Skyquakers

Book excerpt: A bizarre and otherworldly storm bears down onto the outback town of Wyndham, a storm unlike any seen before. Ned, a local schoolboy, finds himself trapped in a refrigerator during the chaos, only to emerge and find every living thing on Earth, human or otherwise, has vanished into the sky. While Ned bunkers down in what shelter he can find, surviving off the resources of an abandoned town, he soon notices the unsettling changes taking form around him: odd plant and animal life are emerging in place of those that were lost, and in place of humans comes these new, taller, nameless beings that Ned dubs Skyquakers. Ned's survival relies on him finding other humans; others like him who managed to outrun and outsmart the storm. But this country is big, dry, and unforgiving: his search for companionship across bushland and deserts cannot come without a few sacrifices. As the Skyquakers approach, he runs.