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Daily Prompt: Second Time Around — Earth Abides, George R. Stewart

Cover of "Earth Abides"

I first read Earth Abides by George R. Stewart more than 30 years ago. It wasn’t newly published even then, but it was new to me.

Unlike many other books I have read and forgotten, Earth Abides has stayed in my mind. I have returned to it again and again. I can recall it with remarkable clarity especially considering  the hundreds of books I read every year, probably thousands since I first encountered Earth Abides.

Earth Abides is considered by many writers and readers of science fiction as a “foundation book” and is often cited as “the original disaster” story. A foundation book it is, but “original disaster story” entirely misses the point.

Earth Abides isn’t a disaster story, original or otherwise. It is a book of rebuilding, renewal and hope. The event that initiates the story is a disaster, a plague accidentally released from a laboratory that runs amok and kills off most of Earth’s human population. Some small percentage of earth’s population is naturally immune to the bug (as is true for all plagues) plus anyone who survived a rattlesnake bite has immunity.

The plague is the back story. The front story and theme of Earth Abides is the ways that humankind copes with the tragedy as scattered remnants of people gradually find each other. Individuals find others to form groups. Through marriage and the pressures of survival, groups become tribes. Most ailments of the old earth were eliminated by the plague. The vanished ailments are physical — the new generations are wonderfully healthy — and sociological. Archaic religious and social structures are shed by survivors who don’t remember what purpose they served or have any interest in preserving them. The new world has no room for bigotry, hatred or mental disease. It’s a small world, a new world with much to do. The strong and useful will survive, but the unfit cannot be allowed to reproduce. The world is too small to support those who cannot contribute.

Thus new civilizations thrive and increase. Ultimately, they repopulate the earth. The reborn world contains bits and pieces of what went before, but is redesigned in a new and presumably healthier way. The world is free of race hatred and religious prejudice, as well as most diseases.

The book was re-released in a 60th anniversary edition a few years ago, including an audio version with an introduction by Connie Willis.

Cover of the 1949 Random House hardcover editi...

Cover of the 1949 Random House hardcover edition of Earth Abides. Cover illustration by H. Lawrence Hoffman. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I have owned dozens of copies of this book. I usually keep an extra copy to give it to people who haven’t read it.

The complaint that the book is a bit preachy is fair enough, but so are many science fiction and fantasy books, including everything Robert Heinlein wrote and everything written by Anne Rice. Anne Rice is so preachy that some of her books are the straight stuff: no plot, no story, just preaching. George R. Stewart had, in my opinion, better points to make and gets a free preaching pass from me. Most writers, especially in science fiction, have points to make and it won’t kill anyone to ponder them.

It’s also important to remember that the book was published in another time and place. Many things that are largely accepted without a second thought today were revolutionary 64 years ago. In some parts of the world and in this country too, they are still revolutionary. We have moved on … to a point.

When the book was first published interracial relationships and rejection of formal religion were not accepted or tolerated most places. Attitudes have changed though there’s still more than enough racism, religious fanaticism and hatred to go around.

I’ve seen criticisms pointing out how out of date the book’s technology is. It wouldn’t matter if the technology of the world gone missing had been spot on accurate. Gone is gone.

Regardless of how advanced it used to be, whatever it was became insupportable on a depopulated earth. You can’t drive cars without gasoline and you can’t keep the pumps working without electricity. You can’t use telephones or computers when there’s no service. Satellites would circle the earth, but their signals would be received by no living person, so how would it matter? No batteries and no power, and it’s all over when the power is gone. As the book makes clear, the amount of time before the automated system stop functioning when there’s no one to take care of them is a few years — maybe — for even the most basic infrastructure.

After that, the world goes back to a pre-technological world, though not a pre-industrial one. Industry existed before electricity. There has always been wind, water and sun. And books remain, knowledge exists waiting to be re-deployed. Earth abides.

The world ends, the world begins. Earth Abides. Ish and Emma are the “mother” and “father” of the new tribe. Ish, in Hebrew, means “man” and “Eema” means “mother” which I am sure is not coincidental. It’s a wonderful story that suggests the human race has the capacity to not only survive, but reinvent civilization and make a better world. If you haven’t read this book, read it. It’s available in print and on Audible with a fine narrator. I cannot recommend it too highly. Earth Abides is timeless. As is the Earth itself. I discovered today there is an entire site dedicated to George R. Stewart – The EARTH ABIDES Project . The site contains pictures and other memorabilia. Definitely check it out!

