Review: The Last Wild

An impressive piece of first work, The Last Wild engaged all my emotions and at times brought tears to my eyes. The prose is exceptional, and the storyline unique with an imaginative plot. Piers Torday has woven a fantastic adventure of amazing proportions with strong themes of power, control and manipulation vying against the strength and unity of nature.

Kester has been locked away from his father for six years in Spectrum Hall for Challenging Children. The children live in a glass-encased environment as protection against a virus that reportedly was carried by animals which have now all been slaughted. Manufactured food alone is now available through a singular outlet.

With longing and faith in his father still strong, Kester retains his sanity by befriending a cockroach.  But he discovers an amazing thing about himself and the cockroach which brings about a most incredible journey of discovery and renewal.

The personified characters are vibrant; the dialogue sharp, and the descriptions and scenes visible in the mind’s eye. I loved this book which was impossible to put down until the last word was read.

A sequel, The Dark Wild, is scheduled for release in April 2014.

Title: The Last Wild
Author: Piers Torday
Publisher: Pan Macmillan, $14.99 RRP
Publication Date: September 2013
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781780878300
For ages: 10+
Type: Middle Fiction