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The Edge of Light #1
New Dawning
Merel lives in a world ruled by traditions and shadowed from the fierce sunlight. This small community huddles in a village called Littleton, on a scrap of land isolated in the middle of a vast sea. Some can no longer remember where the traditions came from, and some think they are cruel. But Merel finds comfort in the certainty that it has all been done before and will be again. That is, until everything changes.
406 pages, Paperback
First published October 14, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 7, 2023
Living in Christchurch I liked the setting and the premise of the plot. I enjoyed the main characters, they were likable and relatable. But I found the story a bit too long and I wonder if our junior students will find it too long also.
May 30, 2024
3.5 rounded up to 4
I promise I'm trying to separate myself from this book where my favourite bird is a plot point and it's set near where I live.
A solid, safely written dystopia, with a clear vision. The society is a little basic but the Covers and mystery are fun.
It's a pity that no actual answers are in this book, it just leads into the rest of the trilogy.
Y9, 10
I promise I'm trying to separate myself from this book where my favourite bird is a plot point and it's set near where I live.
A solid, safely written dystopia, with a clear vision. The society is a little basic but the Covers and mystery are fun.
It's a pity that no actual answers are in this book, it just leads into the rest of the trilogy.
Y9, 10
December 7, 2023
Amazing NZ dystopian novel... can't wait for number 2 to come out
October 1, 2023
New Dawning is a story well told, a clearly imagined, provocative future, which I was happily swept into. A world that is both familiar and fantastical. I laughed out loud, and found myself speed reading pages, my heart pounding.
‘ Tonight I will hear The Truth for the first time’ . The Truth relates to the retelling of a tradition, a story that is told again and again with no changes. But this night, is the night The Truth is told differently.
In New Dawning I was immersed in a land as familiar as my favourite hillside forest walk (mossy boulders under the shade of trees) but unnervingly it is now located by the sea. As the land is protected by a cover to block out the sun it is in a continuous state of diffused light, where everything is grey and damp. There is little spontaneity in people’s lives. Society is largely managed by routine and tradition.
Despite the greyness, there is humour in the story and I loved the dialogue. At a dinner time chat about what would happen if the cover was removed and more light came in, Bexley asks if extinct animals would come back to life. ‘What about giraffes’ ? he asks. His father laughs, an animal with four stomachs, two hearts, and a neck long enough they could eat leaves from the tops of trees …’, that’s a mythical beast not an extinct animal.
This book embodies two great stories for me. Ray Bradbury’s, All Summer in a Day and Hugh Howey’s, Silo. There is a beautiful portrayal of life awakening in response to the sun. As the forest comes alive with the dawn chorus, I feel the heat on my skin and see the endless blue, band of light, and green of the trees. New Dawning also has the expansive world building of Hugh Howey’s Silo, with the hint of worlds within worlds and dark secrets held to keep society in place.
This teen fiction moves in an adult world with adult ideas and issues. A great read. I can’t wait for the next installment.
‘ Tonight I will hear The Truth for the first time’ . The Truth relates to the retelling of a tradition, a story that is told again and again with no changes. But this night, is the night The Truth is told differently.
In New Dawning I was immersed in a land as familiar as my favourite hillside forest walk (mossy boulders under the shade of trees) but unnervingly it is now located by the sea. As the land is protected by a cover to block out the sun it is in a continuous state of diffused light, where everything is grey and damp. There is little spontaneity in people’s lives. Society is largely managed by routine and tradition.
Despite the greyness, there is humour in the story and I loved the dialogue. At a dinner time chat about what would happen if the cover was removed and more light came in, Bexley asks if extinct animals would come back to life. ‘What about giraffes’ ? he asks. His father laughs, an animal with four stomachs, two hearts, and a neck long enough they could eat leaves from the tops of trees …’, that’s a mythical beast not an extinct animal.
This book embodies two great stories for me. Ray Bradbury’s, All Summer in a Day and Hugh Howey’s, Silo. There is a beautiful portrayal of life awakening in response to the sun. As the forest comes alive with the dawn chorus, I feel the heat on my skin and see the endless blue, band of light, and green of the trees. New Dawning also has the expansive world building of Hugh Howey’s Silo, with the hint of worlds within worlds and dark secrets held to keep society in place.
This teen fiction moves in an adult world with adult ideas and issues. A great read. I can’t wait for the next installment.
