Name: Isles of the Drowning
Author: Mentor Morris Njogu

About the book

After the First Shore, Eli, Mara, a changed Jubal and the angel Ariel sail the white ship into new islands, each stealing something different: voices, desires, names and finally the truth about Eli’s father.

Darkness was not always the absence of light.

The book, laid out like a course

1 parts and 21 chapters. Open a part to see what each chapter helps you understand.

Full outline

Part1

The chapters

01The Silent MarketOn Malphora, the Throat of Oblivion, people have lost their voices, and the Archivist offers to let Eli keep his if he gives up his story.
02The Library of Living LiesIn a cavern of books named for people, Jubal refuses to trade his story for peace, and Eli’s own book says he was never meant to carry the Stone.
03The UnbindingAt a black altar where people carve condemnation into their arms, Mara and Jubal show the difference between confession and condemnation.
04The Mouth of MalphoraIn total darkness a false mother tempts Jubal, and figures made of pages climb out of the abyss carrying stories that were buried.
05The Thing That ClimbedA bronze creature built from lies searches for self-doubt, and Eli remembers that Asher did not take the Stone from him but saved him.
06The Island That Wasn’t ThereThe City of Salt, where people trade their hearts for vows made to their pain, such as never needing anyone.
07The VowA vision of Asher tempts Eli through his deepest desires, and the vows break when people choose to love, trust and forgive again.
08The Drowning CityAs the city floods with refused feelings, speaking real names weakens the island, and a chain reveals that what is not surrendered becomes worship.
09The Bleeding MonasterySailing on, Mara suggests they are not conquering the islands but being changed by them, as the next island rises.
10The Weight of GraceDescending a bleeding stairway, the travellers meet a voice that demands they confess their names.
11The First KeeperBeneath the sea, Morrigan wakes among seven pillars that carry the names of the islands.
12The House of EchoesIn the darkness after Morrigan leaves, a black stone points the ship to the House of Echoes.
13The Garden Without a GateA child’s song draws them to a forest garden that has no gate.
14The Mountain of SurrenderA bare black mountain with a single light at its top calls them to climb.
15The Other EliEli meets an older, scarred version of himself who carries a dark Stone.
16The Island of the CrownA burning crown rises over a golden island, and the question becomes what it wants.
17The Broken CrownThe crown falls before the six rulers and Morrigan, and Eli raises the Stone against it.
18The Father's SecretEli sees his father’s face inside the heart, and every memory of the past feels different.
19The Last ShoreA shore that feels like every home Eli has known, full of ordinary life after the islands.
20The DrowningThe sea rises like a wall over the village, and Eli’s father tells him he must go.
21The ReturnThe village rebuilds and the travellers learn to live without an island on the horizon.