In conversation

This Kingdom of Dust: David Dyer in conversation with Meg Bignell

Like the moon landing itself, a feat of enormous ingenuity imagining the lives of the Apollo mission heroes, and those on planet earth in the tumultuous 1960s.

The whole world has just watched Neil and Buzz walk on the Moon. Now they are struck by terror: the lunar module’s engine has failed. There is no back-up, no other way off the surface. If the astronauts can’t fix the problem, they’ll slowly run out of oxygen and die. This Kingdom of Dust explores this harrowing scenario through the intertwined narratives of three distinct voices: Buzz on the Moon, his wife Joan back on Earth, and Aquarius, the journalist compelled to craft a story he doesn’t want to write.

Marooned, Buzz confronts his fate with a mix of dread and awe. On Earth, Joan wrestles with grief and sacrifice against the backdrop of 1960s America – a nation riven by war and seismic social change. Caught between professional duty and personal turmoil, Aquarius soon discovers that he will need all his skill to capture this unfolding drama, and all his courage to follow it through to its breathtaking conclusion.

With page-turning suspense and emotional heft, this reimagining of an epic moment in history combines public spectacle with private despair, reframing what the Moon landing has meant not only for the astronauts and those who loved them, but for all humankind.

In 2013, David Dyer was awarded a doctorate in creative arts, and in 2016 published The Midnight Watch, a novel about the ship that witnessed the Titanic’s distress rockets but failed to respond. He then turned his attention to space, a fascination sparked in early childhood by the book You Will Go to the Moon, and later by the wonder and wisdom of Carl Sagan. In 2019, David was lucky enough to meet moonwalkers Buzz Aldrin and Charlie Duke at a gala celebration of the Apollo 11 mission, where he was inspired anew by the vision and courage of those who dared to leave our small Earth and explore the depths of space. David currently lives in Sydney, where he teaches, writes and makes cocktails.

David will be in conversation with Meg Bignell, author of three novels including The Angry Women’s Choir.

Join them at the Afterword Cafe. Tickets include a glass of wine or soft drink.