Join author David Dyer as he discusses his new fiction release, This Kingdom of Dust.

This Kingdom of Dust is a reimagining of the 1969 moon landing and if the concerns of the time became reality, inspired after a chance meeting with the astronauts themselves Buzz Aldrin and Charlie Duke.

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.

The story intertwines perspectives from Buzz on the Moon, his wife Joan on Earth, and a journalist reporting this horrifying situation. The gripping tale explores themes of dread, awe, grief, sacrifice, and courage against the backdrop of the 1960s.

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.

$5.00 + booking fee

Books will be available for purchase and signing on the night.

Non-alcoholic refreshments and nibbles on arrival.

Bookings required.

Enquiries: 8495 5028 or libraryprograms@northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au

David Dyer grew up in a small, coastal town in New South Wales. After school, he pursued an eclectic career that included studying medicine, travelling the world in merchant ships, and working as a lawyer in Sydney and London. Upon his return to Australia, he decided to embrace his lifelong love of literature, and so became an English teacher and writer. In 2013, he 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.