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News from the Clouds
Gavin Meckler has slipped sideways in time again to a far more treacherous future than he has ever faced before.
Ever since Gavin left the world of 2011 and landed 200 years in the future, he has navigated the garden lands of Gardenia , escaped a world run by women in the Squares , and now finds himself in a floating city in the Clouds .
In this possible alternative future, the planet is ravaged by a brutal climate – crippling storms, sweeping winds and an unforgiving sun. Earth's inhabitants have had to adapt, creating a highly sophisticated society where the human race has two to live on the earth's scarred surface in enormous culverts, reinforced to withstand the ravages of the weather… or to float above it all.
It is a classless society where everyone must experience life both on the earth and in the clouds… and where they claim to know how and why Gavin has travelled 200 years beyond his own time.
Will Gavin finally understand the truth behind his journey? Can he find his way back to the life he left behind in 2011?
Is there even a world to go back to?...
Ever since Gavin left the world of 2011 and landed 200 years in the future, he has navigated the garden lands of Gardenia , escaped a world run by women in the Squares , and now finds himself in a floating city in the Clouds .
In this possible alternative future, the planet is ravaged by a brutal climate – crippling storms, sweeping winds and an unforgiving sun. Earth's inhabitants have had to adapt, creating a highly sophisticated society where the human race has two to live on the earth's scarred surface in enormous culverts, reinforced to withstand the ravages of the weather… or to float above it all.
It is a classless society where everyone must experience life both on the earth and in the clouds… and where they claim to know how and why Gavin has travelled 200 years beyond his own time.
Will Gavin finally understand the truth behind his journey? Can he find his way back to the life he left behind in 2011?
Is there even a world to go back to?...
- GenresScience Fiction
Kindle Edition
First published May 14, 2015
3 people are currently reading
74 people want to read
About the author
Robert Llewellyn
57 books75 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.
Robert Llewellyn is an English actor, presenter, and writer. He is best known for his roles as presenter of Scrapheap Challenge, and as the android Kryten in the hit sitcom Red Dwarf.
Robert Llewellyn is an English actor, presenter, and writer. He is best known for his roles as presenter of Scrapheap Challenge, and as the android Kryten in the hit sitcom Red Dwarf.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 15, 2017
This is the final book of the trilogy and I am sorry to see it end. I have become quite attached to Gavin and it was interesting to watch his outlook on life change as he progressed thr0ugh his adventures. I am finding it hard not to insert a spoiler here, but suffice to say that he makes a decision at the end of the book, that while reading I did not agree with, but as it ends, his journey changed my mind. All I can really say, is that if you liked the first two volumes in the series, you really need to finish them off with this wonderful story.
April 15, 2019
I love the whole trilogy, but this book is my favorite of the three. It's really a-typical of science fiction in that it drops a character in and lets him explore the world without a specific tension pulling him along the whole time. You really get the chance to explore real technology that's futurized just enough to make it sci-fi, though a lot of this is sci-now.
May 19, 2020
Not as good as the others in the "News from..." series but I enjoyed it nonetheless. The story continued and I was happy to read.
June 9, 2015
I have been looking forward to the third instalment in the trilogy for ages. In this novel Gavin Meckler finds himself once more in a strange and futuristic world. Imagine a world where the surface is deadly and uninhabitable. Winds of up to five hundred miles an hour and huge storms that are tens of kilometres wide daily sweep the surface of the Earth. What option would mankind have but to live underground or in the sky? They choose to do both.
All of the books in this fantastic series cover ecological issues and without ever preaching. You will find Llewellyn's writing is thoughtful and civilised from the outset. There is no excessive language, sex or violence. Just an interesting and intelligent narrative exploring not only the larger issues that face us all but Gavin’s own personal journey to get in touch with his emotional side.
There’s a gentle touch to the author’s work that is not often found and very appealing. Like Pratchett and Adam’s it seems quintessentially British. Perhaps the best compliment I can give Llewellyn is that I could imagine Gavin Meckler in a dressing gown bumbling around much like Arthur Dent! This trilogy was a thoroughly entertaining read with depth, heart and a subtle moral message. More of the same please Robert!
All of the books in this fantastic series cover ecological issues and without ever preaching. You will find Llewellyn's writing is thoughtful and civilised from the outset. There is no excessive language, sex or violence. Just an interesting and intelligent narrative exploring not only the larger issues that face us all but Gavin’s own personal journey to get in touch with his emotional side.
There’s a gentle touch to the author’s work that is not often found and very appealing. Like Pratchett and Adam’s it seems quintessentially British. Perhaps the best compliment I can give Llewellyn is that I could imagine Gavin Meckler in a dressing gown bumbling around much like Arthur Dent! This trilogy was a thoroughly entertaining read with depth, heart and a subtle moral message. More of the same please Robert!
July 17, 2016
A nice end to a nice series. Once again there is no real jeopardy for the central character, and once again it's a nice, easy and entertaining read.
