The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf

The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf (The Tribe #1)

“There will come a day when a thousand Illegals descend on your detention centres. Boomers will breach the walls. Skychangers will send lightning to strike you all down from above, and Rumblers will open the earth to swallow you up from below. . . . And when that day comes, Justin Connor, think of me.”
Ashala Wolf has been captured by Chief Administrator Neville Rose. A man who is intent on destroying Ashala’s Tribe — the runaway Illegals hiding in the Firstwood. Injured and vulnerable and with her Sleepwalker ability blocked, Ashala is forced to succumb to the machine that will pull secrets from her mind.
And right beside her is Justin Connor, her betrayer, watching her every move.
Will the Tribe survive the interrogation of Ashala Wolf?

I hadn’t heard of this book until it was selected for the Diverse SciFi and Fantasy book club on Twitter.  The author is an Indigenous Australian woman.

Several hundred years ago the Reckoning happened.  It isn’t explained exactly what occurred.  Now there are humans with special abilities.  They are killed or imprisoned when their abilities start to manifest in order to maintain the status quo of the new world.  Several of these kids have escaped into the wilderness and are living together.  They live close to a compound specially built to jail captured Illegals.

The humans haven’t decided this just because of fear of the Illegals.  They decided in response to the Reckoning that they will live in harmony with nature.  They will keep their technology simple so as not to cause another ecological disaster.  I like that the conflict between the types of Humans isn’t just based in fear.  I’d like to see the authorities’ thoughts about how keeping illegals subdued helps lessen human impact on the environment explored more.  I hear that these are explored more in the next book.

When Ashala is betrayed and captured, she is terrified that she will lead authorities to the rest of her Tribe.  They are probably protected because they have made a deal with a species of large lizards who live in the wilds between the detention center and the Tribe.  The Tribe can live in the forest if they promise not to eat any meat.  Vegetarians for the win!  But if the authorities can get past the Saurs the kids don’t have great defenses.

Something feels off about her capture and interrogation.  Ashala isn’t sure what it is.  She’s going to have to figure it out quickly because it is distracting her and distraction may make her betray her people.  She’s also grieving because of some tough decisions that she had to make for the safety of the Tribe.

I can’t talk much more about the plot without spoilers. Ashala needs to trust herself and her own mind in order to survive her interrogation and possibly find a way to escape.

The abilities of Ashala’s tribe are based in Aboriginal folklore.  I haven’t read a book before that uses that as a basis for a magical/supernatural system.