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Shepherd
My father trained me to silence the way he trained his dogs, with food and a cane. Speech, he said, was poison. It scared the game, alerted the gamekeepers and betrayed your friends and family.
Tom Clay was a poacher back in Suffolk. He was twelve when he was caught, tried and transported to New South Wales.
Now, assigned to a shepherds’ hut out west, he is a boy among violent men. He keeps his counsel and watches over his sheep; he steers clear of blowhards like the new man, Rowdy Cavanagh. He is alert to danger, knowing he is a foreigner here: that the land resists his understanding.
The question is: how fast can he learn?
Because a vicious killer named Dan Carver is coming for Tom and Rowdy. And if Tom can’t outwit Carver in the bush – and convince Rowdy to keep his stupid mouth shut – their deaths will be swift and cruel.
This riveting, fast-paced new novel from the multi-award-winning Catherine Jinks brings the brutality and courage of Australia’s colonial frontier vividly to life – and sees one of our master storytellers at the peak of her powers.
Tom Clay was a poacher back in Suffolk. He was twelve when he was caught, tried and transported to New South Wales.
Now, assigned to a shepherds’ hut out west, he is a boy among violent men. He keeps his counsel and watches over his sheep; he steers clear of blowhards like the new man, Rowdy Cavanagh. He is alert to danger, knowing he is a foreigner here: that the land resists his understanding.
The question is: how fast can he learn?
Because a vicious killer named Dan Carver is coming for Tom and Rowdy. And if Tom can’t outwit Carver in the bush – and convince Rowdy to keep his stupid mouth shut – their deaths will be swift and cruel.
This riveting, fast-paced new novel from the multi-award-winning Catherine Jinks brings the brutality and courage of Australia’s colonial frontier vividly to life – and sees one of our master storytellers at the peak of her powers.
240 pages, Paperback
First published July 2, 2019
10 people are currently reading
402 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Jinks
61 books537 followersCatherine Jinks is the Australian author of more than thirty books for all ages. She has garnered many awards, including the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award(three times), the Victorian Premier’s Award, the Aurealis Award for Science Fiction, the Australian Ibby Award, and the Davitt Award for Crime Fiction. Her work has been published in Australia, New Zealand, Britain, the United States, Germany, Spain, France, Portugal, Poland, Russia, the Czech Republic and Thailand.
Catherine was born in Brisbane, Queensland, in 1963. She grew up in Papua New Guinea, where her father worked as a patrol officer. Her high-school years were spent in Sydney, NSW; in 2006, her alma mater, Ku-ring-gai High School, named its library after her.
From 1982 to 1986, Catherine studied at the University of Sydney, graduating with an honours degree in medieval history. She then worked on Westpac Banking Corporation’s staff magazine for approximately seven years. In 1992 she married Peter Dockrill, a Canadian journalist; in 1993 she and her husband left Australia for a brief spell in Nova Scotia, where she began to write full time. They returned to Australia in 1994, and Catherine gave birth to her daughter Hannah in 1997. Since 1998, she and her family have been living in Leura, NSW.
She has two brothers, and two pet rats. Like most people in Leura, she has become a slave to her garden, but not to the extent that she’ll buy rooting powder.
Catherine has been writing books since she was eight years old. She doesn’t expect to stop writing them any time soon.
Author photo: Catherine Jinks in front of 'Conceptual Networks', by artist Paul du Moulin.
Photo by Paul du Moulin
Catherine was born in Brisbane, Queensland, in 1963. She grew up in Papua New Guinea, where her father worked as a patrol officer. Her high-school years were spent in Sydney, NSW; in 2006, her alma mater, Ku-ring-gai High School, named its library after her.
From 1982 to 1986, Catherine studied at the University of Sydney, graduating with an honours degree in medieval history. She then worked on Westpac Banking Corporation’s staff magazine for approximately seven years. In 1992 she married Peter Dockrill, a Canadian journalist; in 1993 she and her husband left Australia for a brief spell in Nova Scotia, where she began to write full time. They returned to Australia in 1994, and Catherine gave birth to her daughter Hannah in 1997. Since 1998, she and her family have been living in Leura, NSW.
She has two brothers, and two pet rats. Like most people in Leura, she has become a slave to her garden, but not to the extent that she’ll buy rooting powder.
Catherine has been writing books since she was eight years old. She doesn’t expect to stop writing them any time soon.
Author photo: Catherine Jinks in front of 'Conceptual Networks', by artist Paul du Moulin.
Photo by Paul du Moulin
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
March 4, 2020
My father trained me to silence the way he trained his dogs, with food and a cane. Speech, he said, was poison. It scared the game, alerted the gamekeepers and betrayed your friends and family.
The cover of this book might have one thinking this book is in the horror genre. It's not but horrors do occur in this book! Tom Clay was a poacher back in Suffolk. He was caught, tried and sent to New South Wales. He was twelve years old when he was caught, but now at the age of thirteen, he is a young teen/boy living amongst older criminals.
He has been assigned to a shepherd hut out west. It's a rough life made better with his beloved dog, Gyp at his side. He watches over his sheep and proves to be a good tracker. It's a hard life, but he is determined to do his job while living among dangerous men. One is very dangerous, and he has come back seeking vengeance. Tom and Rowdy the new man, must keep quiet and alive.
Australia in 1840 is a rough and dangerous place and Catherine Jinks creates a dangerous environment. Her descriptions of the landscape are vivid and transported me to New South Wales. I thought she also did a tremendous job of showing a young teen trying to stay alive with the help of his trusted dog and the non-stop talking new man.
This book is riveting and action-packed. Even when they are trying to stay quiet something is happening. There is tension and suspense. Tom and his dog Gyp are easy to root for. Both are tenacious, loyal and likable. Tom proves his tracking abilities and intelligence. He is mature and determined. Rowdy grew on me as well.
I found this to be a captivating and emotional read. There are some parts of this book that may be difficult for some readers.
