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The Changes Trilogy #3
The Devil's Children
An alternative cover for this ISBN can be found here.
Another story by Peter Dickinson , set in England after the changes , when life has reverted to the Middle Ages .
Another story by Peter Dickinson , set in England after the changes , when life has reverted to the Middle Ages .
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1970
5 people are currently reading
321 people want to read
About the author
Peter Dickinson
142 books156 followersPeter Malcolm de Brissac Dickinson OBE FRSL was a prolific English author and poet, best known for children's books and detective stories.
Peter Dickinson lived in Hampshire with his second wife, author Robin McKinley. He wrote more than fifty novels for adults and young readers. He won both the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Children's Award twice, and his novel The Blue Hawk won The Guardian Award in 1975.
Peter Dickinson lived in Hampshire with his second wife, author Robin McKinley. He wrote more than fifty novels for adults and young readers. He won both the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Children's Award twice, and his novel The Blue Hawk won The Guardian Award in 1975.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
March 7, 2015
The Apocalypse! Now! With More Tolerance-For-Sikhs!
I remember liking this whole trilogy when I was a kid, but I also recall that this one wasn't my favorite. I was surprised how little of the book felt familiar to me upon re-reading.
We're dropped into a post-apocalyptic scene. A young British girl is alone in a mostly-abandoned London struck by plague - and odder phenomena. All Britons, it seems, have been struck by some syndrome that makes them fly into a violent rage at the sight, sound, or presence of machinery or technology. This syndrome also makes them unable to think about certain topics.
In desperation, the girl attaches herself to an extended Sikh immigrant family that happens to be passing by in search of a more amenable place to live.
Together, they set themselves up on an abandoned farm - but more conflict is yet to come, due to the local village's xenophobia, which has been enhanced by this mysterious syndrome.
The main raison-d'etre of the book really does seem to be tolerance-for-Sikhs. They're set up to be the misunderstood heroes, and described lovingly (if somewhat exotically). The book is dedicated to a person whom I assume might've been a Sikh friend of the author. (And you know, maybe it worked on a subconscious level. I DO have a higher opinion of Sikhs than members of many other religions...)
However, the apocalypse here is both enigmatic and inconsistent. Why on earth would these 'changes' affect only native Britons, not immigrants? Why would affected people be able to think about medieval knights, but not WWII? Why are blacksmith's forges OK, but not even the most basic firearm? Why are some people apparently still able to tolerate thinking about leaving the country in modern ships, if buses are intolerable? There are possible explanations, but none are given, or even theorized about.
After one surprisingly-violent showdown, the book ends rather abruptly. In today's market, it would've been expected to be at least twice as long. Overall, by today's standards, this isn't a bad book... but it's not without its flaws.
I remember liking this whole trilogy when I was a kid, but I also recall that this one wasn't my favorite. I was surprised how little of the book felt familiar to me upon re-reading.
We're dropped into a post-apocalyptic scene. A young British girl is alone in a mostly-abandoned London struck by plague - and odder phenomena. All Britons, it seems, have been struck by some syndrome that makes them fly into a violent rage at the sight, sound, or presence of machinery or technology. This syndrome also makes them unable to think about certain topics.
In desperation, the girl attaches herself to an extended Sikh immigrant family that happens to be passing by in search of a more amenable place to live.
Together, they set themselves up on an abandoned farm - but more conflict is yet to come, due to the local village's xenophobia, which has been enhanced by this mysterious syndrome.
The main raison-d'etre of the book really does seem to be tolerance-for-Sikhs. They're set up to be the misunderstood heroes, and described lovingly (if somewhat exotically). The book is dedicated to a person whom I assume might've been a Sikh friend of the author. (And you know, maybe it worked on a subconscious level. I DO have a higher opinion of Sikhs than members of many other religions...)
