How to Read B.L. Blanchard’s Novels
B.L. Blanchard has created a fascinating speculative world under the series banner of The Good Lands. While the series currently consists of two novels, they do not follow a traditional linear narrative. Instead, they present two separate, standalone stories set within the same shared alternate-history timeline—a world where the Americas and Europe developed entirely free from the legacy of colonization, the transatlantic slave trade, and the Protestant Reformation.
Because these books feature different settings, cultures, and characters, you have some flexibility in how you approach them. However, we have a clear recommendation on the best path to take to fully appreciate this unique universe.
The Recommended Starting Point
We highly recommend starting your journey with The Peacekeeper. As Blanchard's debut novel and the recipient of the 2022 Sidewise Award for Best Long-Form Alternate History, it serves as the perfect introduction to the world's underlying themes and rules. Starting here allows you to experience the Ojibwe nation of the Great Lakes region, introducing the fundamental concepts of restorative justice and Indigenous futurism before you pivot to the very different European setting of the second book.
The Good Lands Books in Publication Order
If you prefer to read books in the exact order the author wrote and published them, follow this list:
- The Peacekeeper (Published: June 1, 2022) – Set in a modern, uncolonized North America. The story follows Chibenashi, a village peacekeeper investigating a murder that mirrors the death of his mother twenty years prior.
- The Mother (Published: August 1, 2023) – Set in an alternate Europe. The story follows Marie, the Duchess of Suffolk, who fakes her own death to escape an oppressive, patriarchal English society and joins a resistance network.
Chronological Order and Universe Caveats
Readers often wonder if they will ruin the plot of one book by reading the other first. Fortunately, there is no chronological conflict between the two novels. Because they take place in different geographic regions of the same alternate 21st century, the events of The Mother do not spoil the mystery of The Peacekeeper, nor does Chibenashi’s journey impact Marie’s struggle in alternate Britain.
However, the two books offer very different atmospheric experiences:
- The Peacekeeper focuses on community, healing, and structural justice. It represents a vision of Indigenous sovereignty where the Ojibwe people have flourished, building sustainable cities like Baawitigong (Sault Ste. Marie) and Shikaakwa (Chicago) while maintaining ancestral values.
- The Mother is a darker, more claustrophobic thriller. It explores an alternate Britain ruled by rigid patriarchal norms and surveillance, offering a gritty look at the fight for female autonomy under oppressive systems.
What to Know Before You Start
Blanchard’s writing is heavily influenced by her personal background. As an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians and a former practicing lawyer, she infuses her stories with deep cultural authenticity and nuanced legal themes. Rather than creating a simple utopian fantasy, Blanchard constructs complex, flawed societies. The restorative justice system in The Peacekeeper, for example, is not a perfect cure-all but a human institution with its own struggles and limitations. Keeping this realistic approach in mind will help you appreciate the depth of her worldbuilding.