Thank you to Text Publishing and Edelweiss who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
The cover of this book might have one thinking this book is in the horror genre. It's not but horrors do occur in this book! Tom Clay was a poacher back in Suffolk. He was caught, tried and sent to New South Wales. He was twelve years old when he was caught, but now at the age of thirteen, he is a young teen/boy living amongst older criminals.
He has been assigned to a shepherd hut out west. It's a rough life made better with his beloved dog, Gyp at his side. He watches over his sheep and proves to be a good tracker. It's a hard life, but he is determined to do his job while living among dangerous men. One is very dangerous, and he has come back seeking vengeance. Tom and Rowdy the new man, must keep quiet and alive.
Australia in 1840 is a rough and dangerous place and Catherine Jinks creates a dangerous environment. Her descriptions of the landscape are vivid and transported me to New South Wales. I thought she also did a tremendous job of showing a young teen trying to stay alive with the help of his trusted dog and the non-stop talking new man.
This book is riveting and action-packed. Even when they are trying to stay quiet something is happening. There is tension and suspense. Tom and his dog Gyp are easy to root for. Both are tenacious, loyal and likable. Tom proves his tracking abilities and intelligence. He is mature and determined. Rowdy grew on me as well.
I found this to be a captivating and emotional read. There are some parts of this book that may be difficult for some readers.
Thank you to Text Publishing and Edelweiss who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
August 3, 2019
Thirteen-year-old Tom Clay had been transported to New South Wales from Suffolk for poaching. His father, mother and brother were all dead – on his own, his only means of survival was to poach, as his father had taught him. When he was assigned to a farmer in the NSW countryside and then told to care for and watch over his sheep from the shepherds’ hut, Tom was happy. Being a loner meant animals were better company than men. He named the sheep and the three dogs were faithful, especially his own Gyp.
But one of the shepherds, Dan Carver, had a vicious streak and although he’d been gone from the hut for some time, Tom was always watching for him. And when the enigmatic Rowdy joined Tom and Joe, Tom knew the man would be trouble. With a suddenness that was shocking, Dan Carver was on them with his musket and two other men. Could Tom and Rowdy escape the man who was determined to leave no witnesses?
Shepherd is my first by Aussie author Catherine Jinks and it won’t be my last! Shepherd was brilliant. Fast paced, filled with tension and the realities of the harsh Australian outback in our colonial times, the courage and tenacity stood out. A stranger to Australia, Tom had to learn and learn fast. He was fleet of foot, intelligent and determined – a great character. Highly recommended.
With thanks to Text Publishing for my ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
But one of the shepherds, Dan Carver, had a vicious streak and although he’d been gone from the hut for some time, Tom was always watching for him. And when the enigmatic Rowdy joined Tom and Joe, Tom knew the man would be trouble. With a suddenness that was shocking, Dan Carver was on them with his musket and two other men. Could Tom and Rowdy escape the man who was determined to leave no witnesses?
Shepherd is my first by Aussie author Catherine Jinks and it won’t be my last! Shepherd was brilliant. Fast paced, filled with tension and the realities of the harsh Australian outback in our colonial times, the courage and tenacity stood out. A stranger to Australia, Tom had to learn and learn fast. He was fleet of foot, intelligent and determined – a great character. Highly recommended.
With thanks to Text Publishing for my ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
November 5, 2019
Thanks to NetGalley and Text Publishing for the opportunity to read this gripping, action-packed book. Its pace was frantic and frenzied throughout, and I found the suspense to be almost unbearable. Finally, an action thriller which truly thrilled me.
The time is 1840, and 13-year-old Tom Clay along with a shipload of English convicts have been sentenced to exile in Australia. Tom came from an impoverished family of poachers. His father was hanged for this crime, his brother killed and his mother had already died. For his crime of poaching, Tom now finds himself in a rough, brutal land amongst hardened, brutal men.
He is working as a shepherd on a huge ranch, and living with a couple of older men in a crude shepherds’ shack. He likes solitude and loves his dog which guards the sheep.
One of the ranch workers is the villainous, fearsome convict, Carver. He has committed some horrific crimes while employed at the sheep ranch, including murder. After a fight that left a man wounded and another dead, Carver himself wounded left the ranch. Tom knows he will be back for revenge, and to kill him and other witnesses to his brutality.
Carver does come back heavily armed and with two other men. Shortly before his expected and fearsome return, a new man arrived at the shepherds’ hut to take the place of a man who had been killed. This is the cheerful and talkative Rowdy, convicted of passing counterfeit money. Tom can barely stand his constant talking, as he prefers his solitude.
Intent on killing Tom, Rowdy and a third man in the hut, a gun battle ensues and there are several deaths. The hut is set afire. Tom and Rowdy must flee for their lives through the bush pursued by Carver and one of his fellow outlaws. The action is relentless and vividly described. I felt this would make an exciting movie with a couple of the most horrific parts probably edited out.
Young Tom is a great character. He is resourceful, intelligent and determined to take revenge against Carver. He establishes leadership over the older Rowdy, being more adept on the land and in coming up with some ingenious ideas to help them escape. They fear not only Carver but also roaming groups of Aborigines and vicious wild dogs. Tom and Rowdy’s reluctant partnership gradually develops into one of trust and friendship. Tragedies occur, making this an emotional read.
Recommended for those who enjoy an action story told at a high- speed pace.
The time is 1840, and 13-year-old Tom Clay along with a shipload of English convicts have been sentenced to exile in Australia. Tom came from an impoverished family of poachers. His father was hanged for this crime, his brother killed and his mother had already died. For his crime of poaching, Tom now finds himself in a rough, brutal land amongst hardened, brutal men.
He is working as a shepherd on a huge ranch, and living with a couple of older men in a crude shepherds’ shack. He likes solitude and loves his dog which guards the sheep.
