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Brother in the Land
ISBN 0-19-271491-0
An 'After-the-Bomb' story told by teenage Danny, one of the survivors - one of the unlucky ones. Set in Skipley, an ordinary town in the north of England, this is a powerful portrayal of a world that has broken down. Danny not only has to cope in a world of lawlessness and gang warfare, but he has to protect and look after his little brother, Ben, and a girl called Kim. Is there any hope left for a new world?
An 'After-the-Bomb' story told by teenage Danny, one of the survivors - one of the unlucky ones. Set in Skipley, an ordinary town in the north of England, this is a powerful portrayal of a world that has broken down. Danny not only has to cope in a world of lawlessness and gang warfare, but he has to protect and look after his little brother, Ben, and a girl called Kim. Is there any hope left for a new world?
151 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
96 people are currently reading
1352 people want to read
About the author
Robert Swindells
173 books102 followersRobert Swindells was born in Bradford in 1939, the eldest of five children. He left the local Secondary Modern School at fifteen to work as a copy holder on the local newspaper. At seventeen he enlisted in the RAF and served for three years, two in Germany. On being discharged he worked as a clerk, engineer and printer until 1969 when he entered college to train as a teacher having obtained five 'O' levels at night-school. His first book 'When Darkness Comes' was written as a college thesis and published by Hodder and Stoughton in 1972. In 1980 he gave up teaching to write full time. He likes travelling and visits many schools each year, talking and reading stories to children. He is the secutatry of his local Peace Movement group. Brother in the Land is his first book for Oxford University Press. He is married with two grown-up daughters and lives in Bradford.
Author description taken from Brother in the Land.
Author description taken from Brother in the Land.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 140 reviews
August 29, 2013
This was a fascinating and harrowing book. I picked it up after hearing it discussed on A Good Read, which is a fabulous podcast from BBC Radio 4.
I've always felt an abyss-like fear open up in front of me whenever I think of nuclear war, another reviewer mentioned the equally harrowing Threads tv show shown in 1984 on the BBC which terrified me as a 14 year old, and so it proved with this book. I was gripped by the realistic description but didn't want to read on at the same time.
I found it all quite sad but politically powerful nonetheless, especially the motives of the "army" that takes control after the blast - did anyone else think "Yeah, that's precisely what would happen"?
I find this, and all things around this subject, terrifying not because of the "bomb" per se but because of the mundanity of life afterwards, only magnified. The violence and greed quickly return in this book, and in my mind that is an accurate reflection of what would happen in reality, as does the day to day monotony. One character refers to the "heaven" that they lost, heaven being the ordinary life that they (and we) take for granted and I wondered if their lives were that fulfilling beforehand or just by contrast. It's the second one I'm sure, which makes the loss sadder to me, that it's not reality that they pine for but just a perceived reality.
One character says near the end "how's it going to end..." and the reply is "Not with a bang but a whimper". And that really is the tragedy at the heart of the book, that the bomb itself is not the scary thing, the truly terrifying thing is to be left alive afterwards and be amongst those trying to scrape out an existence until death comes on quietly, regardless and inevitably.
EDIT: By the way this was a cast iron 5 star book for me but some slight doubt crept in toward the end when I felt that some of the action became two dimensional and some of the character's reactions seemed forced, but it's definitely a great, if not perfect, book.
I've always felt an abyss-like fear open up in front of me whenever I think of nuclear war, another reviewer mentioned the equally harrowing Threads tv show shown in 1984 on the BBC which terrified me as a 14 year old, and so it proved with this book. I was gripped by the realistic description but didn't want to read on at the same time.
I found it all quite sad but politically powerful nonetheless, especially the motives of the "army" that takes control after the blast - did anyone else think "Yeah, that's precisely what would happen"?
I find this, and all things around this subject, terrifying not because of the "bomb" per se but because of the mundanity of life afterwards, only magnified. The violence and greed quickly return in this book, and in my mind that is an accurate reflection of what would happen in reality, as does the day to day monotony. One character refers to the "heaven" that they lost, heaven being the ordinary life that they (and we) take for granted and I wondered if their lives were that fulfilling beforehand or just by contrast. It's the second one I'm sure, which makes the loss sadder to me, that it's not reality that they pine for but just a perceived reality.
One character says near the end "how's it going to end..." and the reply is "Not with a bang but a whimper". And that really is the tragedy at the heart of the book, that the bomb itself is not the scary thing, the truly terrifying thing is to be left alive afterwards and be amongst those trying to scrape out an existence until death comes on quietly, regardless and inevitably.
EDIT: By the way this was a cast iron 5 star book for me but some slight doubt crept in toward the end when I felt that some of the action became two dimensional and some of the character's reactions seemed forced, but it's definitely a great, if not perfect, book.
