A 12 year old boy named Eddie is concerned about a missing boy from his school. When he goes looking for him, it seems to kick off a series of events around him, and then frightening physical changes to his body. He feels increasingly strange inside and out and isn’t sure who to tell.

Surrounded by AI tech, it’s a secret that is hard to keep to himself. His parents have minimised the technology in their family home, but it’s 2045, and it is used in every aspect of human life. Finding a balance is an ongoing problem. Keeping his secret but continuing his search, Eddie tries to fight his body’s alarming changes. Soon the local authorities get more involved, which sparks a dangerous mission.

Plot summary of The Wild Unknown (No Spoilers)

Eddie isn’t looking forward to going back to school. His brother Jude is not only a good student but seems to excel at everything he does, which leaves Eddie feeling like he is always trying to catch up. When a boy named Theo from his school is reported missing, Eddie can’t let it go. He wants to help find Theo. Eddie and his best friend Kit begin to investigate near a river where Theo was seen last.

It is 2045, and Eddie’s parents try to limit the ever-increasing technology in their home. They are also very safety conscious with their sons. Eddie knows he’s not allowed near the river, so when he and Kit find something strange, they’re not sure who to tell. When the item goes missing, Eddie is more confused and worried about Theo. Soon after their river clue-finding expedition, Eddie begins to feel strange. Was something in the water?

When his body begins changing physically, he’s terrified someone will find out. It is far from normal and he can’t find answers. He’s relieved when he learns he’s not the only one. With his big brother and his friends, they dig deeper into the mystery of the missing boy, and Eddie’s changing body, whilst avoiding robot dogs, spy drones and strange deliveries.

Review

The Wild Unknown is something different and being set less than 20 years in our future, the featured technology is quite believable.

This novel for 10+ explores the ever increasing role of AI in our daily lives. Although much of it is helpful, The Wild Unknown highlights that it is a balance we must constantly keep track of and also always remember (no matter how much AI bots seem to be almost human) AI is a machine.

I enjoyed this look into our perfectly possibly future of AI, Science, family and friendships and the possible fallout caused by technology’s power.

Book Style

328 pages / 42 Chapters with Chapter headings in a futuristic font

FAQ’s

What age is it for?

10+

Where & When is it set?

Australia / 2045 – 2046

What is the Point of View / Tense of the novel?

Third person / Past tense

Is there Violence?

Minor bullying at school, and threat of violence from robots

What genre is The Wild Unknown?

Middle Grade Dystopian

Themes

Future / Technology / AI / Artificial Intelligence / Mystery

Is it part of a series?

No

Author

Emily Gale

Publisher

Text Publishing Australia

(2026, Text Publishing Aust, Australia, Future, Dystopian, Friendship, AI, Artificial Intelligence, Missing Boy, Investigate, Clues, Politics, Computers, Robots, Technology, Bots, Science, Secret)

The post The Wild Unknown Book Review appeared first on whatbooknext.com.

The rain hasn’t stopped for weeks, and the flooding is apocalyptic with every building, including homes, schools, shops etc drastically flooded.

The main characters are constantly busy, making sure they stay dry and safe as their mansion home begins to fail under the onslaught to constant rain.

They must get to somewhere safe before that happens, but there is no sign of any emergency services, or government aid anywhere. They must survive on their own.

Plot summary of When the Rain Came

This novel begins with a wealthy home surrounded by water, nearly to the 2nd floor. It hasn’t stopped raining for weeks and 17 year old Aurora is now living with her new foster parents Nico & Jada. They are well prepared for this event as they are preppers. They have food, a radio, weapons and maps.

Aurora gets a taste of what these new foster parents would be like in a normal situation, but that changed as the waters rose, and their circumstances became more dire. Rising waters aren’t the only threat however, as Nico tells Aurora that other people may have what they have stockpiled, and want to take it by force. She didn’t expect to be learning how to throw a hatchet with accuracy, and wonders if she could actually throw one at a person.

When she finds herself alone, she must draw on all that she has learnt. Escaping the house is a must, and finding a boy a little younger than her a surprise. They quickly form a close bond and must not only navigate the rising floodwaters in the constant rain, but avoid strange things in the water and other people wanting all that they have for their survival.

Finding a refuge is the most important thing, but the journey is dangerous, and the final destination a risk.

Review

When the Rain Came intrigued me in the beginning by its cover. Experiencing more rain events than ever in NZ, this novel felt entirely possible. The story is a gritty one, with society collapsed and no rules applying to anyone – including empathy and common decency.

Life is desperate, and many will not hesitate to take what they believe they need by force. The characters and their actions were believable in this horrifying scenario, and easy to root for.

The setting is rich in description – constant rain, thick clouds and endless damp crept off the page and into my imagination. Trying to comprehend being surrounded by water under endless rainfall and the noise it brings, is a tough one.

I’m looking forward to the sequel, When the Sun Returned, as the scenario is flipped to never ending, intense sun and the need to escape and survive it.

Thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing and Net Galley for the ARC.

Writing Style

When the Rain Came is written in Aurora’s point of view in present tense. This allows the reader to be right there in the action as she ventures out onto the floodwaters, teams up with a younger boy and is forced to make tough decisions constantly.

The 1st page of each chapter has a raindrop above the chapter heading and a dark pattern at the bottom of the page. The chapters are short to medium length, making it easy to carry on reading to find out what happens next.

FAQ’s

What age is it for?

12 – 18 years

Where & When is it set?

Mostly on top of floodwaters inside floating craft / Near future / USA

What is the Point of View / Tense of the novel?

1st person / Present tense

Is there Violence?

Yes

What genre is When the Rain Came ?

YA /  Dystopian

Is there any sex in the novel?

No

Themes

Family / Courage / Climate Change / Survival / Societal Collapse / Adaptability

Is it part of a series?

Yes. When the Rain Came is No. 1 in a duology.

1. When the Rain Came
2. When the Sun Returned  (Release around Sept 2026

If you liked this, you might like:

Alone

Day of Now

Author

Matthew Eicheldinger

Publisher

Andrews McMeel Publishing (US)

Simon & Schuster (Aust/NZ)

(2026, Andrews McMeel Publishing, Simon & Schuster, Survival, Rain, Action, Betrayal, Conflict, Courage, Dystopian, Family, Series, Adaptation, Prepping, Societal Collapse)

The post When The Rain Came Book Review appeared first on whatbooknext.com.

