Outwalkers

by Fiona Shaw

The border's closed . . .No one can get into Scotland, just like no one can cross the channel . . .England is under the control of an authoritarian regime. Chips implanted in citizens' skin at birth mean anyone can be tracked, anywhere. But Jake, who breaks out of the Academy dorm he's been housed in, has decided to escape. To go off-grid. To join a small group of independent spirits determined to keep away from the government's prying eyes. The Outwalkers. Only with them will Jake have a chance to reach Scotland - and safety.

Genres: Science Fiction, Dystopia, Young Adult, Fiction, Adventure, Survival, Middle Grade

424 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2018

About the author

Not to be confused with Fiona Shaw, the Irish-born stage & screen actress.

Fiona was born in London in 1964. Her place of birth is now a hospital broom cupboard and her first home was on a street later obliterated beneath a superstore off the Cromwell Rd. However, she passed most of her childhood as the eldest of three girls in a lovely and spacious family home near the Thames.

Fiona studied various literatures at the Universities of York and Sussex, finishing with a PhD on poet Elizabeth Bishop.

Since then, Fiona has written a memoir and four novels and done the habitual round of the novelist’s other jobs to help balance out her stubborn desire to write.

Fiona has worked as a Royal Literary Fund writing fellow at the University of York, 2007-2009, and is now working as RLF writing fellow in Sheffield University, attached to the Animal and Plant Sciences Department.

Living in York with her partner and two daughters, Fiona reads a great deal, cycles everywhere, grows vegetables with variable success and acquires more films than she ever gets around to watching. She is working on her fifth novel.

Reviews

[TJL · Rating 1 out of 5]

It wanted to be the kids version of 1984 (or something like it) and ended up just falling flat.

Two major complaints:

First and foremost, Dear God the dialogue. What would ever posses you to -Indicate that a character is speaking like this, "Rather than like this", which most PEOPLE (never mind children) are accustomed to reading in books?

It drove me nuts. I was constantly having to go back and re-read sentences because I was trying to parse out what was part of the speaker's sentence and what wasn't. For example (this isn't taken from the book):

-I don't know how to skate. Jacob was surprised. He didn't know about that.

Can you see how someone might pause for a second and have to go back and double-check that? Because depending on who's speaking, the speaker could be saying "I don't know how to skate, that surprises Jacob because he didn't know that Speaker didn't know how to skate." OR, they could simply be saying "I don't know how to skate,", and the bit with Jacob is just a matter of narration.

In this book, there's no end-marker for dialogue- just the little dash at the beginning. So it's difficult to tell if a character is still speaking or if we've now gotten back into narration. And since there are multiple characters and this is a typically dialogue-heavy book, it gets to be an absolute pain because, again, you have to double-check a lot of dialogue to make sure you're understanding it.

I don't know why the author did it this way. It's a terrible way of writing dialogue.

Secondly... The story was just long. Too long to maintain any sort of tension, and even worse when you're having to go back and make sure you're reading the dialogue correctly. There was so much fluff and extraneous stuff that could have been cut, and the story would not have suffered for it. The book was over 400 pages. 1984 made its point with a little over half that page-count (in normal, non-mass-market or ebook print).

tl;dr It had a lot of potential, but ultimately is just difficult to slough through.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was only a few chapters in I was already hooked! It seems a little slow in places but in a way that really draws you in, so not a bad thing at all!

I loved all the characters, and the dystopian setting. Dystopia is not always my favourite genre, but when it’s done well I love the way it is genuinely chilling and this is definitely that! Set in a very recognisable future Britain, it’s hard not to see how this could happen (however unlikely it would be!) and hard not to empathise with the characters. In fact my main let down with the book is actually not knowing more about how this all came to be (there are details shared about the catalytic events but not what led up to them) and specifically about what the debt thing the kids owe.

Character wise my favourite was obviously Jet! But I liked that swift looked out for Cass and similar with Martha and Davie. I also want to see more of Ollie hehe! They were all fab. Jake is a good main character - in places I was yelling at him to think harder about his parents, but he gets forgiven for being young and tough and brave :) and loyal to Jet! 🐶😍 though that dog was far too well trained!!

There are a lot of happy coincidences in what the kids luck into but also so many bad ones. The whole section in the underground, you could really feel the desperation. Sadly those coincidences did sometimes make it a little predictable.

I loved the bit in the department store. Surely that is every kids dream!

