The Devil's Children

Having picked up all three of these children's books at a BookCrossing meeting, I decided to read them in the order they were published, rather than in chronological order of the events in the stories. The Changes is what the inhabitants of England, Scotland and Wales call the sudden aversion to all machines which has lead to millions of refugees fleeing abroad, the emptying of the cities, and reversion to a mediaeval way of life. Anything mechanical or modern is shunned, and anyone who uses them or even shows any interest in anything forbidden is likely to be accused of witchcraft and stoned to death.

"The Devil's Children" tells how Nicky loses her parents in the chaos in the first few days of the Changes, and falls in with a band of show more Sikhs who aren’t affected by the anti-machine madness, but need her to act as their canary, to tell them what is safe for them to do and what would lead to attacks from other people. All three stories are very exciting, with inventive protagonists between the ages of twelve and sixteen who by their own determination and ingenuity manage to overcome any obstacles in their way.

Recommended ! show less

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 show more 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. show less

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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 show more 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! show less

This novel is the first (chronologically) in a trilogy that inspired a drama/SF TV series for children in 1975, The Changes. Images of people smashing machinery on TV made an impression on my 8 year old mind. But this novel is rather disappointing and the actual Changes that cause the people of Britain to trash their technology take place only in retrospect summary form in the preface. The novel itself is rather pedestrian though with some interesting and mature things to say about how the central character copes with the maelstrom that has engulfed her life.

Suddenly England destroys machines, GIrl left on own joins group of Sikhs fleeing the country