David Dyer in-conversation with David Hunt

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.

Our event space is wheelchair accessible via a stair lift. For any other accessibility questions, please email events@betterread.com.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. David currently lives in Sydney, where he teaches, writes and makes cocktails.

David Hunt is an unusually tall and handsome man who likes writing his own biographical notes. He is the author of the bestselling Girt, True Girt and Girt Nation, as well as two books for children. David is also a television presenter and podcaster, and has a birthmark that looks like Tasmania, only smaller and not as far south.