Author(s): J. L. Pawley

NZ Teen Fiction | Teen Fiction | Staff Picks - Mim

In a climate-changed world, the Library is the lifeblood of civilisation. And it's about to have a heart attack... If it hadn’t been for the man in white body paint appearing out of the darkness, my Bus would now be a broken steel carcass in a smoking hole. Someone set a landmine in ambush for the Library vehicle, a mobile repository of information saved from before the War. A beacon of knowledge in the ashes of civilisation, and my sole responsibility. Someone tried to take it from me. To stop the flow of free information. To steal from the people scratching out a living on the dusty frontier, just one cloudship delivery away from desiccation.

Now, other Keepers are missing. And not just Keepers. People have been disappearing from camps and settlements scattered across the outback. Why didn’t we know about it? The Library is supposed to know everything. That’s its whole purpose, to save and share knowledge. Isn’t it? I have to warn New Pearth. After all, this is what I was trained for. Though the Library could never have predicted a plot this savage, or this well-organised. But first, with only a psychotic ex-slave and a digital ghost to help, I have to survive the trip…

The Knowledge Keeper is perfect for scifi fans who are looking for a fresh, more optimistic and less dystopian take on a post World War Three and climate change action thriller. Featuring a diverse cast of characters, from cranky airship pilots, snarky AIs, and badass teenage warrior librarians, to a snakeskin-tattooed soldier called Gladys, it's been described as "Mad Max meets The Magic School Bus" -- you've never read anything like this adventure before!

The Arid Earth Saga is a new series from the author of the award-winning Generation Icarus science fiction series, which earned over 1M reads on Wattpad before it was picked up by a publisher, translated into several languages, and optioned for adaptation to the screen. An early version of The Knowledge Keeper was shortlisted for an unpublished manuscript award in 2016, and was also read thousands of times on Wattpad before it was signed for publication. Contains medium violence, mild language and drug references. Suitable for ages 13 and older.

Mim's Review - A good old adventure book set in post-apocalyptic Australia. I enjoyed the world-building and am interested to see where the next book takes us.