My only other main niggle about the book is the speech - the lack of quotation marks made it hard to follow when speech ended in places. Though having said that it wasn’t as bad or annoying as I assumed it would be.

Overall, a really good dystopian universe with interesting main characters. I highly recommend it!

[Daniel Postlethwaite · Rating 2 out of 5]

An annoying main character, and the annoying editorial decision to have no speech marks only a -dash at the start of each piece of speech made this a laborious read.

The book is so slow and follows a similar format 'the gang goes to the next stop on the list, main character does something idiotic to put the gang in jeopardy. They forgive him and move to the next destination, main character again does something idiotic'

Had to put it down unfortunately

[Beccy · Rating 2 out of 5]

True rating; 1.5 stars

It think Fiona Shaw in all likelihood had a good starting concept for this book - I by no means thought I was going to hate it as much as I did at the start.

But I have problems with this book and I'll list them in vague order of appearance;

1. The dialogue is not signified at all. No 'single quotes', "double quotes", not so much as a stage dialogue indicator. In a shorter work this effect - of being disorientating and questioning what is speech and what is inner monologue - could have been used to an actual purpose, but I don't see what point it serves at all.

2. I was sent this as a "Into Dystopia" theme novel from Book Box Club, which I think may now be clouding my judgement, but as dystopia, it feels too close, too real and possible that it reads as political propaganda.

- Britain has closed itself off and no one is allowed in or out of its borders. It is clearly inferred this is post-Brexit.
- Fracking is mentioned and I remember this is with negative connotations, maybe even that it's ruined / destabilised the countryside.
- Everyone has a chip that acts as GPS and I believe is what allows you access to your money and to other services. The 'Outwalkers' gang have cut theirs out, to go off-grid and escape. How thrillingly original.

Other dystopias I've read an from films I've seen there's always some cataclysmic event that triggers all the bad, the government control, the separation, the 'rules that are there for a reason', but this doesn't seem to have any of that. It's just all blandly possible in the not too distant future with no particular reasoning.

3. The pacing is so slow, absolutely painfully slow. And then when in the last quarter things start, happening, it's over before anything begun.

You may notice some uncertainty in my above descriptions and that's because, by the time I've gotten round to writing this review, I've forgotten some of the minutiae of the novel because I was so bored it hasn't sunk in and just dribbled out my ears instead.

[Moon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this and the politic/current news vibes in it. My only sadness is that a lot of it was "predictable" because I read too much. However I loved Jet and Cass, and Swift in her very own unique way. It is scary to think life could be like this quite easily.

[Trisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Long, strong and scary.

Great protagonist. Always trying to do the right thing.

[Jude (NovelReader13) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3🌟 (rounded up from 2.75🌟)

Let me start off by saying that this is a middle grade. I didn't know and judging from the cover + synopsis expected YA. It really put me off for the longest time because it reads so young and you don't learn until 135 pages in that the MC is only 12.

Some thoughts:
- I would've liked a bit more personality for all the kids, but especially the MC
- simple sentence structure is great for younger readers
- absolutely hated how dialogue is indicated in this book: instead of regular quotation marks, dialogue is marked with a simple dash at the beginning and the end is not indicated at all, which is eally exhausting to read
- plot is pretty repetitive (characters get into a crisis, manage to get out of it, have a moment of reprieve and get into the next crisis)
- side plot featuring a government conspiracy gets introduced very last minute and feels kind of random and unnecessary
- so many plot conveniences!

I'm very aware that I'm not the target audience for this book, but I do love a lot of other middle grade books and this one just had a lot of stuff going on I personally don't love.
That being said, do I think young readers will enjoy this? Absolutely! The story is full of danger and adventure, and I believe the characters and the whole group dynamic will definitely appeal to kids.

[Junie Rönnqvist]

DNF p.94. I just couldn’t care less about this story nor it’s characters. Although I am in a bit of a reading slump, sooooo interpret this review as you will

[Rosanna Threakall · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5 Stars*

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 4 out of 5]

ʘutwalkers by Fiona Shaw 404 pages. David Fickling Books. 2019. $17. Content: PG

Language: PG: 3 swears (0 "f"); Mature Content: G; Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS – ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

In this dystopian novel, set in a future England, children left orphaned for any reason is put into the Home Academy. It is more like a prison than a home. Jacob escapes and goes to pick up his dog, Jet. Together they need to find a way out of England and into Scotland. The Coalition runs everything and can track anyone at any time. At birth children have been implanted with a chip in their neck. Jacob and Jet are “taken in” by a gang of kids calling themselves the ʘutwalkers. They live by four very strict rules. They each have a small symbol tattooed into the base of their neck that identifies them as part of the ʘutwalkers, a small ʘ. These kids cut the chip out of Jacobs neck, and together they make their way north in a dirty, gritty environment. They are constantly on the alert and they band tighter, eating what they can find when they can find it.

