‘The Foretelling of Georgie Spider’ by Ambelin Kwaymullina is the third and final book in the Tribe series, a trilogy of dystopic speculative fiction. In the future world, it is three hundred years after the Reckoning. Survivors are divided into Illegals, Citizens or Exempts.
This final book is told in two voices: Ashala’s and Georgie’s. Ashala struggles to protect the Tribe and Georgie struggles to protect Ashala. Georgie is able to use her power of Foreseeing to see what lies ahead in Ashala’s future. She is able to use this knowledge to scheme and align herself with those who will save Ashala’s life.
Ashala is approaching the end of her coming-of-age arc here. She must deal with the loss of innocence and idealism as she comes to see the hatred in the world. Eventually, she makes the ultimate sacrifice of using up all of her ability. By Sleepwalking, she is able to give everyone a dream of what is meant to be: ‘A world of connections, where everyone understood that the difference between good and bad was the difference between the people who valued those connections and the ones who didn’t ... All life matters or none does. All people matter or none do.’ (p 418)
The series ends therefore with hope.
Young adult readers will enjoy the fast pace and sophisticated exploration of topics such as power, leadership, rebellion, individual choice and the power of collective action.
Ambelin Kwaymullina is descended from the Palyku people of the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
Series Title: The Tribe no 3
Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander Resource