October 24, 2022
Now before I actually post my review of Brother in the Land (regarding Robert Swindells' contents, themes and style), I do want to point out that while after the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the USSR, many (and in particular my parents' and my grandparents' generation) seemed to think that 1980s anti nuclear war novels geared at teenaged readers such as Robert Swindells' Brother in the Land (which takes place in England and was penned in 1984) and Gudrun Pausewang's The Last Children (which takes place in Germany and was published in 1983) were much too over the top, kind of unbelievable and even rather fear mongering, well, with Vladimir Putin's threat of nuclear war looming once again in 2022, maybe Pausewang and Swindells' novels of doom and gloom should not so easily and naively have been denigrated by so very many (and that there is a reason why both authors have written two novels that sound frighteningly alike and paint a pretty dismal picture, but one that is necessary to be showing).
And while with Brother in the Land, readers only get to see the aftermath of a nuclear weapons attack on the United Kingdom (and likely everywhere in Europe) from the main protagonist's, from Danny's first person perspective, and that Robert Swindells has his Danny character write and narrate his experiences and the story of his "survival" (and the quotation marks are mine, as survival is certainly not considered all that much as positive in Brother in the Land and that those killed instantly in a nuclear attack should probably be considered lucky) in an uncomfortably detached but because of this also incredibly emotionally powerful manner, since one can clearly see in Brother in the Land and in Robert Swindells' presented text (in his main protagonist's voice) that beneath the surface of Danny's external emotional paralysis he internally mourns deeply for his family and his friends who have been killed and who are dying, who will likely be killed in the near future, and that Danny is just too much in shock and also too busy taking care of his brother Ben and Kim to even be able to take the time necessary for expressing any kind of grief (and for those who want to call Danny in Brother in the Land an unreliable narrator, well, I think they are taking a very easy way out and obviously do not want to consider the horror that nuclear war is and will be if it happens).
Realistic, painful, and with a very strong anti nuclear weapons message is Brother in the Land (and with Robert Swindells not only showing the utter and the complete devastation atomic bombs cause but also textual demonstrating that there really is absolutely no truth to the claim that nuclear weapons are somehow supposed to be a way to guarantee peace). And yes, Brother in the Land has been as powerful and as frightening but also as appreciated and as necessary a reading experience for me in 2022 as when I first read it in 1984 (when it was first published and read in very much open rebellion against my father who totally not wanted me to consider Brother in the Land and thought it for some reason promoted Communism, but who thankfully also did not prevent me from reading), and with my only mild complaint being that I do wish Robert Swindells had not added that final chapter of new hope for Danny and Kim (after Ben's death) at Lindisfarne, for the original 1984 Brother in the Land, with only very little if any hope for Danny and Kim's future survival is in my opinion much more powerful and with a much more heavy hitting message against nukes than subsequent editions with that added and hopeful final section.
And while with Brother in the Land, readers only get to see the aftermath of a nuclear weapons attack on the United Kingdom (and likely everywhere in Europe) from the main protagonist's, from Danny's first person perspective, and that Robert Swindells has his Danny character write and narrate his experiences and the story of his "survival" (and the quotation marks are mine, as survival is certainly not considered all that much as positive in Brother in the Land and that those killed instantly in a nuclear attack should probably be considered lucky) in an uncomfortably detached but because of this also incredibly emotionally powerful manner, since one can clearly see in Brother in the Land and in Robert Swindells' presented text (in his main protagonist's voice) that beneath the surface of Danny's external emotional paralysis he internally mourns deeply for his family and his friends who have been killed and who are dying, who will likely be killed in the near future, and that Danny is just too much in shock and also too busy taking care of his brother Ben and Kim to even be able to take the time necessary for expressing any kind of grief (and for those who want to call Danny in Brother in the Land an unreliable narrator, well, I think they are taking a very easy way out and obviously do not want to consider the horror that nuclear war is and will be if it happens).
Realistic, painful, and with a very strong anti nuclear weapons message is Brother in the Land (and with Robert Swindells not only showing the utter and the complete devastation atomic bombs cause but also textual demonstrating that there really is absolutely no truth to the claim that nuclear weapons are somehow supposed to be a way to guarantee peace). And yes, Brother in the Land has been as powerful and as frightening but also as appreciated and as necessary a reading experience for me in 2022 as when I first read it in 1984 (when it was first published and read in very much open rebellion against my father who totally not wanted me to consider Brother in the Land and thought it for some reason promoted Communism, but who thankfully also did not prevent me from reading), and with my only mild complaint being that I do wish Robert Swindells had not added that final chapter of new hope for Danny and Kim (after Ben's death) at Lindisfarne, for the original 1984 Brother in the Land, with only very little if any hope for Danny and Kim's future survival is in my opinion much more powerful and with a much more heavy hitting message against nukes than subsequent editions with that added and hopeful final section.
