In a glorious new trade paperback complete with an original Introduction written by author Kim Stanley Robinson First published in 1949 and a winner of the inaugural International Fantasy Award in 1951, Earth Abides went on to become one of the most influential science-fiction novels of the twentieth century. It remains a fresh, provocative story of apocalyptic pandemic, societal collapse, and rebirth. The cabin had always been a special retreat for Isherwood Williams, a haven from the demands of society. But one day while hiking, Ish was bitten by a rattlesnake, and the solitude he had so desired took on dire new significance. He was sick for daysâ??and often deliriousâ??waking up to find two strangers peering in at him from the cabin door. Yet oddly, instead of offering help, the two ran off as if terrified. Not long after, the coughing began. Ish suffered chills and fever, and a measles-like rash on his skin. He was one of the few people in the world to live through that peculiar malady, but he didn't know it then. Ish headed home when he finally felt himself againâ??and noticed the strangeness almost immediately. No cars passed him on the road; the gas station not far from his cabin looked abandoned; and he was shocked to see the body of a man on the roadside near a small town. Without a radio or phone, Ish had no idea of humanity's abrupt demise. He had escaped death, yet could not escape the catastropheâ??and with an eerie detachment he found himself curious as to how long it would be before all traces of civilization faded from… (plus d'informations)
ecureuil: Both books share a story based on the world population being wiped out by a deadly disease, and a young survivor left alone trying to survive
In a glorious new trade paperback complete with an original Introduction written by author Kim Stanley Robinson First published in 1949 and a winner of the inaugural International Fantasy Award in 1951, Earth Abides went on to become one of the most influential science-fiction novels of the twentieth century. It remains a fresh, provocative story of apocalyptic pandemic, societal collapse, and rebirth. The cabin had always been a special retreat for Isherwood Williams, a haven from the demands of society. But one day while hiking, Ish was bitten by a rattlesnake, and the solitude he had so desired took on dire new significance. He was sick for daysâ??and often deliriousâ??waking up to find two strangers peering in at him from the cabin door. Yet oddly, instead of offering help, the two ran off as if terrified. Not long after, the coughing began. Ish suffered chills and fever, and a measles-like rash on his skin. He was one of the few people in the world to live through that peculiar malady, but he didn't know it then. Ish headed home when he finally felt himself againâ??and noticed the strangeness almost immediately. No cars passed him on the road; the gas station not far from his cabin looked abandoned; and he was shocked to see the body of a man on the roadside near a small town. Without a radio or phone, Ish had no idea of humanity's abrupt demise. He had escaped death, yet could not escape the catastropheâ??and with an eerie detachment he found himself curious as to how long it would be before all traces of civilization faded from
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George R Stewart's Earth Abides
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Roman passionnant car il porte en lui le passé lointain et le futur que l'on espère le plus lointain possible, parce qu'il porte en lui la réflexion essentielle sur ce qui fait la condition humaine et le propre de l'homme sur une Terre qui ne fait aucun cadeau aux plus faibles.
Rappelons les premiers versets, très poétiques, de ce premier chapitre du livre de l’Ecclésiaste, duquel ce roman tire son titre :
"Vanité des vanités, disait l'Ecclésiaste. Vanité des vanités, tout est vanité !
Quel profit l'homme retire-t-il de toute la peine qu'il se donne sous le soleil ?
Une génération s'en va, une génération arrive, et la terre subsiste toujours.
Le soleil se lève, le soleil se couche ; il se hâte de retourner à sa place, et de nouveau il se lèvera.
Le vent part vers le midi, il tourne vers le nord ; il tourne et il tourne, et il recommence à tournoyer.
Tous les fleuves vont à la mer, et la mer n'est pas remplie ; dans le sens où vont les fleuves, les fleuves continuent de couler.
Tout discours est fatigant, on ne peut jamais tout dire. L'oeil n'a jamais fini de voir, ni l'oreille d'entendre.
Ce qui a existé, c'est cela qui existera ; ce qui s'est fait, c'est cela qui se fera ; il n'y a rien de nouveau sous le soleil.
Y a-t-il une seule chose dont on dise :« Voilà enfin du nouveau ! »- Non, cela existait déjà dans les siècles passés.
Seulement, il ne reste pas de souvenir d'autrefois ; de même, les événements futurs ne laisseront pas de souvenir après eux." (