George R. Stewart: Earth abides (1979, Corgi)
Paperback, 316 pages
English language
Published Sept. 6, 1979 by Corgi.
The story of rebuilding civilization after a plague nearly wipes out the human race.
I found it appealing that it is a post apocalyptic story without any weird, crazy things happening. A thoughtful look at how new societies might form through the eyes of one "survivor". A tad optimistic about how long some modern conveniences would continue to last me thinks, but that is easily overlooked. Well written.
This post apocalyptic tale is from the perspective of one man, and that works very well. Especially enjoyed how disease and the breakdown of infrastructure tied in with the story of his small community. Very thought provoking, and made more enjoyable by other recent reads - The World Without Us; Genes Germs and Civilization; The Ecotechnic Future. I can see why this is on 6 different "best" science fiction lists.
