Book Review: Orchard of Skeletons By Eli Wilde

AD GIFTED: Recently I had the pleasure of receiving and reviewing the  book subscription box Your Paper Quest which contained two self published titles. One of these books was Orchard of Skeletons by Eli Wilde* which I have to say grabbed my attention immediately not only with it’s simple yet stunning cover which depicts a bone tree, but also it’s description as a dystopian story which I am just a sucker for. That explains why despite my huge TBR I decided I had to jump straight in immediately, especially as it’s less than 300 pages and promised to be a nice short read. Despite being under no obligation to share a review of the books I received I wanted to share my review of this book as I always enjoy promoting indie authors and helping others discover titles that may fly under their radar otherwise.

About The Book

Orchard of Skeletons is a dystopian story about a young couple on the run from a psychopath who wants them as breeders.

Issac and Macy wander the wastelands in a retro mustang searching for a beach neither of them had ever seen before, Macy’s uncle hunts them down to use them as collateral so the people under the mountain will accept him into their fold.

When they found the replicant’s head, it promised to show them a path to the beach, but only if they took it to Zeko’s, where it’s body could be restored. Zeko’s was more than a replicant repair centre. It was a place where secrets were revealed. Secrets that would change Issac and Macy forever.

 

Review

Orchard of Skeletons is the story of two young people fighting for survival in a post-pandemic, futuristic, dystopian world where infertility is widespread. As a young fertile female our protagonist Macy is viewed as a commodity and has been confined to a single room for her whole life, that is until Issac takes her along on a road trip that promises to be anything but straight forward.

Pursued by her Uncle the young couple dream of escape to a beach they have only ever envisioned on their dreams, but when they discover Ben, a replicant head detached from it’s AI robot body, their road trip veers significantly off course, but can they outrun the numerous horrors that are hot on their trail?

Firstly, I have to say that I read this book in a day, I simply couldn’t put it down and believe me I tried as I had loads of other stuff I should have been doing! Also I need to say that it is a story that has sat with me and I have thought about loads since finishing it which for me is always testament to a good read.

As characters Macy and Issac are ones you’ll find yourself quickly behind and rooting for. They are both quite sheltered and naïve, especially Macy whose knowledge of the outside world is limited to the view from her fly ridden window. Despite the horrors they encounter along the way it is wonderful to tag along on their journey of discovery in the outside world as well as watch their tentative relationship blossom in the most unlikely of circumstances.

Although it’s clear from the outset that the world in which this story is set isn’t our own it takes a while to understand how civilisation as we know it has fallen and Wilde cleverly drip feeds us information along the way. I particularly enjoyed historical references to what happened in the old days pre pandemic. The story has such a mix of dystopia, horror and hints of sci-fi thrown into the mix and I absolutely adored it. Wilde has such a unique voice when it comes to storytelling and the story he has woven is all absorbing thanks to his vivid, well-written descriptions.

Orchard of Skeletons is a beautifully written story of friendship, love and found family against all odds, set against the backdrop of a horror filled world we pray could only ever be fiction. My only criticism is that I want more from this world! I’d love to see a second book following different characters within this world and to gain a more expansive knowledge of how things deteriorated from the world we know. I’d highly recommend this book out and I will certainly be checking out Wilde’s backlist as well as keeping my eyes peeled for any future releases.

If you are considering reading this book please do be aware of TRIGGER WARNINGS for rape, abuse and violence.

About The Author

Eli lives in the UK with his wife, son and Will, a Jack Russell Terrier who thinks he rules the roost. in truth he probably does.

Eli, also known as Zangu Poet, uploads his poetry on Instagram and occasionally connects on Facebook and Twitter

If you would like to find out more about Eli you can check out his website

Orchard of Skeletons is available to purchase from Amazon*

*This post contains affiliate links