Your Preview Verdict: This Kingdom of Dust by David Dyer

Buy a copy of This Kingdom of Dust here.

Read some great reviews from our Preview readers here:

I was excited to read David Dyers second Novel “This Kingdom of Dust” having enjoyed “Midnight Watch” and it did not disappoint. Being a child of the 60’s one of my first memories is of being sent home from school to watch the Apollo 11 Moon landing to watch Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walk on the moon. As with Midnight Watch, David Dyer puts his own spin on another historical moment in time. The landing goes as planned but this is where fact and fiction start to differ, whereas in 1969 the Astronauts where the focus in this book they share the limelight with a journalist tasked with writing about the “machines” and the wives of the Astronauts in particular Joan – Buzz’s wife. A story well told with a good mix of suspense, science, emotion, and ending that’s not expected. Jill, VIC, 5 stars

I really enjoyed The Kingdom of Dust . It was a suspenseful tale with an emotional aspect to it. It reimagined that epic moment in 1969 when man walked on the moon . The most horrific terror occurred thereafter with the unexpected and shocking event taking place. The book depicts the frightening scenario through the voices of Buzz who is on the Moon, Joan his wife on earth and the journalist Aquarius who is required to put together a story that he is most reluctant about. I highly recommend this book ! Catherine, QLD, 5 stars

This Kingdom of Dust, by David Dyer, was a great read. While perhaps not normally a book I would pick up, I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read it. I feel the genre sits amongst sci-fi, fantasy, drama and historical fiction. The book is set in 1969, and follows the moon landing, but a reimagined version of it. The story unfolds both in space and by those who are on the ground. While focusing primarily on the moon landing, the book also touches on events of the 1960’s and the changing world that they are living in. The main characters are the astronauts themselves, their wives and a writer called Aquarius who is covering the moon landing on earth. The book had me engaged from the start, it explores the relationships between the characters both in the good times and the more trying times. I would most certainly recommend this book. Kelly, VIC, 5 stars

An intriguing story, manipulating history in an insightful and personalised way. I found the protagonist, Aquarius, irritating to the point of almost giving up on the book. However, the trials and tribulations of the space vogage, threaded amongst the goings-on on earth, kept me fascinated. The last third of the story, so cleverly written, left me riding waves of emotion. A wonderful read. Susan, VIC, 5 stars

David Dyer has most certainly captured my attention with ‘This Kingdom of Dust’ He makes you believe that the Apollo 11 moon landing could easily have gone this way. With one small thing going wrong and the mission not being able to return to Earth how would the Astronauts have handled this news? What about their families? And how would the nation react? This version of events was very believable and had me feeling for all involved but especially for the families waiting for news her on Earth. David Dyer’s writing has you thinking that this man has some inside knowledge of how NASA operates. I am so taken with this book that I have already suggested it to a few friends and I suggest to you now that you put this book on your Christmas Shopping list for anyone that has even a slight interest in space travel and especially for those that love to talk about that Moon landing and those first steps on the Moon. Would the price have been worth it if it had all gone wrong? A book that is very hard to put down and one that will really make you think. Annamaree, QLD, 5 stars

The Apollo 11 moon landing, but reimagined! This Kingdom of Dust explores the Apollo 11 moon landing and what would have happened if they were unable to come home. Neil & Buzz are ultimately doomed to be stuck on the moon for all of eternity after the failure of the lunar module’s engine. This book explores the moon landing from Buzz & his wife Joan’s voices as well as journalist Aquarius voice. The Kingdom of Dust is quite the compelling read & shows that not everything can or will go the plan! Amanda, NSW, 5 stars

In 1961 JFK told the world that America would land a man on the moon before 1970. In 1969, as part of the Apollo II space mission, two astronauts landed and walked on the moon then blasted off to rendezvous with a third astronaut waiting in the command module orbiting the moon, and returned safely to a hero’s welcome. This book is a retelling of that event although with a completely different ending. Is it a comment on truth, distortion of truth, misinformation and hypocrisy and could “The Kingdom of Dust” be America? Or is it just a simple story about man going to the moon with a modified, maybe more interesting, ending? You be the judge. Filled with plenty of interesting technical and historical detail (not fact checked) and well written with a couple of subtle twists (I didn’t see coming!) towards the end. Denise, NSW, 5 stars

