Ephemera

by Tina Shaw

We were probably doomed from the moment the computer virus hit the airports.Several years after a global meltdown, New Zealand, along with the rest of the world, is still in chaos. No electricity, no broadband, and people are in survival mode – at least until somebody turns the lights on again. Ruth has always led a sheltered life. Pre-Crash, she worked as an Ephemera Librarian, now she is managing a simple, self-sufficient lifestyle. But her sister is dying from tuberculosis and her love for Juliana propels Ruth to undertake a perilous journey. She intrepidly sets off from Auckland to find the man known as Nelson and his rumoured stockpile of pharmaceutical drugs. Word has it he is based at the old Huka Lodge. Along with the handsome Lance Hinckley and enigmatic Adebowale Ackers, Ruth travels by steamboat up the Waikato River – the only practical way. Her journey up the river in search of the drugs that could save her sister is as tortuous and unpredictable as the river itself. She cannot afford to trust any of her motley travelling companions, all of whom are compromised, possibly treacherous, and her journey’s end promises nothing.The group journeys through settlements that have sprung up along the river as people try to re-establish their lives in this precarious time. With society itself broken, will Ruth manage to keep her commitment to her sister without compromising her own values? Inspired by Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, this post-apocalyptic, partly comedic novel reveals that things are not always what they seem.

ebook

First published March 24, 2020

Reviews

[Brendan Ng · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book released in 2020 about a post crash world where the airports are closed and NZ is cut off from the rest of the world - that’s some bad timing.

I thought that some of the writing was clumsy, particularly where some of the character development was literally the main character saying F**k and this showing how ‘hard’ she had become. I’m not joking.

Also the main character was really annoying, especially at the beginning!!

But overall I enjoyed this more than I thought I would, maybe because it was set in NZ? 3.5 stars.

[Nicky Webber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in the dystopian near-future of New Zealand after a global computer crash destroys the internet, electricity and life as we used to know it! Ephemera is astounding in its prophetic storyline with many parallels to our current virus-induced isolation. In this compelling narrative, set seven years after the impact, New Zealand is in chaos; life is pushed back to almost pre-European times. The main character Ruth tackles the challenging journey from Auckland to the South Island to save her sister. Right from the get-go, I hooked into this compelling adventure, Tina Shaw’s characters and plot are alive, leaping from each page into your imagination. I couldn’t put it down. There’s no petrol; therefore no transport and Ruth embarks on a bicycle ride to Franklin, passing despondent walkers and the more fortunate travelling by horse and cart along SH1. From there, her journey is by cobbled-together boat, tin cans for a smoke-stack and timber logs to fuel the old engine as they struggle along the Waikato River. Bandits and bastards of all kinds attempt to part her from what little she has to sustain her journey. The story is about the main protagonists spiritual, physical and emotional courage, a love story, a wild adventure story, and a cleverly, brilliantly written story – a MUST Read! A well-deserved 5-stars!

[MH · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF, so 1 star by definition. While the setting of this in a post-computer virus NZ suggested it might be interesting, it turned out to be boring NZ lit. The world-building was non-existent, and the author showed no sign of looking at the fascinating questions posed by an NZ where all the computers were disabled by a cyberweapon, instead preferring to focus on the protagonist reminiscing about her boring life and failed relationships and furtive snogs in the library (yes, really). After a hundred pages of this, plus some nonsense about NZ cops being issued with pistols and getting to take them home, I gave up for something more interesting.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uneven, but a plausible addition to the post-apocalyptic genre, and all the more entertaining and enjoyable for being set in New Zealand, where I live.

