Castle Grim  Shaun Barnett

 

Castle Grim                                      

Shaun Barnett 
Scholastic (2025)
Novel, 246 pages,
Paperback
ISBN 978 0 77543 963 9 

 

Castle Grim is a lively dystopian novel of a bleak future where, following a global pandemic and the ‘Great Quake,’ small pockets of survivors scratch out a medieval-type existence. In this isolated world of the 22^nd Century, young Herman Reed might be thought to have a comfortable life in Nelson, prosperous with its fertile soils and temperate climate. His parents, Conrad and Ivy, sell old books, now a vital item in a world without electronic media. Herman’s Uncle Charlie, however, serves in the Nelson Mounted Police dealing with refugees from the drought and famine of other less fortunate regions.

‘A boatload of Wellington refugees arrived. Only five of those left aboard were still alive.’

 Shaun Barnett is a good storyteller who has created a convincing future society and stocked it with interesting characters. While his narrative usually stays close to Herman, it regularly offers the reader glimpses of other characters and their motivations. Thus, we see Commander Jensen of the ‘Broken City’ of Wellington, who is trying to defend the city and keep the inhabitants fed even when food convoys from the parched Wairarapa offer dwindling supplies. We also see the pirate partners, Raider and Squint, plotting a raid on Wellington, if only they can deal with Captain Chan’s well-armed ship. (It is worth noting that three out of the five characters named in this paragraph are female. Shaun Barnett is an equal opportunity writer.)

 It is into Wellington’s tense situation that Uncle Charlie and Conrad sail in search of their long-lost brother, Christopher. They have heard from a fisherman, Grip, that a mute lighthouse keeper at Pencarrow resembles them. Little do they know that Herman has stowed away on the yacht to join them on their perilous voyage, just in time for a Cook Strait storm.  

Herman’s quest for adventure is about to succeed but not in the way he had expected. Storms, pirates, wreckers and bereavement will be the least of Herman’s problems for he is about to enter Haewai Keep, the orphanage known as Castle Grim!

While Herman’s situation may seem grim at times, he also encounters friendship and loyalty.

Castle Grim is a fast-moving adventure, guaranteed to keep pages turning.  

An easily-missed but significant feature of this book is the sign outside the Reed family’s Golden Bookshop: ‘Books for All: Because Stories Matter’

 The dramatic cover illustration is by Craig Phillips, who also drew the useful map of the Wellington Harbour of the future.

 Note: Shaun Barnett, a ranger for the NZ Department of Conservation, was the author of several books about tramping and outdoor life. His manuscript for this book won the 2025 Storylines Tom Fitzgibbon Award but unfortunately Shaun died before it could be published. A graceful Acknowledgement by his widow, Tania Stanton. thanks all the people who helped bring Castle Grim to fruition, including his friends Ken and Juliet MacIver. A Note from his family includes a description of Shaun working on the drafts. ‘As Shaun wrote about Herman’s adventures, he would look out at the Pencarrow and Haewai lighthouses from his writing desk and imagine the scenes in the story.’

 

 Trevor Agnew 
9 May 2026 [Review 3825]