Dust [Kindle Edition]

What particularly gripped me about this book was the very vivid scene setting which was in evidence from the first page. As a reader you can really imagine yourself in the small farming town, surrounded by dry prairie landscape with tumbleweeds rolling by. I sensed from the very first chapter I would be pleased I downloaded this book and I'm happy to confirm that I was right as it was a tale that was just a little bit different- I whizzed through it and found it to be a worthwhile read- particularly as it was a Kindle freebie, though I most certainly would have been happy to pay for this book.

The book which is actually written for children would probably appeal to anyone who enjoys well written mystery/paranormal fiction though in my opinion it was a little bit darker than I was expecting! Set in Saskatchewan (where the author grew up so he knows the area intimately) during the depression, the novel tells the tale of a town plagued by drought. When a stranger arrives promising he can bring rain which will revive the townspeople's crops most are suspicious, but the man seems to have unbelievable powers of persuasion. At the same time however, local children begin to disappear one by one, and it seems only local boy Robert feels the two events are connected and is determined uncover what is going on...

A fascinating story of the mystery and paranormal with some really beautiful imagery and has some exciting little twists in the tale. I particularly loved the description of the butterflies- just magical. Arthur Slade also excels in cleverly building a sense of anticipation- as a reader you sense from the start that something untoward is going to happen, but you aren't quite sure as to what or when.

I have deducted one star from this book merely because I found it a little bit dry in some places particularly when Roberts parents made an appearance as they were probably the least well developed characters in the whole thing, but this was a small niggle and it was probably down to me being so impatient to find out what was going on and wanting to read past those parts! Overall, this was a short, interesting read and I look forward to trying more books by this author in future. Recommended.

This book won the Governor General's Literary Award back in 2001 for Children's Literature. I loved it. Set in a small town in rural Saskatchewan of Horshoe something strange is going on. Robert's younger brother has gone missing and soon no one seems to even remember him. The story set in a depression era dust bowl farm community, has many unique twists and turns.

The strange things started happening when Abram Harisch arrived in town; he appears to be taking control of the townspeople through his magic, mirrors and bewitching nature. Harisch has promised the town a rain-making machine, and in following this dream they are slowing losing all they care about and don't even notice. But Robert does and he knows he needs to avoid Harisch and figure out what is really going on or the whole town could be lost.

There are two different cover jackets for this book. I prefer the original to the newer one but either way it is a great adventure read.

I was fortunate enough to get this as a Kindle freebie. I would have happily paid the price for it. It's a belter. Short, but not a page is wasted. From the outset, Slade's prose sets the scene of oppressive heat, dust and things not being quite what they seem.

He's a master at building unease,tension and menace. Early on I was willing a central character not to do what you just knew he was going to do. This author is a real storyteller. He draws you in so that you are in the narrative. You're there in that town on that day almost part of the events as they unfold. That's no mean feat and for that alone, I'm giving it 5 stars. I hadn't realised this was intended for a young readership. It's not age specific in my view, so if you're an adult, don't discount it. One of my best reads so far this year!