Member Reviews
A quirky novel set with Q, a quantum cryptographer who, through his work realises our over-reliance on technology will lead to major upheaval in society. He decides that it would be wise to relocate from London and he settles in Cornwall where he spends his time rebuilding a ruined farmhouse. His interactions with the locals including Eva, Theodore and others including the intriguing Arthurian knight are hilarious and refreshing. The background of extinct creatures being brought back to life and roaming the countryside adds to the novel’s quirkiness. De Bernieres takes the reader on a journey where technology and bots dominate. A clever philosophical tale that could be viewed as speculative or futuristic. The novel is written with humour and highlights the critical role of relationships with others. Heart warming and satisfying. A perfect read as the nights grow colder and darker.
In the very near future, society is becoming even more strange, with electronic devices taking over and people become more...weird. So it's easy to see how someone may want to get away from it all, this odd electronic rat race where people dress as characters from the past as well as animals, believing that they are as they dress. It's all too confusing.
As I read the first chapter, I wondered what I had opted into. This strange world wasn't for me. But I read on and as I did I realised that this tale wasn't so far removed from my own, especially when the main character decided to buy a delipidated farmhouse in Bodmin Moor in Cornwall. He wants to get away from the AI that does all the physical tasks, such as housework, mowing the lawn, repairing the roof, waiting on tables and so on, that leave all the humans with huge bottoms because they sit down all day. There's a familiar ring to that.
One of the reasons he wants to get away from it all is that he believes that the world is ending. Here, philosophy mixes with farce. He acquires about half a dozen freezers to store food without considering the longevity of frozen food and the supply of electricity. He meets up with people who are religious and non-religious, folk who play at going back to nature without realising that there is no balance of nature to believe in, despite previously extinct animals being reintroduced, such as bears, bison and lynx. Everything is a little off kilter, but I wonder if this is what it will be like when the world ends.
The story is well written and told from two perspectives with a mix of first and third person narration. It considers existence, whether people and animals (with regard to extinction) continue to exist even after death in various forms. But mostly it is about reality versus fantasy and what is important in life.
Satirical, rambling, absurd but always entertaining, a book that really gives you something to think about
This is a quirky book, but kind of set as a future warning.
Sometime in the near future Q is married with two kids. His job is to help get the government out of messes. If hackers attack the grid in any way, it's his job to work out what they've done and retaliate. It's left him very comfortably off.
He has the means and buys a rundown farm on Bodmin Moor in preparedness of the grid failing. He spends more and more time down there, becoming good friends with his neighbours and all the local eccentrics.
The book covers a swathe of his life and is a delightful description of what could happen if humans become too reliant on technology. Quite a cautionary tale.
This is a futuristic and dystopian novel, centred around a cryptographer named Q. Tired of hacking and cyberattacks, he heads off to live in a remote corner of Cornwall to become self-sufficient. He sets about becoming a fit and muscled survivalist. Cornwall is very much a character in its own right and the weather a plot of its own. A macho book with a lot to say about the world.
I have read several titles by this author in the past, and enjoyed them, so went into this with high hopes. We meet Artie (aka Q) as he quits his job and moves to Cornwall in order to prepare for what sees as the inevitable “apocalypse” that will soon hit society. He soon befriends his neighbours, and is joined by his children, and the story unfolds as they make their preparations for the collapse of society as they know it.
This is an interesting idea for a novel – the way AI has rendered life shallow and meaningless for the majority of people in this not too distant future is intriguing – and the characters are engaging. However, the pacing just felt a bit slow for me. For a book with such a threat of menace hanging over the protagonist, not too much seems to really happen – it’s all about preparing for what may or may not come. I also didn’t particularly warm to any of the characters, which made it a little hard to relate to them at times.
However, it is undoubtedly beautifully written, and will appeal to a great many people.
My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.
To be honest when I chose to read Light Over Liskeard I did not read any of the blurb, choosing it just on the author.
I thought it sounded and looked like a second world war novel, hence my surprise when it turned out to be a futuristic, end of the world scenario! If I had know that I might not have chosen it, as there is so much nihilistic future gazing at the moment and I want comfort!