Siblings Dayna and Pax are trying to survive in a dystopian world on their own after their father falls ill. The biggest threat to them is the fungal spores that have decimated the human population, and turned animals rabid. There is no electricity, technology, or society left. They have been raised by their father in this world, and they have honed survival skills.

The threat they haven’t learnt enough about is other people. This is a lesson hard-won after much danger, courage and love for each other.

Plot summary of Day of Now (No Spoilers)

Dayna and Pax are worried about their dad when he is bitten by an animal affected by Echidna. Echidna isn’t the Australian animal we know of, but the name given by scientists to a disease that races through the human body if the fungal spores are breathed in, or if they are bitten by something carrying the disease. Echidna has wiped out society as we know it, taking electricity, technology and any semblance of order.

When they hear of a place that might be able to help their father, they seek it out, putting themselves in even more danger. In their desperation to find help, they meet other people. Hiding away with their father their entire lives, they have never met anyone else. Despite their dad’s warnings in their endless survival training, they put too much trust in what the strangers are saying.

Using their survival skills, they escape, only to fall into more traps as they navigate the world alone. Increasingly wary of other people, they fall back on relying on each other, and a few that have proven themselves to be trustworthy to them. The sibling’s end goal is to find and save their father from the people that took him from them.

But shocking surprises wait for them in their quest, along with a need for their skills, courage, and desire to do the right thing, just as they were raised.

My thoughts

I love post apocalypse or dystopian fiction for any age, and Day of Now is a thrilling, engaging YA novel with both characters I loved and villains I deplored.

Being the viewpoint character, Dayna in particular is a fleshed out pre-teen character struggling with real day-today or sometimes minute-to-minute horrors. Her growth through the novel is great to watch, but at the same time, her trust in people and the dangers she faces personally are troubling to read. This is a time of survival and she is forced to grow up quickly, become a leader and feel the weight of responsibility for her group.

Day of Now is well written, surprising, tense, and even heart warming in moments. Looking forward to the sequel, which may be entitled Silence Beneath Fire. No matter what it’s called, I’ll be snapping it up.

Characters

Dayna was born just before the world fell apart. She lives with her father and little brother Pax in a house with a blue door in an abandoned small town. Pax and Father are the only people she’s ever known, heard, or seen in her life. They are very close, growing up in a world surrounded by continuing threats to their lives.

She is a skilled lock-picker, and survivalist, and will do anything for her family. Dayna is sensible, resilient, determined, brave and always thinking ahead, and as her travels with her brother advance, she becomes a leader of not only the two of them, but others they meet and trust along the way.

She must do a lot of growing up on their quest to save her father, facing things no pre-teen must face, and making life-saving choices that affect her group.

Pax looks to his big sister for guidance on everything, as their father has taught him. He trusts her judgements implicitly and will fight for her life if put to the test. He too must face terrible dangers, violence and fears as he follows Dayna’s path.

Pax falls back on his father’s teachings about good people and bad people, and is insistent about being the hero like in their treasured storybooks. This trust in believing the hero always prevails is slowly worn away as they encounter one dangerous person or group after another. When a teenage boy named Jason joins them, Pax begins to look to him for advice and praise, but ultimately it’s Dayna he follows.

Jason is discovered by Dayna, bound and gagged in a cage. The first thing he does is warn them about the dangerous situation they are all in. He is the first person to join the sibling’s small group, and is very welcome, especially by Pax. He knows much more about the world than they do, and is a constant help on their journey.

He and Pax clash often in their thinking, and is proven to be untrustworthy in some of they information he is providing. But, no matter how stubborn or single-minded Dayna is, Jason too, soon sees her as their leader and dubs her ‘Sarge’, as he begins to trust her judgement more and more.

Jason is helpful and more understanding of a little girl named Evie that joins their group, looking out for her when the others don’t.

Evie – a six year girl who was part of a group that took the children in to feed, bathe and allow them shelter. She is special in their world, and has been raised as such, making her spoilt, demanding and prone to outbursts in dangerous situations.

Writing Style

Told in four parts – from where the siblings, and then their small group find themselves.

Dayna is the main point of view character in the novel, in present tense. Readers see and hear what she does, along with seeing her thoughts and worries in their incredibly dangerous journey. Raised away from others and believing everything she has been taught by her father, she struggles with many things she must now face, and the decisions she must make for their group.

FAQs

What age is it for?

13+

Where & When is it set?

Future / Dystopian England

What is the Point of View / Tense of the novel?

3rd person / Present tense

Is there Violence?

Yes

What genre is Day of Now?

Post Apocalypse-Dystopian / Young Adult

Is there any sex in the novel?

No

Themes

Post Apocalypse, Dystopian, Family, Friendship, Courage, Trust, Survival

Is it part of a series?

Yes – a Duology

The sequel is not yet published (2026)

Author

Miranda Reason

Publisher

Bloomsbury UK

Read an interview of Day of Now’s author

Find it here

Want to read more Dystopian novels?

Find them here

(2026, Bloomsbury UK, Survival, Post Apocalypse, Dystopian England, Fungal Spores, Cults, Gangs, Danger, Horrors, Undead, Choices, Trust, Friendship, Courage, Risk, Future, Family, Science)

The post Book Review – Day of Now appeared first on whatbooknext.com.

We return to the world of the Chaos Walking series, 20 years after the ending of Monsters of Men. The main characters are Ben and Max who are the sons of Todd and Viola who were the main characters in the first series. There were wars between the inhabitants of the planet (once called the Spackle), and between humans and humans, so families have now been created differently.

Ben is Todd and Viola’s biological child and Max isn’t, but there is no difference in love shared amongst this family. The boys are living with their dad Todd on their farm in the country, whilst Viola works in the city as a scientist.

Their mostly settled way of life is completely upended by a catastrophic new threat both on land and coming from the skies..

Plot summary of Piper at the Gates of Dusk

Ben and Max can’t believe their eyes when a being bursts out of the trees near their lake fishing spot, on fire and screaming louder than they could have thought possible. It’s three or four times as tall as a man and sets fire to the trees as it runs – straight for them.