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Midnight Riot, Ben Aaronovitch (2011)

London probationary constable Peter Grant hopes to become a detective, but his tendency to be distracted by details that others think are unimportant has landed him in the Case Progression Unit. That’s where the paperwork gets processed and where the biggest danger is a paper cut.

While collecting evidence from a crime scene, Peter finds an eye-witness who appears to be a ghost. This brings him to the attention of Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale. Nightingale is in charge of the secret police division that investigates crime involving the undead, magic, various deities or anything else that could be classified as weird.

Nightingale has always — and always turns out to be a long time indeed — worked alone, but incidences of the strange and bizarre seem to be increasing around town. Enter Peter Grant, the distractible cop with a natural ability to “sniff” vestiges of magic and the first official apprentice wizard in the history of the division.

I starting reading this on the recommendation of one of my readers. I’ve never been led astray by a reader’s recommendation and this was no exception. The is the first book in a series in which there are three books to date, but hopefully more to come.

I read a lot of mysteries and a lot of fantasy. Peter Grant is much more of a cop than he is a wizard, though that will probably change as the series progresses. In this first book, despite a strong magical theme, it is also a real cop thriller. There’s a lot of wonderful description about the life of a constable in the London metropolitan police. There’s even more background about growing up as a racially mixed, working class kid in London. Like whipped cream on a sundae, the book provides rich detail about everything from the social interaction of Londoners on the underground at rush hour, to architectural disasters and bomb craters … and the gods and goddesses who care for the streams and rivers of London. Lots about them.

Aaronovitch’s writing is witty — sometimes downright funny — and intelligent. His ironic humor keeps the book moving along at a brisk pace. Peter Grant feels very real. I feel like I’ve met him, would recognize him at a party. He’s got a history. He’s smart and intuitive, but also human. He makes mistakes and learns from them. He actually works at his job.

I didn’t just read the book, I also bought it from Audible and have listened to it twice. Once for the fun, and the second time to pick up details I might have missed first time around. There is a lot of detail. There’s humor, danger, magic and then there’s mood. Wherever Peter Grant goes, you are treated to a description so thorough you can pretty much see the whole thing … smell and taste it, too.

If you like audiobooks, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith is a marvelous narrator. He has the knack of making the book and its characters come alive but being non-intrusive so you see the book in your mind and don’t notice the narrator at all. This is exactly as it should be when the narrator and the books are perfectly matched.

I’m enjoying the second book even more than the first. Peter has begun to have more self-confidence, both as a police officer and as a wizard. I can sense where the series is going and I’m glad to be going along for the ride.

If you’re looking for a new series, this is a good one! I have a feeling it’s going to get even better as it matures.

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Cold Days — From the Dresden Files, Jim Butcher

I waited with a proverbial bated breath for this latest episode of the Harry Dresden series. I am enchanted by Jim Butcher’s writing and the world he has created. And I’m in love with Harry, Chicago’s resident wizard. Look him up. He’s in the Yellow Pages.

I’m reading it again. All my favorite authors are between books, so this is my time to reread the last books they released and pick up all the missed nuances, subtle hints about what will be coming next and more. I figure if a book it good enough to read twice, it’s good enough to read a third and fourth time. I have read some of my favorite books often enough to have memorized large sections of them.

I read Cold Days on Kindle then listened to the audiobook. Hearing the audiobook again seemed the right choice. James Marsters is a great narrator and has become the voice of Harry Dresden. One of the books used a different narrator and fans were seriously upset. I wasn’t as bothered as some others were, but I do prefer Marsters.

The previous book, “Ghost Story” in which Harry was neither entirely alive nor quite dead was difficult for Harry’s fans. I liked it well enough, though it certainly was a change from previous Harry Dresden adventures. I was positive it was a bridge to the next phase of Harry’s wizarding. I was right.

In “Cold Days,” Harry is back, in the flesh. Changed, less careless of life having lost it once … but as Winter Knight, he is powerful in new ways. This is just as well because his foes are stronger than ever and they aren’t going away.

“Cold Days” is very satisfying. Although Harry gets pulverized, attracting violence like iron shavings to a magnet, I am consoled knowing Harry will survive what would kill an ordinary mortal. He has already survived death. Earlier books ended with more resolution than these last few books. Now, each book is an episode in a continuing story line heading toward what I expect will be some Dresdenesque version of the apocalypse.