However, the apocalypse here is both enigmatic and inconsistent. Why on earth would these 'changes' affect only native Britons, not immigrants? Why would affected people be able to think about medieval knights, but not WWII? Why are blacksmith's forges OK, but not even the most basic firearm? Why are some people apparently still able to tolerate thinking about leaving the country in modern ships, if buses are intolerable? There are possible explanations, but none are given, or even theorized about.
After one surprisingly-violent showdown, the book ends rather abruptly. In today's market, it would've been expected to be at least twice as long. Overall, by today's standards, this isn't a bad book... but it's not without its flaws.
December 2, 2023
Surprisingly, this was my favorite of the trilogy. Although the three books deal with the same fictional world (contemporary England in an alternate universe where technology has been abandoned), each has separate characters and could be read alone. They mostly make sense together, but there isn't really any single storyline that develops and is resolved. This last one has a very fulfilling arc, and although it leaves the future wide open for the main character, the overall resolution is very satisfying.
I'm interested to see how BBC-TV presented the trilogy as a 10-part series ("The Changes" from 1975). Apparently it is in normal chronological order and includes Nicky Gore from this book as an ongoing character running through into the stories from the other two books.
I'm interested to see how BBC-TV presented the trilogy as a 10-part series ("The Changes" from 1975). Apparently it is in normal chronological order and includes Nicky Gore from this book as an ongoing character running through into the stories from the other two books.
November 1, 2011
There's something about a British SF/fantasy book that necessitates a lot of walking. Maybe it's because England is so small, so any reader is probably at least somewhat familiar with the geography? Anyway, lots of walking here.
I think my favorite element of this book is the Sikh culture. The premise is that, suddenly, everyone in the UK becomes terrified, baffled, repulsed by technology. In the short term, people storm out of cities and suffer from epidemics. Nicky is separated from her family and takes up with a group of Sikhs. They're not affected by the Change, but they're in danger from the people who are reduced to feudalism and fear.
There is a very British walking journey and a lot of the good details of turning an abandoned farm into a homestead and making peace with the local villagers. I really like Peter Dickinson, and my favorite part of any end-of-civilization story is the stockpiling, and I've always found Sikh culture fascinating (proud, loyal warriors devoted to family and community), so there is a lot to love about this book. It was a bit slow, which is why it got three stars instead of four, but I'm definitely reading the next one, though there won't be any Sikhs in it.
I think my favorite element of this book is the Sikh culture. The premise is that, suddenly, everyone in the UK becomes terrified, baffled, repulsed by technology. In the short term, people storm out of cities and suffer from epidemics. Nicky is separated from her family and takes up with a group of Sikhs. They're not affected by the Change, but they're in danger from the people who are reduced to feudalism and fear.
There is a very British walking journey and a lot of the good details of turning an abandoned farm into a homestead and making peace with the local villagers. I really like Peter Dickinson, and my favorite part of any end-of-civilization story is the stockpiling, and I've always found Sikh culture fascinating (proud, loyal warriors devoted to family and community), so there is a lot to love about this book. It was a bit slow, which is why it got three stars instead of four, but I'm definitely reading the next one, though there won't be any Sikhs in it.
July 2, 2021
Maybe 3.5 stars. I liked this one better than The Weathermonger, but not as much as Heartsease. Not much happens until the very end; the climactic scenes with the fight in the village were very exciting, but otherwise it did feel as if the message of "we're all human under the skin, let's not be afraid of 'others'" however worthy in intent, was a bit heavy-handed. I need to think about the trilogy as a whole - I know Dickinson wanted readers to stick to publication order, so what, if anything, is gained from basically seeing the history of the "Changes" evolve backwards? I think it's unfortunate that this is perhaps the work he is best known for and most widely read; his later books are MUCH better.
