The Moon at Noon

The House Next Door #3

by Jule Owen

Mathew Erlang travels north through an England overrun by violence and sickness. Accompanied by a new friend, he finally makes it to his grandmother’s house, but all is not as it seems in this childhood place of safety. Meanwhile, Clara makes an uncanny pact with Mathew’s peculiar neighbour and finally learns the truth about Mr. Lestrange. What made you want to write YA time travel fiction? I love books like the Hunger Games and Divergent. I also love books like Patrick Ness’s Chaos Walking and Chuck Wendig’s Heartland Trilogy. They are all exciting, deeply engaging dystopian action adventure series. They all make you stop and think. So I wanted to write something similar. But I’ve been reading about futurology and climate change for years and they have seeped into my subconscious. I liked the idea of exploring possible futures based on the non-fiction I’d be reading. To do that I needed Mathew Erlang, my main character, to be able to jump forward into the future to see how things turn out. Why specifically write teen dystopia? Why not write for adults? I’m not sure I am specifically writing just for teens. I read a lot of young adult fiction and I’m certainly not a teen! But when I built the world and the much bigger story that Mathew’s tale exists in, he happened to turn out to be a teenaged boy at the beginning of his series. You describe your books at cli-fi. What does that mean? Cli-fi means climate change fiction. It’s a spin on sci-fi, of course, but it’s a type of dystopian science fiction or speculative fiction that specifically deals with the impact of climate change on the people of the future. Why did you want to write about climate change? It’s the big issue of our times and the biggest challenge we’ve faced as a civilisation. There’s a huge scientific consensus about the fact that climate change is man made and that it is likely to massively disrupt our lives in the future, but lots of people don’t believe in it. I read an article a while ago in The New Scientist (which is my favourite magazine) saying that the climate change lobby needs more artists and writers to go and spread the message. Frighteningly, young people, who are likely to suffer the most in the future, are particularly not engaging with the issue. Is this it for Mathew? Are there no more stories? This is the last book in the 'House Next Door' trilogy, but I am already working on the first book in a new series. It tells the story of the Kind and the Lamplighter, characters that appeared at the end of 'The Boy Who Fell from the Sky'. Plus, I don't think I'm quite done with Mathew yet. We'll have to see.

Genres: Young Adult, Time Travel, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Fiction

294 pages, Paperback

First published December 22, 2015

About the author

Jule Owen was born in the North of England and now lives in London. She spent many years working in online technology, latterly in the video games industry and is fascinated by science, technology, futurology and terrified by climate change.

She can be found online and would love to hear from you. Look her up here:
www.juleowen.com

Reviews

[Mark Speed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow - just wow! What a magnificent reveal! Since getting hooked on books one and two, I'd wondered how the author was going to pull all the strands together. Without wanting to give too much away, I'd also been wondering about the whole nature of Mr Lestrange, and what was really going on. As we've come to expect, the writing is absolutely beautiful. This series has been a real joy for me to read this year. I think we'll look back at this year and see that Jule Owen has cemented her place as a significant voice in environmental futurology.

[Omg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, for a start, I think the first book in a trilogy was a bit mysterious, thus attractive. Enjoyed it, but wouldn't be one of my favorites, even though I wouldn't have anything bad to say about it. However, half way into second book I was amazed at all creativity in the story, and the mind behind this book, and also with how things are getting more mysterious, which makes me more curious as to where all the story is leading. And so after reading the second book, I knew that not reading third one is impossible, and I really enjoyed it, with my amazement increasing with each chapter. I would like to see it, live it, experience it. Big bravo to the author!

[Bryn Holmes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the premise of this book but do not do what I did and start with The Moon at Noon. Go and find Julie Owen's The Boy Who Fell from the Sky. Although the book is well written and interesting as a stand alone, it's the pulling together all the different facets of Mathew's experience that really makes this book sing. The ending will mean a lot more if you read through the whole series.

He is likely to turn up any moment now and she is in turmoil.

Happy reading!

[April Prosser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great ending

This is Book 3 of that amazing post modern mind bender series disguised as a Young Adult Sci Fi trilogy. All three books are the best.

[Dan Nordquist · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible and unique story!

I won’t give any spoilers but this is a great mix of sci-fi and time travel. Loved it!

Highly recommended!

[Phillip Sanderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I read the first book in a series and love it, I am typically disappointed in the follow-ups. Even those that get made into high budget movies. Yet I refuse to lose hope that there will be an author who can deliver a trilogy of consistent imagination and quality. Congratulations to Jule Owen. From the first revelations in The Boy Who Fell from the Sky to the final ones in The Moon at Noon, I was enthralled.

First, her vision of the future is absolutely clear in her mind and vividly rendered. Few SF novels have seemed so possible to me a real future arc. The combination and contrast of advanced technologies with a new social order and politics driven by extreme climate change seem more relevant than anything else I have recently read. As I read the books, I watched news pieces of both war and climate change that made the books seem eerily prescient.

Second, each book held more of the new, even within the schema set out in the original book. Credit Jule with creating a rich enough environment that she was always able to use that structure to create and reveal things that were novel to the reader.

Third, the final book came with revelations that were intricately woven through the first two. The plots of these books were not made up as they went along. From start to finish, this trilogy felt like a single well-conceived book.

Fourth, there are complexities that arise from the plot (especially in this third book) that made my head swim a little. Jule handles these moments deftly.

Well done. I hope to read more from Jule Owen.

[Lorna Barker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Time travel and all its implications. I love reading anything which has this embedded in the storyline. It sets me thinking and this is what this book is intended to do, while still being an effortless, enjoyable read. "I think you have a story to tell your older self." Can the young somehow be wiser than their older counterparts? Is it all about what we are exposed to and the experiences we have?

By the time I got to this third book in the trilogy, I was so eager to find out how it would conclude but at the same time was left wanting to read more. I am encouraged by the fact that we are told it's not the end of the story. And of course, it isn't. The details of the story may fade in our memories - I read this a few months ago already - but the important message vis-à-vis climate change remains intact.

For me, the author's writing skill and proficiency develops along with the plot. The characters grow to the extent that we see an older and younger version of them and I became fully absorbed in the twists and turns as we are all moved from one year to another. Good guys, bad guys, gadgets with a hint of magic, suspense, emotion and the complexity of human behaviour and its motives: it's all there.

Looking forward to more from this writer who I'm sure has a lot more in store.

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This whole series is very entertaining and thought provoking. The possibilities in the future, mind boggling. I like the high moral standards the main character and his family have. They are actually very selfless. I got just a tiny bit bogged down with lots of information given to us at one point, but once I got past that the story really picked up.
The story is very well written and I could easily picture the world described to the reader. This author is very creative.
I would recommend this series to anyone interested in what the world and its problems might be in the future and also just for a great entertaining read.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

** I received a copy of this book for free through a Goodreads giveaway. **

I really enjoyed this solid and satisfying conclusion to the House Next Door trilogy. The characters were engaging and the story was very well told. I particularly liked the switches between present and future. I would have liked to know more about what happens next but I suppose I will have to live with my thoughts on what was written.

[angela reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!

I don't usually spend so much for e books, but this series is worth every penny. I'm sorry it's finished and I'm hoping that we get to hear more from Matt and the 16. I'd also like to read the story of how George ends up being in Matthew's life.

[Julian Richard Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sardines

Very complex yet dazzling read a must buy. If you don't your missing out big time!!!! Praise to the author

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, quick read, the conclusion to the trilogy. I think it's a YA novel. I enjoyed it.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, great ending to a great series. Highly recommend. I won this book through Goodreads

[Mrs Carol Kaye]

Fantastic book.