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John Christopher
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Cloud on Silver Kindle Edition

by John Christopher (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.0 out of 5 stars 27 ratings
A disparate group of Londoners are brought together by Sweeney, a mysteriously charismatic man of wealth, for a luxury cruise in the South Pacific – they know not why. Sailing far from the normal shipping routes, the ship drops anchor just off an uninhabited tropical island. Whilst its passengers are ashore exploring, the ship catches fire and sinks beneath the waves.

With no means of communication with the outside world and no hope of rescue, passengers and crew must find a way to survive. In the scramble for power that ensues, the distinction between master and servant becomes meaningless as the more ruthless among them clamber to the top.

The inscrutable Sweeney, meanwhile, sits alone on a hillside. Coolly aloof, he watches the veneer of civilization disintegrate as his fellows fall prey to fear, desperation, barbarity …

As for Silver Island itself, with its lush vegetation and exotic fruits, it had seemed like paradise. But as the days pass, a subtle sense of unease gains momentum, and the realisation gradually dawns that all is far from well in this tropical Eden.
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  1. Print length
    268 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Accessibility
    Learn more
  4. Publication date
    November 2, 2015
  5. File size
    422 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B017ITP7R6
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ The SYLE Press
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 2, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 422 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 268 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0992768676
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 out of 5 stars 27 ratings

About the author

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John Christopher

John Christopher

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Sam Youd was born in Lancashire in April 1922, during an unseasonable snowstorm.

As a boy, he was devoted to the newly emergent genre of science-fiction: 'In the early thirties,' he later wrote, 'we knew just enough about the solar system for its possibilities to be a magnet to the imagination.'

Over the following decades, his imagination flowed from science-fiction into general novels, cricket novels, medical novels, gothic romances, detective thrillers, light comedies ... In all, under his own name and a variety of pen-names, he published fifty-six novels and a myriad of short stories.

He is perhaps best known as John Christopher, author of the seminal work of speculative fiction, The Death of Grass, and a stream of novels in the genre he pioneered, YA dystopian fiction, beginning with The Tripods Trilogy.

'I read somewhere,' Sam once said, 'that I have been cited as the greatest serial killer in fictional history, having destroyed civilisation in so many different ways - through famine, freezing, earthquakes, feral youth combined with religious fanaticism, and progeria.'

Titles published under the pen-name of Hilary Ford and under his own name are also available on Amazon.

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
27 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • T Paterson Byrne
    4.0 out of 5 stars Explores the dark side of human nature, which for ...
    Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Explores the dark side of human nature, which for the most part is kept in check by pressure to conform and enforced law, with an intriguing setting and unpredictable plot development.
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  • Pete Barber (Author)
    4.0 out of 5 stars I recently enjoyed The White Voyage by John Christopher
    Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2016
    I recently enjoyed The White Voyage by John Christopher, so I thought I’d give his latest novel a try. As with The White Voyage, this novel deals with the social interactions within a small group of marooned travelers, but unlike the previous story, the action that cuts them off from the civilized I recently enjoyed The White Voyage by John Christopher, so I thought I’d give his latest novel a try. As with The White Voyage, this novel deals with the social interactions within a small group of marooned travelers, but unlike the previous story, the action that cuts them off from the civilized world is no accident.
    Once again, I enjoyed the author’s writing style, filled with fresh imagery and believable dialogue. Taken at face value, the characters could be seen as hard to believe, but the author develops their idiosyncrasies in such a gradual and believable manner that I found myself agreeing that, yes, this is exactly how they would act. I particularly enjoyed Lydia’s decent to her basest personality.
    The story has many similarities to Golding’s Lord of The Flies. And although the ending seemed rather rushed to me and left open questions about Sweeny’s motives that would have been interesting to explore, this was an enjoyable read, and the journey more than made up for that minor quibble.

    This review was originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Sloan
    4.0 out of 5 stars Desert island strangeness, decades before "Lost"
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 28, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    This relatively obscure novel from the author of "The Death of Grass" turned out to be a great read. It's the story of a bunch of privileged rich people stranded on a desert island. John Christopher has a particular interest in examining the human condition in his fiction, and here he puts the spotlight on what happens when the thin veneer of civilisation is removed from people whose lives had, until now, depended on etiquette and class. Who are they underneath the facades? At the start, I didn't particularly like any of the bunch, but this changed as I read on, and I came to root for several characters when things went in a "Lord of the Flies" direction.

    The other thing that makes this interesting is that there's something weird and mysterious about the island. In this respect, I was reminded of the TV series "Lost," but of course, this was written several decades before that. If you're a fan of that series, then this novel will probably appeal to you.

    I'm very happy that the Style Press has brought this author's "lesser" works back into print. I hope the publisher continues to bring out even more titles. I want them all.
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  • Mal
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 19, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Love all of John Christopher's work - more should be released onto Kindle
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  • Krystyna Hollis
    3.0 out of 5 stars this could SO easily have been a better book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 10, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    ....this could SO easily have been a better book! The story line was very good but no deep characterization....if there had been more reasons given for the actions taken by the potentially interesting protagonists it would have been superb......
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  • James Alva
    4.0 out of 5 stars A better than average thriller
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 3, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I've been a huge fan of John Christopher since The Death of Grass but, even though Cloud on Silver is a cut above your average thriller, it is not quite up to the standard of his more well known novel. But still an enjoyable read.
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  • CJ
    2.0 out of 5 stars Pointless
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 21, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Written in 1964, I assume this was inspired by William Goldings 'Lord Of The Flies', written 10 years earlier - but with adults rather than children stranded on a tropical island. It didn't add anything. Most authors pick one character whose inner thoughts and feelings are explained, but in this book everyone's thoughts are revealed - which was so confusing I was continually flicking back to the beginning of a chapter to remind myself who he was writing about. The one character not explained was the mysterious protagonist who caused the whole debacle! In the end the plot is thin: a bunch of people get stranded, turn a bit savage, mostly survive, get rescued and feel a bit guilty. Pointless. I felt robbed even after paying only £3.50 for a Kindle version.
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