One of the ranch workers is the villainous, fearsome convict, Carver. He has committed some horrific crimes while employed at the sheep ranch, including murder. After a fight that left a man wounded and another dead, Carver himself wounded left the ranch. Tom knows he will be back for revenge, and to kill him and other witnesses to his brutality.
Carver does come back heavily armed and with two other men. Shortly before his expected and fearsome return, a new man arrived at the shepherds’ hut to take the place of a man who had been killed. This is the cheerful and talkative Rowdy, convicted of passing counterfeit money. Tom can barely stand his constant talking, as he prefers his solitude.
Intent on killing Tom, Rowdy and a third man in the hut, a gun battle ensues and there are several deaths. The hut is set afire. Tom and Rowdy must flee for their lives through the bush pursued by Carver and one of his fellow outlaws. The action is relentless and vividly described. I felt this would make an exciting movie with a couple of the most horrific parts probably edited out.
Young Tom is a great character. He is resourceful, intelligent and determined to take revenge against Carver. He establishes leadership over the older Rowdy, being more adept on the land and in coming up with some ingenious ideas to help them escape. They fear not only Carver but also roaming groups of Aborigines and vicious wild dogs. Tom and Rowdy’s reluctant partnership gradually develops into one of trust and friendship. Tragedies occur, making this an emotional read.
Recommended for those who enjoy an action story told at a high- speed pace.
April 22, 2020
Young teenage orphan Tom Clay has been transported to Australia after he was caught poaching in Suffolk and sent to work in outback NSW as a shepherd. In 1840, Australia is a tough place to be a convict, especially for a boy isolated in a shepherd's hut with older convicts, meagre supplies, rough inhospitable terrain and fear of wild dogs and fearful tales of the local Aborigines. But the violence in this tale is much closer to home with one of Tom's fellow shepherds, Dan Carver murdering another man and now returning with two other escaped convicts to kill any witnesses in an attempt to save himself from hanging. With his beloved dog Gyp and a recent arrival, a garrulous Irishman called Rowdy, Tom attempts to outrun Carver to get to his employer's farm ten miles away to raise the alarm.
Set against the atmospheric outback of colonial Australia, this is a gritty tale with a relentless tension as Tom tries to keep Carver at bay and protect Gyp and Rowdy, who lacks any bush skills and is more of a liability than a help to him. Tom is a great character, with his instinctive love of nature, innate smartness and tracking skills learnt as a poacher he knows a lot about reading the land and setting traps. The murderous Carver is a truly evil man without any human decency and the violence is quite graphic as he attempts to kill all who stand in his way. This has the feel of a YA novel, although due to the violence would not be suitable for young teens.
With thanks to Text Publishing and Netgalley for a digital copy to read
Set against the atmospheric outback of colonial Australia, this is a gritty tale with a relentless tension as Tom tries to keep Carver at bay and protect Gyp and Rowdy, who lacks any bush skills and is more of a liability than a help to him. Tom is a great character, with his instinctive love of nature, innate smartness and tracking skills learnt as a poacher he knows a lot about reading the land and setting traps. The murderous Carver is a truly evil man without any human decency and the violence is quite graphic as he attempts to kill all who stand in his way. This has the feel of a YA novel, although due to the violence would not be suitable for young teens.
With thanks to Text Publishing and Netgalley for a digital copy to read
January 17, 2020
The story is set in colonial Australia. Tom Clay is a young convict who works as a shepherd in New South Wales. He tends the sheep for his master alongside other convicts in the bush. Dan Carver is also a convict. He is a vicious man who has vowed to kill Tom and thr other convicts. Tom was just 13 years old when he was caught poaching and sentenced to seven years.
Set in 1840. The story is told over a short amount of days. Tom has to try and outwit his pursuer. Tom has his dog and a fellow shephard with him. I li,ed the authors writting style. Theres some gore and violence so I wouldn't recommend it to the faint hearted. We got an insight into how to peruse someone out in the wilderness. Trigger Warning: some animals are killed or wounded
I would like to thank NetGalley, Text Publishing and the author Catherine Jinks for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Set in 1840. The story is told over a short amount of days. Tom has to try and outwit his pursuer. Tom has his dog and a fellow shephard with him. I li,ed the authors writting style. Theres some gore and violence so I wouldn't recommend it to the faint hearted. We got an insight into how to peruse someone out in the wilderness. Trigger Warning: some animals are killed or wounded
I would like to thank NetGalley, Text Publishing and the author Catherine Jinks for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
October 23, 2019
Shepherd by Catherine Jinks is an extremely fast moving story that you will not want to stop reading. The pace is absolutely frenetic and I read this book in 2 sittings - only because I was so very tired and I couldn't keep going! It is at times hard to read as it is quite graphic and gory.
This book is set in 1840 in colonial outback Australia. Tom Clay is a 13 year old convict from England who is working as a shepherd. His best friends are the sheep dogs, especially Gyp. A former work mate Dan Carver returns and is set on getting rid of all those who know about his murderous past. Dan Carver is an awful and sadistic man and soon Tom and work mate Rowdy and the dogs are on the run for their lives. The outback is harsh and dark, and they have to do whatever they can to survive.
Thanks to Text Publishing via Edelweiss for my copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and in no way biased.
This book is set in 1840 in colonial outback Australia. Tom Clay is a 13 year old convict from England who is working as a shepherd. His best friends are the sheep dogs, especially Gyp. A former work mate Dan Carver returns and is set on getting rid of all those who know about his murderous past. Dan Carver is an awful and sadistic man and soon Tom and work mate Rowdy and the dogs are on the run for their lives. The outback is harsh and dark, and they have to do whatever they can to survive.
Thanks to Text Publishing via Edelweiss for my copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and in no way biased.
January 18, 2020
Tom Clay is a boy who has lost everything he has ever loved. Having been transported to Australia as a convict for poaching (his only means of survival having been orphaned) he finds himself a shepherd to sheep on an Australia farm in a remote rural setting. Coming from poaching stock, Tom has to relearn everything he has been taught as he no longer recognises the plants, animals and other signals from nature.