They try to flee it as it reaches for them both, and miraculously it misses them, but leaves Ben with a broken arm. They watch it run into the lake and vanish.

The only name they can think of for such a creature is a God. They explain what they saw to their parents who are shocked at Ben’s injury and their close call.

Unlike in Todd’s day as a teenager, they have been vaccinated against The Noise. This vaccination was developed over the decades to try and prevent the bloodshed of the past. Todd still has his abilities and can communicate with The Land. (The Land is what the native inhabitants call themselves, hating the name The Spackle, or Spacks, that the humans first called them.)

The Land, despite racist City Council views, are far superior in weaponry and medicines than the humans ever were, and with their help, Ben’s arm heals quickly.

More of these Gods appear in random places in the wilderness and even take teenagers with them. Viola admits the city is worried about something too. A strange meteorite is heading straight for New World. Are the Gods and the meteorite connected somehow?

When the Gods appear closer and closer to the city, both The Land and humans are scrambling to figure it out.

Review

I read this novel in two sittings. The instant action on the first page grabbed me, and with a knowledge of the Chaos Walking series, I very much enjoyed travelling back into Todd and Violas’ world.

The dual narration and writing style encouraged me to keep reading, and as always, Patrick Ness’ writing and understanding of the human psyche is captivating.

With a jaw-dropping, cliff hanging, ending, I loved this 1st book in this new series, and am hanging out for the next one already!

Characters

Max and Ben may be brothers but are very different in temperament. Max is determined, tough like their dad Todd, and is happy in his own company on the farm. He doesn’t have the desire to study to higher levels and succeed in the city. He is outspoken and can hear The Noise, and will stick up for what he believes in, and despite disagreeing with Ben a lot of the time, he still loves his brother.

Max is strongly supported by his entire family after he told them he is a boy, and he is respected for being his true self.

Ben is more of a thinker, closer to their mother, and wanting to do good in their world. He is pursuing higher studies and has had to work harder in classes as he is non-verbal. No one knows why he can’t speak, but he gets things done and uses a communicator for speech. He deeply respects The Land and the way they do things, sticking up for them when he can.

Writing Style

Piper at the Gates of Dusk is written in a dual-point narrative with the sons of Todd and Viola telling their stories in alternate sections of the novel.

The font and style of their sections are different, also providing a feel for the characters themselves. Max talks directly to the reader and often doesn’t stop for half a page or so. There are few paragraph breaks and no chapter breaks. Max is a doer, intense and determined.

Ben’s sections are in ordered chapters, which are short and can be easier to read. Both narratives add equally to the plot.

FAQs

What age is it for?

12 – 18 years

Where & When is it set?

Future / Another Planet

What is the Point of View / Tense of the novel?

1st person / Present tense

Is there Violence?

Yes

What genre is Piper at the Gates of Dusk?

Dystopian / Science Fiction

Is there any sex in the novel?

No

Themes

Identity, Social Justice, Racism, Brotherhood, Activism, Courage, Conflict

Is it part of a series?

(Piper at the Gates of Dusk is the first in a new trilogy set after the Chaos Walking Trilogy.)

Chaos Walking Trilogy

1. The Knife of Never Letting Go (2008)
2. The Ask and the Answer (2009)
3. Monsters of Men (2010)

New World Trilogy

1. Piper at the Gates of Dusk (2026)
2.  ?
3.  ?

Final thoughts?

I read Piper at the Gates of Dusk in two sittings. The instant action on the first page grabbed me, and with a knowledge of the Chaos Walking series, I very much enjoyed travelling back into Todd and Violas’ world.

The dual narration and writing style encouraged me to keep reading, and as always, Patrick Ness’ writing and understanding of the human psyche is captivating.

With a jaw-dropping, cliff hanging, ending, I loved this 1st book in this new series, and am hanging out for the next one already!

Author

Patrick Ness

Publisher

Walker Books

(2026, Identity, Social Justice, Racism, Brotherhood, Activism, Courage, Transgender, LGBTQ+, Threat, Colonists, Technology, Weaponry, Choices, Hate, Understanding, Aliens, Loss, Grief, Action, Conflict, Dystopian, Family, Series)

The post Book Review – Piper at the Gates of Dusk (New World Series) appeared first on whatbooknext.com.

Conrad prefers Herman to stay close to home and their bookshop. He has never forgotten losing their younger brother in Cook Strait and is fearful of anything happening to Herman. Living in Nelson at the top of the South Island of New Zealand, they have plenty of food and are safe from outside dangers.

Another dispute in their household is whether plentiful Nelson should help hungry and struggling Wellington, or stay safe and closed off from the world. Conrad believes their lives are better keeping to themselves, but Herman’s mum and uncle want to help.

Against all of their rules, Herman stows away on The Seeker until it is too late to turn around. Another terrible accident befalls the brothers, and Herman finds himself in an orphanage known as Castle Grim.

Suddenly his need for adventure and time away from his comfortable life in Nelson has turned into a terrible, dangerous and life threatening idea. Along with new friends made at Castle Grim, he suffers an endless work schedule, terrible food, and no knowledge of his uncle and father’s whereabouts.

But the bravery and knowledge from the other orphans of Castle Grim, it’s staff and surrounds, aids Herman to find all the courage he needs to help defeat pirates, gang leaders and his own fears. There is so much at stake and he must step up to save his entire family.

Castle Grim has everything that middle-grade readers love. Action, adventure, friendship, courage, pirates, an orphanage, along with a dystopian setting on a treacherous piece of ocean between New Zealand’s North & South Islands (Cook Strait).

There is no technology left, no knowledge of the outside world, and increasing food shortages, pirates and press gangs – making it a dangerous place indeed.

The main character’s viewpoint is joined by others as this exciting tale is told, giving readers the whole picture of Castle Grim, which increases intensity in both the threats to characters, and their plans to defeat the bad guys.

These ‘bad guys’ have been building their strongholds, members and ambitious plans for years and Castle Grim portrays it all playing out on vicious ship wrecker reefs, and the tumultuous waters of Cook Strait.

Winner of the Tom Fitzgibbon Award 2025, Castle Grim‘s author Shaun Barnett wrote it whilst looking out from his writing desk at the Pencarrow & Haewai Lighthouses, which star in his book.

I for one am glad that he stuck with Castle Grim over the 12 years in writing it. It’s a grand adventure with kiwi kids doing extraordinary things in a dystopian New Zealand.

