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Children of the Dust
After a nuclear war devastates the earth, a small band of people struggles for survival in a new world where children are born with strange mutations.
Everyone thought, when the alarm bell rang, that it was just another fire practice. But the first bombs had fallen on Hamburg and Leningrad, the headmaster said, and a full-scale nuclear attack was imminent.
It's a real-life nightmare. Sarah and her family have to stay cooped up in the tightly-sealed kitchen for days on end, dreading the inevitable radioactive fall-out and the subsequent slow, torturous death, which seems almost preferable to surviving in a grey, dead world, choked by dust.
But then, from out of the dust and the ruins and the destruction, comes new life, a new future, and a whole brave new world.
Everyone thought, when the alarm bell rang, that it was just another fire practice. But the first bombs had fallen on Hamburg and Leningrad, the headmaster said, and a full-scale nuclear attack was imminent.
It's a real-life nightmare. Sarah and her family have to stay cooped up in the tightly-sealed kitchen for days on end, dreading the inevitable radioactive fall-out and the subsequent slow, torturous death, which seems almost preferable to surviving in a grey, dead world, choked by dust.
But then, from out of the dust and the ruins and the destruction, comes new life, a new future, and a whole brave new world.
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
About the author
Louise Lawrence
35 books52 followersElizabeth Holden, better known by her pen name Louise Lawrence, is an English science fiction author, acclaimed during the 1970s and 1980s.
Lawrence was born in Leatherhead, Surrey, England, in 1943. She became fascinated with Wales at a young age, and has set many of her novels there. She left school early on to become an assistant librarian. She married and had the first of her three children in 1963. Her departure from the library, she recalls, gave her the potential to turn toward writing: "Deprived of book-filled surroundings, I was bound to write my own."
Lawrence was born in Leatherhead, Surrey, England, in 1943. She became fascinated with Wales at a young age, and has set many of her novels there. She left school early on to become an assistant librarian. She married and had the first of her three children in 1963. Her departure from the library, she recalls, gave her the potential to turn toward writing: "Deprived of book-filled surroundings, I was bound to write my own."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 212 reviews
August 26, 2023
3.5 🌟
This reads like three individual novellas. The first during world war 2, when a nuclear bomb is dropped on the UK. We watch one family as they hole up in their house and try to survive - despite starvation and disease.
Part 2 follows a group of people who made it to one of the bunkers to live out the worst of it. They build their own society waiting for a time when they feel they can resurface.
Finally part 3 is when some of the bunker people do resurface and come face to face with those who did survive the nuclear war, and how they did so. It shows how humans have evolved genetically and societally, and how different they have become.
A different read from my normal choice, but interesting enough.
*******************
Copy lent to me by a colleague. May as well give it a go, he seemed excited to lend it 😊
This reads like three individual novellas. The first during world war 2, when a nuclear bomb is dropped on the UK. We watch one family as they hole up in their house and try to survive - despite starvation and disease.
Part 2 follows a group of people who made it to one of the bunkers to live out the worst of it. They build their own society waiting for a time when they feel they can resurface.
Finally part 3 is when some of the bunker people do resurface and come face to face with those who did survive the nuclear war, and how they did so. It shows how humans have evolved genetically and societally, and how different they have become.
A different read from my normal choice, but interesting enough.
*******************
Copy lent to me by a colleague. May as well give it a go, he seemed excited to lend it 😊
September 13, 2016
I read this book when I was in the fourth grade. It has stayed with me all these years (I'm 33 now) in some small form or another. I've recently been reading more dystopian themed books and Children of the Dust was back in the forefront of my mind. It was the first book of a less-than-shiny-happy-future nature that I'd ever read and it, clearly, hasn't been the last. I'm looking forward to finding a copy again and giving it another read to see how it adds up now.
January 27, 2015
Started out really well, I love a good post-apocalyptic novel and was gripped by the dramatic opening chapter. However it quickly became rather grim and depressing, with the main character, her stepmother and two step-siblings slowly dying of radiation sickness, surrounded by the corpses of various people and animals (including their pet cocker spaniel who they locked out during the blast and whose desperate scratches at the door become increasingly feeble...), all described in graphic detail complete with weeping sores, rotting gums and vomiting blood etc. The main character is filled with some kind of protective instinct for her step sister, so she pretty much commits suicide to take her to some guy with a greenhouse and food supplies, and then dies.
When that cheerful section ended the rest of the novel was all about how homo sapiens mutates and evolves (in two generations) to develop long white fur and white eyes with small pupils able to see UV light, in order to help them survive in the desert with a ruined ozone layer that is England after the nuclear winter. This new race is good, kind, non-violent and awesome, and also (handily) psychic and telekinetic. They manage to make plants grow and flourish again in the desert (we are never told exactly where they get the water from, and why the plants and animals don't evolve), and revert back to a more simple, natural, agricultural existence. The foolish humans who are left, who tried to survive underground and use, like, 'technology' instead of evolving with the times, can do nothing but admit how awesome the furry people are and how useless, stupid and violent they have been. But the two races do reconcile in the end - or at least, one human does. Good old Simon! A character with a definite purpose: Communicating the Author's Point To The Reader. There was nothing he loved more than to muse on the failings of the human race, TO himself but AT you. The final scene has him helping one of the furry girls onto his horse, at which point: "two thousand years of strife-ridden history resolved itself in them. Appearances did not matter. Creed or colour, race or religion or political affiliation, did not matter. They had raised themselves above all that. Spiritually, mentally and emotionally, they accepted each other."