Jim Butcher is a clever author. He  extracts Harry from impossible predicaments in which he faces overwhelming odds, then adroitly weaves these events into the storyline, taking Harry and the series into the next book. He wastes nothing. No phenomenon is accidental. Everything is part of a giant jigsaw puzzle, a piece of a picture to be finally revealed.

Which brings me to my single criticism: the sudden inexplicable alterations of  existing characters in which they reverse their previous persona. From a reader’s point of view, sudden turnarounds are jolting. I understand that “out of character” reversals drive the story in a specific direction. There are no rules about this sort of thing, but having an evil character suddenly become good or vice versa is disorienting. It takes a bit of time, with me sitting with my eyes crossed saying “whut?” until I am able to realign my thinking. Dropping a few hints … a line of literary bread crumbs as it were … might be helpful. But it’s a quibble. For all I know, there were hints I missed because I was looking the other way.

(From left to right) Paul Blackthorne, Valerie...

(From left to right) Paul Blackthorne, Valerie Cruz, Terrence Mann, Conrad Coates: The Dresden Files (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I’d keep reading the books even if the characters started walking on their hands and speaking Latin, but wouldn’t mind less abrupt transitions. It’s not a matter of believability; more like giving readers a chance to catch up with the author who for obvious reasons is way ahead of us. If you are already a Harry Dresden fan, reality is unlikely to be your issue. You probably left it behind a long time ago.

Harry’s world of wizards, demons, ghosts, strange immortal beings, mythological creatures and weirdness of every type is far removed from reality, but within the rules Jim Butcher has created for the Dresden world, it flows better if characters’ personalities change in accordance with what we know of them. Just saying.

I love the Dresden universe. My world has more than enough evil to keep an army of wizards busy, but the evil on my reality plane consists of grey bureaucrats, corporate executives and smarmy politicians. Fighting them is like trying to punch a hole in jello. You can’t beat them; they have no substance.

In Jim Butcher’s world, the bad guys are solid, big, and seriously badass. This is where Harry fights evil for me. He takes his lumps and then some, but he’s out there battling for justice and good, even when it seems he’s taken the wrong turn. Despite appearances, Harry is never bad. He is stubborn, too wedded to his own opinions and habits. He’s a poor listener and does not heed advice, a combination that has cost him dearly. He persists in assuming he knows best, not only for himself, but for his friends and is taken aback when his friends object. Sooner or later, he will get the point.

He is changing. He has grown. He is painfully — in the most literal sense — aware of his mortality and fragility. He knows he’s made terrible mistakes he can never set right. He’s become more a planner, less inclined to charge headlong into danger unless it is the only possible course. Mindless violence is no longer his default setting. This is good.

I’m sensing a climactic conclusion to the series coming. I with the series would go on forever, but Jim has said it will be 20 books and a trilogy. I’m not sure if the trilogy is part of the 20 books or in addition to it. I keep meaning to ask, but on some odd level, I’d rather wait and see.

At least I know there will be more than a few additional stories. Lots of relationships to work out. There’s a future to plan and it has become one of my homes away from reality. Harry’s awesome world is my metaphysical escape from the woes of life. Harry’s woes are ever so much  more entertaining than mine. Maybe in my next incarnation I will have magic, but in this life, I guess I will settle for unmagical me.

 

Including spine

I listened to the audiobook and read the book too so I wouldn’t miss the pleasure of James Marsters‘ fine narration. Audiobooks for me are like watching a movie, but I get to cast the characters, do the cinematography, and I don’t have to slice and dice the story so the studio can fit it into two hours of screen time.

I hope the next installment of the Dresden Files is well along toward publication. I’ll be waiting and ready to read when it comes around! Don’t miss this installment. It’s rich, complex and I promise it will grab you and take you for a ride you won’t forget.

The  Dresden Files:

Book 1: Storm Front

Book 2: Fool Moon

Book 3: Grave Peril

Book 4: Summer Knight

Book 5: Death Masks

Book 6: Blood Rites

Book 7: Dead Beat

Book 8: Proven Guilty

Book 9: White Night

Book 10: Small Favor

Book 11: Turn Coat

Book 12: Changes

Book 13: Ghost Story

Side Jobs: Stories From The Dresden Files

Book 14: Cold Days

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Back to The Hollows: Ever After Revisited

Ever After, by Kim Harrison

Locus 2009 05

I starting reading on the day of its release. I read it first on my Kindle, then listened to the audiobook. I loved it, of course. I expected nothing less since I have loved every book in the series. When, a few days ago, I decided to listen to the audiobook again, I expected it to be more nostalgic than exciting. I had, after all, read it twice before. Or had I?

