

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Aug 09, 2008

Lee rated it

· review of another edition

Recommended to Lee by: Sarah

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, oh-canada, post-apocalyptic, 2008-reads

I was surprised by the fact that the rebel Triskelians were actually a small group of forgiving, peace loving, circus performers.

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Jul 30, 2010

Carly added it · review of another edition

Shelves: yalitisnotjustforyoungadults

i cannot get into this. strikingly graphic depictions of violence and injury aside, this story just isn't pulling me in.

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Aug 23, 2008

Jc rated it

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Shelves: fantasy, teen-fiction, dystopian

Honour Book for the CLA Young Adult Book Award in 2007.

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Shelves: fantasy, dystopia, thought-provoking, exile

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About Carrie Mac

When Carrie Mac was born, her right eye gawked off in one direction while her left eye looked the other way. Well meaning adults thought she was a changeling and so they wrapped her up and put her on the porch for the fairies to take back, please and thank you. It was snowing. It was dark. No fairies came. The same well meaning adults decided she'd catch her death out there. So they brought her in...more

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