Ha ha! Reminds me of Captain Jack Sparrow. "I think we've all arrived at a very special place. Spiritually, ecumenically... grammatically..."
So yeah. Too grim at the start, too soppy at the end, fairly poor writing throughout, but still interesting enough to keep me reading.
P.S. A final parting shot at Louise Lawrence: POLAR animals have long white fur. Desert animals are mostly nocturnal, ground-dwelling, or lizards. I know the idea of white = reflecting light = safe from sun seems sensible, but the whole point of fur is that it traps heat.
When that cheerful section ended the rest of the novel was all about how homo sapiens mutates and evolves (in two generations) to develop long white fur and white eyes with small pupils able to see UV light, in order to help them survive in the desert with a ruined ozone layer that is England after the nuclear winter. This new race is good, kind, non-violent and awesome, and also (handily) psychic and telekinetic. They manage to make plants grow and flourish again in the desert (we are never told exactly where they get the water from, and why the plants and animals don't evolve), and revert back to a more simple, natural, agricultural existence. The foolish humans who are left, who tried to survive underground and use, like, 'technology' instead of evolving with the times, can do nothing but admit how awesome the furry people are and how useless, stupid and violent they have been. But the two races do reconcile in the end - or at least, one human does. Good old Simon! A character with a definite purpose: Communicating the Author's Point To The Reader. There was nothing he loved more than to muse on the failings of the human race, TO himself but AT you. The final scene has him helping one of the furry girls onto his horse, at which point: "two thousand years of strife-ridden history resolved itself in them. Appearances did not matter. Creed or colour, race or religion or political affiliation, did not matter. They had raised themselves above all that. Spiritually, mentally and emotionally, they accepted each other."
Ha ha! Reminds me of Captain Jack Sparrow. "I think we've all arrived at a very special place. Spiritually, ecumenically... grammatically..."
So yeah. Too grim at the start, too soppy at the end, fairly poor writing throughout, but still interesting enough to keep me reading.
P.S. A final parting shot at Louise Lawrence: POLAR animals have long white fur. Desert animals are mostly nocturnal, ground-dwelling, or lizards. I know the idea of white = reflecting light = safe from sun seems sensible, but the whole point of fur is that it traps heat.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 13, 2016
I really enjoyed Children of the Dust by Louise Lawrence. I read this book years ago and it struck a chord with me. This was one of the first dystopian/post-apocalyptic novels I read and it was a great introduction into the genre. This novel makes you think very deeply about our world. Are we taking care of it? Will we really end up like this?
Lawrence has written a realistic, informative account of life after such a great disaster. Though Children of the Dust is quite dark and hope seems lost throughout much of the story, there were significant glimmers of humans recovering and progressing that it was enough for me to enjoy the book. Additionally, Children of the Dust ended on a very positive note and I was filled with hope for the future.
The story is narrated from three perspectives: Sarah, Ophelia and Simon-three very different characters that are intrinsically connected. This multiple-narration is something that I haven't observed in many dystopian books so I was very much enthralled. Instead of discovering the effects of this 'nuclear disaster' on only one generation, I was able to learn about three generations and thus know of the impacts in the long term.
Also, Lawrence has written the story in such a way that it was possible for me to sympathise with all three narrators. This had been an aspect I'd been worried about previous to reading the book, however, the multiple-narration did not affect me in developing emotional attachments with all three narrators. I liked the fact that Sarah, Ophelia and Simon all learnt and developed as characters. There were scenes where my heart was wrenching because of what the characters had to go through, for example, the innocence of William, Sarah's young brother, who did not understand what was happening.
My only qualm with Children of the Dust was that the reason for the supposed nuclear war was not obviously stated but only hinted at. I felt as though Lawrence was telling her readers: It is enough to know that it happened.
Overall, Children of the Dust was a highly enjoyable read that allowed me to delve into the minds of three generations of people affected by a nuclear disaster. I found the story very realistic and frightening in the possibility that it may happen one day. For me, Children of the Dust was an unforgettable tale about survival, family and hope.
Book Rating: 4.5/5 - Children of the Dust could have gone into more detail in some aspects.
Concept: 4/5 - I would have liked further depth in the story.
Cover: 4/5 - Very much in relation to the story, sad and poignant.
Lawrence has written a realistic, informative account of life after such a great disaster. Though Children of the Dust is quite dark and hope seems lost throughout much of the story, there were significant glimmers of humans recovering and progressing that it was enough for me to enjoy the book. Additionally, Children of the Dust ended on a very positive note and I was filled with hope for the future.
The story is narrated from three perspectives: Sarah, Ophelia and Simon-three very different characters that are intrinsically connected. This multiple-narration is something that I haven't observed in many dystopian books so I was very much enthralled. Instead of discovering the effects of this 'nuclear disaster' on only one generation, I was able to learn about three generations and thus know of the impacts in the long term.
