In the Golden Years people had books and libraries and perhaps life was easier? But they must have some terrible things because the world is now so damaged. The Clans hold power using terror and violence against people who are barely surviving in small settlements. These fierce warriors are ruthless and extremely dangerous but animals are dangerous too. What did the people from the past do to the wild creatures of the earth?
"It could have affected the animals too ... Is that maybe why they hate us so much?' ... 'Think about it Put yourself in their place ... You're a dolphin, say or an orca, or a big cat in the forest, and people do cruel things to you. They take away your food, you hunting grounds, your freedom."
Dane has seen the death of his parents and he has become a wanderer. His grief is deep so it feels as though he is actually running away. He has a few essential tools such as a flint and knife along with his precious kayak. As this story opens Dane sees some smoke on an island. He decides to investigate and he meets a wise woman who has survived several attacks by the Clan.
Megan offers him food and advice. Dane's kayak is in need of repairs. Megan tells Dane about a skilled craftsman named Garth and so after spending a short time with Megan, Dane sets off to find Garth little knowing this will be the beginning of a long and perilous journey. He also has no idea he is about to meet his travelling companion - a girl named Lana. Lana has an amazing skill. When she sings, she is able to calm wild animals on land and in the sea. Lana can also sense danger well before it arrives in fact all of her sense are very finely tuned and this is because she is blind but there is no way this is an obstacle for Lana. She is a fearless and loyal companion and she and Dane make a wonderful team out in the wild ocean. Their purpose it to reach Elysia where there is supposed to be a library. Dane has one book (books are rare and precious objects in this future world and nearly all have been destroyed by the Clan). He also has a book from Megan and later a small collection of ten titles rescued when the clan attack Garth's hideaway.
The writing in this book is powerful. You will feel the danger, the cold, the hunger and the pain from horrible wounds inflicted on Dane by Kurt, leader of the Clan. Kurt has his own motivation for chasing Lana and the longer his hunt goes on the more a madness overtakes him making a very dangerous combination of rage, deadly weapons and insanity.
Along the way Lana and Dane meet other wise people one of whom is a woman named the Sealer. She tells them to avoid two dangerous islands as they travel south to Elysia - when I read this part of the story I desperately hoped Dane and Lana would heed her warning but alas they do not. The scenes on Skull Island and later Barter Island are filled with dreadful violence which is why I am listing Wanderer as a Young Adult book for ages 13+. These places reminded me of Where the world ends by Geraldine McCaughrean. Elysium is from Homer's Odyssey and means a place or state of ideal happiness - a paradise.
Here are a few descriptions to give you a flavour of this story:
The clan: "Even at this distance Dane could make out their fur tunics, their heavily tatooed arms and face, their hair tied into upright tufts. ... Like Danes own weapons, clipped to the side of the kayak, they were fashioned mainly from the debris of another age - one long-since passed - a fabled time known widely as the Golden Years."
"Karl had bought just ten warriors with him. They entered the square in a single phalanx, each of them dressed resplendently in feathered cloaks and painted leather tunics and leggings. Colour ochres had been smeared across their tattooed faces giving them a fierce animal appearance ..."
I do need to also mention there are some interesting book references scattered through out the story many of which are shared in the evenings by Lana and others they meet. Stories such as Shakespeare, Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales, Hansel and Gretel, The Hobbit,The Piped Piper, Moby Dick, and Charles Dickens. It was interesting to hear Karl quote Tamburlaine because I recently read this book - Tamburlaine's Elephants. The story is also book ended with two lines from an poem by Arthur Hugh Clough (1855). You can hear the whole poem here.
"Say not the struggle nought availeth, the labour and the wounds are vain."
You can read the blurb for Wanderer here.
Wanderer was short listed for the NSW Premier's literary award - Patricia Wrightson Award. Here is what the judges said:
With danger at every turn and constant action that grinds to a dramatic climax, Wanderer by Victor Kelleher grips the reader from the start, never letting up on the drama, tension, and conflict. This novel stood out for its strong narrative voice and for its child protagonists who remain in control of their own destinies throughout. Theirs is a high-stakes, life-and-death struggle against the decaying, lawless world around them as they must battle and attempt to outwit adults, wild animals, and nature itself.
This middle-grade novel is set in a dystopian future where ocean levels have risen and society has crumbled. Young Dane and his new friend, Lana, must complete a perilous quest that focuses on special treasures: precious, rare books. And, yet, Wanderer is also much more than this. It’s a tale of friendship, courage, endurance, and a warning of what the future may hold for humanity. Eagle Books an imprint of Christmas Press
This is the first book written by Victor Kelleher in many years. I loved his previous books - The Forbidden Paths of Thual (1979); The Hunting of Shadroth (1981) and Taronga (1986). I did enjoy this newest book especially the cliff hanger scene just twenty pages from the end. Victor Kelleher is a highly awarded Australian author so I was a little puzzled that this newest book did not have a list of all his past titles. This is a book feature I use check off other books I have read.
I have a funny anecdote about this author. I worked in five schools as a Teacher-Librarian. In 1996 I visited my former/final school for the first time. This appointment was a transfer not a merit position but the Principal decided to interview me. She asked a senior primary teacher from her staff to attend this "interview". The Principal considered this teacher to be well read and so between them they had set up a "trick question". The teacher asked do you have a favourite book by Victor Kelleher. Looking back this seems so funny. I wonder why they picked him. I answered with the three books I listed here - I think this means I passed the "test".
Companion books - Wanderer made me think of books about Vikings and other people from ancient times rather than dystopian worlds:
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