January 31, 2008
This YA novel, which is the first in a trilogy, has a fascinating premise: something (it is not clear as of yet whether it is magical or technological) has caused much of the population of England to react violently against anything technologically based. Riots and mass chaos ensue, plague runs rampant, society quickly degenerates, and a girl named Nicky Gore is seperated from her family. Nicky eventually falls in with a band of travelling Sikhs, who do not suffer the same aversion to technology. Because of this, they are not always certain what might bring violence upon them -- those like Nicky, who feel the effects of the Change, are likely to react murderously when confronted with engines and other devices. They originally take on Nicky as something of a canary, to tell them when they are acting dangerously, but she quickly finds friendship and a home of sorts with them. The Sikhs are eventually able to settle outside a small farming community (which is rapidly degenerating into feudalism) and eke out a living doing metal work, but they are mistrusted, and their existence remains perilous.
There are some very, very cool things about this book. The premise, like I said, is fascinating, although it's a little frustrating not to have any kind of explanation for the Change (on the other hand, the fact that there's no easy answer is kind of neat). You also don't run into many YA novels that explore any aspect of Sikh culture, so that also makes this stand out from other similar novels. My only real complaint is that it seemed that the character of Nicky was slighted in terms of development. I didn't feel Dickinson gave the reader much of a sense of what she'd been like prior to the Change, so it was hard to understand if her toughness came from her experiences during the riots, or if she had always been as strong-minded as she comes across in the novel. The ending also struck me as quite abrupt, but since it's the first book in a trilogy, that might be expected.
There are some very, very cool things about this book. The premise, like I said, is fascinating, although it's a little frustrating not to have any kind of explanation for the Change (on the other hand, the fact that there's no easy answer is kind of neat). You also don't run into many YA novels that explore any aspect of Sikh culture, so that also makes this stand out from other similar novels. My only real complaint is that it seemed that the character of Nicky was slighted in terms of development. I didn't feel Dickinson gave the reader much of a sense of what she'd been like prior to the Change, so it was hard to understand if her toughness came from her experiences during the riots, or if she had always been as strong-minded as she comes across in the novel. The ending also struck me as quite abrupt, but since it's the first book in a trilogy, that might be expected.
March 6, 2019
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I don't know what to think about these books. I was unfamiliar with the series, but came across it on Netgalley when a new ebook version of the entire trilogy was published. What I didn't realize was that the books had first been published in the late 60s.
And I have to admit that to me this first novel The Devil's Children felt rather outdated. It had some interesting ideas and some themes that remain relevant today (xenophobia; a country whose inhabitants have lost their minds and isolated themselves from all other countries and all technology (looking at you, Brexit)), but it ultimately fell flat on many of the same aspects.
All Britons have developed an overnight fear for everything with machines or technology and are reverting back to pre-industrial times. Nicky joins a group of Sikhs who are looking for a new place to stay.
What was so strange about this particular apocalypse was that it was a) confined to Britain, b) had some very special rules about what was allowed and what not in terms of technology. Evacuation of the island seemed fine. Also immigrants were not affected by this plague and we are not given a clue as to how the apocalypse came to be. The story was wrapped up a bit too smoothly for my liking, and book two features different characters, so I think this ends Nicky's story.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I don't know what to think about these books. I was unfamiliar with the series, but came across it on Netgalley when a new ebook version of the entire trilogy was published. What I didn't realize was that the books had first been published in the late 60s.
And I have to admit that to me this first novel The Devil's Children felt rather outdated. It had some interesting ideas and some themes that remain relevant today (xenophobia; a country whose inhabitants have lost their minds and isolated themselves from all other countries and all technology (looking at you, Brexit)), but it ultimately fell flat on many of the same aspects.
All Britons have developed an overnight fear for everything with machines or technology and are reverting back to pre-industrial times. Nicky joins a group of Sikhs who are looking for a new place to stay.