[Philippa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written before covid, this novel is about life several years after a viral "Crash" - albeit a computer virus rather than a living organism.
Still, it means the end of modern society as we know it - no more internet, no electricity, no vehicles except bikes, boats and horse-drawn carts; money is worthless and people are surviving on subsistence growing and bartering, with many of the things we take for granted having long been looted and used.
Diseases we can cure or manage these days become more prevalent and infections worse because of the lack of antibiotics and other medicines. And possibly lack of good sanitation, though this isn't mentioned.
The protagonist, Ruth, sets out from Auckland perhaps naively on an unlikely quest to find some drugs to help her sister, who has TB. With a couple of others she travels up the Waikato River in a steam-powered boat to the Huka Falls, where a man is widely rumoured to have stockpiles of medicines.
There are plenty of dangers and unexpected events along the way, which keeps readers on their toes. Who should Ruth trust? Are people who they make out to be? Will she even survive?
The author draws on Joseph Conrad's The Heart of Darkness - and this is the book Ruth grabs from the shelf just before leaving on the journey.
The book's title and cover did not convey the content to me at all. Yes, Ruth is, or was, an ephemera librarian, and the title is a nod to the ephemeral nature of life, but both the title and the delicate cover illustration seem altogether too light and insubstantial for a book that deals with life and death, trust and distrust, hunger, theft, violence, rugged adventure and continually stoking a boat's boiler.
The author paints an intriguing view of a possible and plausible future scenario, and an action-filled journey with many twists and turns - take nothing for granted.
She also sets up an ending that could lead to a sequel.

[Bronwyn Calder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ephemera is a novel of a near future post-apocalyptic New Zealand. Published just as NZ went into lockdown it presents a world where a perfect storm of global politics and computer viruses has destroyed civilisation as we know it. The main character, Ruth, takes a voyage down the Waikato River to find drugs for her dangerously ill sister. Hinckley and Ackers, two men with their own agendas, go with her. The characters are complex and enigmatic, especially Ackers who is a suspicious character in the beginning and becomes more and more difficult to read. They meet up with friends and foes on their voyage, but no one is just as they seem.
The novel presents a New Zealand that is not quite as we know it and asks questions about civilisation: what makes us civilised? how do we behave when there is no authority left? what would we do to save those we love? and what would we do to survive?
A weirdly prescient thrill ride.

[Carol Griffiths · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great story - particularly if you are a New Zealander - and even more so if you are an Aucklander and an ex- librarian! The post apocalyptic world and the great adventure of the journey up the Waikato were wonderfully portrayed by Shaw. There were memorable characters and a page turning (if credibility stretching) plot.

[Rose · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very misogynistic. The author acknowledges this by saying “we reverted to typical gender roles”. Includes a descriptive SA in the first couple chapters and references it throughout. Reads exactly like a diary, so if that is your style, go for it. Very flip-floppy on the storyline. The flashbacks relate in no way to the circumstances happening.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's the first time I've read something that is properly set in places I know. The New Zealandness of it was uplifting.
However it simultaneously was anxiety inducing as it makes me wonder at the reality of humanity failing without technology as a guide. How bad people get away with things when there's no power to keep them at bay.
A great read albeit very heavy.

[Soph · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a random pick at the end of the year, but so worth reading. It was an incredibly gripping world, and although it took some almost unbelievable turns, I was fascinated to see the journey of the characters throughout.

[Jeannie]

I enjoyed this - if that's the right word. It was thought provoking, especially in such times as Covid-19.

[Duncan Davidson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty shit. Badly written and clunky

[Robert Jerseybob · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great twisting read and ideal for these current times. Shaw puts you in the scenes well and takes you on the journey. Recommend for a great fireplace read.

[Jonathon Hagger · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ver6 fast, very light fiction. There are elements that are very close to the truth in real life but the story itself is underwhelming

[Toni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting.

[Rida Rehman · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Good and easy to read. It was nice to read about familiar places in Auckland and Waikato. Also, it was kinda nice to be able to relate to the main character who is a Ephemera librarian. It was also scary - the accuracy of how things have turned out with Covid and now Cyclone Gabrielle (given the book was published in Apr 2020).

I think the book would've been much shorter if the main character didn't care so much about how cooler her sister is than her. I may have enjoyed the book even more if I was familiar with Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad so I do recommend readers to check that one out first if planning to read this book.