Skye Melki-Wegner, Hunted (The Deadlands #1), Walker Books Australia, April 2023, 304 pp., RRP $16.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781529516241
In the land of Cretacea, two kingdoms of herbivorous dinosaurs, the Prairie Alliance and the Mountain Kingdom, have been at war for as long as any dinosaur can remember. While the herbivores battle, the carnivores prowl the Deadlands—the barren lands decimated by the Fallen Star fifty years prior—fighting over unsuspecting victims that wander into their area. Or at least, that’s what they want the herbivores to think.
When Eleri, youngest son of the Prince of Mountain Kingdom, warns a young Prairie Alliance triceratops of a prowling pterosaur, he is found guilty of treason and exiled to the Deadlands. The Deadlands is inhospitable and unliveable but Eleri is smart and manages to survive his first day and night. Then he meets Tortha, the triceratops who he had warned of the pterosaur—she had also been exiled. Despite being on different sides of the war, the pair realise that they must work together to survive the carnivores, dehydration and deadly storms and their new herd expands with the addition of Sorielle, an ankylosaur, and Lerithon, a sauropod.
The stakes increase when Eleri and Tortha realise that the carnivores are not the scrabbling, disorganised rabble that they were led to believe. In fact, the carnivores have their own army and they are manipulating the herbivores to keep them at war, providing an easy and constant feast for themselves. Eleri and his new friends decide to band together to warn the herbivores of the carnivores’ plan with the hope that the exiles will be accepted back to their tribes.
Hunted manages to be both unique in bringing a dinosaur war to middle-grade readers, and familiar—after all, dinosaurs are a popular topic with younger children and there are similar books with dragon wars. The writing is fast-paced, but not too simple, and the characters’ personalities are rich and varied. And while it may be difficult to visualise the different species, their relative sizes, and how they move, the book includes a handy reference with illustrations of each character.
The story explores themes of parental pressure, teamwork, the power and importance of story and the importance of finding your own place in the world. More importantly, though, it is an engaging story targeting an audience in which interest in reading begins to lag. It would suit readers 10+, including early teens looking for a fun escape.
Hunted, the first in an exciting trilogy, is chock full of adventure and perfect for fans of Wings of Fire, the Dragon Realm series, and the Elemental trilogy.
Reviewed by Pamela Ueckerman
