- Adventure
- Chapter Books
- Ages 9–12
The shape of it
One universe, several ways in.
Piers Torday's award-winning eco-adventure sequence, set in a ravaged near-future where a deadly virus called the red-eye has wiped out nearly all the animals and a ruthless corporation feeds a frightened population from its factories. At its heart is Kester Jaynes, a boy who can talk to animals and becomes the last hope of the surviving wild. The core trilogy — The Last Wild, The Dark Wild and The Wild Beyond — follows Kester and a ragtag band of beasts and friends from a ruined countryside to the city and out across the ocean, in a fight to save the natural world. The stand-alone prequel The Wild Before turns to a young hare on a quest to save a legendary Mooncalf. Thrilling, funny and genuinely moving, the books offer hope rather than despair — the belief that together we can still save our beautiful world.
A thrilling, big-hearted eco-adventure sequence — a boy who can talk to animals fights to save the last wild creatures on Earth.
Primary themes
Tone palette
- Exciting
- Adventurous
- Suspenseful
- Dark
Two series inside
Pick a way in.
The Last Wild
A gripping, moving eco-adventure trilogy — a mute boy who can talk to animals leads the last wild creatures in a fight to survive.
Books
3 of 3Ages
9–12Status
Complete- Exciting
- Adventurous
- Suspenseful
- Dark
The Wild Before
A stand-alone Last Wild prequel with a Watership Down heart — a young hare quests to save the legendary Mooncalf and the whole world.
Books
1 of 1Ages
9–12Status
Complete- Adventurous
- Bittersweet
- Warm
- Inspirational
Cultural footprint
A shelf of evidence.
What The Last Wild has done
- Major award winner
- Bestseller
Cultural ubiquity
3/ 5Well-known to people who know the room.
Sensitivity
Moderate, and collection-wide.
Content notes
- Animal harm
- Death of character
- Death of parent
- Grief
- Scary imagery
- Violence
- War or conflict
Across the collection
All 4 books.
About the creator