One of the signs a book may actually deserve  the label “classic” is when rereading it is like reading it for the first time — but better. I was suffering from a touch of literary ennui. It seemed rather soon after my initial readings to read it again, but I was hungry for a rich book, one that settles into your brain like good chocolate melts in your mouth. All my recent reads seemed derivative and flat. They weren’t bad books, just nothing special.

I needed a Kim Harrison fix. I settled in, clicked play and sighed. I was barely past the first few paragraphs when I felt myself being drawn in. It was as if I’d never left. I was back in the Hollows, home in magical Cincinnati and the church where Rachel, Ivy and Jenks live. My friends were waiting for me.

Ever After was new all over again. I relived the adventure, relishing each twist and turn of the plot, each character’s development. I was happy for Ivy, finding her own life at long last but sorry not to have her with me on this journey. Glad that Jenks was still involved and Biz is coming into his own. Delighted with the direction of Rachel’s relationship with Trent, sad at the loss of beloved characters. Bemused at the changes and growth in the world of demons as they evolve from caricature bad guys to people with memories of better days, their own private griefs and joys.

I kept discovering new layers to the story I had missed. I could barely bring myself to stop listening and go eat dinner, celebrate my birthday, or sleep. This is a great book. I know it’s genre urban fantasy but it is far superior to most writing …  in any genre. The consistent, careful development of characters and plot are outstanding. Kim Harrison never drops a stitch. Knowing  something about Kim Harrison’s process has given me a better understanding of how she achieves this remarkable, near-perfect construction.

It’s no mystery. She works at it. She is an extremely focused, precise writer who plans every aspect of every book she writes. This is no “off the cuff” writing. She doesn’t depend on obvious answers nor use typical genre clichés.

There’s nothing raw or unfinished. Ever After would be a fine novel be any standards. If it weren’t urban fantasy, it would be taken seriously as literature. I’m hoping a time will come when the prejudice against fantasy — and the still lingering prejudice against science fiction — will disappear, and Ms. Harrison’s books and those of other quality authors will get the respect they have earned.

In my opinion, most of today’s creative authoring is happening in fantasy and science fiction. General fiction, of which I have read a great deal this year, is a drab place. Very little new territory is being explored in the “serious literature” area of the book world. If you want to read something that’ll knock your socks off, visit another genre.

I have heard a lot of complaints about the popularity of science fiction and fantasy, that people don’t want to read anything that doesn’t have supernatural creatures or time travel as part of the plot. But those who complain might consider the paucity of good books coming out of “main stream” fiction. It doesn’t have to be dull, but it so often is. And bleak. And depressing. It’s no wonder that many of us don’t want to go there.

The thrill of reading isn’t gone but it has just moved to a different part of town. Read Jim Butcher‘s Harry Dresden series and check out Kevin Hearne‘s Iron Druid series. Discover Carol Berg. Pick one of her books or series; you can’t go wrong. Move right into the book world with Jasper Fforde‘s Thursday Next series. If you haven’t already read it, Stephen King’s 11-23-62 is one of the best books of the decade and it’s pure science fiction. Try reading some of Connie Willis‘ ambitious works — Blackout and All Clear spring to mind, or discover how wacky science fiction can be with Bellwether or All Seated On the Ground. This is area of fiction where creativity is running riot. You’ll find books to entertain you and fill your mind with ideas. And you won’t be bored, not for a moment. There are lots more wonderful writers waiting for you to discover them. It’s not a whole world. It’s many worlds and they are all yours to explore.

Ever After was among the most satisfying reads I’ve had in several years. It scratched all my literary itches. There was magic, love, passion, battles. There were complicated relationships, love in bloom, hope, loss, and desperate danger. I mourned the fallen, exalted for the living and dreamed about the future. It’s not the only good book I’ve read recently, but it sure is among the top few.

If a witch, an elf and a demon can come together to save the world, anything is possible.

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Earth Abides — George R. Stewart

Earth AbidesEarth Abides by George R. Stewart

I originally read this book more than 30 years ago. It wasn’t a new book even then, but it was new for me. Unlike so many other books I read and forgot, it stuck in my mind and I remember it with a clarity that is remarkable considering how many thousands of books I have read since. Earth Abides stays bright and shiny in my mind.

I have heard the book referred to as “the original disaster” story, but that misses the point. It isn’t a disaster story, original or otherwise. It is, as the title suggests, a book of renewal and hope. Although events are set in motion by a disaster, a plague that kills off most of Earth’s human population, that is only the trigger. Some few people are naturally immune and anyone who was ever bitten by a poisonous snake and survived also is immune.

