Novel

The Other Side of Dawn

John Marsden

First published 1999 in Macmillan by Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Limited
First published 200 in Pan by Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Limited

1 Market Street, Sydney

Dedicated to the people of Tibet, East Timor, and West Papua (Irian Jaya)

The Other Side of Dawn, is a continuation of the award winning series 'The Tomorrow Series', and is in fact the last book of the series, and is seen as the best book in the hit series.

It is set in the outback of Australia, in a small town called Wirrawee, in the time of a massive war. But the book doesn't just stay in Wirrawee, it moves to towns close by also, Stratton for example. It is based around a group of teenagers who have adopted some feral kids in the war. The book is in fact written by the main character, Ellie, and is revolved around her life as well as being in twined with her friends.

The book takes place in the middle of a mass invasion from a foreign country. At the time Ellie and her friends were out camping and came back to an invaded country side, and once they realised what was happening, they started to rebel against the invaders, the 'enemy', and become full time guerrillas.

In the book there are 5 major teenage characters and 4 feral kids who play a seriously minor role, they are as follows;

• Ellie: The main character who writes the book to escape from the reality of war. She is almost a co-leader with Homer. She takes charge when she needs to and shows dominant leadership within the group. In a tough situation she performs with her heart and instinct and puts things in fast forward, letting things pan out how they do in the heat of the moment. She is in love with fellow group member Lee and has been through plenty with him. Overall, she is a tough character, who is a massive bonus to the group and will never go down without a fight.
• Homer: The dominant male leader in the group, and the overall leader of the group. Since the start of the war, he has been switched on and ready to act when he has to. He has a brain fit for war and strategies, and when it comes to a battle he usually comes out on top. He also has a love for Fi, which he almost tries to hide from the group. He is a tough, willing and canny character who boosts the group immensely.
• Lee: The other half of Ellie's love affair. He has been through endless amounts with Ellie, including the good and the bad. Over the course of the war he has adjusted to the circumstances improving in a war sense, and as the war increases in age he continues to become more dangerous to the enemy.
• Fi: Is the quiet, 'city-slicker' of the group who in not experienced in 'hands on' activity. She has a love for Homer, but likes to keep it a secret, sneaking away with him rather than being open about it letting the group understand. Over the time of the war she has changed, being able to fire weapons and arm bombs and hold her own in a fight. She has extremely improved her character and now couldn't be broken down by anyone.
• Kevin: Is resented by Ellie ever since one of the attacks they did, where he froze being unable to go through with the task he was set which cost the group more than they could afford. Since this accident he has gone back into his shell, and compared to the rest of the group is seriously lacking in character.
• Gavin: The first of the feral kids. He has gone deaf in the war, in an action incident, but definitely doesn't let him get down. He is always mucking around and finding fun for himself. He has a strong character and would take on anyone no matter who they are.
• The other 3 ferals: Leave the book early when they leave in a helicopter, and have been through a lot having little character and hanging onto their desired teenager. They are all tough and have survived in the war for the whole time, but are sent away for safety, also because they get in the way.

Ellie and Homer are the two most influential people in the whole book, and are both very alike also. They have known each other since birth, and have grown up living only a farm apart. Fighting each other, always being close to each other and not willing to share each other. They, together, are both great leaders, and force the group to become better around them. They help everyone out, in any way, physically, mentally and emotionally, whenever it is needed. In a crisis or action situation they boost the group, and help them overcome the enemy or dilemma. Overall, they are great leaders and interact with everyone in the group very well, and boost the overall capacity of the group immensely.

I recommend this book to be made into a movie. It would be a high action thriller that, I'm sure, would be very popular being remembered by many. The one scene I would take out of the movie, would be the massive scene where Ellie gets captured by the enemy, and goes through pain and suffering in the hospital, while being attacked mentally at the thought of her friends being dead. But, besides this scene the book, and the whole series, could be made into a great movie to be seen and loved around the world by many.

John Marsden has made the book interesting for adolescents, and is also aimed for the adolescent age group. I can tell this, because there is lots of action through out the book, having lots of shoot outs and explosions as well. But it is also based around war, and without a sufficient age, you simply cant understand what is happening, as well as it possibly being to gruesome for a young reader. The language in the book is also quite advanced for young readers. As well as having some passionate love scenes between characters, which would be inappropriate for young readers, but good for adolescents. Overall, the book thoroughly suits adolescents with the way John Marsden wrote the book.