July 8, 2013
Read this after hearing it recommended on 'A Good Read' last week and after finding it in the attic. Another of the 1980s post nuclear batch, very much in the style of 'Children of the Dust' and 'Z for Zachariah'. It's unremittingly miserable (pretty sure I've seen a tv version of it once upon a time) though the version I read has 'an extra final chapter' where a glimmer of redemption appears. Told from the point of view of the teenage protagonist in simple, plain prose, it doesn't condescent to its target audience, though might appear dated to contemporary teen readers.
July 19, 2019
This falls more into the tradition of John Wyndham than the dystopian novels that have become such a staple of YA fiction. Robert Swindells' story, set in the north of England and seeming contemporary to the time of its publication in 1984, is about the immediate aftermath of a nuclear war, something that was still very much on everyone's minds then. There is a certain naivety about it, and it is not quite as graphic as today's books would be, but it is a powerful indication of the breakdown in society that would predictably happen after such an event. Hard-hitting in places, but with a glimmer of hope at the end.
January 4, 2024
Recommended by fellow author, Paul Kane. This is a bleak and all-too believable story of survival after a nuclear holocaust. It's only considered a children's book, I suspect, because the main character is a teen, but this is not your typical kiddies' read. We have genocide, summary executions, and graphic descriptions of slow death due to fallout. Not your usual boy's own adventure fare, this is a horrific yet touching tale told well, and told convincingly. A study of our species. Brother in the Land was written in an era when "the bomb" was hanging over our heads. The year is now 2024, and yeah, it's still (or once again) totally relatable.
September 9, 2021
Robert Swindells wrote a book about homelessness called ‘Stone Cold’, and it’s been one of my favourites since secondary school. I’ve never read anything else of his till now. And I see I’ve really missed out.
This is such a gripping story. It’s also horribly, heartbreakingly sad. After a nuclear cataclysm transforms the world as they know it, the survivors are thrown into a cruel new reality. Competing for scant, dwindling resources is nothing to the ugly feudal society they’ve all been forced into.
Before the nuclear bomb that destroyed their northern England town (and many others), Danny Lodge, his little brother Ben and his father kept a little convenience shop. They’ve still got food stocks in the cellar, enough to last them for a very long time. But the problem is they need to be careful about sharing or appearing to not need food, which only advertises that they have it.
Aside from being a brilliant, perilous, character driven tale full of twists and turns, the book tackles some of the far-reaching, practical and moral issues pushed forward by the anti-nuclear weapons movement, at the time it was published in 1984.
The dark world of a nuclear fallout — a world blighted by dead crops, a poisoned atmosphere, the devastating, long-lasting horrors inflicted by post-mushroom-cloud radiation; the desperate measures people will take to survive; the ugliness and senselessness and heartlessness that some characters will show in their bid to take control of the new world — all this is what the book’s about.
For a work that’s aimed at younger readers, it’s horribly gloomy and laden with doom. But it’s a powerful, emotional, heartfelt attack against the kind of weaponry that levelled Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It’s also hopeful and tender to the small warm everyday things that keep us together as families and friends and bring us joy. I thought it interesting that Swindells repackages some biblical imagery of hardship and suffering to reinforce that narrative of finding strength in others.
It’s a brilliant book and I’d urge anyone to read it and sample the sharp, uncluttered, earthy writing of Robert Swindells.
This is such a gripping story. It’s also horribly, heartbreakingly sad. After a nuclear cataclysm transforms the world as they know it, the survivors are thrown into a cruel new reality. Competing for scant, dwindling resources is nothing to the ugly feudal society they’ve all been forced into.
Before the nuclear bomb that destroyed their northern England town (and many others), Danny Lodge, his little brother Ben and his father kept a little convenience shop. They’ve still got food stocks in the cellar, enough to last them for a very long time. But the problem is they need to be careful about sharing or appearing to not need food, which only advertises that they have it.
Aside from being a brilliant, perilous, character driven tale full of twists and turns, the book tackles some of the far-reaching, practical and moral issues pushed forward by the anti-nuclear weapons movement, at the time it was published in 1984.
The dark world of a nuclear fallout — a world blighted by dead crops, a poisoned atmosphere, the devastating, long-lasting horrors inflicted by post-mushroom-cloud radiation; the desperate measures people will take to survive; the ugliness and senselessness and heartlessness that some characters will show in their bid to take control of the new world — all this is what the book’s about.
For a work that’s aimed at younger readers, it’s horribly gloomy and laden with doom. But it’s a powerful, emotional, heartfelt attack against the kind of weaponry that levelled Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It’s also hopeful and tender to the small warm everyday things that keep us together as families and friends and bring us joy. I thought it interesting that Swindells repackages some biblical imagery of hardship and suffering to reinforce that narrative of finding strength in others.
