A fascinating post-post-apocolyptic YA book (before YA was even a thing) set in Sydney, Australia. "Taronga" follows the journey of Ben (a young man who has a psychic connections to animals) as he attempts to find his place in the new world. Ben eventually makes his way to the old Taronga Park Zoo, where his connection with Ellie, an aboriginal girl, and the animals, give him hope in his otherwise bleak existence.

I really enjoyed the book and loved the retro eighties feel - the cover of my book is a "Ken Done" illustration, and if you took the path taken by Ben from the Blue Mountains, through Windsor and into Sydney these days, there'd be very little bush and loads of outer suburban housing - ain't progress grand! ( )

A post-holocaust tale set in Sydney's Taronga Zoo. Ben is a boy with a mysterious power over animals. Everywhere he goes he finds conflict, fighting, ruthlessness. Taronga zoo is no different. In Taronga Ben meets Ellie, an aboriginal girl, and together they hatch a plan to escape. This book is concerned with how the powerless can face the powerful, showing that the power to hurt and hinder is empty. The book ends on a hopeful note. ( )

The apocalypse has happened and Ben has survived. He has a gift; he can whisper to animals. Somehow, he makes his way to Taronga Zoo where he discovers a world gone mad, but where he can use his gift to survive and thrive. For all fans of Hunger Games. ( )

This story glimpses a future after some kind of global catastrophe. It is set in Sydney, Australia, and all social systems have broken down. It is a frightening, uncivilised world, full of looting, violence and chaos. Ben has lost his parents and runs away from Greg, who has been exploiting Ben’s special telepathic ability to communicate with animals for senseless killing. Ben ends up in Taronga Park which, at first, appears to be a haven compared to ‘the outside’, but is soon revealed to be the most sinister place of all. Amongst all the sinister characters, the reader is fascinated by a positive relationship between Ben and an Aboriginal girl, and with a fierce tiger whose spirit will not be broken.

Although the novel is full of violence, it actually conveys a message of anti-violence. Despite the bleakness and negativity throughout, the ending gives the reader some hope for an optimistic future. ( )