Author – Shaun Barnett

Age – 10+

Publisher – Scholastic NZ

Set – Future Wellington / Cook Strait NZ

Viewpoint – Multiple – 3rd person

Violence – Yes

Real Life – Yes / Future Wellington / Nelson

Fantasy – No

Blend – Dystopian / Action / NZ

(2026, Scholastic NZ, Aotearoa New Zealand, Tom Fitzgibbon Award Winner, Award Winning Author, Cook Strait, Sailing Ships, Lighthouses, Books, Pirates, Wellington, Action, Adventure, Blended Family, Bullies, Courage, Crime, Dystopian, Friendship, Greed, Growing up, New Zealand, Poverty)

The post Castle Grim appeared first on whatbooknext.com.

“The NSDE initiative was formed to save humanity from the chaos and dangers of Outside. Pollution, over farming and introduction of untested bio-engineered elements resulted in deadly droughts, pollen storms and mutated swarms. NSDE was humanity’s last chance.”

Children are trained to become soldiers of this regime, to police the inhabitants, and to prevent creatures called Spiravits from attacking them. Training includes lessons on how dangerous the Spiravits can be. They may look human, but their eyes are milky white and they can be vicious and calculating. They also have a strange power that can produce explosions, killing any living thing around them.

No matter how hard Naya trains, even with the help of her best friend and top cadet Kaven, she can never be ruthless enough, strong enough or single-minded enough to achieve the standards her mother insists upon. When she is given another way to graduate along with her class and Kaven, she accepts.

The General gives her a dangerous mission: Infiltrate the Spiravit’s lair and return with intel in order to eradicate them.

It’s risky from one moment to the next, and Naya discovers truths even more shocking than her mother’s mission request. Torn between both worlds, she uses a strange gift she has had since small – communicating with the city walls with her mind.

Split into two timeframes (during soldier training and then on a mission), main character Naya tells this dystopian story.

The soldier training shows the reader all the hard work, effort and pain (both physical and mental), Naya has gone through to try and impress her mother who is the leader of their entire city. Naya can’t seem to ever achieve the results she aims for but continues to struggle regardless.

This determination and grit aids her in a perilous mission outside the safety of the city walls, and allows her to see the truth that is hidden from city residents. This is shown cleverly on the cover of the novel. The city is clean, and ordered and if you tip the cover over, you see broken structures surrounded by trees and nature. The telling component is the way the human within those landscapes is composed. The city holds a running figure. The Outside, a calm, awed human being.

This theme of misconception between people is a common one, and one our world continuously finds itself in – INSIDE shows a dystopian view of it with an imaginative Sci-Fi twist.

A gripping read.

Author – S A Gales

Age – 11+

Read more Dystopian Novels here

Publisher – Allen & Unwin

Set in – Unknown Future / Inside & Outside a semi-sentient city

Viewpoint – 1st person

Orphan – No father present

Violence – Yes

Real Life – No

Fantasy – No

Blend – Dystopian / Sci-Fi

(2025, Allen & Unwin, Dystopian, Secret, Grief, Action, Betrayal, Future, Sci Fi, Cadet Training, Soldiers, Loyalty, Truth, Lies, Outsiders, Prejudice, Misconceptions, Control, Energy)

The post INSIDE appeared first on whatbooknext.com.

Cryogenically frozen as a teen along with her terminally ill sister, Calico wakes in a locked down facility with four other teens who have also ‘woken’.

Desperate for news of Asha and her recovery, Calico finds many obstacles to overcome. Her doctor is cagey, the security staff violent, and the other teens are dealing with their own stuff.

Learning the truth about Asha, and a family misunderstanding that helped her make the worst decision in her life, Calico faces up to her grief, and the truth. There is even worse revelations to come, underpinning the reasons why she and Asha were frozen 50 years before.

Short chapters interspersed with poem-like dreamstate, make Things I Learned While I Was Dead, a fast-paced read. Main character Calico has a fierce and determined personality fighting for any information about her much loved terminally ill sister, Asha.

There is much to learn and reveal about life 50 years after she’s been frozen – in both the science facility she is held in and within her family. A love interest develops between Calico and a boy named Jem who makes her question everything around her. The truth is more shocking than she ever imagined.

An insight to our possible future is interesting, and not as doom and gloom as one has come to expect in dystopian novels. Maybe there is still time for the world to come together to save not only humans but the planet we live on?

Author – Kathryn Clark

Age – 13+

(2025, Faber, Family, Dystopian, Courage, Friendship, Love, Science, Secret, Sisters, Siblings, Cryogenics, Frozen, Lies, Medical Consent, Future)

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Before long, she encounters a sky without the covers that she’s lived under her whole life. The covers that were said to protect them from the sun’s brutal rays. What she experiences is nothing of the sort – just a beautiful blue, clear sky and ocean before her.

There is much more to learn about life away from Littleton, and to her horror, she learns the truth about her island and it’s people. She wishes she’d listened to those who’d begun asking questions. But she never imagined the true purpose of her home.

Living under the covers has given her and Estelle a pale, almost glowing skin, so they stand out among others. Named Darklanders, Merel wonders how they will ever escape the deck of the ship. But others have left the island too, and soon know she is coming.

Finding friendly faces is only temporary though, and Merel discovers an even bigger betrayal. A plan now burns in her – Return to Littleton and share the truth.

An exciting 2nd episode to The Edge of Light Trilogy. With a shocking reveal regarding the purpose of Littleton, and a betrayal that cuts deep, The Miracle is an emotive read.

The novel’s technology is intriguing and unnerving in equal measure, as we see the results of Capitalism in a possible future. 

Main character Merel is easy to cheer for, as her inner courage and determination stays strong – until a devastating loss stops her in her tracks. But this girl isn’t down for long, and the ending brings a promise of return and redemption in the final book – Fire.

Author – A M Dixon

Age – 12+

Find a review for the 1st book in the series here

(2025, OneTree House, NZ, Aotearoa, New Zealand, Dystopian, Betrayal, Series, Future, Survival, Ship, Trek, Hiding, Truth, Lies, Technology, Genetics, Clones, Science, Cli-Fi, Post Apocalypse, Trilogy, Future Capitalism)

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In a world of empty and eerie cities after an apocalypse of man vs machine, Jen and her father are in constant survival mode. Gangs of armed men and women will stop at nothing to gain food and weapons, so Jen and ‘Father’ try to steer clear of them as much as possible.