Having said that, the novel was very well realised and had some interesting things to say about doom preppers and that pervading nihilism: "This is just to remind you that even if you survive the end of civilisation, one day you’re still going to die. So live today and don’t be always getting ready for tomorrow."
It also echoes much of the green philosophy about how humans have adapted all around us but not adapted themselves, so when something catastrophic happens to what we have created, we will be unprepared to cope. "Creatures so maladapted that instead of living in the world as it was, they had to change the world to suit themselves"
I felt personally there was a bit of a misstep at times where de Bernieres was having a jibe at gender fluidity and LGBTQ issues - being spat at for being a heterosexual couple holding hands or stopping dating a tree because the woman was a lesbian and discovered it was a male tree.
The group of characters living together on Bodmin and finding a way to live back to basics with nature, preparing for a future catastrophe was the main story and this worked well.
My favourite quote is "If you are a great reader of books, you will have lived hundreds of lives before you die." Amen to that!
Q is a quantum cryptanalyst in a near future world totally dependant on technology and constantly threatened by terrorist threats to the infrastructure. His job is to counter those threats but he fears that soon one of the attacks will succeed in taking out the Grid and buys a derelict farmhouse on Bodmin Moor where he hopes to survive the coming apocalypse. His nearest neighbour, and mentor in doing all things practical is Theo, originally from South America and clearly borrowed from de Berniere's early magic realism trilogy. Beautifully written, as you would expect it has many delightful pastoral scenes but is in essence an end of days story
So different from the other books that I have read by Louis de Bernieres but equally as good. This novel is both humorous and harrowing. The world the author writes about has changed far beyond the point where we can go back and because of this the book has an important message to mankind.
Some of Louis de Bernieres' best novels are those in his Latin American trilogy, where he ventures into magical realism - a genre I usually dislike but de Bernieres is able to make it work. 'Light Over Liskeard' is in a similar vein, although set in the future and UK, The central character is Q, a wealthy quantum cryptographer who works to preserve the electronic systems on which humanity is utterly dependent. Realising that the destruction of modern life is inevitable, he buys a remote farmhouse near Liskeard in Cornwall and prepares for the end of modernity.
It sounds bleak, but it isn't really as the characters are likeable and the premise, though frightening, is nothing surprising. There is a small connection to the Latin American trilogy, and even a reference to de Bernieres' other trilogy (the Daniel Pitt novels) although it is very minor. 'Prepping' for societal collapse is something that many people in the current world do, and it's interesting to read a book about the concept. There's also a message in there about our reliance on centralised electricity and computer based technology and its vulnerability to cyberattack or some forms of natural disaster.
Ultimately it is an enjoyable read and has a message of hope and resilience. There is no focus on the impending disaster itself, it's all about the preparation for it. It makes an enjoyable read and yes, it did make me feel the urge to buy up a few more cans of food and some batteries for my torch...
When I think of Louis de Bernières I instantly think of Captain Corelli's Mandolin film from 2020 based on the book from 1994. 'Light Over Liskeard is a beautifully written book that was most enjoyable and quickly read. I thoroughly recommend this book. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to ARC this book in return for an honest review.
I was really intrigued when I heard that Louis de Bernieres had a new book out.
Light Over Liskeard is nothing at all like Captain Corelli's Mandolin… admittedly the only other book I’ve read of his… so I’m unsure if any of his others are of a similar futuristic/dystopian genre.
This is a book that makes you reflect on the way we currently live our lives, and our dependency on technology - it’s not all doom and gloom though, it’s quite an uplifting story really - well worth a read!
Another brilliant novel by Louis de Bernieres.
This time set in the possible near future. It gives a scenario where today's developments become tomorrow's joy and sadness.
Nobody knows what the future holds but this book holds within it's pages a number of warnings and suggestions, and is a cracking good read.
I liked the mystery. I liked the characters, I liked the inventiveness.
Many thanks to the author for an eye-opening book, and thanks to the publisher for an advanced readers copy for honest review.
What a wonderful, curious, oddly uplifting book.
The last de Bernieres I read was, inevitably, Captain Corelli's Mandolin (which I also loved until Nic Cage killed the film). Light Over Liskeard is nothing like that.
It I set in an unnamed future time when, not surprisingly, technology has taken over what little autonomy we had left. Cars are all electric, guided by satellites, money is invisible, everything we need is delivered at the press of a button and bots are everywhere - chef bots, server bots, sex bots etc etc.
