Flesheaters have hunted and eaten Foragers for as long as can be remembered…
For Brackenhal, Merralea and their last remaining cub, life on the rugged Storm Cairns is a continuous struggle. Plagued by hunger, exposure to the elements and Flesheaters who are picking their fellow Foragers off one by one, they are fleeing a brutal and seemingly unending winter in search of kinder lands than their own. On their path, they discover an abandoned fox cub lying in the snow. Despite foxes being some of the most feared and cruel of all predators, they decide to raise the cub as their own. Meanwhile, another creature born of winter itself is uniting the Flesheaters under one creed to begin a great hunt, and as the Foragers raise their orphaned cub in little knowledge of the looming threat, the Wintergazer is ever growing in both power… and hunger.
Against the setting described above, The Last of the Wild Days is the story of someone born into one way of life but raised into another; whose identity is increasingly torn between heritage and upbringing, nature and nurture, right and wrong – who must ultimately discover what the meanings of family and friendship truly are to them.
As well as for use of setting, the world, characters and their various attitudes towards one another are intended as a satirical reflection of humanity and our issues throughout history that are still largely present today such as tribalism, slavery and greed.
Dedicated to the memory of my brother Nathaniel (Natty), Brian Jacques whose books we both grew up with avidly reading and enacting, and a few more of my favourite fantasy authors who are sadly no longer with us, this is a story of life, death, love, grief, pain, joy, captivity, freedom, prejudice, compassion, and the complicated, bittersweet bonds of friendship and family – in a reflection of our own lives as a combination of beauty, agony and everything in between.
If you decide to pick it up, self publishing relies heavily on ratings and reviews – so any review or any feedback you could offer would be extremely appreciated. Thank you!