When they discover a compound of people who are growing their own food and working together, Jen is keen to stay with them. But they haven’t shared the whole truth with these kind strangers, knowing what the outcome will be.

But this compound has its own dark secrets, and its reveal explains so much of their shared and devastating past.

Middle-grade dystopian at its best, AFTER is a compelling read. It’s easy to even imagine it as a movie. The relationships between man and machine are both terrible and wonderful and as each truth behind them are revealed, the story becomes even more gripping.

I loved this novel even more than Stitch, also by Pádraig Kenny.

The publisher description of ‘The Last of Us meets Wall-E‘ is spot on.

Author – Pádraig Kenny

Illustrator – Steve McCarthy

Age – 9+

(2025, Walker Books, Dystopian, Post-Apocalypse, Relationships, Man vs Machine, Survival, Community, Lies, Betrayal, Father & Daughter, Courage, Power, Technology, Secrets, Family)

The post AFTER appeared first on whatbooknext.com.

After being left on a partially explored planet, contestants must use their skills in squads of five, sharing ideas, answers and collaborating to unravel clues to get them to their pick up point in three days time. They have met as they prepared for the travel to the competition, but don’t know who their squad members will be.

It is said, the heir to the Dynasties who own and runs their world is a contestant, but a disguise is sure to be in play. Speculation is rife before the competition, and the rules are the same as the previous decades of races. Work together, get as many of your squad to the finish line and stay alive.

But all the hopeful candidates know there is much more to it than that. Every move and every word is being watched and weighed and analysed. The more you impress the viewers, the more backing you get, which then increases your chances more.  The stakes are high, but no higher than for Amethyst Antares.

Ammy is from a planet fully controlled by the ruling Dynasty. Her planet and its occupants are the most mistrusted humans in their galaxy. After all, it was them who started an age old war, many years before. It’s believed by all that their control is the only way to keep the remaining planets safe.

Mistrusted by all, but determined as all of them put together, Ammy knows everything there is to know about The Surface Trials, and she will use all her skills and knowledge to get a place in the Starquest Academy.

She didn’t expect plants that want to eat you, wasps the size of small cars and a betrayal that seems too big to overcome. Hearing and seeing things that her squad doesn’t, isn’t helping either….

Think Hunger Games but without kids killing off kids to survive. In The Surface Trials, you must work together. This is harder than you think as a squad of five only has limited supplies, including food and first aid. The less in your team, the more food, but the more in your team that reach the finish line before sunset on the third day of survival on a strange planet, the more kudos comes your way.

It is a fine balance, all whilst being watched and listed to the entire time. This is good in some ways, but can go horribly wrong when underestimating the planet you are trying to survive on.

I found The Surface Trials instantly gripping, quickly feeling empathy for main character Ammy, and all the while wondering which of her team mates was the heir to their entire world.

The alien setting was intriguing and well written right up to the last page. The countdown ups the tension as they wonder whether they will make it after all that happens along the way!

Excellent middle grade Sci Fi fiction with Mystery, Friendship, and pulse-pounding pages. 

Author – HM Waugh

Age – 10+

(2025, Allen & Unwin, Action, Adventure, Courage, Sci Fi, Dystopian, Future, Horror, Prejudice, Secret, Planet, Giant Wasps, Squads, Mission, Countdown, Loyalty, Quick thinking, Puzzles, Cooperation, Judged, Fear, Hunger Games, Unknown, Betrayal, Belief, Abandoned, Alien Flora and Fauna, Race, 100 Contestants, Survival)

The post The Surface Trials appeared first on whatbooknext.com.

This ability to breathe has come from technology by the Zephyr Corporation, but at a price. Zephyr’s growth and powerful reach is everywhere in Sparrow’s life, and they seem to be getting richer every day.

Paying for air to breathe for herself, her little sister and grandfather, takes a large chunk of Sparrow’s earnings. She can’t see a way out of their poverty, after having to leave school early to work. She constantly urges her little sister to study hard and not find herself in the same situation.

When not working, Sparrow likes to visit a friend named Miriam who was once a rocket scientist. She is constantly tinkering with equipment, including Sparrow’s hover skates and i-pad that aids her work.

On a visit one day, she finds Miriam’s warehouse on fire, with her friend inside. From that moment, Sparrow’s life is in danger, as Miriam was working on a new project. Little does Sparrow know, she is the key to changing their polluted world – forever!

This Cli-Fi (Climate Fiction), novel for Dyslexic or Reluctant Readers is intriguing from the very first page. Young teenager Sparrow lives in a futuristic Earth, covered by pollution so bad, it is impossible to breathe in it. The special equipment is costly, driving an even bigger divide between rich and poor.

But just like in the movie ROBOTS (2005), someone is working on new ideas and equipment, in this case to help those who struggle to pay the fees just to breathe.

A savvy battle between rich and poor has an incredibly satisfying and thrilling ending.

Perfect for anyone, but particularly dyslexic readers as Barrington Stoke are experts in this genre.

Author – Alastair Chisholm

Illustrator – George Caltsoudas

Age – 9+

Dyslexic Read

(Reading Age 8 – Interest Age 9+)

Find more Alastair Chisholm titles here

Teacher’s Notes here

Read a sample chapter here

(2024, Barrington Stoke, Action, Family, Conflict, Courage, Crime, Dystopian, Future, Greed, Poverty, Dyslexic Read, Dyslexia, Reluctant Readers, Cli-Fi, Clifi, Edinburgh, Scotland, City, Hover Skates, Breathing Masks, Courier)

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Zane is the son of a wealthy politician. But wealth does not mean happiness. On Zane’s planet, arranged marriages are the norm. He’s not sure about his upcoming nuptials, as he doesn’t want his bride’s family to know any more about his own. There is too much to hide.

Raya lives on The Moons. These are the planets mined for their minerals and riches, with none of the wealth going to the miners. In fact, it has proven itself again and again since Raya was eight years old and alone, that miners are to be worked to death, with little if any pay and no rights whatsoever. Raya is tough, street smart and loves her dog Zircon. If she could win The Pinnacle, her and Zircon could leave The Moons, buy a house and never have to fight or steal food again.

