Childhood's End

Day 11
Childhood's End (1953)
By: Arthur C. Clarke

Impressions
Spaceships appear over the every major city on earth and just sit there. Some countries fire missiles at them, but the missiles have no effect. After a time the alien Overlords announce that they will supervise earth so that it doesn't destroy itself. The ships end animal and human cruelties, but otherwise leave things alone. They have contact only with the U.N. Secretary-General Rikki Stormgren. But what are the Overlords ultimate intentions and why do they never show themselves to anyone?

This skirts alien apocalypse territory, but I wasn't able to get ahold of several novels I originally wanted. This book takes place over three parts with surprising developments in each. The mystery of the Overlords is fantastic and definitely worthwhile. All the strangeness has great explanation. and the end is both emotional and thought provoking.

Our Heroes
Rikki Stormgren is the Finnish U.N. Secretary General. He is the first man to have direct contact with the Overlords. He governs earth in a time of great peace, but underlying strife. He must deal not only with the Overlords, but human opposition groups and even his own fears and insecurities. He is my favorite of the human characters and certainly the most interesting.

Jan Rodricks longed for a career in space, however the Overlords have shut down the space program. After being at a party where he gets a strange lead on the planet, he creates a plan to travel to the Overlord's home planet. Jan annoyed me when he first appeared, but I grew to like him through his story in part three. He witnesses the most interesting sections of the novel.

Kalleren is the leader of the Overlords and the only contact with humanity until their reveal in the Golden Age. He is characterized as a great statesman and a persuasive speaker. He was pprobably my favorite character as an exemplary member of an alien species.

Distant Observers
George and Jean Greggson are a pair of upper class people who've grown up under the Overlord's rule. They are among the first to host an Overlord and are our window into the true suffering at the end.

Rashaverak is a more scientific Overlord who is a guest of George Greggson. He gives us our first look at how the Overlords act in social situations. He provides us with some interesting views on social customs and of course depens the mystery.

Futuristic Atmosphere
The writing does a great job of establishing a retro-furture, well that's what it is now. The thing is that it is easily extrapolated into our own future. I especially liked the descriptions of the Overlord planet.

In the End
I predicted what was going to happen at the end of part one and even most of part two. Part three is one of the most bittersweet endings I've ever read. However, it is a perfect end to the tale.

Overall
Arthur C. Clarke does social Sci-fi and gets it right. This book manages to be both hopeful and grim. I applaud its treatment of the Overlords as a complex and mysterious species. Their motives and civilization are brilliantly rendered and I often found them more relatable than the human characters, aside from Rikki Stormgren and toward the end Jan. I thought the humans were overly simplified and a bit dull. The end of humanity was the one thing that really prevented me from giving this a ten. I might just be too much of an optimist, but I don't feel all of humanity would go out int he manner he describes. Anyway, this is a fantastic read and I think it is probably even better than 2001: A Space Odyssey.
9.5/10

So, that's my apocalypse preparation reading list. I hope you have a great end of the world. My personal list of things to do:

- Decapitate a zombie with a katana
- Ride a mile high tidal wave
- Fist-bump Jesus
- Add some 'sword game' swords to my collection
- Play a bass line to the seven trumpets and Gjallar horn
- Ride a giant wolf
- Survive a nuke by getting in a refrigerator
- Beat an alien at paper, rock, scissors
- Spear a mutant monster
- Hold up a lighter as the sun goes out
- Get a quick tan
- Show Vishnu my awesome plans for a recreated L.A.
- Attempt to cast a replica of Sage of the Halo's armor as hot metal covers the earth

I hope you complete your end of the world checklist! See you tomorrow!

The Drowned World

Day 10
The Drowned World (1962)
By: J.G. Ballard

Impressions
Large solar flares have reverted the world's environment back to the Triassic period. 2145 London is under a mass of bogs with only tall buildings jutting above the jungle. Dr. Kerans is one of the medical officers of a military detachment taking final studies as the world's temperature slowly climbs. Many of the group are experiencing strange flashbacks to man's distant past. This leads Kerans, Dr. Bokin and Keran's lover Beatrice to stay behind as the group pulls out. Soon after the fiendishly charming Strangman arrives intent on causing chaos with his pirate gang.