These remnants of humanity eventually find each one another. They form groups that grow into tribes. They grow and thrive. Ultimately, they repopulate the earth, creating a new society that contains bits and pieces of what went before, but redesigned in a new and hopefully better way.

The book was re-released in a 60th anniversary edition a few years ago, including an audio version with an introduction by Connie Willis.

Cover of the 1949 Random House hardcover editi...

Cover of the 1949 Random House hardcover edition of Earth Abides. Cover illustration by H. Lawrence Hoffman. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I cannot count the number of copies of this book I have owned. I love it so much I buy copies of it, give it to people I think will love the story. The books are given theoretically on loan, but never has one of them been returned, so I buy another copy. I should get a volume discount.

The book is a bit preachy, but no  more so than many other popular books. It doesn’t bother me. George Stewart is a lot less preachy than Anne Rice  and he has better points to make and moreover, I agree with him.

Things we accept without a second thought today were revolutionary 63 years ago. When the book was first published both interracial relationships and rejection of formal religion were generally not accepted when the book was published. Attitudes have changed — more some places than others — there’s still more than enough racism, religious fanaticism and hatred to go around.

I’ve seen comments about how out of date the technology is. In fact, it doesn’t matter, not one little bit.

Our current technology has moved on considerably but regardless of  how advanced it’s gotten, any technology is insupportable on a depopulated earth. It makes no difference what had or had not been invented. It would be useless in any case. You can’t drive cars without gasoline and you can’t keep the pumps working without electricity. You can’t use telephones when there is no service. Our satellites might continue to circle the earth, but without signals, how would it matter? No batteries, no power? It’s all over when the power is gone and that, as the book shows, is at best a few years for even the most basic infrastructure. After that, we are back to a pre-technical world. Not a pre-industrial world. Industry existed before electricity: wind, water, sun … and the Earth itself continue.

The world ends, the world begins. Earth Abides.

Ish and Emma are the “mother” and “father” of the new tribe. Ish, in Hebrew, means “man” and “Eema” means “mother” which I am sure is not coincidental. It’s a wonderful story that suggests the human race has the capacity to not only survive, but reinvent civilization and created a better society. If you haven’t read this book, read it. It’s available in print and on Audible with a fine narrator. I cannot recommend it too highly.

Earth Abides is timeless. As is the Earth itself.

I discovered today there is an entire site dedicated to George R. Stewart – The EARTH ABIDES Project — by a man who knew him and has written his biography. The site contains pictures and other memorabilia. If you are a fan, this is a gift for us all.

This comment could not be transferred, so I have included it as part of the re-run of my original review.

Nice post about Earth Abides, and you found one of the easter eggs in Stewart’s book. But the photo (Note: I deleted the photo to which he is referring – MA)  is NOT of George R. Stewart. If you visit my blog —http://georgerstewart.wordpress.com — and follow the menu link at the top to the George R. Stewart web pages, you’ll see a photo of GRS. (I knew him, and have recently had a bio of GRS published.) You’re certainly right about Earth Abides — and you’re not the only one who feels that way. NASA’s Dr. Jim Burke, composer Philip Aaberg, Jimi Hendrix, Stephen King, Kim Stanley Robinson, Walt Disney — all were inspired by Stewart’s work or directly by EA. So thanks for the post. Cheers, DMS.


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The Felix Castor Series, Mike Carey

The Devil You Know | Mike CareyI discovered Mike Carey because I reviewed a Jim Butcher book and someone suggested I’d like the Felix Castor series by Mike Carey. I’d never heard of Mike Carey, but I was out of new authors to read at the time and I was ready to try anything that sounded good. I got what I hoped for plus a whole lot more.

Mike Carey is not merely a good writer. He is what I would term hyper-literate. He uses words like a rapier. His prose is beautifully crafted, often lyrical, yet never treacly or sappy. He is crisp.

He actually uses words I have to look up because I don’t recognize them. It has been decades since I learned a new word. Sometimes I don’t know the word because it’s British slang with which I’m just not familiar, but sometimes, it’s a word I’ve never seen before.

He does not repeat himself. He never uses the same descriptive passage more than once, nor does he — as many popular authors do — copy and paste sections from one book to another to (I presume) save writing time. Mike Carey doesn’t use short cuts.

