Tagged: classic novel
Earth Abides by George R. Stewart
(Cover picture courtesy of Tertulia Moderna.)
An instant classic upon its original 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 provocative 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 bu 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 and 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.
Earth Abides is a novel I would describe as ‘haunting’ in that it forces you to think about the fact humanity may not always be around. It also clings to your memory, even years after you first read it. This passage about Captain Maclear’s rats haunts me even to this day.
Consider the case of Captain Maclear’s rat. This interesting rodent inhabited Christmas Island, a small bit of tropical verdure some two hundred miles south of Java…
Yet such was the luxuriance of the tropical growth that the rats had not attained such numbers as to provide competition among members of the species. The individual rats were extremely well-nourished, and even unduly fat.
In 1903 some new disease sprang up. Because of their crowding and also probably because of the softened condition of the individuals, the rats proved universally susceptible, and soon were dying by thousands. In spite of great numbers, in spite of an abundant supply of food, in spite of a very rapid breeding rate, the species is extinct.
Sound familiar to anyone? Yeah, I thought so and it’s pretty scary because the scenario described by George R. Stewart really could happen one day. And, like Maclear’s Rat, even our evolutionary advantages may not be enough to save us.
Enter Isherwood Williams, an intellectual who decides to stick around to see what happens to humanity when he discovers everyone he ever knew was dead. Ish has a way of remaining emotionally distant that keeps him from going mad or making stupid sentimental decisions that would be detrimental to him. Some people hate him for being so ruthless, but I found him to be empathetic (if not always sympathetic) and a very interesting character.
George R. Stewart has an amazing writing style and even though as Ish dies in the last part of the book things get a bit confusing, I had no trouble imagining the apocalyptic scenario he created. The decay of buildings, the cropping up of bizarre religious beliefs, the lack of intellectual pursuits because survival is more important…all of this rings true and makes it a more enjoyable read.
I would highly recommend Earth Abides. It’s one of the few classic novels that should be required reading in school.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
(Cover picture courtesy of The Oubliette.)
Ponyboy can count on his brothers. And on his friends. But not on much else besides trouble with the Socs, a vicious gang of rich kids whose idea of a good time is beating up “greasers” like Ponyboy. At least he knows what to expect—until the night someone takes things too far.
Warning: I am about to criticize another classic novel. But before you begin writing your hate mail, at least hear me out.
S. E. Hinton was sixteen when she wrote most of the novel and the quality of writing reflects her inexperience. I mean, sixteen is young no matter how you look at it and most sixteen-year-olds are barely mature enough to shut up and pay attention in school, let alone write a novel. I truly admire her for writing and publishing a novel so young, but The Outsiders is a poorly written novel. Hinton did not have the maturity to write as well as she would have if she wrote it as an adult. If only John Scalzi’s advice to teenage writers had been around at the time…
Ponyboy feels like a girl to me. When I say this, I mean I can tell his first person point of view was written by a woman. Some women writers like Mira Grant can change their voices very well (see Deadline), but Hinton could not pull it off. Yes, I know Ponyboy is supposed to be sensitive, but there is a fine line between sensitive and obviously written by a woman.
The plot of The Outsiders isn’t bad, but it’s not great either. Nowadays it would be considered cliché (the class warfare between the socs and the greasers), but one has to take into account when it was written. In 1967, this wasn’t cliché; it was reality. As for the characters…meh. They’re not really terrible, but none of them are memorable, despite their weird names. Ponyboy? Sodapop? Give me a break.
I give this book 1/5 stars.