This is one of those novels that requires a decent amount of study to really love. The concepts are fascinating, but the presentation is often off-putting. It is a very psychological novel that is more about the atmosphere and ideas rather than the characters. Much of the novel meanders around strange plotlines and the struggle against the much harsher environment. As with pretty much all of the older novels this contains some racism and sexism.

Our Hero
Dr. Robert Kerans has been having dreams of a womblike past that haunt his psyche. He soon discovers that many of his colleagues have been having the same dreams. He is drawn toward the new state of the world and must struggle against the push back of the recent past. Unfortunately, he's not the most interesting character since he is defined by his psychosis.

Distant Observers
Beatrice Dahl is a beautiful woman who is trapped by her dreams, but still puts forth the effort to look beautiful. She is an insane damsel in distress. I found her more interesting than Kerans because of some of her strange conflicting behaviors. She just doesn't do much.

Dr. Bodkin acts as a strange mentor to Kerans only to end up shaking him into action. As the elder doctor of the squad he put Kerans on his strange path.

Hardman is our first look into what it looks like when a character sinks too far into the psychosis that permeates the main characters. It isn't a pleasant look and it really drives home the strangeness of our protagonists.

Colonel Riggs is the only truly sane person in this as such he is treated with suspicion and antagonism. I feel kind of bad for him, but he acts as a mark for how far the protagonists have fallen.

Insane Foes
Strangman, the Admiral, and Big Caesar are the merciless pirates. Strangman is among the most interesting, bizarre and over the top villains I've ever read about. He manages to start charming and slowly devolving into a raging psychopath who rivals the Batman's Joker.

Triassic Atmosphere
The overgrown jungles, giant iguanas, and oppressive heat. The characters fix up impressive buildings with refrigeration units, but quickly give in to sweltering heat. The world is as bizarre as it is fascinating.

In the End
The ending is just a cryptic and perplexing as the rest of the novel.

Overall
This is a hard sci-fi novel that focuses more on science and atmosphere than story and characters. I can appreciate it as a work, but I didn't really enjoy it. It was incredibly interesting and had some fantastically strange moments.
Check it out if you love sci-fi.
7/10

Cat's Cradle

Day 9
Cat's Cradle (1963) By: Kurt Vonnegut

Impressions
John has decided to write a book about the day that the U.S. dropped nuclear warheads on Japan. He seeks to find out how the inventors of the bomb felt on that day, specifically Dr. Hoenikker. John learns from Felix, Hoenikker's son, that he was playing the child's game of cat's cradle on that day. John soon loses interest in writing his book, but not before hearing about a theory on a way to freeze over any terrain called Ice 9. Later he runs into the Hoenikker family again on the way to the paradise nation of San Lorenzo. Little does he know that he's on his way to end the world.

This novel is a satire of the US-Russian arms race though this novel is much more and much stranger than that. It does come off as funny when it is not disturbingly similar to certain things that have actually happened. The people of San Lorenzo's apathy to the selection of their leader, the narcissism of the leaders and scientists, not to mention the whole religion of Bokonon. With this novel I've run into the same trouble I had reviewing Vathek. In this it's not just the comedy, but parsing out if anything is even to be taken seriously.

Our Hero
John is a writer who is very impulsive. He is carried from place to place and meets some strange individuals on his quest for a story. He even lets himself be drawn to San Lorenzo by a pretty girl on the flyer. He's an everyman taken to his most absurd.

Satirical Atmosphere
Vonnegut has always been a leading name in literature and this is very representative of his work.The descriptions are disturbing yet often funny.

In the End
The novel ends about how I should have expected it to. A fitting end to a strange story.

Overall
The entire novel is a reduction to absurdity. There are a number of things you can take from it or completely ignore. It is a fascinating book by one of science fiction's most challenging and controversial writers. I'm not sure this is where you should start with Vonnegut, but it certainly provides an interesting and worthwhile read. However, keep in mind that this is satire otherwise this is one of the most depressing novels ever written.
8/10

Lucifer's Hammer

Day 8
Lucifer's Hammer (1977)
By: Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle

Impressions
The Hamner-Brown comet is discovered by rich playboy Tim Hamner who convinces famous documentarian Harvey Randall to make his comet famous. Along the way they convince astrophysicist Dr. Sharp to promote it scientifically and Senator Jellison to help get a joint US-Russian survey journey. However, as the comet gets closer, Hamner-Brown starts looking like Lucifer's Hammer bound to destroy mankind's civilizations.

