Category: John Christopher

A Wrinkle in the Skin

One night, the island of Guernsey convulsed. As shock followed shock, the landscape tilted violently in defiance of gravity. When dawn came and the quakes had stilled to tremblings, Matthew Cotter gazed out in disbelief at the pile of rubble that had been his home…

Three out of four

During the mid-morning break, Rod sat, as usual, with Whitey. They were companions because they had opposite bed-spaces in the tented camp down in the valley. Apart from this accident of proximity, they had nothing...

pendulum enemies of the people

Enemy of the people!

He had expected the atmosphere of the court-room to be one of feverish and rabid emotionalism, but so far it was not like that. The Robey who had asked him how he pleaded spoke in...

religious repression reactionary

Reactionaries!

The news was confusing, and it was necessary to read between the lines of the official version. This started with a vilification of the Robeys that was even more trenchant than had been the case...

A terrible strength

He stood on the balustrade at the top, and saw the seething mass fighting all round the top of the Square. Many of the yobs had retreated to other vantage points: one was firing from...

Procession

They walked through empty streets in the cold grey dawn, down the long road to Kennington, the still longer one to the river. Martin was at the front, near Brother James: there were perhaps two...

The creation of unity

She had chosen Walter not just for the surface qualities – the apparently powerful character and personality – but for what she sensed lay beneath: the weakness. It had been an intellectual and emotional exercise,...

Like a Swiss Army knife

Jane was very conscious of their being alone together. Her parents had retreated into the other room, and she could hear the distant sound of the radio through the wall. They were not fond of...

The joy of comradeship

There were more than twenty of them travelling by train, but Martin was one of those who were with Brother James, in Brother James’ compartment. They meditated or sang hymns while the fields of England,...