Timberdark

Written by Darren Charlton

I became a librarian 6 months before Covid 19 hit, I knew I needed to read as much children’s literature as possible so when Covid hit I had all the time in the world to read.

I discovered and fell in love with a wonderful book called Wranglestone. I couldn’t believe that YA could be so wonderful and this is when I realised that children’s and young adult literature was truly amazing.The  book knocked me out with its genre-blending, metaphoric storytelling and LGBT+ rep. I was pleasantly surprised that I could love a YA Zombie novel as much as I adored that one.

The characters were great and I knew that the author couldn’t leave it there.

So I was delighted when I got my hands on a copy of Timberdark.

The story carries on from where we left off, 

With the tide turned against the Dead, Peter and the remaining community on Wranglestone prepare to leave for town, where the comforts of the world before await them. Could this be the home that finally brings both safety and unity for all?

Cooper isn’t so sure. He harbours feelings from that terrible night on the lake and worse, a secret… codename, Timberdark.

With Cooper’s new found connection to the Dead, Peter’s suspicions about what he might do next grow. Faced with losing the boy he loves, Peter must uncover the truth about the mysterious Timberdark before their future together and the world around them is placed in danger.

Timberdark is a beautiful, emotional and powerful read. This book seems to sit on the outskirts of a genre, it’s part zombie novel, part supernatural-ish western, and part light horror. While the pacing of this book is much slower than the first, it really seems to work for this story.  And I was hooked and found myself up late reading this book.

 The opening sequence was spooky, gripping and atmospheric and just as within Wranglestone, the descriptive writing of the setting really paints a beautiful picture. Added to the beautiful cover showing Peter and Cooper on horseback you get a real feel for the book.

In a way, things have settled down, and Peter and Cooper are now navigating some of the more mundane of life’s issues. Like who’s going to do the shopping

As someone who doesn’t need romance in novels, I have to say I really enjoyed this one. The way love is handled here felt so  realistic. The author seems to be skilled at capturing the real, raw, and human side of emotions.  With the romance as adults we could understand what the author wasn’t telling us, we can read between the lines to what is happening that younger readers won’t pick up.

Peter and Cooper’s relationship in this story is written well and realistically for the characters’ age. I could really relate to that feeling of first love, and the complexities and doubts that arise when you’re really starting to get to know someone. We are able to see the love between Cooper and Peter and the vulnerabilities that these 2 lads have, and how insecure they are.

As a reader we need to remember that these two characters are 16 years old, only been a couple for 2 months and have other issues to deal with such  zombies . They are also in a strange town with a chief who is hard to work out. 

The world that  Darren Charlton has created in these two books is so immersive and creative that it feels completely unique and exciting. From the safe haven of Wranglestone itself in the first book, he creates a vivid  wilderness that is captivating and haunting. Timberdark sees that world expanding across new horizons that take Peter and Cooper to the closest thing they’ve known to civilization. Their bond is tested in authentic ways that continue to illustrate the themes established in the first instalment while adding new characters, locations and even a phantasmic villain to boot. I liked that even though there were new characters added there still weren’t that many. I did feel sad when a much loved character got on that bus because as adults we can see what is happening.

I really loved the last chapter of the book which was 5 years in the future to see how happy the characters were.

Timberdark had a lot to live up to and Darren Chartlon did this well, 

 The sequel and conclusion to the epic supernatural western, Wranglestone, had a lot to live up to and it rose to the challenge with the instantly recognizable 

That last chapter made me feel that we have seen the last of Peter and Cooper as I’m not sure where there is left to go, but I was happy with the ending and these characters deserved their happy endings.

For me I have copies of both books so I can revisit them whenever I want.