They are only three of ten contestants for the competition – all looking each other over as they buckle themselves into the shuttle that will take them to the venue. Will it be a desert, a jungle or an icy mountain? What will the challenges be, and should they find allies early?

All these concerns are soon forgotten when one of them dies. Then another. And another. Someone knows what they have all done at home. Someone wants justice.

Set 400 years in our future, this YA novel is a little Hunger Games, a little Lord of the Flies and a lot riveting! Ten teens, are all desperate to win a huge cash prize after eliminating their competition. But as the bodies pile up, the realisation that they might not be accidents, ups the tension ten-fold.

The stress is high as they try to figure out who the killer is, who to trust and how much to admit of their past lives. Three of the characters tell the tale, with the other seven as collateral damage in the plot.

A page-turning plot and contrasting characters make this a compelling read. 

Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC of this exciting novel.

Author – Wendy Cross

Age – 12+

(2024, Penguin Books, Action, Dystopian, Sci Fi, Guilt, Aventure, Game, Competition, Murder, Crime, Secrets, Family, Island, Friendship, Future, Mystery, One by one, Revenge)

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Mariel Mudroch has other things on her mind. Homeless and trying to look out for herself and her mother, they are keen to get their impounded car back. A deal with the friend of a friend to break out the Grinch (their name for the car) doesn’t go to plan and soon they don’t even have that to sleep in.

Tiburon Tigre Escobendo (Ron for short) isn’t worried about where to sleep. He has homes around the world to choose from as his father is the 3rd richest person in the world. He has other problems, like avoiding the feelings that have caused him to try and take his own life.

Morgan doesn’t worry about anything or anyone but herself. A job interview, although the weirdest she has ever been on (in her late teens), drastically changes her life.

Mariel is suddenly on her own, Ron walks away from his father’s wealth, and Morgan makes the most of a sudden inheritance.

As the virus enters their lives, they must make choices about their futures. If they catch it and survive, they know the consequences. Recoverees are content, happy and willing to do anything to help others.

Billionaires have been said to have given away everything, people are working together, and hate, greed and the desire for ‘things’ has gone.

But where does that leave all those still trying to make money by selling those things? If no one works any more, how will society as we know it survive?

The huge contrasts between the three main characters in their late teens made this a compelling read. Then the rich and poor, kind and devious, young and old contrasts added more.

Stir in the moral dilemma of wanting to catch the Crown Royale virus to be free of all capitalist trappings   or   wanting to keep your life as it is, and All Better Now is a very intriguing read.

Neal Shusterman has woven a tale of three main characters in third person, interspersed with others around the world, linking them all together seamlessly as a virus runs rampant.

The race to find a vaccine sparks less than humane practises as billions are on the line, probably even more. But as influentual people contract the virus and then just don’t care about money any more, the balance tips back and forth for the future of humanity.

The ending made it obvious there is more to come. Thank goodness!

Author – Neal Shusterman

Age – 13-18

(2025, Walker Books, Dystopian, Science, Pandemic, Vaccine, Illness, Sickness, Deaths, Fever, Contentment, Giving away fortunes, World’s richest man, Communes, Kindness, Alpha spreader, Immune, Road Trip, Immunise, Lab, Trials, Choice, Capitalism)

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Getting through the days the best she can on cold canned baked beans and tap water, she feels safe. Sure the front door won’t lock and she hasn’t left the bookstore for a year, but life is okay. It was better when a colleague was there too, but Eva left months before – for a bigger piece of the world and some adventure.

It never dawned on Liz that she was unprepared for others wanting the little she has, or another life taking storm coming. When someone breaks in, Liz’s life changes. This girl called Maeve is a little older and a lot more sure of herself. She has supplies, a weapon and seems completely in control of her life. A deal is made and in exchange for shelter in the bookstore, Maeve will fix up some of the crumbling building. It seems a good plan to Liz, once she begins to trust Maeve.

But not everyone is trustworthy and there are others out there who aren’t so helpful. They know of another storm on its way and they need the shelter of the bookstore. And they will take it by any means necessary.

A post apocalypse tale set in a bookstore in New Jersey. No zombies, gun totting gangs or viruses lurking in every crevasse, but plenty of malice present in other ways.

Main character Liz isn’t the most likeable character, but her obliviousness to possible threats is reasonable enough after not experiencing any dangerous people for an entire year after the world fell apart.

The thread of guilt woven through the story keeps you guessing about what she did to her sister, and when I found out, it didn’t make me dislike her any less.

Liz is very impractical, unable to do or even try much in the way of improving her living conditions and it seems, a little too lazy to try anyway. There of course will be people like Liz if ever doomsday comes – lucky enough to survive terrible global events and then avoid the worst of the world. But even Liz’s luck runs out eventually, completely changing the new closed off world she has made for herself.

Author – Lily Braun-Arnold

Age – 13+

(2024, Penguin Books NZ, Dystopian, Friendship, Love, Courage, Grief, Family, Action, Betrayal, Queer, LGBTQ+, Alone, Fear, Postal Service, Messages, Bookstore, Acid Rain, Survival)

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This birthday party is what she looks back on a year later when her family is smashed beyond repair, her country is trying to extricate itself from the chaos and turmoil it has been subjected to, and she’s reeling with loss and loneliness.

An MP had risen to power quickly on a vehicle of hate, racism, prejudice and lies. First it was letters to the public, reassessing whether they ‘belonged’ in the UK. It didn’t matter if they were born there, or what their profession is. When Clem’s super organised, doctor and loving step mum Claudia receives such a letter, the entire family is stunned.

Clem’s father is among many wanting to resist this regime and he becomes part of a resistance group. But it seems no one can hide from the authorities. When Clem herself must flee, she sets off to her Grandpa’s home in the country. There is no escaping the new regime however and Clem’s life is far from normal here too.

All she wants is for life to return to normal, but she knows that events along the way will never allow the old normal to return. The UK spirals even further into hate, suspicion and loss and Clem doesn’t know where to turn or who to trust.

A dystopian novel that seems scaringly close to possible, with immigration around the world stirring up bigotry, suspicion and lies. The slide into chaos around main character Clem and her family is gradual at first, with no one believing the key instigator will ever rise to power. Using media and propaganda to spread hate and lies, the downward spiral speeds up and everything the characters think impossible comes barging through their front door.

