A dramatic, futuristic story about conflicting loyalties and the horrors of war. Sometime in a machine-less future, six soldiers, five volunteers and a professional, are on their way to fight for their country against the invading army of "the Vixen". Marching, lost, through the hills, they arrive at an apparently deserted farm, unaware that its last remaining inhabitant, a teenage girl, is hiding in an outhouse. Their discovery of her is to have a dramatic impact. For Mary becomes the soldiers' map, guiding them to the battlefield - or so the men are told by their leader, Sergeant Talbot. Flinty, dispassionate, he is a soldier who plays strictly by the rules and the men trust him as deeply as they are distrustful of Mary. In war, though, the truth is never so simple . This tense and haunting story, narrated alternately by Mary and the young volunteer Hobbs, moves to a dramatic and powerful conclusion. Nick Warburton has written "Conversation from the Engine Room", which won the 1985 BBC Radio Times Drama Award, and the children's titles "The Thirteenth Owl", "The Battle of Baked Bean Alley" and "Normal Nesbitt".

 

 

There are 159 pages in this book.

It is aimed at Young Adult readers. The term Young Adult (YA) is used for books which have the following characteristics: (1) aimed at ages 12-18 years, US grades 7-12, UK school years 8-15, (2) around 50-75k words long, (3) main character is aged 12-18 years, (4) topics include self-reflection, internal conflict vs external, analyzing life and its meaning, (5) point of view is often in the first person, and (6) swearing, violence, romance and sexuality are allowed.

This book was published in 1995 by Walker Books Ltd .