It’s a brilliant book and I’d urge anyone to read it and sample the sharp, uncluttered, earthy writing of Robert Swindells.
April 7, 2019
Ok, este libro es importante para mi. Lo leí por primera vez cuando iba en sexto de primaria, por ahí de 1997. Cuando lo leí, me impresionó mucho y me dejó un pésimo sabor de boca pues lo sentí como un relato crudo, violento y desesperanzador. Lo volví a leer a esta edad y creo que ahora me perturbó aún más que cuando era niño. Sin embargo, algo que no leí en mi infancia, fue el epílogo del auto. Ahí explicaba que todas las novelas infantiles y juveniles pintaban el mundo posterior a una guerra nuclear como un paraíso para la anarquía y la diversión de los jóvenes. Así que Swindells, siendo un fuerte opositor de la guerra nuclear, quiso crear un relato para los jóvenes donde se pasmara la realidad de lo que se avecinaría después de un apocalipsis nuclear. Si bien tengo pequeñas incomodiades con el ritmo, la narraiva y los constantes "clif-hangers" que el autor deja en cada capítulo, el poder, la crudeza e intensiad del relato cumplen perfectamente el objetivo: Advertir y consientizar que nada bueno vendría del mundo después de un holocausto nuclear. Ahora que veo el propósito final del libro, lo entendí y lo disfruté aún más. Creo que es importante para muchos jóvenes y niños leer este tipo de relatos, pues si bien hasta el momento hemos evitado este apocalipsis nuclear, muchas de las cosas que vive el protagonista son eventos similares que se viven a diario en lugares con intervenciones bélicas.
June 26, 2021
There was a time when I was young when I read all the stories I could find that were set in a time after the bombs were dropped. I'd bet money that I read this one back then. It's a classic post-apocalyptic story.
Danny survives the bombing and rejoins what is left of his family to face the struggles of life after the bombing. The book is full of awful scenes---the dead who died from the bombing, the dead who slowly die after the bombing, shooting those who have food, and much more.
The story is written in short chapters, and each chapter closes with an ominous sentence that loosely hints at more awfulness to come. The title itself is ominous, but I'll leave that hanging for you to find out for yourself.
A 1001 Children's Book You Must Read.
Danny survives the bombing and rejoins what is left of his family to face the struggles of life after the bombing. The book is full of awful scenes---the dead who died from the bombing, the dead who slowly die after the bombing, shooting those who have food, and much more.
The story is written in short chapters, and each chapter closes with an ominous sentence that loosely hints at more awfulness to come. The title itself is ominous, but I'll leave that hanging for you to find out for yourself.
A 1001 Children's Book You Must Read.
May 1, 2021
I've never forgotten this book. It hit me like a hammer when I was young
Edit 1-5-2021 Just finished rereading it and was surprised by the ending. I hadn’t read yet that there was a new version with a different ending. To be honest, I think it detracts from the impact it had on me as a kid.
Edit 1-5-2021 Just finished rereading it and was surprised by the ending. I hadn’t read yet that there was a new version with a different ending. To be honest, I think it detracts from the impact it had on me as a kid.
March 23, 2021
ADULT VERDICT: 2.75 stars, rounded to 3.
YA VERDICT: ~3.75 stars.
YA VERDICT: ~3.75 stars.
November 3, 2013
This is a book that was very popular in the 80s, when I was a teenager. I remember lots of kids at school reading it and liking it, but for some reason it didn't appeal to me, so I didn't read it. Having now read it for the first time yesterday, I think my teenage judgement was quite wise!
It's not that it's a bad book. It's good. Very good. I can see why it won awards. It's just very, very bleak. I came away feeling quite depressed. Of course, to be a believable book, it would have to be bleak. It's a nuclear holocaust story, told from the viewpoint of a teenage boy who survives. Naturally, he has to grow up pretty quickly, as he deals with people dying around him, and he starts to realise the depths to which human nature can sink, and the far-reaching effects of the nuclear attack. It's a pretty thorough exploration of the kinds of awful things that could happen.
It's written in an interesting, suspenseful way. And Danny is a believable, likeable narrator, with a distinctive voice and character. But there came a point where I didn't want to know what happened next, and I wished he wasn't such a likeable lad - because the things that happened got gradually more and more awful. There are quite a few moments of hope, where it seems that things are looking up, but invariably these hopes are dashed, and things get much worse. It's quite emotionally draining to read. I feel quite glad I didn't read it as a teenager.
I have since discovered that in 1994 a new final chapter was written, so that the ending wasn't quite as bleak and hopeless. But the copy of the book that I read was printed in 1987, so I didn't get to experience that new glimmer-of-hope ending. It's odd - I'm not one for neat little happy endings. They irritate me - I prefer a bit of gritty realism. It tends to annoy me when endings are rewritten to make them happier. But with this book, despite knowing that the ending I read was as real as it could be, I actually find myself kind of wishing I'd read the more positive ending instead!
