The blurb: One year on from the day the shadows shifted – showing people their truest selves instead of just their shapes – best friends Teddy, Betsy and Effie plan to risk all and watch the winter sun rise over Copperwell, in defiance of the Shadow Order. But from their hidden vantage point the three shocked friends witness a mysterious woman shouting a dire warning, before being arrested, beaten, and dragged away in handcuffs.The event leads them on an extraordinary series of dangerous adventures to save their city as they begin to learn the truth about the Shadow Order, the world surrounding Copperwell, and themselves.
The review: The Shadow Order is the story of three young friends and their struggle against an oppressive regime. Teddy is a poor dock worker, Effie is a clandestine jazz musician (!) and their strong-willed ringleader Betsy is a laundry maid. They live in Copperwell, a steampunk-esque city named after the copper pipework that adorns the architecture, making music from the weather.
It all sounds rather magical, but this is a city ravaged by poverty and fear. Not long ago people’s shadows started acting strangely, so the government decreed that the citizens should live their lives by night, not by day. Being out and about in daylight became an offence; the Shadow Order of the title.
But that’s not all, for other strange things have started happening; snow is falling at a rate never seen before and exotic animals are randomly appearing. Our three heroes think this has something to do with a fantastic instrument called the orrery. So, as kids are wont to do in tales such as this, they decide to steal it and uncover its secrets.
And so the stage is set for an exciting tale that will take Betsy, Effie and Teddy beyond the city limits for the first time in their lives, where they will discover that there’s far more to the world than they ever imagined.
On the surface The Shadow Order may appear to be ‘just another YA adventure novel’, but what elevates it is that the author, Rebecca F. John, has a great deal to say about how modern society alienates us from nature, about how regimes use fear to further their own ends, about tyranny, and about how we lose touch with ourselves. It really is deep stuff, very philosophical, all wrapped up in a thrilling escapade. As a 52-year-old man I’m pretty far removed from the target demographic of this book, but it doesn’t matter because a good story, especially one that carries a universal message such as this, has the power to transcend boundaries.
The Shadow Order flirts with sci-fi, fantasy and steampunk, but at its heart is a tale of three young people who just want to be free to be themselves. It’s a beautiful message and a terrific book and I’m glad I picked it up.
Oh, and it has clockwork wolves!
The author: Rebecca F. John was born in 1986 and grew up on the south Wales coast. Her short stories have been broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 4Extra. In 2015, her short story ‘The Glove Maker’s Numbers’ was shortlisted for the Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award. She is the winner of the PEN International New Voices Award 2015. Her debut novel, The Haunting of Henry Twist, was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award. She lives in Swansea.
The Shadow Order by Rebecca F. John is published by Firefly Press and is available online and in all good bookshops.
RICHARD E. ROCK 
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