Wastelands by Samira Lloyd

A worthy winner of the 2025 Aurealis Award for Best Science Fiction Novel, Wastelands is a gripping dystopian story that I couldn’t put down. It is set in the near future, where people live in Domes and there is no green plant life. Karridrae is different – she is a telepath, but difference is forbidden in her world and she must suppress her ability, while working as a drudge. When she has a vision of a green plant growing in a crack, it becomes increasingly difficult for her to follow the rules of her community, and a meeting with Ryn, a rebel who has connections with the underworld of the Dome, changes her life. She makes a dangerous journey across the Wastelands and uncovers a secret that might save the world.

Tight plotting, relatable characters and a theme of the effects of climate change kept me glued to the page, as I wondered if Karridrae would be able to survive. She is a flawed character who initially relies on alcohol to deaden her feelings. This is encouraged by the leaders of the Dome as it keeps the population subdued. The time and effort it takes for Karridrae to withdraw from her addiction is still a lingering memory for me, an excellent warning of the effects of alcohol, not usually seen in this type of novel.

Action packed scenes are cleverly grouped with more thoughtful ideas about climate change, authoritarian leaders and exclusion of diversity. There are chases across the wastelands, dark tunnels to navigate, guards to fool and daring escapes to plan, all enough to keep those who like excitement and tension fully engaged.

This is the first in the Parched Lands trilogy and I look forward to the next in the series. The Dome Journals, free short stories, are available from the author’s website.

Readers who liked the theme of a seedbank might like Wild dark shore by Charlotte McConaghy while others may like to try Octavia Butler’s classic Parable of the sower.

Themes: Dystopian fiction, Climate change, Seed banks, Survival, LGBTQI people, Telepathy.

Pat Pledger