Tom has the misfortune of finding himself in a battle of wits against violent and dangerous bushrangers. Can he use his poaching skills to match wits with these armed men?
At first I thought this would be a prolonged drudge through Australian convict history and I was not sure I would finish the book. However, after the first chapter the pace of the book sped up significantly and I found it very hard to put down. This was the 1840 equivalent of an action movie 'car-chase'. A very gruesome and sometimes graphically told story about a brave and very clever young man who managed to break my heart.
Thank you Text Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this very engaging piece of historical fiction.
Tom has the misfortune of finding himself in a battle of wits against violent and dangerous bushrangers. Can he use his poaching skills to match wits with these armed men?
At first I thought this would be a prolonged drudge through Australian convict history and I was not sure I would finish the book. However, after the first chapter the pace of the book sped up significantly and I found it very hard to put down. This was the 1840 equivalent of an action movie 'car-chase'. A very gruesome and sometimes graphically told story about a brave and very clever young man who managed to break my heart.
Thank you Text Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this very engaging piece of historical fiction.
August 22, 2022
My duty is to the flock, always. Without it I am nothing.
Time I became the hunter instead of the game. Time I took the lead.
Reading 'Shepherd' reminded me of watching the really good Westerns of old age Hollywood.
Atmospheric, gritty, raw, violent, a story of a battle for surviving not only the harsh, unforgiving land but the pure evil found in people.
Time I became the hunter instead of the game. Time I took the lead.
Reading 'Shepherd' reminded me of watching the really good Westerns of old age Hollywood.
Atmospheric, gritty, raw, violent, a story of a battle for surviving not only the harsh, unforgiving land but the pure evil found in people.
May 12, 2020
"I don’t think it foolish to defend those whom God has seen fit to place in my care. What is a shepherd if not the protector of his sheep? And I’m still a shepherd, though my flock is much reduced."
This tells us precisely who our protagonist, Tom Clay, is. A shepherd with strong values, the greatest respect for animals and the drive to overcome adversity. What it doesn't reveal though, is that Tom is a slight, 13yo, convict orphan. In the 1840s, Tom was transported to NSW for poaching. A skilled hunter and tracker, he was assigned to Mr Barrett where he became shepherd to Barrett's flock. Working in seclusion, although not entirely alone, for weeks at a time, Tom had to protect the sheep from wild dogs, the local Aboriginal people, and anyone else who might come along and try to steal them.
One day, after an unsuccessful attempt to take care of a troublesome wild dog, Tom returns to the shepherds' hut to be greeted by a stranger. Irishman Rowdy Cavanagh is a new employee of Mr Barrett and he has been sent to replace the absconder, Dan Carver. Tom thought Carver was a nasty piece of work - delighting in telling him all about the violence and mayhem that had landed him on a ship to the colony. One thing Tom remembered very clearly was being told by Carver that his guiding principle was to leave no witness alive. So later that night, when Carver ambushes them, Tom knows they will have to have their wits about them to escape Carver's clutches and make their way to Barrett's homestead, 10 miles away.
This is quite a short book, and with the action and adrenaline ramped up to eleven all the way through, a faster reader than me could probably finish it in one sitting. But only if you have the stomach for it! I loved it, but I did have one reservation, and that was that I didn't really know who the audience was. The book seems like YA, but it's actually quite dark and the violence is graphic - showing not just the actions but the outcomes as well. It didn't bother me, but I would caution squeamish younger readers. Tom was a great character; skilled but fallible and with an amusing internal monologue. I'd like to meet him again some day for another adventure.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
This tells us precisely who our protagonist, Tom Clay, is. A shepherd with strong values, the greatest respect for animals and the drive to overcome adversity. What it doesn't reveal though, is that Tom is a slight, 13yo, convict orphan. In the 1840s, Tom was transported to NSW for poaching. A skilled hunter and tracker, he was assigned to Mr Barrett where he became shepherd to Barrett's flock. Working in seclusion, although not entirely alone, for weeks at a time, Tom had to protect the sheep from wild dogs, the local Aboriginal people, and anyone else who might come along and try to steal them.
One day, after an unsuccessful attempt to take care of a troublesome wild dog, Tom returns to the shepherds' hut to be greeted by a stranger. Irishman Rowdy Cavanagh is a new employee of Mr Barrett and he has been sent to replace the absconder, Dan Carver. Tom thought Carver was a nasty piece of work - delighting in telling him all about the violence and mayhem that had landed him on a ship to the colony. One thing Tom remembered very clearly was being told by Carver that his guiding principle was to leave no witness alive. So later that night, when Carver ambushes them, Tom knows they will have to have their wits about them to escape Carver's clutches and make their way to Barrett's homestead, 10 miles away.
This is quite a short book, and with the action and adrenaline ramped up to eleven all the way through, a faster reader than me could probably finish it in one sitting. But only if you have the stomach for it! I loved it, but I did have one reservation, and that was that I didn't really know who the audience was. The book seems like YA, but it's actually quite dark and the violence is graphic - showing not just the actions but the outcomes as well. It didn't bother me, but I would caution squeamish younger readers. Tom was a great character; skilled but fallible and with an amusing internal monologue. I'd like to meet him again some day for another adventure.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
May 23, 2020
I received a free electronic copy of this excellent historical novel on November 15, 2019, from Netgalley, Catherine Jinks, and Text Publishing. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my personal, honest opinion of this work. I am pleased to recommend Catherine Jinks as an author to follow to friends and family.