This novel takes a broad scope and has a lot of characters. I admire its ambition, but with all the character I found myself caring about only a select few (much like The Last Man). This novel also walks the line between hard and soft (social) science fiction by integrating the hard science with common people's and the government's reactions. All this leads to a very unfocused and sometimes meandering plot, but an interesting experiment.

Our Heroes
Harvey Randall is a famous journalist who has become somewhat dissatisfied with his life. Through the novel he comes to learn what is truly important to him, sort of. Certain aspects of his character like his intelligence and bravery were okay, but I had major issues with his mixed feelings on the women in his life.

Tim Hamner is a billionaire playboy who discovers the comet. He has a stronger and more relatable story arc than Harvey. He kind of gets lost near the end and reappears at the end. I wish he'd have been followed more closely.

Maureen Jellison is the daughter of Senator Jellison. She starts as a kind of minor character and is one of the prominent female characters. She, Marie and Eileen represent the women's liberation issues crushed by the end of the world.

Foul Foes
The New Brotherhood is a strangely built enemy. Their sections seem very divorced from the rest of the narrative at the start until they come together at the end. As an enemy they had a very interesting, if racist and bigoted, slant. My issue is why we needed some of the story from their point of view. We get several looks into what they did through other characters.I would say it was to humanize them, but their sections just made me care about them less. There were some interesting race politics, but they were made more effectively (and less stereotyped) by Rick Delanty the first African American astronaut.

Groovy Atmosphere
Most of this novel is alive with the culture of the nineteen-seventies. There are even some somewhat archaic racial stereotypes and jokes. It is, as I've said many times, a cool look back at another era. I had a good laugh at the unintentional humor of their 'corrupt' politics. The post-comet survival is more technology focused and something that I compare more to Lest Darkness Fall (Which I may do a review on eventually) than something like Earth Abides. There are also numerous references to classic science fiction like Asimov, Clarke, and Heinlein.

In the End
The end is quite the opposite of most every other book on this list in that it is overtly positive. That is fine. What's not fine is that the ending is just as uneven as everything else. It delivers on some great scenes, yet passes on others. Not bad, but not great.

Overall
It get progressively more interesting after the 75% mark. It takes a lot of reading to get there, but I think it's worth it.The things they could have left out are the more sensational serial killer bit and the New Brotherhood viewpoints. They could have been left out and I think the book would have been improved. This is a really good novel, but it doesn't quite make it to great. The focus technology as something to fight for was certainly interesting and that kind of case can't really be made today. It is a solid science fiction novel and a good apocalyptic tale.
7.5/10

Left Behind

Day 7
Left Behind (1995)
By: Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins

Impressions
Captain Rayford Steele is thinking about having an affair with flight attendant Hattie when she tells him that around fifty people have disappeared from their commercial flight. His wife was religious and he begins to realize they may have been taken by the Rapture. Cameron "Buck" Williams is an ace news magazine reporter begins seeing a move toward a one world currency and the rise on a young smooth talking Romaninan named Nicholae Carpathia. We follow these men as they deal with the chaos that has resulted from millions around the world disappearing.

I'm gonna catch hell for this review, but doing a religious apocalyptic novel was a must. Plus I had this lying around. LaHaye and Jenkins display an interesting amount of dislike for non-Evangelicals in this novel. Our protagonists start as real shovenist jerks. They also seem to relish in casual blaspheming as often as they can. So often it seems forced. Also, apparently all Californians believe tabloids as though they were the New York Times, who knew?

Our Heroes
Rayford Steele is an airline captain who must deal with losing half his family. He opens the novel by thinking about having an affair. Charming. He softens after the tribulation because we can't have them have too many flaws. He seems to be the emotional pull of this story, but the book doesn't stay very consistent about it. We are given a moving description of his return home to see if his wife and son are alive, but his daughter's homecoming gets half a page. His daughter's conversion is given similarly scant treatment. Rayford seems kind of ignorant in relation to passages of the Bible as well. I get what the passages mean to the authors without the several pages of explanation they provide and then repeat. These are one of many instance that makes me wonder who this book was written for, but I'll get into that later.

