One’s initial opinions of Ed are challenged. The treatment of secondary characters unforgivable. There are sections in Kids of God that are uncomfortable to read – be prepared – but read them you must. But it is a nightmare world that Appleby has created, with the powerlessness of the protagonist and the crushing authority of The Peacemakers. It isn’t totally illogical, except when a character makes decisions that are the sort of conclusions one might make under duress. It isn’t utterly bizarre in the traditional Kafka sense, although we do take time to realise the world that is being portrayed.
The staccato sentences that denote Ed’s thought pattern, fractured, frightened, work very well to convey a sense of fear and confusion. The Kids of God has a Kafkaesque quality, especially at the beginning. His honesty – and his actions – will have you pitying him, initially. The story is told in first person narrative, so we rely on Ed to be honest – and he is. Ed is frightened, easily manipulated, used and cowed. Ed has recently lost his job, after devoting himself to the company, whose system he helped develop. Ed is a man whose wife has just recently left him, taking their two children with her. We follow Ed, a regular computer tech guy, as he is pushed to make a decision many have during wartime throughout history – do I save the stranger on the doorstep or leave him to the militia? Although, in Ed’s case, the decision is made for him – as it is in many situations that follow. There are decent people, there are bad people, and there are the morally ambiguous. This is a microcosm of our world, where people do whatever they can to survive in trying circumstances. The enemy is the Drudjers – immigrants, refugees, ‘foreigners’ – others. In a not to distant future, a self-made group calling themselves The Peacemakers, have control over the town. But how low will he stoop when the going gets really tough? This psychological thriller is about power and its abuses. Living under a totalitarian regime, he has learned to survive using trickery and deceit. What would you do if a man you hated appeared on your doorstep, fleeing from his would-be murderers, and tricked his way into your house? If you could be killed for sheltering him? This is Ed’s dilemma. Kindle Edition: £1.99/Paperback Edition: £8.99 Invisible Swordsman on Film Review – I Think We…Īrt Art & Culture Autism Blogging Books Childrens Crime/Thriller Films Games Horror humour Interviews Lists Men/Women Music NaNoWriMo Online Magazines People poetry Politics Pontification Reviews Sci-Fi/Fantasy Steampunk submissions Uncategorized Wirral Writers Words writers writing Meta Book Review – Motherdarling by Dave Appleby.Book Review – The Kids of God by Dave Appleby.
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