What was so strange about this particular apocalypse was that it was a) confined to Britain, b) had some very special rules about what was allowed and what not in terms of technology. Evacuation of the island seemed fine. Also immigrants were not affected by this plague and we are not given a clue as to how the apocalypse came to be. The story was wrapped up a bit too smoothly for my liking, and book two features different characters, so I think this ends Nicky's story.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
September 15, 2022
I read this book many decades ago and was curious to give the entire Changes trilogy a re-read to see how it stacked up after all these years. I remembered the finale to the series - vaguely, as it turned out - but very little of this one.
I was struck by the opening (that is, chapter 1, after the prologue.) I'd always wondered where I got the idea of spinning on the spot as a relief for tension. Was it here? Probably not, because I'm reasonably sure I'd taken up spinning long before I read it. But it is so very interesting to find a literary mention of such an activity with such appropriate symbolism, psychologically and spiritually, to the plotline. It fits the "fear of threshold" understanding that I finally saw as the reason behind my own need to spin.
Nicola Gore, the protagonist, has become separated from her family while they are fleeing England during the Changes. A stampede and panic caused by a wild dervish ("threshold", again appropriate) has meant she's been left behind when they went to France. She sensibly returns home, thinking that is where they'll look for her, but no one comes. And no one comes. And no one comes. After many days, Nicky - who is sensitive to the fear of machines now obsessing those left in England - manages to attach herself to a group of Sikh families who need her help. They are not affected by machine-hatred but they recognise their danger from communities who are. They are not sure what they can use and what would bring disaster upon them.
And yet another threshold image occurs when, in burying the dead after the battle at the White House, the decision is made to set five carved stones in the churchyard wall ('Neither in nor out') in respect to both the Sikhs and the Christians who fell in the conflict.
All the Sikhs are Singhs, lions, as their founder decreed.
The epilogue, which foreshadows the events of The Weathermonger, is (in retrospect), wonderfully done.
I was struck by the opening (that is, chapter 1, after the prologue.) I'd always wondered where I got the idea of spinning on the spot as a relief for tension. Was it here? Probably not, because I'm reasonably sure I'd taken up spinning long before I read it. But it is so very interesting to find a literary mention of such an activity with such appropriate symbolism, psychologically and spiritually, to the plotline. It fits the "fear of threshold" understanding that I finally saw as the reason behind my own need to spin.
Nicola Gore, the protagonist, has become separated from her family while they are fleeing England during the Changes. A stampede and panic caused by a wild dervish ("threshold", again appropriate) has meant she's been left behind when they went to France. She sensibly returns home, thinking that is where they'll look for her, but no one comes. And no one comes. And no one comes. After many days, Nicky - who is sensitive to the fear of machines now obsessing those left in England - manages to attach herself to a group of Sikh families who need her help. They are not affected by machine-hatred but they recognise their danger from communities who are. They are not sure what they can use and what would bring disaster upon them.
And yet another threshold image occurs when, in burying the dead after the battle at the White House, the decision is made to set five carved stones in the churchyard wall ('Neither in nor out') in respect to both the Sikhs and the Christians who fell in the conflict.
All the Sikhs are Singhs, lions, as their founder decreed.
The epilogue, which foreshadows the events of The Weathermonger, is (in retrospect), wonderfully done.
October 31, 2025
I've been wanting to read this book for a while, so I finally got the series and started in on it. It feels like The Devil's Children drops the reader in the middle of the story. We know "The Changes" happened, that modern technology was abandoned, and that people left the cities for the country. Since cars and trucks and such were abandoned, that means we follow the main character, Nicky, and her travels.
What I found the most interesting were her interactions with a clan of Sikhs, who are not affected by The Changes. She is used as a canary in a coal mine; their interactions with her let them know if they are about to upset other English people. This is really useful as the family settles down and starts farming and metalworking next to a village that is going down the feudal path.
At the end of the book, there are still a lot of questions to be answered. Why were only England and the English there currently affected by The Changes? What caused the Changes in the first place? And of course, what happens next? I'll keep reading.
Recommended as the start of the series. I think it could be used as a jumping-off point for a discussion on how the lack of technology would affect each of us.
