Ken Catran: Taken at the Flood

By MARGIE THOMSON

Catran's ability to bring to life the world of ancient Greece won him Book of the Year at this year's New Zealand Post Children's Books Awards. Here he imagines a world coming to its apocalypse when a comet slams into the Earth, unleashing tidal waves, ash clouds and disease.

The story is set in the South Island of New Zealand. Bruce, our teenage hero, is on high ground when the comet strikes, narrowly avoiding the tidal wave that destroys his city. With Karen, whom he meets minutes before their world ends, he is left to survive as best he can in the coming nuclear winter. What gives Catran's stories such richness is that they are underlaid with a clarity about human behaviour and motivation, for better and for worse. In our high-tech world we take so much for granted, but what would we do if all that we knew was devastated? How would we defend ourselves against the violence and competitiveness of others? What sort of relationships would we form? Catran has said these themes are not bleak but challenging, and I agree. This story is also exciting, chilling and moving. While I felt the ending was rushed and unconvincing, the rest is superb.

Publisher: Random House, $16.95