''Urn Burial'' is a 1987 young adult

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

Robert Westall Robert Atkinson Westall (7 October 1929 – 15 April 1993) was an English author and teacher known for fiction aimed at children and young people. Some of the latter cover complex, dark, and adult themes. He has been called "the dean of Brit ...

. It involves alien races who resemble cats and dogs.

Setting

Westall has set ''Urn Burial'' in the Pennine chain of northern England, near the Scottish border. The Cumbrian fell country is an isolated land of rain, prehistoric ruins, and heather. The sheep that run loose on the steep hills are still a major source of income, and shepherding is a respected profession. Life remains rather primitive on the fells, but the homes have electricity and running water and the shepherds reach their flocks on ATVs.

External links

''Urn Burial'' at Fantastic Fiction
* 1987 British novels 1987 science fiction novels British science fiction novels Children's science fiction novels British young adult novels Novels set in Cumbria {{1980s-ya-novel-stub