What I found the most interesting were her interactions with a clan of Sikhs, who are not affected by The Changes. She is used as a canary in a coal mine; their interactions with her let them know if they are about to upset other English people. This is really useful as the family settles down and starts farming and metalworking next to a village that is going down the feudal path.
At the end of the book, there are still a lot of questions to be answered. Why were only England and the English there currently affected by The Changes? What caused the Changes in the first place? And of course, what happens next? I'll keep reading.
Recommended as the start of the series. I think it could be used as a jumping-off point for a discussion on how the lack of technology would affect each of us.
January 20, 2018
Something has caused everyone in the UK to have a sudden, violent reaction to certain kinds of machines and technology. As civilization starts to devolve, young Nicola attaches herself to an extended family of Sikhs, who seem unaffected by fear of machines. Great storytelling, three-dimensional characters, and a satisfying ending, even though the mystery of the situation remains unsolved.
June 11, 2020
An interesting dystopian story set in England. When someone in Wales exposes a mysterious rock, everyone developes an irrational and all encompassing fear and hatred of anything machine. In the ensuing chaos and societal breakdown, a young girl loses her parents and ends up joining a community of Sikh who are unaffected by the madness and looking for a safe place to stay.
October 1, 2019
This was so boring. Abandoned on page 37.
January 5, 2023
An interesting premise, but I don’t think it will come into its own until I read the rest of the trilogy.
January 14, 2023
Well-done early example of the teen post-apocalypse genre, but not especially engaging. Simple insights on blacksmithing.
October 31, 2025
As child I loved this Changes Trilogy of dystopian Britain when one day in the 1970's everyone suddenly takes a violent dislike to modern technology, and everything medieval is cool again.
September 25, 2019
An interesting scenario but somewhat flawed and stereotypical storytelling . . . still, I rather enjoyed it.
July 30, 2018
This is another book I picked up due to childhood memories and the bad influence of my no-longer-so-new book collector friends. I know that I knew about these books as a child but I truly can't say if I actually read them or not. I feel that I must have, or I wouldn't have felt the urge to pick this one up (technically, I'm reading an omnibus edition, but I'm going to read the books as separate entities, so I'm reviewing them that way). There was a TV show, made by the BBC in 1975, and when I checked its entry on Wikipedia, the still image from the credits on that page feels very familiar. We didn't have a TV for a lot of my childhood, so I can't say for certain that I saw the show, but maybe I did, or at least some of it.
Anyway, I picked up the book and decided to read it. I thoroughly enjoyed it. (I'm having a good run on books lately.)
This is the first book chronologically, and covers the start of "The Changes", focussing on Nicky Gore and her time with a group of Sikhs. Living in London in the late 1960s, Nicky has no idea what a Sikh is and she has to learn to accept an entire new culture at the same time they all cope with what is happening to the world around them.
Suddenly, people have turned against technology, both losing any understanding of how it works and seeing it as evil and something to be destroyed. A hint is given at the beginning of the book of why this might have happened, but it is not a factor in this story. It is, however, very interesting that this "madness" has not affected the Sikh community, making this a very British madness. Nicky becomes the Sikhs' "canary" as she can warm them what levels of technology are "okay" and what are not.
Looking at this from the point of 2018, this suggestion that only the "true" British are affected seems a little odd, since Britain these days is such a melting pot that, if the logic follows, there would be many people unaffected. I guess that in 1969, when the book was published, the percentage was a lot smaller, making the storyline work.
There are hints early on that the rest of the world is okay and people that made it out of Britain are doing fine. This seemed odd to me, as I couldn't see how the rest of the world would just leave this alone. However, this is explained well at the end of the novel and I was happy with the way it was done.
This is a well told tale, although I can't decide if it would work if written and set today. That doesn't actually matter, since it isn't, and I'm looking forward to reading the next two books when I find the time.
