7.6 /10 1 Votes
Language English Publication date 1971 | 3.8/5 Goodreads Publisher Collins Originally published 1971 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Genres Science Fiction, Speculative fiction Similar Llandor Trilogy: The Road, Above The Chimney Pots, The Earth Witch, Moonwind, The Crowlings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Andra is a 1971 science fiction novel, the first novel by English writer Louise Lawrence.
Contents
In 1976 it was made into a children's television program by ABC Television.
Plot
The book was set 2000 years from now, after the world was destroyed by war leaving the earth knocked off its rotation and the ground above to become a desolate frozen wasteland with everyone that survived living below the ground in underground cities.
The main story revolves around Andra, a teenage girl who has a terrible accident and has to have a brain graft operation to survive. However, the only donor available was a young man that lived and died in 1987. After the operation her life is totally changed; she becomes a rebel, fighting against the rigid laws that rule society underground in Sub City One and the totalitarian authority that rules over life and death of any individual.
Andra (television program)
The book was adapted into an Australian children's program and released on 8 September 1976 by the ABC-TV. The Andra TV series (8 x 30 minute episodes) is unique amongst such shows as to have been created on such as small budget that in the background, in crowd scenes, the 'crowd' is actually made up of store clothing dummies. The sets, instead of containing items of furniture, or other articles, are large white blocks piled up on each other.
The series targets a female audience but a similar Australian science fiction series, Alpha Scorpio was made a little earlier in the 70s and aimed at a male audience.
Cast
Episode Guide
- (10 September 1976) Andra, a young citizen in Sub City One, leaves her lecture and wanders into a supply tunnel where she is knocked over and suffers severe brain damage. Dr Lascaux asks for permission to attempt a brain graft using a 2,000-year-old brain.
- (17 September 1976) A spaceship which set out 30 years ago to discover the new Earth, returns into contact, having successfully completed its mission.
- (24 September 1976)
- (1 October 1976) A spaceship is prepared to explore the new planet which has been discovered. When it returns with information about the planet, it seems it must crash land and the crew will die.
- (8 October 1976)
- (15 October 1976) The expedition party returns to Sub City One–without navigation charts.
- (22 October 1976)
- (29 October 1976) Andra realises that the rocket ships for the new planet are about to take off and runs blindly to the surface.