Also, Lawrence has written the story in such a way that it was possible for me to sympathise with all three narrators. This had been an aspect I'd been worried about previous to reading the book, however, the multiple-narration did not affect me in developing emotional attachments with all three narrators. I liked the fact that Sarah, Ophelia and Simon all learnt and developed as characters. There were scenes where my heart was wrenching because of what the characters had to go through, for example, the innocence of William, Sarah's young brother, who did not understand what was happening.
My only qualm with Children of the Dust was that the reason for the supposed nuclear war was not obviously stated but only hinted at. I felt as though Lawrence was telling her readers: It is enough to know that it happened.
Overall, Children of the Dust was a highly enjoyable read that allowed me to delve into the minds of three generations of people affected by a nuclear disaster. I found the story very realistic and frightening in the possibility that it may happen one day. For me, Children of the Dust was an unforgettable tale about survival, family and hope.
Book Rating: 4.5/5 - Children of the Dust could have gone into more detail in some aspects.
Concept: 4/5 - I would have liked further depth in the story.
Cover: 4/5 - Very much in relation to the story, sad and poignant.
August 3, 2007
I read this in middle school, and it traumatized the hell out of me. It begins before nuclear bombs go off, and then pitilessly takes a few characters (children and one of their parents) through their attempts to survive. To this day I put covers over my drinking water so that radioactive dust won't drift down and contaminate it, as I vividly remember it doing in this book.
September 21, 2016
Along with ‘Z for Zachariah’, this was one of my wife’s favourite books from childhood. A book she loved so much in the school library, that lived so alive in her imagination, she sought it out as an adult and devoured it hungrily again. I can only say that the fact they’re both post-nuclear apocalypse tales – with lashings of soft horror and sci-fi – just proves once again that she is indeed my soulmate.
Life in a post-nuclear apocalypse told through the eyes of three generations of one family, ‘Children of the Dust’ is brutally cynical about the human race. It’s a compelling, but it’s harsh read. Angry and disappointed about all the good that man is capable of compared to the devastation he’s wrought (or rather, seems likely to wrought in this mid-eighties tale). There’s so much justifiable bitterness here, that it’s quite astounding Lawrence manages to switch things around and end on a hopeful note. In fact, the narrative pushes so suddenly and swiftly at a new found optimism, it almost feels rushed – while at the same time seeming as if this more upbeat conclusion has been earned. The reader has been through so much, endured such hardships on behalf of the characters, that it would have been a hard tale indeed to end without even a nugget of comfort.
Life in a post-nuclear apocalypse told through the eyes of three generations of one family, ‘Children of the Dust’ is brutally cynical about the human race. It’s a compelling, but it’s harsh read. Angry and disappointed about all the good that man is capable of compared to the devastation he’s wrought (or rather, seems likely to wrought in this mid-eighties tale). There’s so much justifiable bitterness here, that it’s quite astounding Lawrence manages to switch things around and end on a hopeful note. In fact, the narrative pushes so suddenly and swiftly at a new found optimism, it almost feels rushed – while at the same time seeming as if this more upbeat conclusion has been earned. The reader has been through so much, endured such hardships on behalf of the characters, that it would have been a hard tale indeed to end without even a nugget of comfort.
June 10, 2011
I read this originally when I was in Year 10 and remember complaining to my English teacher that it was making me depressed. Nevertheless, it had such a huge impact on me at 15 years old and I remember just wanting to be better and do better. I would love to reread this book if I could find it and see what my reaction to it is now. I remember that the writing was very profound and that the description of setting and characters was detailed. I think the reason it had such a huge impact on me was the closeness in age between myself and Sarah, and I know other students in my class felt the same. However, I think that it is a very important book for teens to read and one which she continue to circulate through the education system. I think from a teacher's perspective though a little more support and discussion of the book and its themes with my teacher would have made me feel more settled while reading it.
October 23, 2015
I am very surprised by the very good quality of this book,it is well writen and full of concepts as humanity ,solidarity ,ecología ,pacifism and antixenofobia.It is light years of the Young adult books today in print,it says more in 150 pages tan others in 1500.For me it is a book that would be of obligued read in all schools of the world ,it would be a better world.After a beautiful prologue by the autor, the book has three chapters with three heroines relatives one another in chronologic order.The first chapter is Sarah,a brutal descriptionof the destruction misery and angish of a real nuclear war with his rigurous efects of depletion of ozone layer , nuclear Winter and radiactive fall(this is no out of date ,the world nuclear stockpiles are here and a nuclear war can begins by a unexpected accident or a unexpected scalada of a regional war)in this chapter also upsurge themes as the eutanasia an the goodness of the God and the devil in the world.The second chapter Ophelia is the mini distopian life in a gubernamental bunker with his lack of assistance to the mutants and survivals of the outher worl,here the autor touch themes as the integral education in manual work sciences and humanidades.The third chapter Simon has the heroin Laura,the bunker is ruined and in starvation and his inhabitants over runed by the mutants that created a better worlr a dreamed utopia ruled by they the Homo Superior and Simon awakes to a new vission no xenophobic of the mutants.The only fault of the book is the too optimistic and idealistic belief in the innata goodness of the human being the book can be viewed as a warning to the future of humankind
October 12, 2011
When I read this book as a tween, it made a huge impression on me. In fact, I had nightmares for years afterwards. It took me a while to track this down as an adult, but I finally found a copy at my local op-shop. I was worried that it would seem corny or dull and flat after all these years, as childhood favourites often do, but my worry was wasted. While I wasn't left with nightmares this time around, I found the book as emotionally disturbing, engaging and thought-provoking as I did when I was a child. This is a definite must read for fans of the post-apocalyptic genre.