This story is told in pieces by main character Clem to a patient and kind social worker. A fairytale narrative runs alongside the real one as another story thread, and the secrets Clem holds are kept until she must finally reveal them. These twists surprised me more than once and made me reach for the tissues, for good and bad reasons.

An all too possible future which started with the unbelievable and became the unthinkable.

Novels like The Things We Leave Behind are so important to show us what is possible in our troubled world. 

Left me a little shell-shocked.

Author – Claire Furniss

Age – 12+

(2024, Simon & Schuster, Dystopian, Love, Family, Secret, Grief, Friendship, Prejudice, Racism, Loss, Journal, Fairytale, Chaos, Martial Law, Soldiers, Checkpoints, Rationing, London, Sisters, Blended Family, Riots, Hide)

The post The Things We Leave Behind appeared first on whatbooknext.com.

Wolf is the strongest machine-like animal in Will’s world and he is honoured to work and live upon her. There are many others alongside Coll, including the tech experts, or Tocks as they are called, who ensure the smooth running of Wolf and who also take care of the compound called anthryl. This is dark liquid metal that brings the metal armour, pistons and machinery within Wolf, to life.

Coll is also grateful to be on Wolf as their leader – named Alpha, is also his mother. He knows without her fighting for his right to have some of that precious anthryl, he would have been tossed off Wolf, and left alone at the mercy of the elements. His anthryl runs his prosthetic arm and leg, but also marks him as weak and different. To keep his place on Wolf he constantly tries to prove his place to his fellow crew and Alpha.

Crossing their lands, they encounter other Constructs with their own crews – all looking for supplies and ready to fight for them. Hyena, Raven, Puma, Boar all have their own territories and there are others, further afield.

When a battle goes wrong and Coll finds himself unable to get back to Wolf, he meets others on their own. Rieka from Wolf. Fillan from Boar, and Brann from Raven. Can they put aside their prejudices honed since birth, to work together? After all, it will be the only way to survive.

Action. Team work, and hive-mind battles. A dystopian original world where humans live on giant machines that look and behave like animals. A hive-mind like force between the humans on board, works with a liquid metal compound, binding their actions and thoughts together.

Their world is a harsh one, and the only way they know how to survive is to fight each other for the tools and resources they need. The best way to achieve this is to kill another Construct Animal and take their parts.

Main character Coll is twelve years of age, but seems much more mature. Despite his mother being the leader (Alpha) of their crew aboard Wolf, she is cold and distant. The only way Coll knows she cares even a little, is how she fought to get him what he needed to survive with a limb difference.

This difference makes Coll more determined and tougher, in order to prove himself. It was interesting to see him change from the boy he was born to be, eg. a part of Wolf, into who he needed to be – leader of another crew. This new crew had proven themselves to him with their loyalty, courage and hive-mind of their own.

Looking forward to the next book in this series and learning more about this imaginative world.

Author – Alastair Chisholm

Age – 10+

(2024, Allen & Unwin, Nosy Crow, Fantasy, Science, Action, Friendship, Animals, Courage, Series, Wolf, Raven, Boar, Dragon, Journey, New friends, Machines, Beliefs, Fight, Battle, Think as one, Team, Crew, Limb Difference, Prosthetics, Future, Survival of the Fittest, Dystopian, Technology, Willpower)

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Settling in at the wānanga isn’t quite as smooth as hoped, as she has blithely already offended others. But she is ready to work hard as an intuitive trainee – working on her mind skills to see seconds into the future.

Soon after arriving, Farah is paired with a combative trainee. Combatant’s build their fighting skills, and together with their intuitive partner, they work together to fight other pairs of trainees. Training is long and hard, but satisfying.

Farah meets other trainees and makes close bonds, all the while learning about herself, her biases and the spiritual side of the wānanga. Her intuitive skills are increasing, even if her history classes are boring and her creative weaponry marks are sorely lacking. When her mother is suddenly applying pressure from afar, Farah wonders if she will ever escape her influence.

But soon, all that she has learnt or been worrying about is inconsequential. Her skills suddenly have a mind of their own, and the world around her begins to fall apart. Can she mend the bridges she has all but torched, believe in her intuition and become much more than anyone ever expected of her – especially herself?

Set in a military style boarding school, thousands of years in the future, Migration has a definite grounding in te ao Māori. The school is named a wānanga, their bags kete, and karakia are sung in special moments. There are many more references within the story that make kiwi readers feel at home, all whilst visiting this dystopian world with strange creatures and temples, paramount.

It begins with a prologue of a portal being used to help a large group of people escape their captors, and this all becomes relevant as we get to know Farah, her people’s customs and gods, and how she fits into it all. With only escape from her domineering mother in mind in the beginning, Farah goes through life changing events, losing and finding faith in herself and her abilities, and that the one she deemed an enemy is actually the opposite. Not quite an enemies to lovers trope, but an interesting bond to watch develop.

Farah has faced much more than she could ever have imagined in her short time at the wānanga, when an explosion rocks underfoot. An action-packed and increasingly tense conclusion had me turning pages even faster.

Migration is masterfully written, and gripping, with excellent world-building. The settings are easily imagined without tons of description, and main character Farah’s personal and supernatural development, fascinating. Will there be more from Farah’s world? 

Author – Steph Matuku

Age – 12+

Find more books by Steph Matuku here

(2024, Huia Publishers, Dystopian, Future, Action, Friendship, Spiritualism, Temples, Colonisation, Three Thousands Years Later, Invasion, Courage, Fighting, Grief, Escape)

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Lodyma has other things collected from the past and a world Basti never experienced. Basti was born into this new harsher world, with less people, and the ongoing threat of illnesses sweeping through populations at random.

“Far as I can tell, the big collapse was when the climate got hotter, the cities washed into the sea and the pollution and diseases took out most of the people.”

Now it is most dangerous for men and older boys to live in the towns, as they are more susceptible to the virus’. Most have left their families and live in the hills away from people, surviving on what they can catch and kill.

Farm stock are non-existent due to the illnesses that spread from them to humans. Chickens are also under suspicion by most and rare for the same reason.