This book is a little different to the other two on the series. To varying degrees the other books present a utopian world (there's a flaw in that argument as there are flaws in both of those worlds, but it conveys the meaning I intend without being strictly accurate) and this book is more of a dystopia (although again that's not quite right, it's not an ideal world but whatever it's flaws, it still functions) and of the three worlds in the three boosts it's the one I (and I guess most readers) would least like to spend their time in.
The narrative does mean that Gavin can visit another world before the end of the book, and whilst not quite what I was hoping for in terms of an ending, it was a good, proper ending. It did borrow a plot idea from the first series of Journey Into Space but I don't begrudge it that.
So, an enjoyable end to an enjoyable trilogy. I wonder if Llewellyn will be writing anything else in this genre? I hope so.
This book is a little different to the other two on the series. To varying degrees the other books present a utopian world (there's a flaw in that argument as there are flaws in both of those worlds, but it conveys the meaning I intend without being strictly accurate) and this book is more of a dystopia (although again that's not quite right, it's not an ideal world but whatever it's flaws, it still functions) and of the three worlds in the three boosts it's the one I (and I guess most readers) would least like to spend their time in.
The narrative does mean that Gavin can visit another world before the end of the book, and whilst not quite what I was hoping for in terms of an ending, it was a good, proper ending. It did borrow a plot idea from the first series of Journey Into Space but I don't begrudge it that.
So, an enjoyable end to an enjoyable trilogy. I wonder if Llewellyn will be writing anything else in this genre? I hope so.
June 5, 2016
I have enjoyed this trilogy and saw it through but I guess after the first two, I did rather expect the outcome at the end of this third one, and although I was avidly reading it, I maybe felt that it was all a little repeat of the first two books, as if the author didn't quite know where to go with this one and to some extent I found the detail in this book a bit over the top as regards living in the Clouds and what man had achieved by then, it did seem a little more unbelievable as a setting for this book. But overall, I was very impressed by this trilogy of books that offered something a bit different as a story
May 19, 2015
It was nice to get closure on the story. Some parts felt quite rushed compared to the other books, which was a shame.
I would have liked to have more story in Gardenia. I would have also liked more information about the culverts and clouds. Apparently weeks passed by, but I didn't get a good sense of time passing.
It was hard to understand the feelings about Noshi when Gavin seems to have just gone for one walk and worked on a few lentil plants with him.
I still enjoyed how it all came together, and am very glad that I backed the book on Unbound. :-)
I would have liked to have more story in Gardenia. I would have also liked more information about the culverts and clouds. Apparently weeks passed by, but I didn't get a good sense of time passing.
It was hard to understand the feelings about Noshi when Gavin seems to have just gone for one walk and worked on a few lentil plants with him.
I still enjoyed how it all came together, and am very glad that I backed the book on Unbound. :-)
May 28, 2015
The conclusion to an interesting series. As with the previous books the main character lands in a possible future, but this time it's not as positive as the previous ones were.
I've given it a lower rating than I did the others though, as it seems a bit rushed in places, and the side characters don't seem as fleshed out. In part this is because of less time spent on this world than in the others, but it just doesn't feel right to me and it's a bit as if the author ran out of ideas. The conclusion and resolution of the arc are nicely done though, so no complaints there.
I've given it a lower rating than I did the others though, as it seems a bit rushed in places, and the side characters don't seem as fleshed out. In part this is because of less time spent on this world than in the others, but it just doesn't feel right to me and it's a bit as if the author ran out of ideas. The conclusion and resolution of the arc are nicely done though, so no complaints there.
June 3, 2015
The final book of a very interesting trilogy, Robert Llewellyn has written another very good book.
This book nicely concludes Gavin Mecklers adventure.
All three books are very well written with interesting story lines and plots, also technically very good.
I would recommend this and the rest of the series to anyone.
This book nicely concludes Gavin Mecklers adventure.
All three books are very well written with interesting story lines and plots, also technically very good.
I would recommend this and the rest of the series to anyone.
April 11, 2015
Loved the first one, liked the second one. This third instalment, not so much. I think because I didn't get any real insight into why this world was the way it was. Many amazing things in it, but no indication of how it got to be that way.
May 22, 2015
This final instalment of the News From trilogy was
A really enjoyable read and easy to get into unlike some science fiction books. If you have ready the previous instalments you owe it to yourself to finish off then set.
A really enjoyable read and easy to get into unlike some science fiction books. If you have ready the previous instalments you owe it to yourself to finish off then set.
June 14, 2015
The third book in the series which I supported and I am pleased to have done so. The story felt somewhat repetitious at times and I did a fair bit of skim reading because of it. An easy read with good ideas.
January 8, 2016
It wasn't my favourite of the trilogy but it was nice to come to a beautiful simple end. The book definitely is present with me as I realize the privilege of my life and wonder what my grandchildren's lives will be like.
May 17, 2015
Fantastic final book in the trilogy.
April 23, 2015
The final part of the trilogy. Wrapped it up. Not as engaging as the other two but glad I read it.
October 21, 2015
has its moments (particularly the last few chapters) but the structure is just a little to similar to the previous two books. feels repetitive.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews