It’s 2045 and the world is full of tech. Eddie has a bot in his ear giving him advice all day, and classroom bots keeping track of him at school. The streets are full of bird-drones, and gametech is amazing.
But tech can’t help the police find a missing boy called Theo. When they abandon the search, Eddie and his friends sneak out to look for clues. What they find doesn’t seem to make sense.
Then strange things start happening to Eddie. He’s never been sporty but suddenly he’s a brilliant runner. He has excellent night vision—and there are hair-like feathers growing out of his skin.
It’s exciting. And it’s terrifying.
But does the strangeness have anything to do with Theo’s disappearance? And could it help Eddie find the missing boy?
Q&A
Congratulations on the publication of The Wild Unknown. The novel presents a futuristic version of Australia, just two decades in the future, where tech is even more part of our lives. How did you approach building this world – were you aiming for realism, sci-fi or something in between?
I wanted readers to feel at home in 2045, with both familiar and strange elements. The world-building was a blend of research and imagination. Researching the future was about selecting the projections that aligned with the themes of my story, such as young people’s use of technology, as well as medicine, food and education, subjects I thought would be interesting to my readership about their everyday lives. I also looked at present-day life in technologically advanced countries and then tried to create a unique vision for Australia.
Even in 2026, AI is increasingly integrated into our lives – including the lives of the next generation. What are your views on the role of AI in the lives of children, as things currently stand?
I think we’re hurtling towards another set of unknown, likely harmful outcomes for young people through the unregulated, untested, aggressive, financially motivated AI industry, and I’m afraid that we will be slow to protect children and will be scrabbling to do so in ten years once we realise the error, the same as happened with social media. My biggest fear is that increased use of AI among young people, and the normalisation of that through the education system as well as at home, will mean a generation who don’t know how to access the full potential of their unique, wonderful brains.
The Wild Unknown features quite the cast of children and adults. Who were your favourite characters to bring to life?
I cherished writing scenes between Eddie and his best friend Kit because I created them to honour a friendship that my son had at the same age, where their different personalities came together harmoniously through a shared passion for wildlife. I love writing about family dynamics and how those shape us so it was important to make Eddie and Kit’s families distinct and interesting — the parents and siblings play a huge role in the story, with everyone having a hand in the final outcome through a particular skill or interest.
In the novel, Eddie undergoes some surprising physical changes – much more fantastical than the usual signs of puberty. What led you to incorporate such a physical transformation into the story?
I thought I could make observations about the emotions of puberty — what we lose or gain, the wonder and terror of it all — in a way that would appeal to readers who prefer a less direct conversation about their lives woven into an adventure story. Readers might recognise it as mirroring puberty or it might be less conscious than that. But I’ve always loved transformations in stories, starting with the 1950s children’s series Mrs Pepperpot, who had many adventures as a tiny version of herself. I was also tapping into my childhood dreams about having wings and being able to fly.
Can you give us any hints about what you might be working on next?
My next book contains ten stories about a fox and a cat for a younger audience, age 3 and up. It’s about all those pre-school and early school experiences like learning to swim and making your first friend, but it’s set in its own unique world. The stories are being illustrated by the brilliant Sarah Zweck and the book comes out next year.
The Wild Unknown is out now through Text Publishing.
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We record our podcast on Wurundjeri Land, which is home to both of us in Naarm/Melbourne. We also acknowledge the role of storytelling in First Nations communities. Always was, always will be Aboriginal Land.