January 16, 2013
This book still chills me.
My very scary English teacher made me read it when I was a very naive fourteen year old and it did haunt me a bit.
I really, really liked it despite that. My country is nuclear free and we were studying that in class I seem to remember. This book sure put me on the side to remain nuclear free and I think I got very pompous about it at the time.
Obviously now I have grown up a bit and see the benefits of nuclear power but when I reread this, the teenage fears do come back. Maybe I was just very impressionable, or maybe it is the book that made the impression, I shan't be able to tell without psych unit help, but the story could potentially happen and that will probably always send a shiver down my spine.
It doesn't shy away from being dark and there is much lightness in it, at all, nor is it balanced with much humour. It does leave you with something though.
I just wish I could figure out what...
My very scary English teacher made me read it when I was a very naive fourteen year old and it did haunt me a bit.
I really, really liked it despite that. My country is nuclear free and we were studying that in class I seem to remember. This book sure put me on the side to remain nuclear free and I think I got very pompous about it at the time.
Obviously now I have grown up a bit and see the benefits of nuclear power but when I reread this, the teenage fears do come back. Maybe I was just very impressionable, or maybe it is the book that made the impression, I shan't be able to tell without psych unit help, but the story could potentially happen and that will probably always send a shiver down my spine.
It doesn't shy away from being dark and there is much lightness in it, at all, nor is it balanced with much humour. It does leave you with something though.
I just wish I could figure out what...
August 4, 2008
I remember I saw the cover of this book in junior high. It was a dark brown hardcover with gold letters. I checked it out purely on the look of it. I read it in two days. I could have read it in one but I was enamored, and I wanted it to last since I knew it would be over too soon. It was one of the few early books I read where I actually cried. I wondered how this could be in my junior high library since it dealt with nuclear war and what happens afterwards. I think perhaps it was my first peak into the world of science fiction. I read it now and of course, it doesn’t have the same punch, but when I was younger, this book had a lasting effect on me.
August 27, 2022
The book is divided into three time periods, beginning in part one with a twenty minute warning that a nuclear war has begun. Thr first section of 60 pages is brilliantly written and absolutely horrible, horrifying and full of the visceral terror of what it would be like to try and survive in the first days after a bomb drops. I hope never ever to read it again. The
May 17, 2023
This was such a short but very powerful book. It makes you contemplate the kind of society we live in and how prejudice and superior minded people can destroy each other.
The book starts with a nuclear war that sees the end of the environment and life in it.
Yet somehow humans began to adapt and became mutant versions of themselves. While others with different beliefs stay and hide in a underground bunker slowly becoming extinct.
By the end they realise they must work together in order to survive. The ending was incredibly powerful as it reflects on the selfish and cruel nature of human beings and how they carelessly destroy the environment they depend on.
The book starts with a nuclear war that sees the end of the environment and life in it.
Yet somehow humans began to adapt and became mutant versions of themselves. While others with different beliefs stay and hide in a underground bunker slowly becoming extinct.
By the end they realise they must work together in order to survive. The ending was incredibly powerful as it reflects on the selfish and cruel nature of human beings and how they carelessly destroy the environment they depend on.
March 22, 2009
Written in the early 80's at the height of the nuclear cold war threat, this has to be one of the more hopeful apocalypse novels I have read. It follows three generations of an English family from minutes before the bombs hit to 50 years post-apocalypse. Lawrence juxtaposes two societies of survivors; the "outsiders" who live through the holocaust on their own abilities independent of the remaining government, and the society of government top-ranking families that lives below ground in the underground cities preserving the "pre-holocaust" way of life. The last chapter of the book is truly amazing as the evolution of the human race is realized by one of the last bastions of the dying breed. I love the adaptation of the mutants and the beauty of the transformation that happens in the two generations post-radiation. Really brilliant and optimistic. The detail she brings to the death of nature and most of the human race is amazing, as well. However, I would've liked more detail in the early days and throughout, really, as this book is way too short. I read it in one sitting in about 2 hours.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 29, 2014
This was a quick read, although the start was harrowing and I was worried that the whole book was going to be doom, gloom and dead children. Not exactly the best book to start reading on a crowded train into work.
The imagery used in the book is striking; Lawrence really succeeds in setting the scene and presenting a visually striking vision of a post-nuclear strike England. Normally the religious aspects might put me off, but Lawrence put biblical concepts and imagery to good use without overburdening the reader in theology.
There's a certain beauty in Lawrence's vision of a future in which mankind has nearly destroyed itself. Although the book starts in the most daunting and destructive possible way, it ends on a high note that leaves you feeling fluffy and hopeful that we aren't all complete morons stumbling towards extinction.