David Dyer has written a very enthralling twist on the very famous first man on the moon landing. Not only has this brought back many memories, it’s also a great novel for young readers. Sheree, NSW, 5 stars

The Kingdom of Dust by Neil Dyer is a fictional re-telling of the moon landing and what happened after. If you read it with an open mind and and see it for what it is, it is a great novel. The fact that is uses true events can make it hard to believe but overall a great read. Trudy, SA, 4 stars

I found this book compelling. The insight into the times and events surrounded the moon landing were really fascinating. I’ve always been a little bit in love with the people involved and the mammoth task it was! I really enjoyed the “what if” scenario and watching that unfold in real time between Earth and space. And I loved the suspense that was able to built within that. I didn’t love the bible references, but can appreciate religion was a hot topic at the time and relevant to the story. Overall I very much enjoyed this preview book. I would like to read the author’s previous book as well. Rowena, TAS, 4 stars

Set in the 1960s, This Kingdom of Dust is a unique reimagining of the moment when the world stood still watching two men walking on the moon. Told from three points of the view, the storyline intertwines well to capture the science, the public spectacle and the private despair of this historical moment. Dyer explores a storyline where Neil and Buzz find that the lunar module’s engines have failed and they have no way of getting off the moon. Meanwhile, Buzz’s wife Joan struggles in a time where women are told only what they need to know, with a front lawn full of media, she must perform and portray the dutiful housewife. Aquarius sneaks into Joan’s home crafting a story he wants to write, not the one he’s been paid to write. An unlikable character, with a sordid background he was a strange choice to write about such a pivotal moment in time. Overall I felt this was a unique and intriguing take on such a pivotal moment in history. Dyers commitment to research in order to write this story must be commended and the layers he added via the multiple narratives was well done. Emily, QLD, 4 stars

This Kingdom of Dust follows the moon landing and provides an opportunity to reflect on the meaning we place on things by looking at a significant event from a different angle and outcome. It follows the Apollo 11 moon landing primarily from the perspective of a man hired to write a piece on the event. His perspective on the whole event is almost indifference and as such he spends a good deal of the book thinking about, or trying to get in the good graces of Joan (Buzz’s wife). The story also has some scenes from Joan and the Apollo 11 astronauts perspective. The overarching theme I took from this book was that the meaning we provide for things (both big and small) are all arbitrary. That we can easily justify one thing as much as its complete opposite. He shows this in the characters flip-flopping on failure/success, love/relationships, faith, the meaning of life, just to name a few. I find that stories set within reality always make me want to go and pry apart the exact moments where things shift from what is real to what is made up. This is one of those stories. Gemma, ACT, 4 stars

In David Dyer’s This Kingdom of dust, the notion of confinement is evident from the opening lines. “Woman is born free, and everywhere she is caged.” The novel, although a work of fiction, takes a very famous and memorable event: The Apollo 11 moon landing and hypothesises a different ending. One in which the astronauts are stranded on the moon due to an engine malfunction. David Dyer deftly characterises the events surrounding this event from an unusual perspective in a novel. He takes you on a journey describing the event from three different perspectives. The astronauts, the wives on Earth left behind and the journalist tasked with reporting the event. The novel explores the idea of gender stereotypes and being trapped by that notion. The men trapped in the landing module on the moon, the women by their gender in 1960’s America. There are three different stories told from three different perspectives. The Astronaut, the wife, the journalist. All three stories are skilfully woven together to tell the tale of an alternate moon landing. David Dyer explores the notion of flawed humanity from the perspective of 1960’ America. The failed engineer turned journalist, the actress who gave up her career to become an astronauts wife and her husband, the Astronaut who was the second man to walk on the Moon, not the first. Michelle, NSW, 4 stars

When I first started this I was a bit unsure, why change the events of the moon landing? There seemed no real point and at the end I’m still not 100% sure but wow, it’s a compelling read for most of the book. The main focus is Aquarius, a writer for Time magazine asked to cover the events and he’s not particularly likeable. He manages to get himself inside Buzz’s house and make himself known to Buzz’s wife Joan. But it’s not just a reimagining of the Apollo 11 mission, it manages to touch on a lot of the issues in the US at the time, particularly feminism, religion, civil rights, the Vietnam war and more. The characters bring the book alive and I found it a fascinating and enjoyable read. Janelle, NSW, 4 stars

An alternate perspective of the Apollo 11 moon landing that looks into if things didn’t go entirely as they did. What could have happened? The multiple narrative of Buzz, Jeannie and Aquarius works very well at keeping the reader engaged. It’s a unique emotional page turner! Samantha, QLD, 4 stars

The kingdoms of Dust was truly an interesting book investigating not only the astronauts but also the story and life that their wife’s live and the sacrifices they make for their men. Sally, VIC, 4 stars

Amazing book, really took me right into the world. Jessica, NSW, 4 stars

The author gives us such a human approach to the moon landing. A subject that fascinates. The characters are closely tied together by the historic events – the successes and failures. A book I enjoyed reading. Mary, QLD, 4 stars

Not a book I would usually be interested in but the author’s thorough research and attention to detail kept me reading and highlighted the terrors and costs financially and emotionally for the families involved in the moon landing. It made me question – Was the moon landing a success or failure? The characters, especially the journalist Aquarius, were not likeable but probably demonstrated the culture of the time. If the research is accurate, I am shocked and appalled at the spend for this brief, planet-destroying mission. Michelle, NSW, 3 stars

The Kingdom of Dust by David Dyer is unlike most of the fiction that I tend to read. It is a fictionalised version of the moon landing told predominantly through the eyes of the characters of: Buzz, still as the second man to set foot on the moon, and Aquarius, the reporter sent to research and write about the voyage. It is a different version of the events in which things go quite awry and the astronauts are stuck in a terrifying position. Dyer did a great job of setting the scene and revealing the catastrophic situation told through the perspective of Buzz. He then explored the feelings of grief and anxiety experienced by the families left on Earth as told by Joan, Buzz’s wife, as she gets to know Aquarius. Although I found some of the technical discussions about the space craft difficult to understand I believe it was necessary for the storyline. I especially enjoyed the well developed back stories of each of the characters which made for a richer and deeper story. I would recommend this to all readers interested in space and the mysteries of the wider universe. Mary-Jo, VIC, 3 stars

In a rewrite of the historical moon landing, astronauts Mike, Neil and Buzz have reached the moon. Neil and Buzz have completed the moonwalk, collected rock samples and photos and the televised mission has been a success. However, returning to earth, in this account, soon becomes a whole different scenario. Aquarius, who’s commissioned to cover the story, is conflicted between his professional duty and his personal demons. I was a teenager when the moon landing took place and never really had any appreciation for the risk involved; many people probably didn’t, so it was quite thought provoking. Although the astronauts must have gone with eyes wide open, the reality of not returning would have been horrendous, not only for them, but for their families too. Not a book I loved – I didn’t enjoy the author’s writing style so it took me a while to become immersed in the story. I also didn’t particularly like the way the characters were depicted. However, there were some very poignant moments throughout the story that brought tears to my eyes. Janice, NSW, 3 stars

I am not quite sure if the intention was to keep the characters and stories bland like the surface of the moon but I found the 3 viewpoints of Buzz, Joan and Aquarius just boring. Aquarius, to me, is dis-interested and unlikeable. And I really did not understand some background stories eg Jeannie and her information of how exactly her husband died – why does that matter? I realise this is the way of life but I was also disturbed by the description of the lizards in Panama. At least they were taken care of. It could have been so much more interesting but as mentioned before, to me it just felt boring with strange tidbits eg Aquarius voiding his bladder (I put it a bit more politely). Some short parts were interesting to me – I liked that Joan knew Mary Jo’s name or the story about Madalyn’s crusade. Sandra, NSW, 2 stars

Buy a copy of This Kingdom of Dust here.