The Road to Winter — Mark Smith

Since a deadly virus and the violence that followed wiped out his parents and most of his community, Finn has lived alone on the rugged coast with only his loyal dog Rowdy for company.


He has stayed alive for two winters -- hunting and fishing and trading food, and keeping out of sight of the Wilders, an armed and dangerous gang that controls the north, led by a ruthless man named Ramage.


But Finn's isolation is shattered when a girl runs onto the beach. Rose is a Siley -- an asylum seeker -- and she has escaped from Ramage, who had enslaved her and her younger sister, Kas. Rose is desperate, sick, and needs Finn's help. Kas is still missing somewhere out in the bush.


And Ramage wants the girls back -- at any cost.


The Road to Winter is an unforgettable novel about survival, honour, friendship and love. It announces an extraordinary new talent.


Mark Smith lives on Victoria's Surf Coast where he writes and runs outdoor education programs for young adults. His writing has won a number of awards and has appeared in Best Australian Stories, Review of Australian Fiction and the Big Issue. The Road to Winter is his first book.