The imagery used in the book is striking; Lawrence really succeeds in setting the scene and presenting a visually striking vision of a post-nuclear strike England. Normally the religious aspects might put me off, but Lawrence put biblical concepts and imagery to good use without overburdening the reader in theology.
There's a certain beauty in Lawrence's vision of a future in which mankind has nearly destroyed itself. Although the book starts in the most daunting and destructive possible way, it ends on a high note that leaves you feeling fluffy and hopeful that we aren't all complete morons stumbling towards extinction.
August 22, 2020
Denne bog har siddet i mig siden jeg læste den i folkeskolen for over 25 år siden, så jeg blev så glad da jeg fandt den som elydbog. Jeg husker frygten for atomkrig under slutningen af Den kolde krig i min barndom og hvordan vi i skolen blev undervist i hvad vi skulle gøre, hvis sirenen lød. Derfor var bogen så nærværende dengang og jeg var spændt på om jeg stadig synes den var lige så fascinerede ved genhøring: der er ingen tvivl om at den har udpenslet min barndoms frygt, hvorfor det også kun er del et jeg har kunnet huske fra den gang, og den er lige så gruopvækkende beskrevet som jeg husker det. Nogle af personerne er irriterende umodne at høre om, men som barn har jeg bestemt kunne identificere mig med reaktionerne. Synes helt bestemt det er en af de mest geniale dystopiske bøger jeg til dato har læst.
September 10, 2021
I first read this book as a child (about age 11 I think) in the eighties, and it was scary and moving stuff, because back then the threat of nuclear war was really real. It felt like the first part of the book, where the worst happens and this average family have to try and survive as best they can, could be any family.
Some of the ideas now seem unrealistic, but I still got that same sickening fear, the same sense of loss, and the same inspiration that I first experienced with this book over thirty years ago.
Incidentally it's the exact same copy I read as a kid, I've kept it all these years as it had such a profound effect on me!
Some of the ideas now seem unrealistic, but I still got that same sickening fear, the same sense of loss, and the same inspiration that I first experienced with this book over thirty years ago.
Incidentally it's the exact same copy I read as a kid, I've kept it all these years as it had such a profound effect on me!
April 1, 2010
I read this book a couple of years ago in school, and unlike most required reading i absolutely loved it. This book of post nuclear apocalypse shows the survival of three separate people with very different outlooks on what has happened, this book made me think and is one of the books that have most affected me and the way i think about things for a long time while it continued to stick with me.
March 10, 2011
This book completely freaked me out when I was a child (early teens) and when I reread it as an adult it still made me think thinky thoughts and freak out just a tiny wee bit. :D I think this may be one of my all time favourite books and I wish I had a copy nearby so I could go read it again right now.
July 11, 2021
A really important book that really resonates, in terms of what is happening today and has been happening throughout our history: the destruction of humanity . There is a message of hope, that we can overcome our global problems if we accept our differences, accept diversity, work together and use our understanding of science to find a cure for rebuilding the planet and learning to love.
January 27, 2017
I remember this book had a profound effect on me in secondary school. I have just re read it with my 12 year old daughter. Interesting just what a different perspective I had on the content all these years later. Led to some very interesting conversations this time round.
November 3, 2022
First read this book about 25 years ago and wanted to revisit it.
A short but great read where I could really visualise the places, people and scenery as described by the author.
Another thought provoking book giving an insight into how different people react to different situations.
A short but great read where I could really visualise the places, people and scenery as described by the author.
Another thought provoking book giving an insight into how different people react to different situations.
July 29, 2023
Children of the Dust is a powerful read and I ABSOLUTELY loved it. It’s not a big book even though the story covers something like 55 years – there are two big time-jumps that move us forward in time. It starts as a nuclear war breaks out and essentially destroys the world. We’re not really told why and how and initially I was curious about that but that wasn’t really the point of the story.
Set in Gloucestershire, we experience the bombs falling through the eyes of Bill Harnden’s family – his daughter Sarah and her two half-siblings and stepmother who try to survive cooped-up in their living room that they sealed as best they could in the short amount of time they had.
First comes the blast, then the radioactive fallout. People do what they can to survive but most of them start dying from radiation sickness very soon... Adults, animals, children. No one is spared and the dying is ugly. It’s not just people and animals, nature covered in toxic dust and ashes starts dying too.
We jump forward and are told the nuclear winter lasted almost two years. Sickness (mainly radiation-linked cancers) and starvation decimated the population but there are people that have survived. Some survived in the government bunkers and a small number of people survived outside too. These have built communities where they were able to adapt to the new environment. This one is hostile – nothing grows outside, only in greenhouses. As the ozone layer of the planet has been damaged and the levels of the ultraviolet light are very high, being exposed to it causes burns, skin-cancer and over time makes people blind.
People in the bunkers survived quite comfortably. They lived off their supplies and provisions, holding on to the old way of life and hoping they can rebuild the civilisation again once the world outside is more safe. But the truth is the equipment is getting old and they can no longer fix it, their supplies have run out and they need to venture out if they want to survive...
Today, with war going on next door and the world so polarised, with climatic change and natural catastrophes on a daily basis we’re closest to the apocalypse we’ve been since the eighties when this book was written. Children of the Dust shows humanity in its darkest hour but also hope and it’s unbreakable spirit. It’s the kind of book that will shake you to the core and stay with you long after you finished reading it.