We are in New South Wales in the 1840s with a young Englishman, a shepherd named Tom Clay and a couple of his dogs, Gyp, a black and white Scotch collie, and Pedlar, a yellow mongrel. Tom considers these dogs all the family he has left. NSW is pretty bleak and wild - Tom and his fellow shepherds are hired to protect their flock of sheep from native Blacks, wild dogs, and blackguards. He has a couple of people he can actually depend on in NSW - Mr. Barrett, owner of the land, the flock, and the shepherd's hut they sleep in when it's not their turn sleeping in the watch-box. Fellow shepherd Joe Humble seems to be an honorable man. Tom also trusts Rowdy, a fairly new addition to the group of shepherds of Mr. Barrett sheep. Except for the periodic deliveries of a cartload of supplies, the shepherds stay in the brush with their flock which they protect and move as the grass becomes grazed down.
In the 1840s a lot of the residents of NSW were prisoners shipped out of England. Caught poaching when he was 12 years old, Tom was a boy who lost his mother in his youth, son of a hanged poacher, brother of a shot poacher. Many of the prisoners sent out to Australia and New South Wales were very much more of a threat than a teenaged poacher. And many of them have fallen through the cracks and are now a threat to all the honest settlers of these South Pacific Island nations. Tom is learning to recognize them. That may save his life. And a lesson learned the hard way - only animals are completely trustworthy. They also only have one life to give... Not good odds for Tom's survival.
pub date May 22, 2020
rec Nov 15, 2019
Text Publishing
Reviewed on December 21, 2019, on Goodreads, Netgalley. Reviewed on May 23, 2020, on AmazonSmile, Barnes&Noble, BookBub, and Kobo. Not available for review at GooglePlay.
We are in New South Wales in the 1840s with a young Englishman, a shepherd named Tom Clay and a couple of his dogs, Gyp, a black and white Scotch collie, and Pedlar, a yellow mongrel. Tom considers these dogs all the family he has left. NSW is pretty bleak and wild - Tom and his fellow shepherds are hired to protect their flock of sheep from native Blacks, wild dogs, and blackguards. He has a couple of people he can actually depend on in NSW - Mr. Barrett, owner of the land, the flock, and the shepherd's hut they sleep in when it's not their turn sleeping in the watch-box. Fellow shepherd Joe Humble seems to be an honorable man. Tom also trusts Rowdy, a fairly new addition to the group of shepherds of Mr. Barrett sheep. Except for the periodic deliveries of a cartload of supplies, the shepherds stay in the brush with their flock which they protect and move as the grass becomes grazed down.
In the 1840s a lot of the residents of NSW were prisoners shipped out of England. Caught poaching when he was 12 years old, Tom was a boy who lost his mother in his youth, son of a hanged poacher, brother of a shot poacher. Many of the prisoners sent out to Australia and New South Wales were very much more of a threat than a teenaged poacher. And many of them have fallen through the cracks and are now a threat to all the honest settlers of these South Pacific Island nations. Tom is learning to recognize them. That may save his life. And a lesson learned the hard way - only animals are completely trustworthy. They also only have one life to give... Not good odds for Tom's survival.
pub date May 22, 2020
rec Nov 15, 2019
Text Publishing
Reviewed on December 21, 2019, on Goodreads, Netgalley. Reviewed on May 23, 2020, on AmazonSmile, Barnes&Noble, BookBub, and Kobo. Not available for review at GooglePlay.
February 17, 2020
DISCLAIMER: I have known the author, Catherine Jinks, for 25 years or more, and consider her a friend and colleague. I have admired her as a highly gifted writer of fiction for the same amount of time.
Shepherd is the story of 14 year old Tom Clay, a child poacher convicted and transported to Australia somewhere in the mid 19th century. Assigned to a settler colonial landholder/perpetrator of massacres against the local Indigenous people, Tom is an indentured shepherd, who uses the skills he learned as a poacher to teach himself how to read the Country he is now dependent on for his life and sanity—because Tom is isolated in the bush with older convict men whose systematic dehumanisation has turned into toxic, violent psycopathy. Before long, Tom is at the mercy of the murderous Dan Carver (good name!), who has returned to the small sheep run seeking retribution and the erasure of witnesses to his previous crimes, and a dangerous race for survival across Country is underway. Dragging Tom's heels is the dandy conman Rowdy Cavanagh, assigned at the 11th hour to the sheep run, who cannot be quiet and lacking any survival skills at all, places himself and Tom in persistent mortal danger.
The obvious comparison to be made between Shepherd and its antecedents in Australian literature is Tom Keneally's The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith. Keneally has said in recent years that he would not write Jimmy Blacksmith now, understanding what he now knows about cultural appropriation and the dangers inherent in writing the story of an Aboriginal person from within the dominant culture. Jinks is a writer from a different generation, and has in my view managed the very difficult task of writing a book set hard in the middle of the colonial wars, from the point of view of a white boy whose knowledge of Aboriginal people is based entirely on the fears engendered by the white men in whose interests it is to demonise and dehumanise Aboriginal people, while allowing space in the text both for Tom to reserve the potential of empathy, and for the reader to understand the bigger picture of colonisation that Tom is not privy to.
Shepherd is written in Tom's authentically plain yet lyrical voice, his sensitivity to the natural world around him informing his language and insights into both human and animal behaviour. It's fast-paced and utterly compelling, intense and intensely violent, ruthless and yet ultimately finding redemption and hope in Country and its original people. Highly recommended.
Shepherd is the story of 14 year old Tom Clay, a child poacher convicted and transported to Australia somewhere in the mid 19th century. Assigned to a settler colonial landholder/perpetrator of massacres against the local Indigenous people, Tom is an indentured shepherd, who uses the skills he learned as a poacher to teach himself how to read the Country he is now dependent on for his life and sanity—because Tom is isolated in the bush with older convict men whose systematic dehumanisation has turned into toxic, violent psycopathy. Before long, Tom is at the mercy of the murderous Dan Carver (good name!), who has returned to the small sheep run seeking retribution and the erasure of witnesses to his previous crimes, and a dangerous race for survival across Country is underway. Dragging Tom's heels is the dandy conman Rowdy Cavanagh, assigned at the 11th hour to the sheep run, who cannot be quiet and lacking any survival skills at all, places himself and Tom in persistent mortal danger.
