In 1994 I read Louis de Berniere's Captain Corelli's Mandolin and enjoyed the writing. So I looked forward to reading Light Over Liskeard. Set in the future, in Cornwall, this reads like a cautionary tale and a list of how society has changed for the author in ways he finds distasteful. So there is human over- reliance on technology : intimate intercourse bots and ayahbots which replace human interaction and love. A universal credit for everyone because there are no jobs. No one able to cook. A childlike state created by a lack of engagement with each other or the environment. We meet a small group of self reliant survivalists who predict the demise of technology and prepare, as best they can, for a future without technology. De Berniere relishes writing a quirky character, setting up a surreal scene including ghosts and history in the background of the story. There is a lot of detail, the pace is sedate, and the chapters episodic. I don't find Sci Fi particularly exciting so got less out of the book than I hoped for.

Pick up this gorgeous hug of a book and get transported to a beautiful place wraps itself round you like a cosy blanket. It has warmth, charm, laugh-out-loud moments and a wistful nostalgia. I absolutely loved it.

There was a lot to take in in this novel as it is set in a dystopian world where people totally rely on technology to live their lives. There are housebots, sexbots, driver free cars. No one seems to work.

The central character, Q, is a genius level quantum cryptographer who believes the world is going to fail soon. So he buys a remote farmhouse on Bodmin Moor and starts to set it up for survival.

There are various creatures roaming the moor, bears, wolves, lynxes and even aurochs. All part of a reintroduction process that seems out of hand.

The main characters are well written and engaging. I was soon involved in their lives. But there were some parts, sciency, mathematicy, that I skimmed as they were too much for my feeble brain.

Almost 5 star but it ended abruptly and with unanswered questions, for me at least. But worth reading.

I read a proof copy provided by NetGalley and the publishers.

I enjoyed many aspects of this; the dystopian setting, Q’s quirks and perhaps the intended or unintended autistic traits, the quantum, the writing style.
But the writing of the female characters and their reduction to Q’s fantasies bugged me.
I wanted to think “Q is complex, and has flaws, and human beings are indeed like that sometimes (avoiding giving away spoilers)”, though that didn’t cut it for me.
I wanted more out of the female representation because the potential was there.
In my version with those fixed, this is at least a 4 star book/story.

Light Over Liskeard is a dystopian whimsy about a world where robots of various kinds have taken over work, and the human race have become indolent and pointless, save for a few.
Q is a Quantum Cryptographer and clearly autistic. He is one of the few humans able to interpret the altered world, and we see him embrace nature red in tooth and claw in preparation for the inevitable apocalypse.
The book is utterly compromised by the author's unpleasant obsession with descriptions of young women's bodies and age-gap sexual relationships. It leaves a nasty taste in the mouth. For that reason, I can't recommend this book, but I do recommend the author get some counselling.

A book that challenges the reader to consider what makes a person, a person. What is success, purpose, meaning in life?

Set in the not so distant future, where nobody works, or really has much of a purpose anymore. Bots do everything. Everything is connected.

Q or Artie is a cryptographer, so knows just how easily the system - The Cloud -could be hacked with devastating consequences. He's become increasingly sedentary and disillusioned and stumbling across an abandoned farmhouse on Bodmin Moor one day, he decides to buy it, renovate it and prepare for the end of civilization as we know it.

Throughout this beautiful book, there are philosophical questions that make you think. There is friendship and new love and kindness aplenty. There is also cynicism for a world in which reality exists for so many via a headset, and how ridiculous we as a species have become.

I loved reading about Q's metamorphosis, his return to working with nature and growing physically strong and purposeful. The increasing happiness of his children as they removed their eyes from the screens they'd always been attached to.

This book has so much to say about the way the world is heading, but I fear it's too late to stop the direction we're heading in.

And when there is no longer light over Liskeard, well, then, the planet might just stand a chance of rebirth.

