The Wild Beyond is set in a dystopian world where everyone lives on one small island and there are hardly any animals left. Kester and his friends escaped in the earlier books from the evil, all-controlling company Facto, and are trying to restore the Earth which Facto has wrecked.
I was pleased when this book came out because I'd wanted to find out what happened to the characters I'd already read about in the first two novels of The Last Wild Trilogy. I liked how this final instalment was really exciting all the way through rather than just at the end.
The main plot involves Kester's search for an island where he hopes to find a key that might stop the 'Red Cloud!' What is the Red Cloud? It's a red cloud!!! What does it do? It scares the animals and could destroy what's left of the island. But nothing is as it seems: the key, the island, and the Red Cloud are not simply that…Yet again Ketser journeys into the unknown.
His search brings him into contact with Eck, the brother of the evil Selwyn Stone. Eck sheds light on Selwyn's destructive motives (I won't give it away, but let's just say things start falling into place). But is it enough to save the people and animals of the Last Wild?
With people leaving to live in space, time is running out. Kester's friends Polly and Ada, and of course the animals, especially the Wolf and Dagger the dog,
help him on his quest.
I really liked this book as it made a satisfying ending to the trilogy because you know at last why everything had happened and got a good idea of what was going to happen to the characters after the book had finished.
The characters felt believable and I rooted for them. The setting was well-created, even if it was less believable. It was another well-written book by Piers Torday. I only wish that there was more to it. I would have liked more story and it was over too quickly.
I would definitely recommend this book, but make sure you read books 1 and 2 first. It is a memorable story that has a strong message – to protect the planet and not pollute it. It warns us not to be brainwashed by money and not to risk the safety of the world by creating dangerous viruses that we can't control.
This was a super, thought-provoking read!
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