Republic of Ireland - The Cloud of Desolation - Sam Baneham
How I found the Book:
So my history with this book is a pretty good story. After reaching out to a guy called Damo, on the science fiction book club FaceBook group asking him about Irish Science fiction from the Republic of Ireland. Damo came back recommending Cloud of Desolation, but warned me it was a very rare and therefore pretty expensive book. This project has taught me that searching for books all over the internet is quite good fun and i'm getting pretty good at it. Damo was super generous and offered to lend me a copy of his book, but i also really like collecting physical copies of the books for this project too.
So my history with this book is a pretty good story. After reaching out to a guy called Damo, on the science fiction book club FaceBook group asking him about Irish Science fiction from the Republic of Ireland. Damo came back recommending Cloud of Desolation, but warned me it was a very rare and therefore pretty expensive book. This project has taught me that searching for books all over the internet is quite good fun and i'm getting pretty good at it. Damo was super generous and offered to lend me a copy of his book, but i also really like collecting physical copies of the books for this project too.
The Physical Book:
I eventually found a copy in a small 2nd hand online bookshop based in Ireland, so I purchased a copy from them. The owner was super friendly and sent me a few emails about delivery times and prices. The book went past its due date by a week or so, so I emailed the book store owner, who was very apologetic and went on a mission to kick the couriers ass and get the book into my hands. The owner did the job and book arrived a couple of weeks later on the 11th Aug 2023. The Cover art on my second hand hard cover copy is miserable and dark, and conveys the mood and feel of the book very well.
The Story:
The story is set in an underground would in a post nuclear future. There seems to have been generations and generations of living underground, which have left the people with a new system of religion, and they all seem to by all wearing a plastic cover like armour over their skin. There have grown completely hairless, and have an almost religious regard toward anything made of glass. The underground dwellers have satellite or drone footage of the surface and spot what they think is cattle, and send a man to the surface to investigate. The man discovers the 'cattle' were a small family who take him in when he falls ill due to the surface radiation. The story is great, and I'd love to find more time to research the background of the story, as this seems to be a piece of satire. But maybe another day.