AT THE LIBRARY

Steve Kraft is CEO of Guelph Public Library. He recommends: “The Book of Koli” by M.R. Carey.

“The Book of Koli” by M.R. Carey, Orbit, 2020, 407 pages British author Mike Carey (pen name M.R. Carey) has a prominent spot on my bookshelf. He writes comic books, novels, films and TV shows. His five-volume series featuring detective/exorcist Felix Castor is one of my all-time favourites. “The Book of Koli” is a captivating postapocalyptic story and the first entry in a trilogy. It takes place centuries from now after a devastating war and extreme climate transformation.

Fifteen-year-old Koli lives with his mother and sisters in a village of 200 people called Mythen Rood. The leaders of the community safeguard their settlement using ancient, solar-powered technology. Koli has arrived at the age where he will be tested to see if he has the ability to “awaken” the tech and thus become a leading member of the village.

Koli discovers there is a secret to operating the tech and contemplates when and how to reveal this to the others. When this knowledge threatens the leaders of Mythen Rood, they mercilessly exile him to the outside world. There he must defend himself against the violent and deadly flora and fauna as well as the terrifying “shunned men”’ who prey on humans for meat. Luckily, he is befriended by Ursula, a travelling doctor who is also in possession of an ancient piece of tech.

Koli’s dangerous quest to survive the perils of the outside world is continued in “The Trials of Koli” (2020) and “The Fall of Koli” (2021). Carey has crafted a thrilling dystopian world based on the one we live in now. You will be both disturbed and delighted.