The obvious comparison to be made between Shepherd and its antecedents in Australian literature is Tom Keneally's The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith. Keneally has said in recent years that he would not write Jimmy Blacksmith now, understanding what he now knows about cultural appropriation and the dangers inherent in writing the story of an Aboriginal person from within the dominant culture. Jinks is a writer from a different generation, and has in my view managed the very difficult task of writing a book set hard in the middle of the colonial wars, from the point of view of a white boy whose knowledge of Aboriginal people is based entirely on the fears engendered by the white men in whose interests it is to demonise and dehumanise Aboriginal people, while allowing space in the text both for Tom to reserve the potential of empathy, and for the reader to understand the bigger picture of colonisation that Tom is not privy to.
Shepherd is written in Tom's authentically plain yet lyrical voice, his sensitivity to the natural world around him informing his language and insights into both human and animal behaviour. It's fast-paced and utterly compelling, intense and intensely violent, ruthless and yet ultimately finding redemption and hope in Country and its original people. Highly recommended.
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May 31, 2019'I’ve always thought there should be more outback horror and Catherine Jinks has come up with the goods.’
Age on The Road
Age on The Road
February 19, 2020
Reads more like a YA thriller than an adult novel. Simple plot, unconvincing characters, very pedestrian writing. Not a lot to recommend here.
September 30, 2019
I absolutely loved this book. It grabbed me by the throat and didn't let go until the last page. I read it in one sitting despite having so much I should have been doing, I kept thinking I'd put it down at the end of the chapter, but couldn't.
December 30, 2019
What a story. It’s one that’s blindingly brilliant and epically addictive. I found myself unable to set this one aside and was still reading at 2.30 in the morning.
There’s an unforgiving force that engages in a tense and bitterly fierce pursuit of a young Shepherd and it reads with an intense alertness, as each scene is written with an urgency that mirrors a genuine threat that is but a whisper away.
It uses every tool at its disposal: hostile terrain, fear, and volatile personalities. In turn, every action, hesitation, or misstep brings fresh intensity or misery.
Dan Carver’s brutal superiority is a stark contrast to Tom Clay’s quiet empathy, especially for the vulnerable beasts in his charge. Be warned, their clashes result in a harsh blow to the heart on more than one occasion.
As it concluded I was left with the feeling of just how easy it is for us to judge one another, and why opinions could be better formed if they were influenced by our actions instead of labels.
(I received a digital copy of this title courtesy of the publisher via Netgalley, with my thanks, which it was my absolute please to read and review.)
There’s an unforgiving force that engages in a tense and bitterly fierce pursuit of a young Shepherd and it reads with an intense alertness, as each scene is written with an urgency that mirrors a genuine threat that is but a whisper away.
It uses every tool at its disposal: hostile terrain, fear, and volatile personalities. In turn, every action, hesitation, or misstep brings fresh intensity or misery.
Dan Carver’s brutal superiority is a stark contrast to Tom Clay’s quiet empathy, especially for the vulnerable beasts in his charge. Be warned, their clashes result in a harsh blow to the heart on more than one occasion.
As it concluded I was left with the feeling of just how easy it is for us to judge one another, and why opinions could be better formed if they were influenced by our actions instead of labels.
(I received a digital copy of this title courtesy of the publisher via Netgalley, with my thanks, which it was my absolute please to read and review.)
December 31, 2019
Young Tom Clay is caught poaching and sent to Australia as a convict. He ends up working on a remote farm as a shepherd, looking after the flock with 2 hardened criminals, but the greatest danger isn't from the indigenous people or wild dogs - it comes from the men who are supposed to be on his side. Tom must use every ounce of cunning he possesses to outwit savage Dan Carver and survive. This is a fast paced novel that will keep you turning the pages. Very well written, the descriptions of the Australian bush and the unforgiving nature of life in a new colony are incredibly well done. I found lots of similarities between this book and Tim Winton's The Shepherd's Hut (and enjoyed them both!)
October 10, 2020
What a great read, even better as the story was so unexpected.
This story of Tom Clay is set in the Australian outback in the mid 19th century - everything is rough, ready and dangerous, especially for a convict transported from England.
Set over a few days, and leaning on his poaching skills from England, this is a great story of survival for Tom against all the odds, with an unexpected, but perfect ending.
Despite the violence and gore, I loved this story.
I was given a copy of this story by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This story of Tom Clay is set in the Australian outback in the mid 19th century - everything is rough, ready and dangerous, especially for a convict transported from England.
Set over a few days, and leaning on his poaching skills from England, this is a great story of survival for Tom against all the odds, with an unexpected, but perfect ending.
Despite the violence and gore, I loved this story.
I was given a copy of this story by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
January 25, 2020
‘I see nothing around me that I can properly name.’
New South Wales, 1840. Thirteen-year-old Tom Clay, an orphan, was convicted of poaching in Suffolk. He is transported to New South Wales. He’s assigned to a farmer as a shepherd, one of three whose job it is to protect his master’s flock of sheep from wild dogs. The three of them live in a crude hut. Tom finds the sheep dogs better company than the men.
‘I’m as lost in this place as I would be in the middle of London. I don’t know what is dangerous and what isn’t.’
But this is no idyll. A man is murdered. He is replaced. The murderer, intent on eliminating witnesses, returns. The shepherds must fight for their lives. They flee into the bush and are pursued.
The story is told over a couple of days. The action is relentless. We are with Tom as he flees, trying to find safety, trying to survive. Can Tom prevail over the murderer?
The first time I read this, I had my heart in my mouth. The second time (for I needed to reread) I was better able to observe Ms Jinks’s storytelling skills.
If you enjoy fast-paced action set in 19th century Australia, I can recommend this novel.
