“It’s bitter cold and a sky so clear that the stars burn. Breath streams from us, and no matter that we’re dressed warm, it’s still a shock, like jumping into water that’s colder than you expected. The moon’s a sliver in the sky, but everything is so clear. Land looms around us blue and hulking, drawing in and receding, and you suddenly get a sense of how big everything is and how little you are, but it’s still wonderful, because small and brief you’re still here and breathing plumes in the dark: defiant and proud. And there is no one more defiant than us.”

Day Boy is the first stand-alone novel by teacher, bookseller and prize-winning Australian author of science fiction and fantasy, Trent Jamieson. Mark is a Day Boy. He has been in the service (and under the patronage) of his Master, Dain, since he was small. From the accounts of the other Day Boys in the town, Mark knows he is fortunate to be with Dain. His Master is fair, looks out for his welfare and teaches him well. In return, Mark looks after his Master’s needs, watches over Dain when he is most vulnerable and tries (often unsuccessfully) to win his Master’s esteem.

His time as a Day Boy is coming to an end, and, while his predecessor, Dav, has followed the path to himself becoming a Master, Mark is fairly certain his own transgressions will preclude this destiny. But he has been offered a position locally, and is not dissatisfied to stay in Midfield, this town to the east of the City in the Shadow of the Mountains, especially if the lovely Anne stays. However, the tenuous peace between the Masters and the townsfolk is under threat, the Hunters outside the town are an ever-present danger, and Mark’s first trip to the City almost ends in disaster.

Jamieson has set his story in a (possibly post-apocalyptic) future Australia where Masters exist in a symbiotic relationship with the human population, protecting them from Monsters in exchange for blood feeds and the service of a Day Boy. Jamieson builds his world gradually and leaves parts of it (perhaps purposefully) vague: there is plenty of scope for a sequel. His characters are believable and their dialogue is a cross between contemporary Australian and eighteenth century English. He gives some of his characters words of wisdom: “Truths said or not are still true”.

Mark develops and matures over the course of the story, and his narrative voice is both superbly descriptive and succinct: “Rob spits at the constable’s feet and turns nice and slow, and I can see that Mick is battling with the urge to hit him. Hard. But sense prevails, I guess, or fear, which is just another sort of sense. I can almost respect that. Strike an auditor and you might as well strike Death herself”. Jamieson gives the reader beautiful prose and a very original plot, making for an excellent read.
4.5 stars