Q is our hero and the main narrator of the book. He is a cryptographer who seems to do a lot of firefighting for the government as regards rogue computer viruses and generally keeping the world safe. He is possibly the best at what he does. However one night he is visited by a man who tells him the world as he knows it will come to an end, civilisation will totally break down and, if he doesn't want to end up the same as everyone else he needs to do something - and fast.
Not knowing if it was a dream but already bored with his life he heads to Bodmin and buys a tumbledown cottage. His neighbours (including Theo and his daughter Eva) help him become the man ge needs to be - self sufficient, able to cope and ready for the imminent "end" of the world.
That's the bare bones of what could be an exceedingly depressing book but what turns out to be truly joyful. It certainly makes you think about how useless you yourself might be were technology to break overnight.
I thoroughly enjoyed it although it might not be to everyone's taste. I'm not a fan of dystopia myself but this is the most uplifting piece of dystopia I've read yet. The characters are interesting and often strange, you easily fall into imagining the life of Q and his children as they navigate the changes in their lives.
I guess that this dystopia may be exactly what happens in the future - when is anybody's guess but you'd definitely want someone like Q or Theo living next door if it did.
Thanks very much to Netgalley and Random House UK for the advance review copy.
Louis de Bernieres latest is a thought provoking delight, so fun and entertaining whilst simultaneously skilfully parodying aspects, direction and dangers of modern contemporary life and society. Set in the future, Q, aka Artie, is the leading quantum cryptographer primarily working in state security, he is still close with his wife, Penelope, although their marriage is dead, and they have 2 children, son, Charlie and daughter, Morgan. Becoming ever more anxious and despairing about the state of the world, Q worries people have made themselves redundant becoming their own worst enemies. They have retreated from life and turned to bots and their screens, having children is far too much trouble, with the consequent decline in population. Q can forsee a coming apocalypse, an apocalypse he would willingly consider bringing about himself, restrained only by the thought of his children.
Q makes the decision to leave London for Cornwall by himself, buying a derelict Yelland farmhouse on Bodmin Moor, intent on restoring it with a view towards self sufficiency. He is hoping to survive the darkness that would follow an apocalype, building food stores and other necessary supplies. However, despite being a genius, Q is not a practical man, and he is going to need the support of his able Park Ranger neighbour, Theodore Pitt, and his beautiful daughter, Eva, a jewellery maker who regularly runs in her boots. His home is haunted by a ghost, Maidie Knox, and around him is a community is of oddball characters, including a knight, Bedwyr Bedryant, and Maranatha, awaiting The Rapture. Q becomes transformed physically and mentally with all the changes in his life, a life that draws his children to live with him, as the world begins to disintegrate.
The novel references the author's previous characters, Theo's great great grandfather was Daniel Pitt, WW1 flying ace. Once I got used to the style of the storytelling, I found this to be an absolute joy to read, Eva was a wonder with the way she takes Q in hand, insisting on tackling his appearance, she helps to do the same for Fergus later on to oil the relationship between him and Morgan. Q prepares for the future by going back to the past, so called technological advances are not all they are cracked up to be, a mirage when it comes to being able to truly live, and no help when society begins to disintegrates. A brilliant read that I highly recommend. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
A quite enjoyable book, somewhat whimsical about Artie, also known as Q, who leaves his life as a quantum crypto expert in London (along with long-time wife) for a simpler life in the country. Pretty quickly he gets caught up with the local community and becomes ever more practical.
The book as elements of magical realism, with you never knowing whether Eva is the ghost, along with references to myths and legends, brought to life by the colourful hermits also living nearby.
As Artie builds his new life, he becomes ever convinced that modern technology is fragile, and that most people are so used it they couldn't survive if it failed. He therefore devoted increasing effort to preparing for this apocalypse. We never get to see whether he is successful, as the book ends, somewhat abruptly, at the omens when the lights go off.
