Review: The Song that Sings Us by Nicola Davies

The Song That Sings Us tells the story of Harlon and her younger siblings, Ash and Xeno, as they barely escape from the brutal Automators. Nicola Davies builds a chilling dystopian world where Automators free people from “the tyranny of nature” by killing all wildlife they find and repressing the Listeners, humans who are able to speak with animals.

While the novel’s 400+ pages may be intimidating to some readers, Davies tells a very moving story from the point of view of both humans and animals. Her language is beautiful and poetic as she describes the natural world that the rebels are fighting to protect. The reader really feels the joy of speaking with elephants or singing with whales, just as they feel the despair of seeing the Automators’ machines cut down an entire forest.

Harlon, Ash, and Xeno are all heroes that the reader quickly comes to root for as they face down impossible odds to reunite their family and protect the animals they love. The villains’ goal to cut off humans’ connection with nature so they can more easily exploit it for profit hits frighteningly close to home.

Ultimately, The Song That Sings Us is a rip-roaring adventure story with airships, woolly rhinos, and battles between good and evil. But it’s also an important reminder that all life on earth is interconnected, and that humans still have a lot to learn from nature.

Anna Benn