It's not that it's a bad book. It's good. Very good. I can see why it won awards. It's just very, very bleak. I came away feeling quite depressed. Of course, to be a believable book, it would have to be bleak. It's a nuclear holocaust story, told from the viewpoint of a teenage boy who survives. Naturally, he has to grow up pretty quickly, as he deals with people dying around him, and he starts to realise the depths to which human nature can sink, and the far-reaching effects of the nuclear attack. It's a pretty thorough exploration of the kinds of awful things that could happen.
It's written in an interesting, suspenseful way. And Danny is a believable, likeable narrator, with a distinctive voice and character. But there came a point where I didn't want to know what happened next, and I wished he wasn't such a likeable lad - because the things that happened got gradually more and more awful. There are quite a few moments of hope, where it seems that things are looking up, but invariably these hopes are dashed, and things get much worse. It's quite emotionally draining to read. I feel quite glad I didn't read it as a teenager.
I have since discovered that in 1994 a new final chapter was written, so that the ending wasn't quite as bleak and hopeless. But the copy of the book that I read was printed in 1987, so I didn't get to experience that new glimmer-of-hope ending. It's odd - I'm not one for neat little happy endings. They irritate me - I prefer a bit of gritty realism. It tends to annoy me when endings are rewritten to make them happier. But with this book, despite knowing that the ending I read was as real as it could be, I actually find myself kind of wishing I'd read the more positive ending instead!
November 9, 2024
(review had been sitting in my notes for a few years so i took it VERY seriously)
This book had me in a chokehold 9 years ago, and it still does. Something about the story fascinated, yet haunted me too. So when I saw it lying on the shelves of my old town library, I just had to reread it.
I’m glad I did. Small details that escaped me years ago, hit me like a hammer now. Also, with the (nuclear) war threats coming closer these days, the subtile lessons about humanity are more valuable than ever.
Through the eyes of a teenager, a heartbreaking story is told, and a mirror is being held up for our society. Different survival instincts are depicted in various groups of humans who each deal with the aftermath of this tragedy in their own way. Makes you think. What would I become, how far would I go to survive and protect those I cherish? And something I had to think about long and hard, while still not fully grasping a solid answer: what does it really mean to be human, if not to handle with humanity?
After all these years, this book never let me go, and I see why. for every next chapter, I kept cherishing that odd little thing: hope. Although most of it was gone at the end, I couldn't help but feel like somehow, it would be alright (paired with an overwhelming feeling of inevitable doom).
So it you're in for a relatively short, emotional, existential crisis, this is the book for you!
This book had me in a chokehold 9 years ago, and it still does. Something about the story fascinated, yet haunted me too. So when I saw it lying on the shelves of my old town library, I just had to reread it.
I’m glad I did. Small details that escaped me years ago, hit me like a hammer now. Also, with the (nuclear) war threats coming closer these days, the subtile lessons about humanity are more valuable than ever.
Through the eyes of a teenager, a heartbreaking story is told, and a mirror is being held up for our society. Different survival instincts are depicted in various groups of humans who each deal with the aftermath of this tragedy in their own way. Makes you think. What would I become, how far would I go to survive and protect those I cherish? And something I had to think about long and hard, while still not fully grasping a solid answer: what does it really mean to be human, if not to handle with humanity?
After all these years, this book never let me go, and I see why. for every next chapter, I kept cherishing that odd little thing: hope. Although most of it was gone at the end, I couldn't help but feel like somehow, it would be alright (paired with an overwhelming feeling of inevitable doom).
So it you're in for a relatively short, emotional, existential crisis, this is the book for you!
August 18, 2014
So I re-read it after reading originally when I was about 12... It still stands up in terms of impact, and the writing isn't as simple as you might think. I found the overwhelming bleakness makes it a little preachy and predictable though. Worth a look if you haven't read it.
March 27, 2015
I read it with the new ending, but still, a YA book set in a post-nuclear-catastrophe martial-law-ruled UK is going to be a downer. Even without the cannibals.
April 9, 2011
A good short read about a post-nuclear war experience!
September 8, 2025
I originally came across this book when we read it at my Secondary school. It stayed with me for the last 20 years and I could vividly remember particular scenes from the story - testament to how good the writing is. However, I could not remember its name or author! Having searched for it a few times over the years unsuccessfully, I stumbled across it completely by accident the other day and knew just by the blurb that this was the book!! I had to read it for old times sake and it is just as harrowing as I remember. 5 stars for the way the author makes this so believable, shocking and terrifying. I’m so glad I have finally found the book that evaded me all these years!!!