This esoteric new novel from Louis de Bernières is set mostly in an old farmhouse in Cornwall, where Q, (or Artie, depending on where you are in the book) has escaped from his high pressured job as a quantum cryptographer, to build a new life, one which will, he hopes, help him to survive when the apocalypse happens. He soon learns to be self sufficient, restore old buildings and make new friends with the neighbours and those who, for one reason or another, live on Bodmin Moor. They may be some sort of hippy, or a spiritual person awaiting the end times, or perhaps the ghost of a woman who used to inhabit Q's house. Eventually his almost -adult 2 children join him, and he tries hard to lure his estranged wife, Penelope, to join them too, as Q feels his new existence will be safer when the end comes than being in London.
Is this set some time in the far distant future? All the work and a lot of the pleasure, is supplied by human-looking bots. People's lives are governed by their 'devices' and everyone is so bored with nothing much to do that they parade around in fancy dress costumes. Life seems to be barely worth living. And there is the constant fear that everything and everyone will soon implode, bringing an end to life as we know it.
Or maybe the book is poking fun in a tongue-in-cheek way at how our world is proceeding, Or perhaps it is a warning, reminding us of what is truly important - not bots, not AI, not a life with nothing to do, but a life of relationships and meaning, knowing who we are and what our purpose is.
This is a cleverly written book, not always easy to follow, but an interesting read and one that makes you think. I was soon involved with the characters, although a few were very peripheral and uninteresting, but the main characters and their lives were fascinating. Eva, who runs and runs in walking boots and who may or may not be Maudie too; Theodore, her wise father and Q's eventual friend; Fergus, who is reformed to a certain extent by Eva and Q's daughter Morgan; and Q himself, bemused by what he's trying to accomplish and by his nightly ghostly visitations.
I was glad to have persevered to the end. When it came it was a little abrupt - and leaves you wondering ....
With thanks to NetGalley, the publishers and the author for an e-ARC of this book to read and review.
This is a strange book, but one that I enjoyed very much. There's a lot going on and some of it is weird but most of it is believable. Set in the future - or a parody of current times? I couldn't decide which it was but it was disconcerting. Rewilding was a good theme - of the humans as well as the animals. it's always good to read a Louis de Bernieres book and this is a very good read. Not up to his wonderful Captain Corelli's Mandolin - but what is?
From mystics waiting for the rapture to crusty anti government anarchists to ghosts and tame lynxes, there is a lot here. In fact, too much I think. I really enjoyed parts of the book but other parts seemed so daft they were distracting. All just a bit too confused and confusing.
It is unusual to find a romantic, entertaining and evocative novel about the end of the world as we know it, but Louis de Bernieres has managed to write one.
Q, also known as Artie, is a cryptographer using Quantum computing to defend an advanced version of the Internet from hackers and terrorists but he realises that the massive interdependence of all things electronic is soon going to come unstuck, and in this slightly futuristic world that spells disaster. However, the book isn’t really about that!
What it’s really about is how he starts to find a new life on Bodmin Moor with an extraordinary range of characters, both human and animal. Together, they are building the resilient forms of living which will survive an apocalypse and it makes for a genuinely heart-warming, and often funny, read.
It’s written with a lightness of touch and a positive message about people and nature as Artie starts to work out who he is and what he wants from the rest of his life. There are some surprises along the way!
This was a very strange book indeed. It seems to take elements from several of de Bernieres early novels and weaves them into the landscape of Devon and Cornwall, where he sets a novel that looks at the end times from the point of view mostly of a man who is a genius at quantum mechanics. Q or Artie as he later becomes, lives in London, working for the government as he attempts to fend off cyber attacks on the electronic systems that now monopolise the lives of humans. People are so bored they spend their days dressed as characters from history and employing bots as stand ins for real human contact. Artie escapes to Devon where he befriends a park ranger and his daughter and goes about an elaborate doomsday prep that takes the rest of the book and introduces many characters along the way. From mystics waiting for the rapture to crusty anti government anarchists to ghosts and tame lynxes, there is a lot here. In fact, too much I think. I really enjoyed parts of the book but other parts seemed so daft they were distracting. Also, some of the gender and sex based material seemed a little tasteless and at times much along the lines of the 'Ooh, I identify as a pot plant' brigade and I found myself getting a bit wearied. This reminded me of the initial Latin American trilogy, indeed it steals chunks from it, but here the idea is stretched to a ridiculous degree and shoehorned into something else. I felt like it couldn't make its mind up.