Peter Dickinson [is] a comparatively new writer whose stories about 'The Changes', a time when men in England had learned to fear and dread machines, and so destroy them, have been one of the most refreshing discoveries of the last few years. (p. 124)

The first of these three books, The Weathermonger, is a straightforward and vividly exciting adventure story. The Changes have only affected Britain; Europe is still as she was, but she cannot mount a rescue expedition because, for reasons which are described with convincing ingenuity, all forms of power fail as the English coast is approached. Two children are found who have been unaffected by the Changes. They are taken to France, given careful instructions and then taken across the Channel in a sailing yacht back to England….

Their object is to drive across England to Wales, and get as near as they can to a...