April 19, 2021
A very bleak post nuclear holocaust story aimed at teenagers. This was a great read. I felt sorry for all the characters as it all seems so hopeless, the scene where they dig up the vegetables really hammers this home.
Unfortunately I think what happened with the army and government in this book wouldn't be too far off the mark. I really hope nothing like this ever happens but with so many nukes in the world it is a possibility.
A haunting read for teens and adults alike.
Unfortunately I think what happened with the army and government in this book wouldn't be too far off the mark. I really hope nothing like this ever happens but with so many nukes in the world it is a possibility.
A haunting read for teens and adults alike.
February 14, 2019
A brilliant book!
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October 17, 2022Carnegie
Openlibrary.org
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December 5, 2013
This is just such a masterpiece. It's quite short, and does lend itself to being a children's book, but I think anyone could read it and thoroughly enjoy it.
The ending is where Brother in the Land really shines. There's drama and even a happy ending (kind of) and you really feel for Danny, Kim and Ben.
This is a post apocalyptic novel, so be prepared for some desolation and desperation as well as a corrupt military/government and some death. After the nuclear bomb goes off that destroys much of the world (we are to believe -- definitely a lot of Europe) we are presented with a small village that must pick up the pieces and look after the sick and wounded. Radiation sickness, cannabilism, poisoned rations - all of these paint a bleak picture of society after the bombs.
The real pearl in Brother in the Land for me was the analysis of human nature, and how we might react and learn to live with 'the new situation'. One reaccuring theme is of the neanderthal/caveman and the modern human and how humans as a race have become cold and heartless to adapt to the desolation we have doomed ourselves to (by creating nuclear weapons).
The relationship between Ben (Danny's 7 year old brother) and Danny is very sweet. Ben adapts very quickly to their new life, and this is a source of Hope for Danny. Likewise, Kim gives Danny a reason to go on and their budding romance is used well to give contrast to the bleak, monotonous days that are so numerous in this story.
I couldn't recommend this book more highly. It may not be perfect, but it is well worth a read.
"how's it going to end..." "Not with a bang but a whimper"
The ending is where Brother in the Land really shines. There's drama and even a happy ending (kind of) and you really feel for Danny, Kim and Ben.
This is a post apocalyptic novel, so be prepared for some desolation and desperation as well as a corrupt military/government and some death. After the nuclear bomb goes off that destroys much of the world (we are to believe -- definitely a lot of Europe) we are presented with a small village that must pick up the pieces and look after the sick and wounded. Radiation sickness, cannabilism, poisoned rations - all of these paint a bleak picture of society after the bombs.
The real pearl in Brother in the Land for me was the analysis of human nature, and how we might react and learn to live with 'the new situation'. One reaccuring theme is of the neanderthal/caveman and the modern human and how humans as a race have become cold and heartless to adapt to the desolation we have doomed ourselves to (by creating nuclear weapons).
The relationship between Ben (Danny's 7 year old brother) and Danny is very sweet. Ben adapts very quickly to their new life, and this is a source of Hope for Danny. Likewise, Kim gives Danny a reason to go on and their budding romance is used well to give contrast to the bleak, monotonous days that are so numerous in this story.
I couldn't recommend this book more highly. It may not be perfect, but it is well worth a read.
"how's it going to end..." "Not with a bang but a whimper"
June 8, 2016
Reseña en mi blog http://janetgaspar.blogspot.mx/2013/0...
Cada que me encuentro con un chico en edad de secundaria o preparatoria le doy este libro diciendo: ¡Ey, tienes que leerlo!
Este corto libro de corte juvenil se sitúa en un mundo en caos después de que, por un error, las armas nucleares de todo el mundo se activen, la mayoría de los humanos mueren, pero los pobres desgraciados que sobreviven se enfrentan a una realidad cada vez más desalentadora y cruel.
Danny, el protagonista, es un muchachito que se queda a cargo de su hermano Ben, de tan sólo 7 años, luego de que su padre resulte muerto en un enfrentamiento entre el gobierno y los civiles. Y no, ser un sobreviviente no resulta heroico, no hay grandes aventuras que presumir ni chicas a las que impresionar, sólo importa sobrevivir y a veces incluso se preferiría estar muerto.
La lectura es ágil y quedas enganchado desde la primer hoja, por desgracia conforme avanzas te das cuenta que realmente en un mundo así no existen los finales felices.
Así que cuatro estrellas y recomendado para cualquiera que busque una lectura agil, fácil y que te haga reflexionar.
Cada que me encuentro con un chico en edad de secundaria o preparatoria le doy este libro diciendo: ¡Ey, tienes que leerlo!
Este corto libro de corte juvenil se sitúa en un mundo en caos después de que, por un error, las armas nucleares de todo el mundo se activen, la mayoría de los humanos mueren, pero los pobres desgraciados que sobreviven se enfrentan a una realidad cada vez más desalentadora y cruel.
