A Sky of Wretched Shells
Mark Blackham
The Cuba Press
2021

June 20, 2022

A Sky of Wretched Shells by Mark Blackham is a gripping story about the effects of climate change and the beauty of nature. The story is set on an isolated island where a curious fifteen-year-old boy, Mala, lives. They have everything they need on the island however when two outsiders, Dune and Adriana, arrive there,  Mala learns more about the effects of climate change.

Dune and Adriana are running tests to figure out why the island is thriving when everywhere else is dying, but to get the results they must go to a forbidden place on the atoll with the help of Mala.

They must avoid Akal, the chief’s son, and contain the disease, which is threatening the small, once illness-free, community.

A good range of myths, magic and logic really make this story come to life. It clearly shows the dangers of climate change with an element of magic to keep things interesting and engaging.

A short book means it is a quick read, however it is wonderfully gripping and has been very well thought through and researched to give it a sense of plausibility.

By showing the cultural differences between the islanders and the outsiders we learn how important it is to respect other traditions and cultures and the importance of respecting and taking care of the natural world.

I would recommend this book for people aged twelve and over, as it contains quite technical language and is a complicated story. It requires you to truly think, and it has a very strong message about protecting the earth and the differences between people’s lifestyles.

Although not an intense action book, A Sky of Wretched Shells has an element of suspense running through it, which makes you eager to read more and stay engaged with the story. It is more fact based then action but still has a clear plot and story structure.

The characters are realistic and I found I could easily empathise with them. When they are introduced, they are well explained and have distinct personalities so there is no confusion over who is who. There was also an obvious difference between their viewpoints on climate change, the outsiders and island life, which was great.

I loved the way the story was told from Mala’s perspective. We could hear his view as an islander being introduced to climate change and how he knew more about the natural world and was content and happy with that, even though he was a naturally curious child. This was a nice break from stories which idealise western culture.

I could really picture the island through the descriptive language used and the emotions that each character felt were clear through the way the author described their body language.

Overall, I would recommend this book to those who enjoy factual books and want to learn some more about climate change in a fun and interesting way. It’s not a particularly fast paced novel, so people who prefer action and thriller may find it boring.

A Sky of Wretched Shells is a short but interesting read that will leave you thinking about the issues facing our world today.

• Thora is 14 years old and lives in Nelson.