Earth Abides
1949 • 345 pages
Ratings28
Average rating3.6
15
Ratings28
Average rating3.6
"An instant classic upon its orginal publication in 1949 and winner of the first International Fantasy Award, *Earth Abides* ranks with *On the Beach* and *Riddley Walker* as one of our most provacative and finely wrought post-apocalyptic works of literature. Its impact is still fresh, its lessons timeless.
When a plague of unprecedented virulence sweeps the globe, the human race is all but wiped out. In the aftermath, as the great machine of civilization slowly, inexorably, breaks down, only a few shattered survivors remain to struggle against the slide into barbarism...or extinction.
This is the story of one such survivor, Isherwood "Ish" WIlliams, an intellectual loner who embraces the grim duty of bearing witness to what may be humanity's final days. But then he finds Em, a wise a courageous woman who coaxes his stunned heart back to life and teaches him to hope again. Together, they will face unimaginable challenges as they sow the seeds of a new beginning." - From the book jacket
Reviews with the most likes.
Well written and compelling story. Though it was written in 1949, there is little to give that fact away.
Absolutely beautiful.
I'd read some years ago that Earth Abides was Stephen King's inspiration for The Stand. Considering the novel follows the collapse of civilization after a virus kills 99% of the American population, inspiration might be an understatement.
I found it to be profoundly moving. I may be in the minority, I've read some very harsh reviews of it. The book was written in 1947 and it shows, both in misogynistic tendencies and one racist episode. Let's call that the Dumbo Outlier and be done with it. The scope of Earth Abides is broad, and there's little in the way of cohesive plot. Less a novel than a memoir of man observing the death and rebirth of society.
The further you get into the story, the better it gets. I've never read such a convincing depiction of the way time can slip by as one ages. Bear in mind that it was written in 1949, and is shaded by the gender ideas and roles of the time.
