A girl stepped out on to the lane, a small figure carrying a bunch of flowers. As if the path were a stage, two men climbed out of the bushes. One pursued her and, as he caught her, flung her down and his boot slammed into her back and her head. Martin and Red ignored a lifetime of advice to stay out of the Daylight People's affairs and ran forward.
Orr has lost his memory and an eye. The land he finds himself in is a divided one. The twisters have been driven from the villages and the Matrix rule Westermain with a velvet glove. When Orr comes upon two soldiers attacking a young girl he is determined to exact revenge. Where he travels, who he meets and what he discovers in his quest will change this strange world forever.
In the world of All This is So, people fish, picnic, plant trees, pick flowers, watch plays, laugh at Punch and Judy, perform music and own dogs; they fall in love, fear death, cherish their children, make mistakes and commit crimes. So is it our world?
Not quite, or not quite yet. The air is pure, the seas are crystal, but the horses are dead. Our great aspiration is theirs but writ larger - freedom. They chafe at power, and know that the intoxication of controlling others' lives must always be subdued. To find the equation that balances power, freedom and responsibility is no easy task, but they try.
From beneath the story emerges the will to survive, seeking always and only the future. When Macbeth asks the witches whether the vision they have shown him is indeed the future they reply; 'All this is so.' He will not believe them - and then goes on to make that future.
John F. Roe was born and brought up in rural Lincolnshire in the United Kingdom. He later read History at St John's College, Cambridge, and acquired a degree in English from London University. After graduating he taught and travelled in Europe and Africa and wherever there were mountains. At twenty-eight John married Ella Burley and began a more organised life altogether, as well as two children, Christopher and Madeleine. John taught in Rhodesia for several years and then came to teach in Australia. He loves to read, travel, grow flowers, coach soccer, and keep the company of his grandsons.
