Wanderer

By Victor Kelleher

ISBN 9780645378818

Cover and internal illustrations by Lorena Carrington

Published August 2022 by Eagle Books, an imprint of Christmas Press

RRP $19.99

About the book:

In a dangerous world where predators both human and animal roam the land and the sea, an orphaned young boatman, Dane, lives by his wits. He wanders alone, doing what he can to survive both the terrors of the water and the violent depredations of the Clan – a group of warriors who raid settlements and hunt down any trace of the old knowledge derived from the mythical ‘Golden Years’.

Along with his precious kayak and his few weapons, Dane holds another treasure close. It’s a battered old book given to him by his mother, long ago, a book that’s a source of comfort even in the hardest of times.

 Because of damage to his Kayak, and following a scene of pillage by the Clan, Dane goes in search of an old man named Garth who is reputed to have great boat-building skills. This encounter with the book-loving old man and his fund of stories, but more especially with his extraordinary grand-daughter Lana, will change everything for Dane. And it will set him and Lana on a dangerous and unpredictable quest that will lead them to discover unwelcome truths about their world, and themselves…

The first middle-grade novel for over fifteen years by the eminent, multi-award-winning writer Victor Kelleher, Wanderer is not only an exciting, immersive adventure set in a brilliantly-imagined alternative world: it is also a lyrical love song to the power of books and stories.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE PATRICIA WRIGHTSON PRIZE, 2023 NSW PREMIER’S LITERARY AWARDS

Read some reviews of the book here, here and here.

About the author:

With many novels to his credit, Victor Kelleher has written successfully for both adults and for young people. Formerly an associate professor of English, he has long since devoted himself full-time to fiction. He is a past winner of the Children’s Book Council of Australia’s Book of the Year Award, has twice received the CBCA Honour Award, and has either won or been short-listed for many other such prizes, including the Science Fiction Achievement Award and a short-listing for the Carnegie Medal. Wanderer, like much of his fiction, reflects his deep concern for the natural world. He currently lives in Tasmania with his artist wife.