This was a fabulous book. This was a very intense, well written, fast paced book. Jacob is a very believable hero. I felt his hope and his despair and was scared for him and his fellow travelers. Their trek through the old subways of London is harrowing and suspenseful. The kids in the book came alive and I was “rooting” for them all the way through the books. They meet a lot of obstacles and they are always hunted by the Coalition, and many others that are ready to turn them in to the Coalition. The characters are fantastic and the setting is very believable. This is a “must read” kind of book.

Reviewed by: Ellen-Anita Librarian
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2019...

[Andy Weston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a novel for young adults or older children best suited to the 10-14 age group.
It concerns a 12 year old boy and his dog, recently orphaned in a dystopian England some time in the relatively near future. Managing to escape from the orphan Academy in which he has been placed, Jake attempts to find his way to Applecross in the north of Scotland, from south of London. He teams up with a group of 6 other children of various ages and their adventures are pretty much non-stop.
I think Shaw has written this with bits of adult humour in it, as well as some of her own ideals. Much of the best material written for children is. Scotland is the place to be, away from the tyranny of England and separated by the Trumpesque New Wall. The group of children to which Jake becomes a member has rules; the first is that there must be no technology, and the second that they must always be outside. Some way to a utopia for today’s youth perhaps...

[Niamh Walsh-Vorster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't let an anti-vaxxer conspiracy theorist read this.

Not bad, the final chapters became cheese-y, and began to read very Young Adult novel. Which is fine, but after reading 'Station Eleven', I have high expectations for dystopian novels.

[Ella B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outwalkers is a bildungsroman set in England in the very near future. Outwalkers was written by Fiona Shaw and follows a young twelve-year-old boy called Jake. He is a very persistent and good-natured young boy who cares greatly for his dog. Throughout the book, he continuously puts himself in dangerous and sometimes life-threatening situations to help or save others. Jake is living in a Home Academy, which is a formal orphanage. His parents died in a car accident 3 months earlier. However, Jake, like all of the other boys, doesn’t want to stay in the Home Academy. He hatches a plan to escape and travel to Scotland where his Grandparents live. However, he has to pass Hubbers, which are police, and a large wall on the England-Scotland border, which distances England from the rest of the world and stops people from entering or leaving England.

The story takes place in England in a not so far future, in which England has removed itself from the rest of the world and is almost a dictatorship. The main character Jake begins his carefully and cleverly crafted plan to escape from his Home Academy- a place where he has been forced to live with other orphans for the past three months. It gives the readers a very clear picture about who Jake is, how he feels towards the Home Academy, and his motives to get out. His determination leads him to arrive at his old neighborhood. He then makes his way to the house of some family friends. They seem pleased but shocked to see him. They are very kind and help him. However, he is soon betrayed. As a result, he takes a pair of shoes and some food and escapes with his beloved dog Jet. The pair then begins their journey. Later in the novel, the duo is adopted into an Outwalker gang; a group of outlaws who have cut out their chips- which serve as identification and tracking devices- and now work together to steal and survive outside of the government. This particular group is of children and teenagers who range from the ages of five to nineteen. The characters’ personalities and priorities are clearly shown as the group embark on their journey, which lets the reader really get to know and sympathize with them. Shortly into the story, the group finds themselves being hunted, making their mission to reach Scotland much more difficult. The need to reach Scotland becomes desperate as the youngest member of the group’s health quickly deteriorates as a result of her blood disease. Scotland also holds many opportunities for the other members, some of which also have a need to exit England’s Dictatorship society.

The novel was very good. It had a great plot, as it had many plot twists, interesting events and a number of close calls. The events flowed very well and kept me interested throughout the book. The events were also very clear and gave a good description of what was occurring, which made it easy to read. The events were not predictable as they were very creative but still believable. I really liked the end chapters, which were my favorite. They gave a good conclusion to the characters’ journey and ended on a happy note. It also gives a clear insight into what Jake is thinking now that he is safe, and what he intends to do from here. However, more detail could have been given about what happens to some of the other gang members, and if they eventually reach their goals. This book also had a lack of speech marks, which at first made it slightly confusing to tell where the character stopped speaking. An example of this is ‘-Come, boy! The watchman’s voice sounded just a few yards away’ (pg. 8). Fiona Shaw’s writing style is very similar to the style of Jackie French. They both focus on the characters actions and body language, and they do not have large paragraphs or much speech between characters. They also both give the readers a clear description of the characters and their locations while keeping the storyline interesting and fast-paced.

