Meaghan McIsaac

In a future world, something catastrophic has happened to plunge life back to a semi-medieval existense with a sparse overlay of technology a la Mad Max. ( e.g. guns exist and cars are used as carts pulled by animals) Urgle is a boy of the Ikkuma Pit - a volcanic area where people throw their refuse including baby boys - and has grown up in a colony of these boys "Brothers" living by their code. Each older boy is assigned a baby Brother to care for and teach how to hunt and survive. When puberty strikes, the older boy leaves the pit never to return. As a result of being abandoned, the Brother grew up hating women or the Mothers who left them.
Urgle's brother is Cubby and his best mate is Av who is trying to teach Urgle how to hunt despite him being nicknamed "Useless" by the rest of the tribe. On day, the boys hear some terrible screams from the forest surrounding their pit and a fully grown man jumps in because he is being chased by some Tunrar ( goblin/ape like creatures). The man is Blaze who was once a Brother and is hiding a secret.
The Tunrar circle the pit waiting for Blaze to emerge and then catch Cubby and ru off with him into the forest. Urgle, Av and Digger (the Brother's leader) convince Blaze to show them where Cubby has been taken.
Thus begins the Quest as the boys enter into a world completely unknown to them - one of sunlight and trees and animals and a fearsome religion called The Beginning. Urgle must swim into a Beginning Temple and bargain with the cult leader for Cubby's life by promising to kill the leader os a rival religion composed entirely of women...i.e...the Mothers.
Fascinating book that is very well written - gripping pace and the worlds of the Pit and the forest swamps and temple with water flowing through it are great. The origin story of the 3 sets of twins who control the water, earth, etc is also well done in that the actions of all the tribes is very plausible. As I read, I felt some "Lord of the Flies", "Obernewtyn" and "Single Stone" parallels.
Although parts are violent and characters die, I think it is suitable for high level junior school readers. Spoiler alert - I think this is the first in a series although it could end with this as a stand alone book.
Also: this book has an alternative title : "Boys of Stone and Fire" I think.… (more)