I adore Louis de Bernieres, I was so looking forward to reading his new novel and am so grateful to have access. The characters always feel so relatable and the sense of loss and great hope are always balanced in the end. Thank you.

I should have felt sad when the inevitable happened at the end of this book, but I really didn’t.

Q, the main character in Light Over Liskeard, has been preparing for this event from the first page. He knows that the collapse of society will happen, just not when.

Q is a man who has never had to do anything for himself, but in order to prepare, he learns how to build, grow and work with others with the help of his very capable neighbours.

It’s a fascinating landscape, mixing the familiarity of Cornwall with the unfamiliar wildlife: lynxes, aurochs, wolves and more. I loved the sound of them all. Whilst it’s sad that no one really sees them (because they all live in their convenient, encapsulated, electronic worlds), the lack of visitors is probably why the wildlife thrives.

This is full of observations on: modern life and how it’s not as great as it’s cracked up to be; the beauty of nature; and the importance of relationships and human connection. And ultimately what I read Louis de Bernières for: his fascinating, quirky characters. I loved them all!

Louis de Bernieres crafts an unusual and captivating novel that combines romance, entertainment, and evocative storytelling against the backdrop of the impending end of the world as we know it.

The protagonist, Q (Artie), is a cryptographer using Quantum computing to defend an advanced version of the Internet. Recognizing the imminent unravelling of the massive electronic interdependence, he foresees disaster in this slightly futuristic world. However, the novel's essence lies beyond the impending catastrophe.

The narrative shifts to focus on Q finding a new life on Bodmin Moor, where an array of extraordinary characters, both human and animal, come together to build resilient forms of living that can withstand an apocalypse. The story unfolds as a heartwarming and often humorous exploration of people and nature forging connections in the face of impending doom.

De Bernieres employs a light touch and infuses the narrative with a positive message about humanity and nature. As Artie discovers who he is and what he desires for the remainder of his life, the novel takes unexpected turns, delivering surprises along the way. This unique blend of romance, humour, and resilience makes for a genuinely uplifting and engaging read.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Bots have practically taken over the world, and Q, a quantum cryptographer, thinks the end of humanity is near. He purchases a run-down farm house in Cornwall as a means of preparing for a simpler life devoid of technology—one that involves foraging for food on the land and learning to survive on one's own. He must leave his wife and two kids behind in London in order to accomplish this.

De Bernières follows Q or Artie's transformation from pale, chubby geek to lean, tanned farm worker. Along the way, he meets a park ranger, Theo, his daughter Eva, and a cast of strange and surreal characters, including a holy man and a ghost who haunts his house.

This is a difficult one. Parts of this crazy story I liked, but others strands strayed and meandered too far for my taste. It does make some valid philosophical points, such as our reliance on technology. But it was just too experimental for me in the end, and de Bernières' character's fixation on the much younger female character and ghost, both of whom he has a sexual relationship, became a distraction.

I wanted to love this as much I loved Captain Corelli’s mandolin but it’s just so very different. Not for me I’m afraid.

I will sell this book as I know a book with Liskeard in the title by a major author will sell well in the south west, but it is not for me. It is basically the grumbles of an old man about the way the modern world is going. There is no joy or optimism in this tale. And when the old male author described the old male author cliche of a woman examining herself naked in a mirror, I gave up.

Louis de Bernières is an author I had always intended to read but never gotten around to. The description for this book ticked all my boxes so I dived right in. It's a story set in the near future, a cautionary tale which picks up and reflects on alot of the concerns which no doubt flit across our minds from time to time, particularly in relation to our dependence on technology. It's a fun book too, one which I didn't want to put down, and I thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere. Some of the author's observations are very incisive and make you think twice. However there are also a couple of things that made me squirm - they suggest "written by an older guy" - and I do wonder whether those things (no spoilers) would be a major turn off for a younger audience. So, a star knocked off for that. But overall, a great read.

A futuristic tale of life and love in a world run by robots. A really enjoyable read, a glimpse into the future .