June 20, 2024
I really enjoyed the premise of this dystopian novel, set as it is in New Zealand in a place called Littleton after climate change has decimated the planet.
A small community lives under the large covers which have been put up in the sky to protect them... but these covers causes its own environmental problems. Every seven years or so, a new Voice of the Child is appointed - and that child is there to speak for the youth who have to grow up and try and fix the errors of their predecessors ways.
The story opens with the outgoing Voice of the Child making his ending speech - known as the truth. Once their tenure is over, they are sent off in a boat, along with some of the older members of the community, never to be seen again.
Merel is a Scientist and her little brother's best friend is to become the next Voice of the Child. Along with her friends, Merel starts to question the rules that they are living under - and they uncover some unusual goings on.
This is the first in a trilogy and will appeal to those who enjoy a dystopian mystery.
A small community lives under the large covers which have been put up in the sky to protect them... but these covers causes its own environmental problems. Every seven years or so, a new Voice of the Child is appointed - and that child is there to speak for the youth who have to grow up and try and fix the errors of their predecessors ways.
The story opens with the outgoing Voice of the Child making his ending speech - known as the truth. Once their tenure is over, they are sent off in a boat, along with some of the older members of the community, never to be seen again.
Merel is a Scientist and her little brother's best friend is to become the next Voice of the Child. Along with her friends, Merel starts to question the rules that they are living under - and they uncover some unusual goings on.
This is the first in a trilogy and will appeal to those who enjoy a dystopian mystery.
October 21, 2024
More of a 3.5. Not bad, especially for an NZ book.
Merel was an odd character as she's supposed to be 15 but acts and thinks like someone much younger. This made the book feel like it wasn't sure if it was YA or middle grade and I'm still not sure if that was on purpose or not. There's a lot of childish feeling exposition but the pacing is a bit slow and requires a more patient reader which suggests it's aimed at teens. I did feel like nothing of real consequence happens until quite late in the novel, but the world building is good and now I really want to see what happens next. It just took a long time to hook me in.
One to recommend to the stronger year 9 and maybe yr 10 readers. Defs not for reluctant readers, and probably not for seniors either.
Merel was an odd character as she's supposed to be 15 but acts and thinks like someone much younger. This made the book feel like it wasn't sure if it was YA or middle grade and I'm still not sure if that was on purpose or not. There's a lot of childish feeling exposition but the pacing is a bit slow and requires a more patient reader which suggests it's aimed at teens. I did feel like nothing of real consequence happens until quite late in the novel, but the world building is good and now I really want to see what happens next. It just took a long time to hook me in.
One to recommend to the stronger year 9 and maybe yr 10 readers. Defs not for reluctant readers, and probably not for seniors either.
September 28, 2023
An intriguing book that explores life after climate disaster.
A small community struggles on under huge covers which block out the sun. They have limited resources and their traditions are cruel.
We learn what life is like in this strange new world by following the main character, her friend and her lovable pet crow as they start to question the rules.
An enjoyable and thought-provoking read. Is this a glimpse of what might be in store for future generations?
Would highly recommend and am looking forward to reading the next instalment.
A small community struggles on under huge covers which block out the sun. They have limited resources and their traditions are cruel.
We learn what life is like in this strange new world by following the main character, her friend and her lovable pet crow as they start to question the rules.
An enjoyable and thought-provoking read. Is this a glimpse of what might be in store for future generations?
Would highly recommend and am looking forward to reading the next instalment.
July 12, 2024
A good book for younger readers that thirst for a mystery in a dystopian back story. The mystery unfolds on an island, which many of us in New Zealand can relate to.
Though the characters are well thought out and the back story embellishes the foundation of the plot, I feel that the story itself moves a bit too slowly for the young readers it intends to attract. Perhaps that is reason enough to allow the story to be absorbed by your mind so the reader has time to think about the nuances of the plot.
Though the characters are well thought out and the back story embellishes the foundation of the plot, I feel that the story itself moves a bit too slowly for the young readers it intends to attract. Perhaps that is reason enough to allow the story to be absorbed by your mind so the reader has time to think about the nuances of the plot.
August 30, 2024
I loved this post-climate change (well kind of) book set in future Christchurch. I thought Dixon had really interesting ideas about how things would adapt, and what we would do to help solve climate change. The impending sense of things are not right was also really well executed, and I can't wait to find out what happens next!
October 17, 2023
A gripping and mysterious debut from A.M. Dixon - I can't wait to read the next installment!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews