Guido, a mild-mannered Android, works as a guide in the Wilderness Park ? a last remaining tract of unspoiled country. Verne, a human girl, works as a thief in the city. They are very different beings, living very different lives, but their fates are soon to be entangled. On the day that Guido's destiny changes forever, he is guiding a family through the wilds when he receives shocking news: Enforcers have been dispatched to eliminate him and all the other Droid guides. Desperate to survive, he does the forbidden thing ? he disobeys a direct order ? an action that will have dire consequences. Years later, Verne, who knows nothing of Guido, is hired to break into the home of an old Enforcer and retrieve a mysterious weapon. This she does, successfully, and it is here that her and Guido's stories intersect. What happens next is as compelling as it is unexpected and sets both Verne and Guido on a path that reveals dangerous truths about the world they thought they knew. Their shared journey also creates strong bonds of trust that defy their differences. An extraordinary adventure set in a disturbing future, The Lastling is also a thought-provoking exploration of what it really means to be human. AUTHOR: With many novels to his credit, Victor Kelleher has written successfully for both adults and for young people. Formerly an associate professor of English, he has long since devoted himself full-time to fiction. He is a past winner of the Children's Book Council of Australia's Book of the Year Award, has twice received the CBCA Honour Award, and has either won or been short-listed for many other such prizes, including the Science Fiction Achievement Award and a short-listing for the Carnegie Medal. He currently lives in Tasmania with his artist wife.