Basti, Lodyma and their town, barter, exchange and look out for one another. But Basti believes Lodyma only took her in because she was missing her son who she’d sent into the hills alone, to protect him from the sickness.

Basti reveres her home in Lodyma’s caravan and when another child arrives, she worries she will lose her position as Lodyma’s apprentice. She knows she has always worked hard for Lodyma, but can this young, clever, and spirited newcomer take her place?

Based in an all too possible future, Bren MacDibble takes readers into a different way of life. Less people, and more care within communities, but within a subsistence, bartering world with simple pleasures and no electricity.

I found the backdrop of main character Basti’s world fascinating as this is the only world she knows. Her guardian remembers how the world used to be and has survived the changes when many haven’t.

Basti herself is a caring, hard-working, and thoughtful soul, and has a knack for capturing the beautiful moments in life around her.

Regardless of the backdrop or the time it is set, the theme of a mother’s love is eternal wherever and whenever, and this is a key theme in The Apprentice Witnesser. Unsure where Basti fits within a family suddenly morphing before her, it is heart-wrenching to watch her uncertainty at her future.

Loved the ending.

Author – Bren MacDibble

Age – 9+

(2024, Allen & Unwin, Future, Dystopian, Blended Family, Animals, Growing up, Love, Women, Girls, Storytelling, Collecting stories, Miracles, Viruses, Illness, Population decimated, Climate changed world, Melted icecaps, Flooded coastlines, Subsistence living, Foraging)

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This boy named Jamieson or Jamie for short, is organised. He even has electricity from solar panels on the roof. Before she died of the flu, Jamie’s mum taught him to hunt, cook, dress wounds and anything else he might need in the looming disaster for the world.

At first wary of each other, Andrew and Jamie slowly begin to relax in each other’s company. Andrew is carrying a terrible secret, and is 100% sure this good Samaritan who took him in and probably saved his life – will hate what he has done.

Jamie is struggling with the things he can’t do, even in order to save his own life. Sure, he’s a big guy for his age but his outsides don’t portray his insides – a gentle, kind, scared teenage boy.

Together, they are faced with armed packs of people – keen to take all they have, hungry exotic wild animals, white supremacists, and those who the apocalypse have sent mad. Their internal battles involve being gay and falling in love with a straight guy, toting a rifle they believe they will never fire, and the aftermath of decisions made in a moment.

A journey, first made in atonement, then in response to a kindness, leads them across the Eastern Seaboard. Challenges are thrown in their way by nature, other survivors, and their building confusion about each other. In the end it is others and a terrible event that finally shakes them into acting on their feelings.

Not just another apocalypse story, Erik J Brown’s love story held me from cover to cover. The unspoken feelings between these uncertain teenage boys were tense and made me yell – “Oh my god, just tell him already!” The action scenes made me gasp out loud and read faster, and the storyline was never predictable (besides their attraction).

I have to admit, with so many apocalypse movies out there, I was expecting a stray zombie or two. It was much more realistic without them, especially as the flu that hit the world’s population in this book, came after Covid. The author didn’t originally want to have Covid mentioned, but it made the whole plot even more real.

People have gathered together in groups, some violent, some controlling and some possibly as normal as they could be in the circumstances. Even without zombies, the setting is a scary place, not knowing what is around the corner, who might be watching them from abandoned towns they pass through, or what they might find when looking for a place to sleep for the night, as they travel.

Looking forward to the sequel – The Only Light Left Burning out in Aust/NZ Late May 2024 

Author – Erik J Brown

Age – 12+

(2022, Hachette, Apocalypse, Flu, Virus, Annihilation, Population slashed, Queer Romance, LGBTQ+, Fear, Love, Hope, Kindness, Wild Animals, Travelling on Foot, White Supremacists, Bigot, Guns, Running from Danger, Eastern Seaboard, Survival, Control, Power, Civilisation, Duology, Series, Action, Regret, Secrets, Dystopian)

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Despite the endless hours spent providing electricity for the rich and powerful who live in the Snowglobe (a sparkling domed city), Chobahm has dreams of changing her life and her loved ones along with her.

The only people who can live in the only climate-controlled and liveable place on Earth (the Snowglobe) are actors and directors. These people provide endless 24 hour reality TV to the masses like Chobahm’s family – their only escape from a hand-to-mouth existence. They watch while working and at home, investing their lives in the characters and actors they love.

Chobahm wants to be a director, intending to apply every year until she is chosen. This is her plan before she is made an offer she can’t refuse. She is the spitting image of one of her favourite TV stars. She’s been teased about it before, never knowing her resemblance will change her and her family’s future.

Being offered a place on TV until she is given a place in director school, and having her family looked after financially is more than a dream come true.

Life inside the warm affluent Snowglobe, where she is showered with attention, beautiful clothes and all the food she can eat, is a huge change. Chobahm slowly begins to fit in, copying all the mannerisms of her favourite TV star. But the longer she stays, the more she realises that reality TV is nothing like reality itself.

This world is not only about haves and have-nots, it’s about power, murder, and most important of all, ratings. And some directors will do anything to stay at the top.

I was fascinated in the premise of this novel, and began reading uncertain of what I’d find. Just like the dystopian worlds of The Hunger Games and Divergent, Snowglobe provides a rich back-drop of world building.

Snowglobe is the only place left in the world that is climate-controlled. Outside the globe is horrifically cold – with 50 below being normal in the winter. People are still expected to go to work in these terrible conditions – mostly as power station workers.

The contrasting Snowglobe is a world of glitter, wealth, beauty, corruption, murder, reality TV and the endless pursuit of top ratings. Chobahm discovers not only the truth about the ‘real’ world of Snowglobe, but a gob-smacking intrusion into multiple families – with no thought of the fallout.

This wasn’t a face-paced read, but there were enough shocks, surprises and connections to keep me reading. The second part of this duology translated from Korean is due out 2025, and I for one will be keen to see where Chobahm goes next.

Author – Soyoung Park

Age – 12+

(2024, Betrayal, Courage, Power, Dystopian, Future, Climate Controlled, Family, Ice age, Warring times, Family, Twins, Siblings, Friendship, Doppelgangers, Lookalikes, Murder,Mystery, Ratings, Reality TV, Mystery, Secrets, Popularity, Poverty, Cold, Revenge, Science, Manipulation, Lies, Duology)

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