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Text Publishing Company for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
New South Wales, 1840. Thirteen-year-old Tom Clay, an orphan, was convicted of poaching in Suffolk. He is transported to New South Wales. He’s assigned to a farmer as a shepherd, one of three whose job it is to protect his master’s flock of sheep from wild dogs. The three of them live in a crude hut. Tom finds the sheep dogs better company than the men.
‘I’m as lost in this place as I would be in the middle of London. I don’t know what is dangerous and what isn’t.’
But this is no idyll. A man is murdered. He is replaced. The murderer, intent on eliminating witnesses, returns. The shepherds must fight for their lives. They flee into the bush and are pursued.
The story is told over a couple of days. The action is relentless. We are with Tom as he flees, trying to find safety, trying to survive. Can Tom prevail over the murderer?
The first time I read this, I had my heart in my mouth. The second time (for I needed to reread) I was better able to observe Ms Jinks’s storytelling skills.
If you enjoy fast-paced action set in 19th century Australia, I can recommend this novel.
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Text Publishing Company for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
March 23, 2020
Many thanks to Net Galley, Text Publishing and Catherine Jinks for a chance to review this book.
It is such a terrible shame that I couldn’t get to this book sooner coz of various reasons, major fact being that I had missed watching out for its archive date, but as they say, better late than never, right?? I downloaded Shepherd from net galley coz of its cover. It had such a menacing feel to it that I really wanted to check it out and boy, am I glad. Shepherd by Catherine Jinks is one of those books that makes your heart pound inside your mouth. The tension keeps mounting until one can’t even take a choppy breath without knowing the end.
Tom Clay and Rowdy Cavanagh are on the run for their lives. In a terrain that doesn’t provide any leeway, the bushes and forests resisting them at every turn it is only Tom’s poaching and tracking skills that keeps them alive. It is 1840, and colonial Australia is a place that no man wants to be but it is where Tom and other misfits have been sentenced to. Being farmhands and shepherds is the work they are forced into, but survival is tough for these thieves and outcasts as even the blacks resist the invasion of their homeland. Tom all of 13 years was caught poaching and sentenced to jail from where he was transported to New South Wales and made to work for Mr. Barrett. He is a lonely soul who has been abused by his father and taught the value of silence so he trusts his animals more than fellow humans.
But Tom, Rowdy and Joe’s life becomes a living nightmare when Dan Carver, a black guard villain who relishes murder and torture returns to kill them all, the bloodbath that follows and the struggle to outwit Carver and his cohorts was conveyed so brilliantly. The action is tight and gripping and one can’t help but feel for Tom for his innate sense of love, his dogs Gyp and Pedlar. It is so lovely that even the chickens have been given names and cared for by Tom.
The relationship between Tom and Rowdy and the trusts that grows between them was beautiful and as such even more heart breaking for its climax.
Recommended for all fans of action thrillers. Awesome!
It is such a terrible shame that I couldn’t get to this book sooner coz of various reasons, major fact being that I had missed watching out for its archive date, but as they say, better late than never, right?? I downloaded Shepherd from net galley coz of its cover. It had such a menacing feel to it that I really wanted to check it out and boy, am I glad. Shepherd by Catherine Jinks is one of those books that makes your heart pound inside your mouth. The tension keeps mounting until one can’t even take a choppy breath without knowing the end.
Tom Clay and Rowdy Cavanagh are on the run for their lives. In a terrain that doesn’t provide any leeway, the bushes and forests resisting them at every turn it is only Tom’s poaching and tracking skills that keeps them alive. It is 1840, and colonial Australia is a place that no man wants to be but it is where Tom and other misfits have been sentenced to. Being farmhands and shepherds is the work they are forced into, but survival is tough for these thieves and outcasts as even the blacks resist the invasion of their homeland. Tom all of 13 years was caught poaching and sentenced to jail from where he was transported to New South Wales and made to work for Mr. Barrett. He is a lonely soul who has been abused by his father and taught the value of silence so he trusts his animals more than fellow humans.
But Tom, Rowdy and Joe’s life becomes a living nightmare when Dan Carver, a black guard villain who relishes murder and torture returns to kill them all, the bloodbath that follows and the struggle to outwit Carver and his cohorts was conveyed so brilliantly. The action is tight and gripping and one can’t help but feel for Tom for his innate sense of love, his dogs Gyp and Pedlar. It is so lovely that even the chickens have been given names and cared for by Tom.
The relationship between Tom and Rowdy and the trusts that grows between them was beautiful and as such even more heart breaking for its climax.
Recommended for all fans of action thrillers. Awesome!
January 7, 2020
This is a fast moving thriller set in the Australian outback in the mid nineteenth century and the novel can be summed up quite well as one giant chase scene. This is both a positive and a negative as whilst it does mean that there is non-stop action that doesn't really let up for a minute, it also means that there is a lack of depth to the events as there is never any time to sit back and savour the moment. The main characters are strong and leap off the page at you, the contrast between Carver's harsh brutality and Tom's more gentle and easy going manner striking and clear.
Jinks writes well and the novel is striking in its tight writing style, but I do wish there had been a little more chance to build on the characters and backgrounds; whilst there are flashbacks to Tom's past, these seem rushed and superfluous to the story rather than really bringing it to life. Because so much of the novel is focused on the battle between Carver and Tom, there isn't a lot of exploration of the time period or the setting. You certainly get the sense of the harshness of life, particularly for an ex 'lag' or convict, and the lack of further detail may be in part due to our lead character not having a full awareness of what different plants and animals are called.
So an interesting read, a little too focused on the action and the violence for my liking but I can imagine older teenagers enjoying the fast pace and gritty events. Be warned, the violence is graphic at points so this isn't a novel I would recommend for younger readers necessarily.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my review copy of this novel.