This is a great novel, so I am giving it 5 stars. This is because it gave a great description of everything, including the events, locations, characters’ personalities, and their decisions. This is shown by the quote ‘He was lying on a floor. It smelled of old breath and smelly shoes. Flicks of dust, bits of Pringles, a Haribo wrapper’ (pg. 162) which allows the readers to get a clear picture of his surroundings are. Another reason is how the story connects the readers to the characters and makes us understand and care for them. An example of this is from page 324 to 341, where Jet has been severely hurt and may die from his injuries. We feel for Jake, who is forced to leave his dog behind, and Jet, as we want him to survive. this book would be best for people ranging from 11 to 16 years old, however, I do recommend it to anyone who is looking for a futuristic, dystopian novel.

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need to state that the concept of this book grabbed my attention immediately. In fact, I was unwilling to wait almost a year for the North American Edition to come out so tracked down a copy of the UK edition to read. The short description of the book on most sites is:

"The border's closed, Jake said. No one can get into Scotland, just like no one can cross the Channel . . .
This is England and it's no longer a free country. The Government can track anyone, anywhere, from a chip implanted at birth. But Jake has escaped from his Academy orphanage, and he needs to get to Scotland with his dog, Jet.
When the Outwalkers gang grabs him, they go off-grid while the Government hunts for them. The closer they get to Scotland, the more dangerous it is. Because now, it's not only their own lives that are at stake . . ."

In some ways the description made me think about V for Vendetta. Or parts of A Scientific Romance by Ronald Wright. But the combinate of the cover and the description instilled in me a deep hunger to read this book. And what an excellent read it was. I devoured the book in five sittings over three days. This book was incredibly hard to put down, and if I was not in the middle of some major projects at work, likely would have sacrificed a night's sleep to finish it in one sitting.

This is a story set in a future where Britain has isolated itself from the rest of the world. They have passed laws, and no one is allowed out and no one is allowed in. This was done, the people have been told, in part because of illnesses and in part because of religious bombings.

Jake has only been at the home school for a few months, since his parents passed away in an accident. He feels a compelling need to leave, to get his dog Jet and to make his way to Scotland to his grandparents. But in a country controlled by a government that has chips implanted in the citizens, so they can track them. He soon meets up with a group of Outwalkers, a group of youth and young adults, they travel the country, support each other. They are a team. But they have 4 main rules, they are:

Rule one is no technology. Two is be outside.
Three is be hidden, and four is obedience to the gang.

Jake was told:

"The gang always comes first. So if you join us, and you break a rule, the leaders can kick you out. That's it. No questions, no second chances. Just out. And we have done it already, kicked kids out."

Jake is given a choice to join or not, and he does. But he messes up. He is given a second chance and they crew bonds. He joins:

Ollie
Poacher
Cass
Swift
Martha
Davie

Soon the 7 of them find themselves being hunted. Because of circumstances they end up in London and then bad situation turns to worse. But they also begin to realize that the pursuit of them is about far more than just them being 7 unchipped outwalkers!

This story is very well written. The characters are amazing. When the story ends you will be left wanting more. Wanting to find out what happens to the others. Wondering if there will be more books set in this world! Fiona Shaw has written an excellent novel and I highly recommend it.

Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More.

[Hayley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bleak speculative fiction set in a just-around-the-corner Britain, where the Coalition has brought in Brexit on steroids: nobody is allowed in or out of the country, and all citizens are chipped (for their own safety of course!). See my full review here.

[Stan Oude Alink · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could not finish this book. Who desides that quotes don't need quoting marks?

I like it when characters talk like this; "Hey, my name is sven."
and not like,
- That works, he said if nothing really mattered. Then he went to school.

NO, WHY?!

I could not get into the story, only for this reason.

[Dreximgirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

While overall I did enjoy this book I found there were a few niggles I had with it which stopped me being completely in love with it. Some of the characters behaviour frustrated me and at times things were a little too convenient. The plot was good, I liked the idea of it and it made me want to keep reading. It was well written but the lack of speechmarks definitely made it confusing at times. 3 and a half stars for me.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty interesting read about a future time where government wants to control the people. There are tracking devices, parents murdered, fake viruses, kids running away to become out walkers and escape to Scotland from England. Exciting all around.

[Lio · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was sitting at a 4 stars the whole way through and then i CRIED, actual SOBBING TEARS, THREE (3) times at the end so I guess it has to be 5 now.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great middle school read, with some scary moments.

[Viki Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This English dystopia was so well-realised: with a likeable Gang of Misfits* (always my FAVOURITE trope); fantastic, evocative, well-paced storytelling, and a wonderful dog. I found myself completely invested and enthralled by this marvelous middle grade Sakura Medal nominee.

*TV Tropes: Gang of Misfits

[Sadie Westray · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was pretty good. Not usually the type of book I'd read.

[Tracett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starts out with a boy’s tense midnight escape from an orphanage and danger fraught trip to reunite with his beloved dog, and then plot twists and turns continue apace after that. Are all the plot machinations realistic? No but who cares, it is a fantastic wild ride through the English countryside and into the deep underbelly of London. Even with the crazy race course of a plot, the many characters are individualistic and have growth throughout the story. I can’t tell you how many times tears came to my eyes from the poignancy of the writing. Oh Jet, I love you so, ya big hairy lug. While the immediate story is tied up at the end, there are still story lines that must be developed in a further book please.

[Hamsterking · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really tense and enjoyable read! I loved all the characters and the companionship between jake and his dog jet is sweet. The story is really bleak at times and you never really know where the gang will end up. My biggest complaint is the dialogue uses dashes like - this instead of the usual way so it can be a bit confusing. Also the writing can be basic as well and the author uses certain words quite a lot. All in all though the book is great and I was certainly emotional at the end!

[Gabe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave this book a 3 because the rising action or the middle of the book was in my opinion was to slow.Its about a boy who escapes a prison orphanage place in England and then joins a gang and tries to escaped to Scotland but the police are after them. I really liked the start of the book and the end. I do not think I would recommend this to anybody.

[Lynda Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 12 year old grandson gave me his copy to read as he loved it so much. So did I! This is a fabulous book set in a dystopian future, wonderfully exciting for young adult readers and grannies!

[Steph Hayward-bailey · Rating 2 out of 5]

A YA dystopia where England is monitored by chips in people's necks. An interesting idea but very slow in parts and it struggled to keep my attention in the middle.

[Finny · Rating 4 out of 5]

' It's you and me always, Jet '

I loved the story ♡

It made me emotional at times!

[Hayley · Rating 5 out of 5]

We meet Jake – a boy who has lost his parents in an accident and has been placed in a home for boys by the government – AKA The Coalition. Life inside is brutal. Jake makes his escape to find his old home, his faithful dog Jet and his neighbours in the hope that they will take him in. Jake is betrayed and has to go on the run with Jet. He is taken in by a gang called the Outwalkers – those who have been deemed and unfit by the Coalition and would have been sent to the fracking fields or worse…except they have defied The Coalition. They have cut out their chips (implanted in the back of the neck at birth) so The Coalition can’t track them. We follow Jake and the Outwalkers on their perilous journey.

The Outwalkers are headed for Scotland: across the border, out of the range of the crazy government which has built a wall to keep the English in and everyone else out…

This book is absolutely spectacular. I’m a big fan of the YA genre, it’s amazing that the younger reading audience have so many fantastic authors and engaging stories to get stuck into.

The brilliant and frankly frightening aspect of this book is that although set in a not so distant dystopian future, it’s a future that is quite recognisable given today’s current political climate (in Britain and across the pond). Although some of it seems extreme, it isn’t that far fetched, and if we continue along the current news trend we are seeing in the news, it could genuinely be something within sight (or similar anyways).

I really liked the protagonist Jake and felt his heartbreak in his orphaned situation trying to escape from the hell he entered ever since he lost his parents. I bloomin loved his dog Jet! Oh my heart was in my throat when he was in peril (I’m a sucker for animals), but Shaw gave him such character and he was a huge heart of the story for me.

Shaw’s writing overall is incredible. She manages to depict her settings completely without being over descriptive (which would lose the YA captivation), but I actually felt the oppressive atmosphere of the gang when they were stuck in the tube station and the euphoria of the John Lewis food hall scene.

A big flashing 5 stars from me.