The result is a style that is richly descriptive, a delicious combination of gritty street slang banging head-on into literary English. Guttersnipe meets Jane Austen in the streets of Liverpool. It gives the narrative a rare and rich texture.

What’s it all about? Felix (Fix) Castor is an exorcist. He sees the dead and they see him. He uses a tin whistle to cast out the dead and send them wherever exorcism sends them, something about which Castor himself is not entirely clear.

The series consists of five books, each building on the previous one to form what is essentially a single story in five parts.

All the books are now available on paperback, for Kindle and as an Audible download.

In order, the books are:

The Devil You Know
Vicious Circle 
Dead Men’s Boots
Thicker Than Water
The Naming of Beasts.

None of the books are exactly a romp through a sunny day, but the first three books are significantly lighter in tone … and funnier — Carey has a sharp, ironic sense of humor– than the final two, which are quite intense.

Mike Carey (writer)

Mike Carey (author) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Felix Castor is no two-dimensional wizard who magics his problems away with the wave or a hand or wand. He works hard for minimal money, is rarely thanked, has plenty of his own personal psychological demons, not to mention some very real, dangerous demons.

It’s a unique series, unlike any other I’ve read. I wish there had been more of them. If you like Harry Dresden, you will also like Mike Carey.

Although Jim Butcher’s Harry is a wizard, he is very different from Fix Castor. The two series share a “noir”  feeling, a sense of gathering dark. Carey is less predictable than Butcher. About the only thing you know for sure is that whatever happens, it will never be as planned. Felix Castor is not a lucky guy, but he’s a hard worker and he never gives up.

There are so many surprises in the book. The characters constantly surprised me by growing and changing, developing in unexpected ways and not doing the obvious. Characters make unique choices and don’t take the obvious or easy way out.

Mike Carey can be very funny. His subtle and elegant humor contains no belly laughs, but irony pervades his prose. None of the books are traditionally funny nor are the situations humorous or light-hearted, but the author’s writing style is wonderfully cynical. The stories, pun intended, are dead serious. Darkness notwithstanding, you can count on Mike Carey’s plays on words and twists of phrase to keep the dread from becoming too heavy to handle.

The plots are gripping and creepy. Any or all of the books would make great horror movies. I’m surprised no one has grabbed them yet. Maybe they will. I hope so.

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Earth Abides, George R. Stewart

Earth AbidesEarth Abides by George R. Stewart

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I first read this book more than 30 years ago, and it wasn’t new even then. Somehow, it stuck in my mind and memory with a clarity that is remarkable because I have read literally thousands of books since, yet this one stays bright and shiny in the front of my mind.

It is sometimes referred to as “the original disaster” story, but it isn’t a disaster story. It is, as the title suggests, a book of renewal and hope. True, events are set in motion by a disaster: a plague that starts somewhere, no one is sure where and kills off most of the population. Some few people are naturally immune and anyone who was ever bitten by a poisonous snake and survived also is immune.

George M D Stewart

George M D Stewart (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The remnants of humanity find each other and together, they repopulate the earth, creating a new society that has bits and pieces of what had been before, but rebuilt in a new and hopefully better way. The book was re-released in a 60th anniversary edition a few years ago, including an audio version with an introduction by Connie Willis.

Cover of the 1949 Random House hardcover editi...

Cover of the 1949 Random House hardcover edition of Earth Abides. Cover illustration by H. Lawrence Hoffman. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I cannot count the number of copies of this book I have owned. I love it so much that I buy copies of it, give them to people I think will love them, theoretically on loan, but they are never returned, so i buy another copy. The book is rather preachy, but that doesn’t bother me. George Stewart is a lot less preachy than Anne Rice and I agree with him. Moreover, what may seem no big deal today was revolutionary 63 years ago.

The book holds up well. Our current technology has moved on considerably since the book was written, but because technology is insupportable on a depopulated earth, it makes no difference what had or had not been invented. It is all useless anyhow. You can’t drive cars without gasoline. You can’t use telephones when there is no support for the service. Our satellites would continue to circle the earth, but who would send signals? Once the batteries are gone, it’s over for technology.

The world ends, the world begins. Earth abides.

Ish and Emma are the “mother” and “father” of the new tribe. Ish, in Hebrew, means “man” and “Eema” means “mother” which I am sure is not coincidental. It’s a wonderful story that suggests the human race has the ability to not only survive, but reinvent the world and be better than we are. If you haven’t read this book, read it. It’s also available on Audible and is an excellent recording with a fine narrator. I cannot recommend it too highly.

I love this book. It is timeless.

View all my reviews

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