Anyway, I picked up the book and decided to read it. I thoroughly enjoyed it. (I'm having a good run on books lately.)
This is the first book chronologically, and covers the start of "The Changes", focussing on Nicky Gore and her time with a group of Sikhs. Living in London in the late 1960s, Nicky has no idea what a Sikh is and she has to learn to accept an entire new culture at the same time they all cope with what is happening to the world around them.
Suddenly, people have turned against technology, both losing any understanding of how it works and seeing it as evil and something to be destroyed. A hint is given at the beginning of the book of why this might have happened, but it is not a factor in this story. It is, however, very interesting that this "madness" has not affected the Sikh community, making this a very British madness. Nicky becomes the Sikhs' "canary" as she can warm them what levels of technology are "okay" and what are not.
Looking at this from the point of 2018, this suggestion that only the "true" British are affected seems a little odd, since Britain these days is such a melting pot that, if the logic follows, there would be many people unaffected. I guess that in 1969, when the book was published, the percentage was a lot smaller, making the storyline work.
There are hints early on that the rest of the world is okay and people that made it out of Britain are doing fine. This seemed odd to me, as I couldn't see how the rest of the world would just leave this alone. However, this is explained well at the end of the novel and I was happy with the way it was done.
This is a well told tale, although I can't decide if it would work if written and set today. That doesn't actually matter, since it isn't, and I'm looking forward to reading the next two books when I find the time.
March 13, 2025
Run of poor books unfortunately.
Very dry but interesting english premise. Little characterisation, no humour, procedural descriptions of survival with sheikh Community after rejection of tech and machinery by humans.
Bonus points because it's a gentle Puffin set in England. Extra bonus points for focusing on sheikh culture in 70s when racism in UK would be rife.
Think I am legend meets War of the Worlds/Triffids lite, with very little exposition on what actually happened. Feudalism an fear is the new world order, with some surprising violence.
Needed better chrs and more crazy incidents with machinery to re-emphasise the big event (possibly covered better in books 1 and 2).
Needed humour and fleshed out characters. Incredibly dry and factual.
So many great puffin classics, though. Charlotte Sometimes next up...
Very dry but interesting english premise. Little characterisation, no humour, procedural descriptions of survival with sheikh Community after rejection of tech and machinery by humans.
Bonus points because it's a gentle Puffin set in England. Extra bonus points for focusing on sheikh culture in 70s when racism in UK would be rife.
Think I am legend meets War of the Worlds/Triffids lite, with very little exposition on what actually happened. Feudalism an fear is the new world order, with some surprising violence.
Needed better chrs and more crazy incidents with machinery to re-emphasise the big event (possibly covered better in books 1 and 2).
Needed humour and fleshed out characters. Incredibly dry and factual.
So many great puffin classics, though. Charlotte Sometimes next up...
June 8, 2016
When Philip Pullman recommends an author, you read that author. That's the case with Peter Dickinson: back cover copy included a glowing reference from Pullman. I quickly grabbed every copy of Dickinson's books on the sale shelf and started here.
Good stuff in here. The fascinating play of modern to medieval, race, gender, class - Dickinson wraps everything in a wonderful tale of post-plague England in which the main characters roam seeking a place to call home.
I've not started book 2 yet.
Good stuff in here. The fascinating play of modern to medieval, race, gender, class - Dickinson wraps everything in a wonderful tale of post-plague England in which the main characters roam seeking a place to call home.
I've not started book 2 yet.
December 10, 2007
I loved this trilogy when I read them in middle school. They are based on a cool idea. It is about a futuristic time when England begins to revert and believe that electricity, machines etc. are witchcraft. Two kids run off with gypsies to escape.
Want to read
June 5, 2010We actually have the trilogy as one book The Changes: A Trilogy.
May 6, 2014
An enjoyable read. The premise is that English people suddenly develop an antipathy to modern technology.
December 8, 2014
Looking forward to the next book.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews