Steve Augarde

This is a dark book. Dark enough, in fact, that it's probably the darkest YA dystopian I've read once all of the factors are added up, and there were some moments when I wondered how likely I'd ever be to tell a teenager about it. That said, it's also a good read, and compelling once it gets going.

On one hand, this is a sort of elevated version of Lord of the Flies--though this is a far better book, and much better written, in my opinion. On the other hand, there's some injustice in even show more saying that because Augarde creates such a complete and horrific world here. Maybe if Charles Dickens had come forward to write a dystopian, having thought of something like Lord of the Flies... that may be the better description. Because as dark as the situation is, as dark as some of the characters and horrors are... it's all sort of frightfully believable, and the descriptions, threats, and twists are turned around in such a way as to feel more adult... just like teens put into this book would feel far more adult and tortured than would be desired.

All told, I'm not sure I'd hand this book to a young reader, although the tone and characters and situations are exactly what one might expect from a YA Dystopian. Instead, I'd say this is more in line for adult fans of the genre, and perhaps mature young adults who'll have the patience for a book that takes as many cues from adult science fiction as from YA. Still, this book unsettled me, and I sometimes didn't want to turn the page to see what was coming, compelling as the read was... and that rarely happens when I read YA anything, so there's something to be said for that.

Recommended, with the above warnings in mind. This is darker than expected for this genre, and sometimes difficult to read. show less

This YA post-apocalyptic novel is certainly compelling reading. The world has been devastated by floods and the survivors eke out a living scavenging and trading. At the start of the story a mob of people wait on the shore hoping that there is room on the island for some of their children. On the island there is food and shelter, the boys work at cleaning and labelling the cans of food recovered from the drowned supermarkets, but it is thought of as a better life than the struggle to live on show more the mainland. We follow two boys as they take the journey, what they find on the island and how their lives change.

Steve Augarde has created a world that seems all too likely in the wake of a global catastrophe. Memories of the days before, what people have to do to survive and the need for hope. I am a bit wary of the YA tag as this is violent and disturbing; containing religious mania and prostitution. Having said that this is a brilliant novel. The characters are interesting and the story fascinating. I scarcely wanted to put the book down as I needed to know how the story would end. show less

This is quite a charming story with a very old-fashioned feel about it. We've all read books like this before - a child stays with an old relative in the country and discovers an impossible world where magic exists. In fact, this has so many resonances with the Narnia chronicles that, at times, I felt horribly close to the edge of that plagiarism cliff. But, you know what they say - there are no new stories - so I guess a reworking is OK. Pegs the flying horse annoyed me but I guess I'll show more read the other two in the series as I do like the fairy characters. show less

Twelve-year-old Midge is sent to stay on her uncle's West Country farm for the summer holidays. She's bored and lonely until the day she finds a tiny winged horse lying injured in an outbuilding and goes to its rescue.

So far, so ordinary – there's a band of tiny people living in the woods on the hill, and Midge finds herself caught up in their lives and problems – but the depiction of the tiny people, the 'Various' themselves, sets this book apart: they're a far cry from the ethereal show more fairies of Victorian art, or the Doc Martened Fae of urban fantasy; they're tough, gritty, dirty, earthy, for the most part far from magical, unwelcoming and secretive and, occasionally, downright dangerous. And they all talk like my Granddad. Not my posh granddad, the Somerset one. Ar.

The Various live in a distinct and inflexible caste system: the winged Ickri, the tribes' hunters, are their rulers and leaders; other tribes farm, or fish. Two other tribes are cave dwellers and are considered far inferior. But these, it turns out, have secrets and surprises of their own, all tied in to the almost legendary Celandine – Midge's great-great aunt, whose legacy Midge finds she has inherited.

I enjoyed this, although it's patchy, with long stretches of nothing much happening (it takes several chapters before Midge encounters the Various), and numerous shifting points of view. It's pretty dark in places, too, with – I warn you – a dead cat at one point. It's not a nice cat (it's the farm's hunting Tom), but still I skipped over that bit.

The story ends abruptly and with many loose ends unexplained and unexplored, to be continued in two sequels. show less