Reviewed by Chris J Kenworthy, for Armadillo magazine.
‘Spark,’ by Mitch Johnson, is a fantasy adventure novel set in a dystopian future, and follows Ash & his outcast companion Bronwyn as they traverse the destroyed, desolate landscape that surrounds them.
Ash’s village is hot and arid, and suffers from a lack of water. Waking up after a ferocious storm, he discovers the water has run dry and the other villagers have all disappeared. Together with Bronwyn, he sets out in search of the ‘Kingdom,’ a magical place beyond ‘The Wall’ where life still flourishes.
For Ash and Bronwyn, venturing out of their respective villages in search of life in the ‘Kingdom’ is a big deal, and despite details about them being quite vague in the story, it is interesting to see how they each act and behave differently given their circumstances. Until a major plot point, their individual worlds are relatively quite small.
Although the reader learns how Ash and Bronwyn’s ancestors influenced their future, the two protaganists never fully learn it themselves. Stories of humanity’s past are almost mythological to them, and the arid world provides plenty of twists and turns as they realise that other people can be more dangerous than storms.
While ‘Spark‘ is a fast-paced story, it also explores different belief systems, and how the ideologies of faiths can conflict with the stark realities that people face in the real world. The human characters have seemingly receded into a medieval lifestyle – instead of relying heavily on technology, like in many other novels.
Interestingly, this particular fictional world and its harsh living conditions raise important questions about the future effects of climate change, and it makes Mitch Johnson’s ‘Spark‘ a refreshing take on the dystopian-future theme. It is an ideal book for young readers with an interest in the Earth’s climate, or to study and encourage discussion in the classroom.
Stowmarket Reporter 