The Nature of Ash

Mandy Hager is a distinguished author with numerous accolades, including the 2014 Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellowship and the 2012 Beatson Fellowship from the New Zealand Society of Authors.

Her young adult novel, Smashed, earned her the Esther Glen Award for Fiction, and The Crossing received the Best Young Adult Book in the 2010 NZ Post Book Awards. In 2013, The Nature of Ash won the LIANZA YA Fiction Award and was a finalist for the NZ Post Children’s Book Awards.

Hager’s 2015 novel, Singing Home the Whale, garnered significant recognition, including a Storylines Notable Book Award, a finalist position for the LIANZA YA Fiction Award, the YA category of the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, and the prestigious 2015 Margaret Mahy Book of the Year. The judges lauded it as “compulsory reading.” Her adult novel, Heloise, was longlisted for the 2018 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. In 2019, she was honored with the Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal.

Academically, Hager holds an MA in Creative Writing from Victoria University and an Advanced Diploma in Applied Arts (Writing) from Whitireia Community Polytechnic, where she now contributes as a tutor and mentor. She resides on the Kapiti Coast with her partner.

Her body of work includes novels for adults and young adults, short stories, scripts, and non-fiction resources.

Internationally acclaimed writer Margaret Mahy described The Crossing as “ ‘1984 for teenagers—direct, passionate and powerful.’ ” Critics have favorably compared it to literary classics such as The Handmaid’s Tale and The Giver. The New Zealand Listener hailed The Crossing as “classic young adult fiction,” praising its “fast-paced, moving” narrative and authentic sense of place. The Listener also commended Into the Wilderness, the second book in the Blood of the Lamb trilogy, as “sustained, gripping writing.”

The Nature of Ash received high praise, with Zac Harding of Christchurch City Library stating it “has set a new standard in thrilling, action-packed stories for NZ teens” and could “proudly stand alongside these international, best-selling dystopian thrillers.” Graham Beattie on Beattie’s Blog described it as a “blockbuster” and a “totally gripping Wellington-set thriller.” Pip Cole in Tearaway was “enthralled,” while Diane McCarthy highlighted its “political,” “futuristic” nature and Hager’s “brave” approach to writing teen political thrillers. The Saturday Express noted its wider appeal, calling it “part coming-of-age novel, part future warning” with strong themes of acceptance and self-belief, suggesting Hager could be “New Zealand’s answer to Aussie writer John Marsden.”

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