Set in Gloucestershire, we experience the bombs falling through the eyes of Bill Harnden’s family – his daughter Sarah and her two half-siblings and stepmother who try to survive cooped-up in their living room that they sealed as best they could in the short amount of time they had.
First comes the blast, then the radioactive fallout. People do what they can to survive but most of them start dying from radiation sickness very soon... Adults, animals, children. No one is spared and the dying is ugly. It’s not just people and animals, nature covered in toxic dust and ashes starts dying too.
We jump forward and are told the nuclear winter lasted almost two years. Sickness (mainly radiation-linked cancers) and starvation decimated the population but there are people that have survived. Some survived in the government bunkers and a small number of people survived outside too. These have built communities where they were able to adapt to the new environment. This one is hostile – nothing grows outside, only in greenhouses. As the ozone layer of the planet has been damaged and the levels of the ultraviolet light are very high, being exposed to it causes burns, skin-cancer and over time makes people blind.
People in the bunkers survived quite comfortably. They lived off their supplies and provisions, holding on to the old way of life and hoping they can rebuild the civilisation again once the world outside is more safe. But the truth is the equipment is getting old and they can no longer fix it, their supplies have run out and they need to venture out if they want to survive...
Today, with war going on next door and the world so polarised, with climatic change and natural catastrophes on a daily basis we’re closest to the apocalypse we’ve been since the eighties when this book was written. Children of the Dust shows humanity in its darkest hour but also hope and it’s unbreakable spirit. It’s the kind of book that will shake you to the core and stay with you long after you finished reading it.
August 16, 2022
One of the most beautifully written books I have read, tragic yet beautiful and compelling. I'll definitely return to it in the future.
December 8, 2023
My favourite book. 👍
February 14, 2024
Read this book at the age of of 8, horrified me beyond words and spent many nights crying. Don’t think I will reread 42 years later just in case it does the same thing!
October 21, 2010
Although I appreciate this book's great value and its important message, I must admit that it took ages for me to read it, and that I enjoyed only parts of it.
That said, let's write a few words about the book itself. The novel follows three generations of a family caught up in a nuclear war and its aftermath. In the first part of the novel, "Sarah", Veronica, her children William and Catherine, and her stepdaughter Sarah are trapped in their house after a nuclear attack on Britain. A few days after the attack Veronica has to leave the house to get some necessary things, and she starts suffering from a radiation disease. Veronica slowly looses her will to live, so she leaves to find a place to die. Sarah, her 15 year old stepdaughter, takes over Veronica's responsibilities. From the beginning of the novel Sarah notices how Catherine's instinct to survive is very strong and decides to do everything to help her survive, even sacrifice William's and her own life. This is the part where the book started loosing my full attention. Even though I realize that this kind of thinking may come up in such severe conditions, I just don't see an elder sister preferring one sibling's life over another's. The first part of the book ends in Sarah finding a safe place for Catherine, and going back home to die with William.
The second part of the book, "Ophelia" follows Sarah's father, Bill Harnden, whose car is stopped by Erica Kowlonski, a leading authority in the cellular cloning of vegetable and animal protein. Erica asks him to drive her to a government bunker, where they are sealed in along with other important scientists, politicians and members of the military. Consequently, they survive the nuclear attack. Bill and Erica end up having a daughter - Ophelia - the offspring of a loveless marriage out of duty. When the bunker's authoritarian leader decides to “confiscate” the outside survivers' cattle, Bill, Ophelia (now a teenager) and Dwight, Ophelia's friend, choose to set out into the unknown to warn the outsiders. Ophelia's meeting with her aunt Catherine (with her rather unpleasant post-nuclear survivor's appearance) and her mutant offspring doesn't go smoothly, and Ophelia chooses to return to the irrational, unsustainable, “dinosaur” bunker way of life.
"Simon", the third part of the novel follows Ophelia's son, who is sent from the bunker to find help, since most of the supplies have been spent, and people in the bunker haven't been able to develop a more sustainable way of life – teaching genetics to their children, while not being able to grow edible food and make comfortable clothes. Simon and the rest of his species, whose ancestors have started the war, are compared with the new generation, the mutants, who are pacifist, ready to share with others and accept differences. The novel ends on a positive note, Simon finds his place within the mutant community, while still being aware that his murderous, selfish species will die out soon and leave the world a better place.
Quotes:
“Simon hated her for that. Perhaps it was automatic. Her appearance alone made her different from him, and human beings had always feared and hated anyone who was different. Two thousand years of history saw it being repeated over and over, the perpetual struggle of one race, or tribe, or creed, against another... each one thinking they were right, superior, morally justified, or chosen by God. Simon saw himself as normal, Laura as abnormal.”
“Homo sapiens! The name itself was an irony. They had not been wise at all, but incredibly stupid. Lords of the Earth with their great gray brains, their thinking minds had placed them above all other forms of life. Yet it had not been thought that compelled them to act, but emotion. From the dawn of their evolution they had killed, and conquered, and subdued. They had committed atrocities on others of their kind, ravaged the land, polluted and destroyed, left millions to starve in Third World countries, and finished it all with a nuclear holocaust. The mutants were right. Intelligent creatures did not commit genocide, or murder the environment on which they were dependent.”
