Here’s an absolutely fabulous review, by Helen Eddy, of Only The Wild. Helen wrote it for the Read Plus website, which, sadly, has now ceased operations, but we wanted to highlight her wonderful review here on Eagle Books, so here it is!
Only The Wild
By Victor Kelleher
Eagle Books, 2026. ISBN: 9781764002110
Reviewed by Helen Eddy, ReadPlus
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Victor Kelleher has created another riveting adventure story which recalls the struggle to survive in the wilderness, at the heart of The Cave (2024), but whilst that book is set in prehistoric times, Only The Wild takes place in a future time when Antarctica has become a forested ‘Great Southland’ due to global warming, and people in countries to the north have retreated underground to escape the heat. Kelleher provides a brief timeline of the events that have led to the central conflict taking place in the Great Southland, the battle between farmers who want to make a living on this last workable continent, and the Wilders who believe the wilderness should be allowed to return to its natural state free of all harmful human development.
Fifteen year old Evan is the youngest child in one of the last farming families on the edge of the dense green forest, always alert to the risk of attack by the much hated Wilders, fierce activists intent on burning homesteads and killing their inhabitants. It is a war that Evan wants no part of. With the character of Evan, Kelleher poses a philosophical question about where the pacifist or peacemaker draws the line. Evan does not want to harm others; he wants only to live in harmony with the natural world. He belongs neither to the arms-bearing farming community nor the Wilder activists. He was born in the Great Southland and wants to stay a part of it, not owner of the land but ‘owned by the land’. Complications arise when he takes responsibility for an orphaned farmer child, and is pursued by the relentless Wilder activist Reyne.
From the very first page, Kelleher seizes the reader’s attention, and the drama that follows raises interesting questions which readily lend themselves to discussion and debate. Kelleher has found an ingenious way to engage young adult readers in the exploration of moral and ethical issues likely to confront us all at some stage in the future, questions about ways of living and responsibility for the future of the planet. Whilst the issues may be confronting, the strength of Kelleher’s novels lies is the warm and caring relationships that are depicted, and the positive presentation of respect for others and different points of view.
