The only thing 14 yr old Miles is interested in when he moves with his family to Coromandel (NZ) is the land around their new home. But this new home is something different – an old camping ground. There is work to be done as soon as they get out of the car, but Miles grabs an opportunity to explore as soon as he can.

He and his dad discover the river running along the edge of their property and he wonders what’s on the other side, or who owns it. It definitely has hut or bivouac building possibilities. Working on the drive together, Miles notices a stone different from the gravel they’re working with. It’s a dull, dark red colour, small and smooth. It’s only later he remembers that he put it in his pocket.

This begins Miles extraordinary and often creepy journey into something supernatural – something, other.

Wanting to know more about it, he meets local, but strange Mr Vigus, gets to know his new school teacher Mr Croad, and makes a friend in a girl called Melinda. But like the stone, Melinda is different, and it’s only when Miles is running for his life does he realise this. Strange things are happening, and Miles can hear and see what others can’t. Can he out-run what’s coming and save two new friend’s lives as he flees?

This atmospheric New Zealand novel is part moving-rural, and part new-kid-in-town, mixed in with a mystery and a good swirl of super-natural. It felt a little like Maurice Gee’s Under the Mountain – creepy, other worldly, building in tension until the action bursts off the page.

Miles is an authentic 14 year old, keen to fit in, but wary of the older boys at their small school. His friendship with local boy Oliver and empathy for a young homeless man shows Miles’ true nature – something he must dig deep within to survive a supernatural onslaught.

Miles tells his story in first person and along with the ethereal artwork throughout the book, I was drawn into the story and his dilemma. Who would ever believe what he has seen?

An engaging read for anyone who likes Stranger Things, Under The Mountain, or anything eerie.

Great kiwi young adult fiction.

Author / Illustrator – Gary Venn

Age – 12+

(2023, Bateman Books, Eerie, Creepy, Spooky, Otherworldly, Unexplained, Supernatural, Rock, Stone, Mystery, Homeless, Camping ground, Bush, Hut building, Friendship, New kid, New school, Fitting in, Bush walking, Action, Courage, Rowboat, Family, Fantasy, Mystery, Secret, NZ, New Zealand, Coromandel)