The Scarecrow by Sean Williams

HarperCollins, 2009. ISBN 9780732284763
(Age 11+) Recommended The Scarecrow is the satisfying conclusion to Williams' Broken Lands trilogy, which began with The changeling, followed by The dust devils which were both finalists for the best children's novel in the Aurealis Award. Ros is on a quest to get rid of the crystal containing the Golem of Omus. Travelling with Adi and the camel Know-it-All, he arrives at the coast, hoping to drop the crystal into the depths of the ocean. However they encounter the treacherous Quirk who disappears with Varis, Adi's relative and guard. In their search for Varis, they come up against the Scarecrow, a terrifying amalgamation of material and human who desperately wants the crystal for himself.
Williams has created an exciting and tense finale to his series. The Scarecrow is a unique creation and quite frightening. The action sequences on the island where Ros confronts him are very tense and I could picture them in a gripping science fiction film.
The Australian setting with its harsh dry land and the huge cliffs overlooking the ocean provide a wonderful background to the struggles of the characters. It is truly a coming of age for Ros as he decides whether he will accept Pukje's offer to gain the knowledge about the magical Change that he thirsts for, or stay with Adi and her tribe.
I thoroughly enjoyed this series. The Scarecrow is a demanding story with an awesome setting and readers will be tempted to read other books by this author.
Pat Pledger