That said, let's write a few words about the book itself. The novel follows three generations of a family caught up in a nuclear war and its aftermath. In the first part of the novel, "Sarah", Veronica, her children William and Catherine, and her stepdaughter Sarah are trapped in their house after a nuclear attack on Britain. A few days after the attack Veronica has to leave the house to get some necessary things, and she starts suffering from a radiation disease. Veronica slowly looses her will to live, so she leaves to find a place to die. Sarah, her 15 year old stepdaughter, takes over Veronica's responsibilities. From the beginning of the novel Sarah notices how Catherine's instinct to survive is very strong and decides to do everything to help her survive, even sacrifice William's and her own life. This is the part where the book started loosing my full attention. Even though I realize that this kind of thinking may come up in such severe conditions, I just don't see an elder sister preferring one sibling's life over another's. The first part of the book ends in Sarah finding a safe place for Catherine, and going back home to die with William.
The second part of the book, "Ophelia" follows Sarah's father, Bill Harnden, whose car is stopped by Erica Kowlonski, a leading authority in the cellular cloning of vegetable and animal protein. Erica asks him to drive her to a government bunker, where they are sealed in along with other important scientists, politicians and members of the military. Consequently, they survive the nuclear attack. Bill and Erica end up having a daughter - Ophelia - the offspring of a loveless marriage out of duty. When the bunker's authoritarian leader decides to “confiscate” the outside survivers' cattle, Bill, Ophelia (now a teenager) and Dwight, Ophelia's friend, choose to set out into the unknown to warn the outsiders. Ophelia's meeting with her aunt Catherine (with her rather unpleasant post-nuclear survivor's appearance) and her mutant offspring doesn't go smoothly, and Ophelia chooses to return to the irrational, unsustainable, “dinosaur” bunker way of life.
"Simon", the third part of the novel follows Ophelia's son, who is sent from the bunker to find help, since most of the supplies have been spent, and people in the bunker haven't been able to develop a more sustainable way of life – teaching genetics to their children, while not being able to grow edible food and make comfortable clothes. Simon and the rest of his species, whose ancestors have started the war, are compared with the new generation, the mutants, who are pacifist, ready to share with others and accept differences. The novel ends on a positive note, Simon finds his place within the mutant community, while still being aware that his murderous, selfish species will die out soon and leave the world a better place.
Quotes:
“Simon hated her for that. Perhaps it was automatic. Her appearance alone made her different from him, and human beings had always feared and hated anyone who was different. Two thousand years of history saw it being repeated over and over, the perpetual struggle of one race, or tribe, or creed, against another... each one thinking they were right, superior, morally justified, or chosen by God. Simon saw himself as normal, Laura as abnormal.”
“Homo sapiens! The name itself was an irony. They had not been wise at all, but incredibly stupid. Lords of the Earth with their great gray brains, their thinking minds had placed them above all other forms of life. Yet it had not been thought that compelled them to act, but emotion. From the dawn of their evolution they had killed, and conquered, and subdued. They had committed atrocities on others of their kind, ravaged the land, polluted and destroyed, left millions to starve in Third World countries, and finished it all with a nuclear holocaust. The mutants were right. Intelligent creatures did not commit genocide, or murder the environment on which they were dependent.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 5, 2018
This is a book I remember reading probably when it came out (1985), and it had been on my mind lately as something I'd like to reread (even if I'm not exactly sure why). I happened to see it at a book sale on Saturday, so I snapped it up.
I had also reread it by Sunday afternoon.
It's an interesting book, very much of its time. It was a time when the threat of a nuclear holocaust seemed very real and there were a number of books exploring this idea and what might happen. The two I remember most at this one and H. M. Hoover's Children of Morrow (and look, there's even a theme in the titles that I had never noticed before).
They were books that looked for a hopeful future that might come out of such a disaster and in both (and many others) mutations eventually led humans into a better, post-human (and often psychically powered) future. Without looking anything up, I think the feeling now is that there would just be lots of cancers and death, rather than positive mutations, but that was the only hope the authors were finding and offering.
I'm going to drop into a spoiler tag now, not because the spoilers are huge, but because it gives you the option to read or not read and they do give away a few plot points.
I had also reread it by Sunday afternoon.
It's an interesting book, very much of its time. It was a time when the threat of a nuclear holocaust seemed very real and there were a number of books exploring this idea and what might happen. The two I remember most at this one and H. M. Hoover's Children of Morrow (and look, there's even a theme in the titles that I had never noticed before).
They were books that looked for a hopeful future that might come out of such a disaster and in both (and many others) mutations eventually led humans into a better, post-human (and often psychically powered) future. Without looking anything up, I think the feeling now is that there would just be lots of cancers and death, rather than positive mutations, but that was the only hope the authors were finding and offering.
I'm going to drop into a spoiler tag now, not because the spoilers are huge, but because it gives you the option to read or not read and they do give away a few plot points.
