A story of deprivation, exploitation, and death set in MEXICO and SPAIN
Novel of an imagined future – set in LONDON and CORNWALL
4th August 2025
Light Over Liskeard by Louis de Bernières – novel of an imagined future set in London and Cornwall.
Set sometime in the not too distant future, Light Over Liskeard describes a society that is perhaps a natural evolution from that which we experience today. Everything is computerised, automated and controlled by The Cloud. Restaurants exist without any staff, and the world is totally dependent on smooth running technology. But technology is not always smooth running – hacks are sophisticated, ransomware is common, There is an ongoing battle between ‘good’ and ‘evil’
Q is a quantum cryptographer employed by the government. He is one of a very small group who can be relied upon to keep ‘good’ ahead of the game. He warns the government of imminent disaster, but his warnings are ignored. He is in a somewhat stale marriage with two teenage children. He decides to leave the ‘comfort’ of home life in London and instead head for Cornwall. He buys an old and derelict farmhouse which he intends to restore to its former glory. At the start he is physically and intellectually inadequate for the task, but is aided by his neighbour and his daughter, Eve. His neighbour is a park ranger who is in charge of the reintroduced lynxes and aurochs that roam the area. Q gradually grows stronger and more competent. He and Eve have a very special relationship, somewhat complicated by the fact that Eve never appears at the same time as a female Edwardian ghost living in Q’s house. He talks intimately to both, but never at the same time…One of the joys of the book is the descriptions of the odd army of misfits and loners that have escaped the big cities and live on the moors above Q’s house. There is a holy man waiting for the second coming on top of a nearby hill and an Arthurian knight on horseback. They seem to fit into the general madness of the book.
Q’s children come down to Cornwall for school holidays, and begin to enjoy the outdoor and physically challenging lifestyle they experience. All is progressing well… Q’s wife is in a new relationship in London, but that does not stop her still getting on pretty well with him. She eventually spends more time in Cornwall, as they come to realise what is actually important in life and what they have missed.
An interesting and fascinating read that breaks a few conventions.
Tony for the TripFiction team
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