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Earth Abides A Novel George R Stewart 9780345487131 Books

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Earth Abides A Novel George R Stewart 9780345487131 Books

I read this book when I was in my early teens during a time when I read many sci-fi books. This one stuck with me. I won't repeat what others have said, but this book struck me as a beautifully told story about a horrible, if remote, possibility. I'm happy to stumble over it here and see that it's still in print and people are still reading it. I guess it's become somewhat of a classic, and it deserves to be.


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Earth Abides A Novel George R Stewart 9780345487131 Books Reviews

I read this book back in the 1970s and thoroughly enjoyed it back then. Re-read it recently (with my girlfriend) and enjoyed it just as much the second time around.

A young man (Ish) goes on a solo mountain trip in northern California for some quiet time to finish his college thesis. After several weeks of isolation, he gets bit by a rattlesnake. He gets deathly sick and after about a week of fever and delirium in his cabin, he finally gets well enough to drive down off the mountain…..only to find that some kind of virus has wiped out nearly all of mankind in his absence. He rationalizes that the snake venom must have provided him a natural immunity to the virus.

After the initial shock and adjustment period, he spends the next year or so searching for fellow survivors in his hometown area (San Francisco/Oakland). The story then focuses on Ish and his small group as they struggle to survive and maintain some semblance of society.

This is a very realistic portrayal of how civilization might gradually de-volve, generation by generation, after any worldwide cataclysmic event. It’s one of those stories that will stay with you (in the back of your head) for years and years.

Although the book is ‘set’ to the 1960s and 70s, the ‘dating’ only applies to the first couple of chapters. Once the virus wipes everyone out, the story could apply to any generation since then.

The best PA story I have ever read.
Somehow I missed this great book when growing up. At the time, post apochaplal novels focused on the nuclear threat, like On the Beach were in vogue. No harm, this book is perhaps even more timely now when civilization ending threats have multiplied. Stewart obviously gave a lot of thought to the key issue, which we still face the speed with which our technology and thus our entire culture can disappear, literally in the span of two or three generations. Down to earth and not burdened by aliens or even radioactivity, this book was not only very well written, but downright scary! It's a must read for anyone concerned about the fragile nature of our modern technology based existence.
“Men go and come, but earth abides.”

For a story that was first published in 1949, Earth Abides remains relevant now more than ever. Mass plague vectored through air travel has been featured in a number of recent films (i.e. Contagion, Outbreak), TV shows, and yes, even the news. Set between the European Black Death of the late 1600s and the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s Earth Abides explores the waning hopes, hardships, and resignation of plague survivors of present-day California.

With only a tiny fraction of the world's population persisting after a catastrophic event in civilization, how would you fare? What wisdom would you pass on to those younger than you?

In George R. Stewart's post-holocaust novel, protagonist Isherwood “Ish” Williams, discovers that a virulent plague has wiped out nearly all of humanity, leaving only a handful of shell-shocked survivors in its wake. Armed with little more than a hammer and his philosophical prowess, Ish attempts to reestablish American civilization in a small suburban community overlooking San Francisco Bay. While the rest of the survivors live day-to-day and subsist on vast stockpiles of canned food, Ish strives to retain the knowledge of the past, preserving libraries, teaching his offspring—including his gifted son, Joey—all the facts and achievements of his bygone civilization. In time, Ish becomes an almost God-like figure, the "Last American" in the eyes of the younger generations, his old hammer being the symbol of his power. Uncomfortable with his deification and his near absolute authority over the tribe, Ish realizes that the people have become far too complacent and dependent upon him. When new threats emerge and the crumbling infrastructure no longer supports his community, Ish must abandon his dreams of resurrecting society and teach his people the most basic and practical skills of survival.

Ish is a very cerebral and introverted fellow—a walking Farmer’s Almanac, if you will. At times, readers may be frustrated by his constant brooding and pale, clinical views. Many may be turned off by his questioning of a mentally challenged girl’s right to reproduce. Conversely, Ish becomes a more interesting character near the novel's end whilst standing in stark contrast to his descendents, a simple hunting and gathering tribe. Primitive-like children with no concept of technology, history, literature, medicine, and all other forms of knowledge, obeying the rudimentary laws of nature; and although they’re aware that they’re living amidst the ruins of a dead civilization, they can only perceive the makers of that collapsed society as the mythical beings.

Earth Abides isn't without its shortcomings. There's not much in the way of dialogue or character development; the pacing is dawdling and sensationalist action is nowhere to be found. To its credit, the novel is a thoughtful tale of a devastated culture struggling to survive. Plodding albeit wonderfully written, Earth Abides is brilliant and thought-provoking in regards to its sober examination of not only human integrity but also the questions of what makes a civilization work, and how to reestablish one from the ruins. Readers looking for escapist literature will see this book as hard reading, but others will hopefully appreciate the book’s philosophical insight and poignant message about the human condition that remains true today.
I read this book when I was in my early teens during a time when I read many sci-fi books. This one stuck with me. I won't repeat what others have said, but this book struck me as a beautifully told story about a horrible, if remote, possibility. I'm happy to stumble over it here and see that it's still in print and people are still reading it. I guess it's become somewhat of a classic, and it deserves to be.