Having read Captain Coreolli's Mandolin about twenty years ago I was looking forward to reading ‘Light over Liskeard’ and was probably expecting something similar and in one way I wasn’t disappointed. Although based in the near future I don’t think the book could be classified as Science Fiction as the characters and their interactions with each other is the driving force behind this story, not any fantastical setting or futuristic gizmos, even though robots, self driving cars, AI and quantum computers are scattered liberally throughout.
De Bernieres’ writing style makes for very easy reading and I found the book very difficult to put down. All in all a very enjoyable read.

Not what I expected having read Captain Coreolli's Mandolin several years ago.
Set in an age when Humans rely on AI for food etc. and have robotic helpers.
Q works for the government as a cryptographer and helps lock systems but also track hackers and prevent intrusion and hacking into key systems.
He is becoming more concerned that the systems will fail and people won't service without all the systems to run things.
In preparation he buys a remote farm, befriends a couple of locals and begins to prepare for network and systems failures.
An entertaining but thought provoking read.
Should systems decide lives. Have people's lives become meaningless with no purpose. What should people believe in and what should they strive for.

I do like de Bernieres' work as a rule but I hate science fiction and the futuristic setting of this novel grated on me from the start. I so wanted to like it and there are some terrific ideas here but I couldn't get over my own prejudice!

The book like this had to be written. About our foreseeable future, or that we have no bright future if everything goes the direction it goes right now. We let our lives to be controlled by modern AI technologies and have no real survival skills. The crash of the system is inevitable.

A book about the disaster we could be facing in not a long time, a sweet and heartwarming one.
Well developed and quirky characters, lovely setting, and the power of emotions and feelings against the drama.
Loved it
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Let me confess: I haven’t read Captain Correlli’s Mandolin. I’m probably in the minority, but I just never got round to it. If it’s as good as Light Over Liskeard, though, I shall do so shortly. De Bernières’ new book has chapters told in the first person by various characters; and in the third person. The book is set in the near future – around 2050, I’d guess – where mankind has become almost a different species: homo redundans. People stare at screens all day long; cars can drive themselves; and there are robots (“bots”) to do everything: bots to clean; bots to build; bots as children’s friends; bots for sex. People are living much longer with body parts being replaced by mechanisms as required. Everything is dependent upon networks and all those networks are dependent upon each other. Cars rely upon satellites for a GPS signal; the satellites are reliant upon servers in ground stations for instructions; those servers need power; the power stations need the Internet to order fuel automatically; etc… Despite that science-fiction infrastructural aspect being crucial to the story, the book is really about humans and their living and loving.

Artie’s skill is being able to fix networks that have been hacked. He is the British Government’s “go to” person for that - and they pay him a lot of money. He is increasingly concerned that someone will succeed in hacking into the networks and stop them working: no internet, no electricity, no water (because pumping stations don’t work without power); no food (because farmers cannot transport it and ships cannot move without GPS); and no money (because it’s all electronic). He decides, on a whim, to buy a tumbledown farm on Bodmin Moor and renovate it as somewhere he can escape with his children if that dread day arrives. When looking around the farmhouse, Artie finds a photograph of a team of young women, dated 1908. One of them is called Maidie and Artie thinks she is the prettiest, most enchanting girl he has ever seen.

Artie’s near neighbour on the moor is Theo, who has a daughter called Eva. Eva knows Maidie very well, despite the book’s setting over 150 years later. Is Maidie a ghost or just a figment in Artie’s dreams? But if so, how does Eva know her too? Is Eva a reincarnation of Maidie? How can Eva love Artie when he’s so much older than her?

I loved the implicit commentary upon our lives today: how we are becoming lazy; how vulnerable we are to power / Internet outages; how families drift apart because they’d rather use technology than another human to satisfy their sociological and emotional needs. This is not a book with nice neat answers; it’s a book that simply shows how things could be – and some of those things could be uncomfortable.

#LightOverLiskeard #NetGalley