Jinks writes well and the novel is striking in its tight writing style, but I do wish there had been a little more chance to build on the characters and backgrounds; whilst there are flashbacks to Tom's past, these seem rushed and superfluous to the story rather than really bringing it to life. Because so much of the novel is focused on the battle between Carver and Tom, there isn't a lot of exploration of the time period or the setting. You certainly get the sense of the harshness of life, particularly for an ex 'lag' or convict, and the lack of further detail may be in part due to our lead character not having a full awareness of what different plants and animals are called.
So an interesting read, a little too focused on the action and the violence for my liking but I can imagine older teenagers enjoying the fast pace and gritty events. Be warned, the violence is graphic at points so this isn't a novel I would recommend for younger readers necessarily.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my review copy of this novel.
dnf
April 6, 2020DNF at 45%. I tried so hard to get into this story, but unfortunately the writing was not for me. Personally, I couldn't handle the amount of animal cruelty/injuries in this book, however this is not the fault of the author.
Shepherd was high-intensity, brutal and not for the faint of heart. My heart was racing the entire time I was reading (to the point where I decided to DNF) - I think the author has done a brilliant job of creating a tense, terrifying atmosphere. I might give this a go at a later date, but for now it's a DNF.
If you want to white-knuckle your way through a book, I recommend it. Just keep in mind that there is a decent amount of animal violence in this book.
Shepherd was high-intensity, brutal and not for the faint of heart. My heart was racing the entire time I was reading (to the point where I decided to DNF) - I think the author has done a brilliant job of creating a tense, terrifying atmosphere. I might give this a go at a later date, but for now it's a DNF.
If you want to white-knuckle your way through a book, I recommend it. Just keep in mind that there is a decent amount of animal violence in this book.
May 13, 2020
This story about Tom Clay, a twelve years old poacher. After he was caught, he was assigned to a shepherds’ hut out west at New South Wales. Because of what he experienced in his short life he prefers to be with animals rather than a man. He is a very clever and brave child. We read the story about his struggle for survival in 1840.
This story has a very simple plot but it is a very fast-paced thriller. If you want to forget about your daily troubles and to read without thinking, I would recommend reading this story.
Thanks to #NetGalley and the Text Publishing providing me a copy of #Shepherd in exchange for an unbiased review.
This story has a very simple plot but it is a very fast-paced thriller. If you want to forget about your daily troubles and to read without thinking, I would recommend reading this story.
Thanks to #NetGalley and the Text Publishing providing me a copy of #Shepherd in exchange for an unbiased review.
August 8, 2019
This book has no real breaks in tension. It is very one long chase with little variation in tone. The villain is stereotypical and lacks any depth. The hero is just a little too unbelievable as he can cope with any situation and seems to be able to transfer poaching skills in the uk to bush living in Australia. Not convinced...
October 28, 2019
Set in the 1800s -Shepherd is a fast paced story that keeps you turning the pages - with the Australian bush as a setting and the early days of convict settlement it is certainly a different thriller to be read.
4.5
4.5
November 23, 2019
Wow! A great Australian historical setting, strong characterizations, and steadily increasing suspense all make this novel worth your time. Yes, the story starts off a little slow, but a lot of great books I've read have been the same way. Stick with it and you'll be pleased!
June 16, 2020
1.5 stars. Well, this was a BUST. Review to come.
April 3, 2021
Tom Clay is caught poaching in Suffolk and the twelve year old is sentenced to seven years and transported to Australia. He ends up working on Mr Barratt’s large farm, assigned to a shepherd’s hut located in the outback far west of the main farm buildings. He keeps his head down, spending the majority of his time with the sheep and his dog Gyp whilst trying to keep out of the way of the other convicts but one of them is harder to avoid than most.
Dan Carver is a sadist through and through who loves nothing more than toying with his prey. The problem is that he’s turned his attention to Tom and he’s determined that he won’t live to tell the tale. A deadly game of hide and seek ensues as Carver goes to extremes to find Tom and kill him.
This is a fast paced story with great characters and a brilliantly descriptive writing style which kept my attention throughout. I give it a solid four stars.
Huge thank you to Text Publishing and NetGalley for providing the book in exchange for my honest review.
Dan Carver is a sadist through and through who loves nothing more than toying with his prey. The problem is that he’s turned his attention to Tom and he’s determined that he won’t live to tell the tale. A deadly game of hide and seek ensues as Carver goes to extremes to find Tom and kill him.
This is a fast paced story with great characters and a brilliantly descriptive writing style which kept my attention throughout. I give it a solid four stars.
Huge thank you to Text Publishing and NetGalley for providing the book in exchange for my honest review.
April 3, 2020
Slow start here but ramped up to be pretty action packed and exciting. Very distracting read during this tough time, glad I picked it.
Tom was a great character to narrate. Interesting perspective and natural voice. Felt a bit questionable on some bits but this was supposed to be historical fiction.
My copy was provided by NetGalley for review all opinions are my own.
Tom was a great character to narrate. Interesting perspective and natural voice. Felt a bit questionable on some bits but this was supposed to be historical fiction.
My copy was provided by NetGalley for review all opinions are my own.
December 8, 2020
Action packed horror set in the harsh Australian countryside in 1840s . It's a hard life for both settlers and convicts in this foreign wilderness. This is a well told page turner with a very likeable main character who shows courage and determination against all odds.
July 23, 2020
Thanks to Netgalley for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book was really not what I was expecting, it's a historical brutal telling of what happens when criminals were enslaved on a sheep farm in the middle of nowhere as their punishment. This book is gory, it's intense but it's super interesting.
It did start to feel a bit samey towards the second half and I didn't like the way the term 'the blacks' kept being bandied around but overall this book was fast-paced and I enjoyed reading it.
This book was really not what I was expecting, it's a historical brutal telling of what happens when criminals were enslaved on a sheep farm in the middle of nowhere as their punishment. This book is gory, it's intense but it's super interesting.
It did start to feel a bit samey towards the second half and I didn't like the way the term 'the blacks' kept being bandied around but overall this book was fast-paced and I enjoyed reading it.
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