The Reek

In this environmental-themed thriller for children, the young Surat takes on a global corporation in a dystopian Edinburgh where everything – even the air people breathe – is controlled by Zephyr industries.

‘The Reek’ is a dangerous chemical smog: a deadly poison gas cloud suffocating the planet. Its name evokes an early nickname of Edinburgh, where this story is set, whose dirty industry-fueled air once led wealthy people to abandon the ‘Old Reeky’ city and establish new towns nearby. This theme is reimagined very effectively here. The poisonous smog is deadly to all, but Zephyr industries find a way to purify the air. They are subsequently able to monetise the sale of fresh air to the surviving human beings at a price that all but the wealthiest find desperately difficult to afford.

Surat (or Sparrow, as she prefers to be known) and her family are among Edinburgh’s survivors. In order to access enough credits to pay for clean air, Sparrow has to take a job as a hover-skating courier, flying around the crowded streets in her gas mask, desperately hoping that she’ll earn enough to pay for some food and maybe even some school uniform for her wee sister on top of the clean air they can’t live without.

There’s no way Sparrow would survive without the help of an old, enigmatic genius inventor, Miriam. Miriam used to work with Zephyr and, though she’s happy to help upgrade Sparrow’s skates in her spare time, she’s clearly up to something, eager to undermine Zephyr’s grip on the population. When Miriam’s workshop is mysteriously set ablaze in the presence of Sparrow, an exhilarating chase begins, with Zephyr agents hunting Sparrow through the streets, rivers, and sewers of Edinburgh. The pace of the action is such that breathless readers will find themselves reaching for their gas masks.

Like all Barrington Stoke publications, The Reek is brilliantly accessible for young readers, wasting no words on any details that aren’t absolutely necessary. The result is a simple, exciting story of manageable length that many children will choose to race through in one sitting. Experienced readers with more sophisticated tastes might find some of the characters too familiar, especially the power-crazed super villain and the resourceful, wise old woman who guides Sparrow, but there’s no denying that the way the narrative twists and resolves at such a fast pace is extremely satisfying.

At the heart of The Reek are the themes of environmentalism and corporate social responsibility. Sparrow and her friends face oppression and restriction of liberty every day and they are furious that people with power aren’t choosing to help. The book feels prescient and relevant and urges children to ask questions of their own politicians and global corporations.