Read
November 18, 2015This was a fairly convincing (if brutal) look at Britain in the aftermath of a nuclear holocaust. But it goes wildly off the rails in the final third (Simon's story). I mean, by the end of the book only fifty years have passed since the bombs fell - but an entirely new species of humanity has risen up, complete with telepathic abilities. I was on board with the idea that humans would mutate to survive the increased UV radiation, so the eyes / fur / albinism was actually okay with me. But come on. Two generations on from us and human beings can calm rabid dogs with their minds and FLY PLANES WITH BRAINPOWER ALONE. I shit you not. Fossil fuels are bad, but it's okay because now space exploration can be achieved with MIND-POWERED ROCKETS!
Uhh.
Okay.
Other than the fact that the future of humanity turns out to be batshit insane, the book was only alright. The concept was a good one, but the writing never quite matched it, even before we got to the Mary-Sue mutants in the final third. Most of the main characters are children, but the tone is quite preachy and the author quite frequently segues off into deep reflection on humanity's failings - which has nothing to do with the protagonists and seems frankly out of place. It's if the author just stops the story every once in a while to remind you how godless and irredeemable humanity is. (There's a lot of talk about God, by the way. It's quite jarring for a modern reader.) Nor does it help that the author can't seem to make up her mind. She spends half her time telling us humanity deserved the bombs to fall - that we're an aggressive species, that we're greedy, that ordinary people are as accountable for the war as the government is - but at the same time she implies the millions of people dying of radioactive fallout are all part of some divine plan. She even goes so far (in the crazy final third) as to speculate that God killed off homo sapiens so this incredible new race of super-mutants could come into being.
I mean, at that point she was also suggesting humans had erected Stonehenge with the power of their minds, so my eyes were already pretty much rolling out of my head. But still.
Uhh.
Okay.
Other than the fact that the future of humanity turns out to be batshit insane, the book was only alright. The concept was a good one, but the writing never quite matched it, even before we got to the Mary-Sue mutants in the final third. Most of the main characters are children, but the tone is quite preachy and the author quite frequently segues off into deep reflection on humanity's failings - which has nothing to do with the protagonists and seems frankly out of place. It's if the author just stops the story every once in a while to remind you how godless and irredeemable humanity is. (There's a lot of talk about God, by the way. It's quite jarring for a modern reader.) Nor does it help that the author can't seem to make up her mind. She spends half her time telling us humanity deserved the bombs to fall - that we're an aggressive species, that we're greedy, that ordinary people are as accountable for the war as the government is - but at the same time she implies the millions of people dying of radioactive fallout are all part of some divine plan. She even goes so far (in the crazy final third) as to speculate that God killed off homo sapiens so this incredible new race of super-mutants could come into being.
I mean, at that point she was also suggesting humans had erected Stonehenge with the power of their minds, so my eyes were already pretty much rolling out of my head. But still.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 3, 2022
The first thing to note for any potential readers of Children of the Dust is that it was published in 1985, when the threat of nuclear war had been on people's minds for many years. At that time, I would have said the style and nature of the content of the book was suitable for teens, but with young kids being able to see just about anything these days, there's little here to faze anyone. By modern standards, there's nothing graphic here; indeed, to understand the power of the novel, you also need to understand how real the threat of nuclear war was back then. Anyone not old enough to have experienced this fear will probably be left scratching their heads.
The book is split into three parts. Firstly, in the immediate aftermath of the missiles landing, teenager Sarah tries to help her family survive, barricaded into the living room of their house in the weeks following the blast. The story then moves to a government bunker, where things are very different. Finally, we travel to a community of survivors some years later, very different again. The three sections are linked by the narrators being related.
Children of the Dust is a quick and easy read. There is death and suffering, of course, but the details are never gratuitous, only there as a necessity. Like the movie Threads, this is a warning of terrible consequences should one or two people's egos get out of control. Importantly, there is also a message of hope. The final third of the book is a little preachy in places, mainly regarding prejudice and discrimination, but I can see what Louise Lawrence was doing.
As I have already said, people who grew up in the era when the Cold War was at its coldest will probably relate to this book the most. I was born in 1963. It is important to remember both when it was written and its target audience. If you like your Science Fiction to be based on your own version of reality then you'll find plenty to pick at. However, as a child of the age who finds different perspectives on something that terrified me back then and is starting to do so again, I enjoyed Children of the Dust.
The book is split into three parts. Firstly, in the immediate aftermath of the missiles landing, teenager Sarah tries to help her family survive, barricaded into the living room of their house in the weeks following the blast. The story then moves to a government bunker, where things are very different. Finally, we travel to a community of survivors some years later, very different again. The three sections are linked by the narrators being related.
Children of the Dust is a quick and easy read. There is death and suffering, of course, but the details are never gratuitous, only there as a necessity. Like the movie Threads, this is a warning of terrible consequences should one or two people's egos get out of control. Importantly, there is also a message of hope. The final third of the book is a little preachy in places, mainly regarding prejudice and discrimination, but I can see what Louise Lawrence was doing.
As I have already said, people who grew up in the era when the Cold War was at its coldest will probably relate to this book the most. I was born in 1963. It is important to remember both when it was written and its target audience. If you like your Science Fiction to be based on your own version of reality then you'll find plenty to pick at. However, as a child of the age who finds different perspectives on something that terrified me back then and is starting to do so again, I enjoyed Children of the Dust.
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