The Weathermonger

The Apocalyse! Now! With. well, telling really would be a spoiler.Let's just say that this book establishes that this trilogy belongs firmly in the genre of books that are about The Matter of Britain.The book begins dramatically, as the curtain rises on two young people forced out into the water to drown as witches. The boy, Jeff, is suffering amnesia due to a recent knock on the head, but the girl, Sally, informs him that she's his sister and that he has the ability to control the weather.He su [...]

I really did like this book when I first read it as a child. Over the years, the concept stuck in my head, but I forgot the name of the book and the author. I tested the power of social media and found the answer. I asked if anyone knew about this book - gave a brief description of what I vaguely remembered: England reverted to the Middle Ages while the rest of the world was "normal" - and a friend responded almost immediately. I wanted to re-read this book due to Brexit. Brexit had called up th [...]

Lots of "tinkering" p 18 tedious for differently-abled reader, suit like-minded "crankshaft dipstick" p 19 "bulldog clip cylinder block" p 20. Likewise fiddling with weather is italicized dream stream-of-consciousness fragments, where he always passes out, me nearly. Pages skipped, questions, fine first effort may be worth checking sequel.Suddenly awake being drowned as witches, Geoffrey Tinker 16 cannot recognize sister Sally 11 p 28 (Jeff and Sal to one another) after head knock sends his me [...]

Set in a vague idea of the future (or rather as the future may have looked to a writer in 1969) The Weathermonger opens with Geoffrey and Sally, two siblings left adrift on a rock in the sea by their community. Confused by a knock on the head, Geoffrey is informed by Sally that their uncle has been killed after being found working on a motorboat, and that the two of them have been left to be drowned when the tide comes in.After "The Changes," England has regressed back into primitive times, in w [...]

The mystery of the Changes in Britain is revealed in this book, the third in the trilogy but the first to be written (and probably should be read first). The explanation seems a bit contrived, but it's a good ride along the way.

Reads even better the second time around. Subtle magic-y YA. Makes me want to re-read his book 'Eva,' which was one of the first dystopias I ever read in elementary schoold take a look at his other stuff.

This was a weeding candidate, and it had a very intriguing first chapter, so I dove in.I really liked the premise of this: for some reason, technology has become evil in England, and people have been killed for showing signs of technological knowledge. Cars and boats have been destroyed or left to decay. Geoffrey learned about motors from his uncle (since murdered) AND he has the ability to go into trances and control the weather. For this he and his little sister are nearly drowned in the sea b [...]

Of the books in the Changes trilogy, I think this one was my favorite. It's a bit funnier than the other two, but also larger in scope in some ways. When the books were originally published, this was the first book, with Heartsease and The Devil's Children following, but the books were published in reverse chronological order, and depending on the edition this is listed as either the first book or the last in the trilogy. I haven't read them in publication order, but I think I rather like having [...]

So I found this book in an op shop and read it as a standalone book - I now find out it's the final instalment in a trilogyI did enjoy this piece of vintage apocalypse fiction. It's certainly reminds me of the fantasy and science fiction that I cut my teeth on back in the 70's and early 80's. I did find that it was excessive on the tinkering with the car, but it was an entertaining tale. I will keep my eyes out for the other books.

In the beginning, a little hard to follow with all the 1960s British language. Sometimes the transitions were abrupt and hard to follow also, but the book grew on me. I think middle-school children today would demand more than just glossing over subjects as this did--after all, this is the age of Harry Potter and more intricately working plots for children. However, it did find this imaginative and the ideas behind the book are universal and timeless.

Intriguing little YA book. Holds up fairly well today and is perhaps most interesting in it's re-imagining of Britain as a society that has reverted back to the middle ages. The ending was a complete left-turn that I did not see coming at all which makes for a pleasant surprise. Peter Dickinson obviously had some ideas about 1960's England that he managed to incorporate into a rollicking children's adventure story. Might wait till my son is a little older to read this one to him!

Started off with an intriguing premise and a sense of danger and adventure, but somehow, for me lost something as the story went on. Perhaps it was showing its age, or maybe the characterisation just didn't engage me enough, but I was glad it wasn't any longer by the time I'd reached the rather weird ending. It is a children's book and over 40 years old, so perhaps my expectations were too high.

We are a house divided. Lydia and I, graciously, give it two stars. Noah, enthusiastically, gives it three. There were a couple of good bits. It's an interesting idea. We toiled through much of the story. Noah would like to read it again. Of the the three in the series, this was probably our favorite.

We actually have the trilogy as one book The Changes: A Trilogy.

Rereading the whole trilogy for the first time since I was a teenager, and they hold up pretty well.

It started relatively enjoyably but for some reason by about three quarter through I just lost the thread and skimmed the last quarter.

Possibly my favourite children's/YA novel. One of very few I re-read - this one perhaps every year!

One of my favourites from my childhood - I have bought it again te re-read

Oh my god, long and draggy and not the most satisfying ending to the trilogy. "Well, it just kind of happened" was the upshot. Sigh.

Linking modern Britain to the Britain of Merlin, a rich tale well told.

I rather enjoyed it. It was a little old fashioned, but that was also part of the story, so it was fine. I'll have to see if I can get the other novels in the series.