Danny, el protagonista, es un muchachito que se queda a cargo de su hermano Ben, de tan sólo 7 años, luego de que su padre resulte muerto en un enfrentamiento entre el gobierno y los civiles. Y no, ser un sobreviviente no resulta heroico, no hay grandes aventuras que presumir ni chicas a las que impresionar, sólo importa sobrevivir y a veces incluso se preferiría estar muerto.
La lectura es ágil y quedas enganchado desde la primer hoja, por desgracia conforme avanzas te das cuenta que realmente en un mundo así no existen los finales felices.
Así que cuatro estrellas y recomendado para cualquiera que busque una lectura agil, fácil y que te haga reflexionar.
September 6, 2017
Read on the plane to Santorini, adjacent to a woman with sharp elbows.
I'd read it before, of course; I think this is one of the classic YA nuclear novels and a soon as I read the description (in an article about the N Korea situation, naturally!), I recognised it - if only for the Purple People-Eaters (and now I have the song stuck in my head).
Four stars, a simple but undeniable classic of the genre.
I'd read it before, of course; I think this is one of the classic YA nuclear novels and a soon as I read the description (in an article about the N Korea situation, naturally!), I recognised it - if only for the Purple People-Eaters (and now I have the song stuck in my head).
Four stars, a simple but undeniable classic of the genre.
September 28, 2009
This book was a good read but noty really for the faint hearted. I read it knowing that my friend recommended it because she read it at school and I was surprised after reading it that they would have had school children reading this. It's an enthralling story but not all together pleasent. There were parts of this book that I could have done without reading
May 19, 2014
A story about a kid who survived a nuclear war. The idea itself is interesting enough..
As I mentioned before, I randomly bought this book, and it wasn't bad. I liked it.
I loved the way things happened, the kind of.. Realism
I expected a better ending tho. I mean things kept happening and they'd keep talking about it and suddenly everything got a brief end. The baby, for example.
As I mentioned before, I randomly bought this book, and it wasn't bad. I liked it.
I loved the way things happened, the kind of.. Realism
I expected a better ending tho. I mean things kept happening and they'd keep talking about it and suddenly everything got a brief end. The baby, for example.
November 1, 2021
I can't quite believe this is a children's book. If I'd read it in the 80's I'd have been traumatised for life. Instead I watched Threads, and was traumatised for life! It's a very honest book and doesn't hold back how bleak things would be if the bombs dropped. Recommended reading.
June 8, 2024
heart fucking breaking
Read
January 1, 2024I remember reading both Hydra and Abomination by Swindells as a kid, and possibly others; those two, at least, I remember with a lot of admiration (affection is the wrong word, because they're both pretty disturbing, but very effective). I'm pretty sure I never read this, possibly because—despite the Berlin Wall being down long before I learnt to read (or support my own head, for that matter)—I had this terrible fear of nuclear holocaust as a kid, possibly triggered by reading Where the Wind Blows at an impressionable age. I'm glad I avoided this at the time, as I think it would have left me catatonic.
The novel feels like a well thought out exploration of the likely scenario that would play out in the event of nuclear war, both in terms of the environmental and the psychological effects; what it lacks is well-drawn characters I could attach to. There's certainly a sense of dread and horror, but the emotional impact is lessened because the characters generally lack depth. The two central relationships—with Kim and Ben—fall flat, because I struggle to care about either of them.
I'm never sure what to make of doomist fiction like this or, say, The Road. When this was written maybe it felt like a necessary piece of agit-prop, but the target audience—adolescents—surely had very little agency to actually effect change. Do most of us really need to be told that a nuclear holocaust would be bad news? There are no action points here, just a procession of awfulness. While it's probably a worthwhile, or at least realistic, message that any attempts at rebuilding society or continuing the human race after an event of this nature would be fruitless (very different to the kind of clean-slate apocalypse power fantasy that many people find seductive), I still keep coming back to the question of who this is for and what it aims to achieve. Frightening children who can do nothing to avert disaster doesn't strike me as a useful form of activism, and while nuclear war is less of an immediate concern these days, I think those questions are still relevant to the way we approach storytelling around these existential threats.
The novel feels like a well thought out exploration of the likely scenario that would play out in the event of nuclear war, both in terms of the environmental and the psychological effects; what it lacks is well-drawn characters I could attach to. There's certainly a sense of dread and horror, but the emotional impact is lessened because the characters generally lack depth. The two central relationships—with Kim and Ben—fall flat, because I struggle to care about either of them.
I'm never sure what to make of doomist fiction like this or, say, The Road. When this was written maybe it felt like a necessary piece of agit-prop, but the target audience—adolescents—surely had very little agency to actually effect change. Do most of us really need to be told that a nuclear holocaust would be bad news? There are no action points here, just a procession of awfulness. While it's probably a worthwhile, or at least realistic, message that any attempts at rebuilding society or continuing the human race after an event of this nature would be fruitless (very different to the kind of clean-slate apocalypse power fantasy that many people find seductive), I still keep coming back to the question of who this is for and what it aims to achieve. Frightening children who can do nothing to avert disaster doesn't strike me as a useful form of activism, and while nuclear war is less of an immediate concern these days, I think those questions are still relevant to the way we approach storytelling around these existential threats.
March 6, 2019
Danny Lodge is one of the unlucky ones when World War Three breaks out – he’s one of the survivors…
First up: I don’t usually mention covers of books, which change from edition to edition, but this one was particularly hideous. I feel like someone let their kid play with Photoshop for ten minutes. Small wonder YA was so unappreciated for so long…
The book was written in 1984, so it falls right into the middle of my demographic – I would have been reading this when I was twelve when it came out, right in the middle of my watching Threads and The Day After and I have no doubt it would have left a permanent impact on me if I had come across it.
And since it was published in 1984, it’s an interesting experience to see how much YA has matured since. Characterisation is non-existent and the events are sanitised and far more cosmetic than they would be today. Radiation sickness, third degree burns and nuclear winter are all off page or non-existent.
The last YA I read was Dry by Neal / Jarrod Shusterman, published in 2019, and what a difference that was…
I don’t mean this as a criticism of 80s YA. This is simply how it worked for a long time. There was no perception that teenagers could handle anything more than the slim thirty thousand words this book contains, no perception they could handle more than cardboard characters.
One plus for that shortness is that the book zooms along, event after event, with little pause for reflection or for the characters to catch up.
Then something happens roughly three quarters of the way through: Swindell decides to really go for it. He pours on the bleakness and desperation and ramps it up. This is the book we should have been reading from the first pages, and it’s grim and sobering stuff.
Even sanitised and cleaned, it’s a brutal exploration of a war that might still happen.
First up: I don’t usually mention covers of books, which change from edition to edition, but this one was particularly hideous. I feel like someone let their kid play with Photoshop for ten minutes. Small wonder YA was so unappreciated for so long…
The book was written in 1984, so it falls right into the middle of my demographic – I would have been reading this when I was twelve when it came out, right in the middle of my watching Threads and The Day After and I have no doubt it would have left a permanent impact on me if I had come across it.
And since it was published in 1984, it’s an interesting experience to see how much YA has matured since. Characterisation is non-existent and the events are sanitised and far more cosmetic than they would be today. Radiation sickness, third degree burns and nuclear winter are all off page or non-existent.
The last YA I read was Dry by Neal / Jarrod Shusterman, published in 2019, and what a difference that was…
I don’t mean this as a criticism of 80s YA. This is simply how it worked for a long time. There was no perception that teenagers could handle anything more than the slim thirty thousand words this book contains, no perception they could handle more than cardboard characters.
One plus for that shortness is that the book zooms along, event after event, with little pause for reflection or for the characters to catch up.
Then something happens roughly three quarters of the way through: Swindell decides to really go for it. He pours on the bleakness and desperation and ramps it up. This is the book we should have been reading from the first pages, and it’s grim and sobering stuff.
Even sanitised and cleaned, it’s a brutal exploration of a war that might still happen.
January 4, 2020
3.5 stars. I picked this up with no idea it’s a children’s/YA book. I lean more toward YA just because of the romance part but I guess it may be more middle-reader.
I really enjoy dystopian books, because of the themes they explore. Surprisingly, this was the first book I read that explicitly had a nuclear apocalypse. Following the characters in the immediate fallout is interesting. However, the author doesn’t do a lot to flesh out the characters and give them more depth, so I end up very ambivalent about them.
The world is very walking dead-esque, and centers upon the question of what would remain of humanity in an apocalypse situation. What does it mean to be human sans-society? How do we survive while keeping our humanity? All questions I enjoy.
I definitely recommend this book to a younger audience. Adding it to my “for my kids” shelf.
Read if you like: dystopia, nuclear apocalypse, YA/middle readers.
I really enjoy dystopian books, because of the themes they explore. Surprisingly, this was the first book I read that explicitly had a nuclear apocalypse. Following the characters in the immediate fallout is interesting. However, the author doesn’t do a lot to flesh out the characters and give them more depth, so I end up very ambivalent about them.
The world is very walking dead-esque, and centers upon the question of what would remain of humanity in an apocalypse situation. What does it mean to be human sans-society? How do we survive while keeping our humanity? All questions I enjoy.
I definitely recommend this book to a younger audience. Adding it to my “for my kids” shelf.
Read if you like: dystopia, nuclear apocalypse, YA/middle readers.
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