Cameron "Buck" Williams is a star journalist and award winning writer. Despite all this he seems to be awkward with women and not that great at staying in hiding. In one of his more charismatic passages he complains about Hattie venting to him. He's the character who gets into the risky situations, but I couldn't feel very afraid for him. Much of the writing lacks tension and it is easy to predict that he is going to be okay.

Traumatized Observers
Hattie is shallow materialistic stewardess who acts as a potential love interest for both our heroes. As such, she's mostly just along for the ride and built up as a more disposable prominent side character. Also, she is treated like the airhead she's written as.

Chloe Steele is Rayford's twenty year old daughter. She's there to cause dramatic tension about the salvation of her soul. This is meant to be a major plot thread, but it is handled mostly by some false leads and weak explanation about her not wanting to give into her Dad's wishes too quickly. Her romance with Cameron happens as a "love at first sight" kind of deal that further served to make me believe this occurred in a strange fantastical version of Earth.

Demonic Foe
Nicholae Carpathia is our Antichrist, which I guess is a spoiler, but if you can't tell by his build up what is going to happen I don't think you were paying attention. He starts as a nice guy and plays the passive aggressive route to power. Also, he has superpowers...

90's Atmosphere
One of the main plot points involves a VHS tape and VCR. They refer frequently to laptops as computers. And how long has it been since you heard a thirty year old say "cellular phone?" The writing is simple and straight forward and it does have some nice scenes involving the destruction that occurred as a result of the rapture. It seems that it can't decide on whether the people who have disappeared are having a significant effect on the work force or not. Rayford is needed as a relief pilot, but Hattie's sister who works at an abortion clinic doesn't think she could get another medical job. So pilots are religious, but doctors not so much? There needs to be some consistency to the devastation.

In the End
The end is the only time the novel approaches any form of tension. Nicholae's first speech in the novel was almost comical to read, but it did set up the more sinister echo at the end. The thing is that this book serves mostly to set up our heroes for the following 15, that's right FIFTEEN, books. As such this one's ending is not very satisfying unless you found the "will they, won't they" become Christian game compelling.

Overall
For a book that seems to want to convert skeptics (sometimes) it takes quite a few underhanded jabs at them. It seems a little strange to me that they'd take that approach. You likely will find this book offensive unless you're already a born again Christian or you enjoy comparing the Antichrist to Santa Claus. The science of the world is very B-movie sci-fi level. I know they wanted to make science sound ridiculous, but it really just tore apart the credibility of this book. I also though the idea of there needing to be a world religion before a world government to be absolutely preposterous. One does not make the other necessesary or even inevitable. I would posit that we will have a world government and still have many languages and religions long after that. So, unless you already believe the way these two do you will likely only get mad or become more resistant to what they're saying. As a book, I can't recommend it due to weak plot and lack of narrative.
3.5/10

The Day of the Triffids

Day 6
The Day of the Triffids (1951)
By: John Wyndham

Impressions
A man tells the story of how he survived the rise of the Triffids. After a comet blinds all adults who looked at it. The world is overrun with a strange and deadly species of plant monster. However; different ideas spring from humanity as to how to deal with the sighted and the blind. Bill Masen must choose between bad and worse.

This is another novel that skirts my rule against alien invasions for this list. In the movie version the Triffids are alien invaders, but in the novel they are far more interesting. The novel may not go over well with disabled rights groups as the blind are most often protrayed as a drain on the post-apocalyptic society. As with most of the novels Ive covered, this one also contains some sexist and racist notions that were typical of the time, but they don't distract from the plot. This especially noticed in the character of Josella as she walks the line between damsel love interest and independent woman.

Our Heroes
Bill Masen is the protagonist who escapes being blinded due to a Triffid attack. Having worked with Triffids as part of his job, he becomes more sought after once the Triffid threat becomes real. He is also a romantic and falls for Josella. Once apart he risks his own life to be with her.

Josella Playton is a former novelist who loses her family to the Triffids. Bill first rescues her after she is enslaved by an abusive blind man. Josella is quite a progressive woman, after she gets over her initial shock. She gives some nice insight into the ideas presented for the future.

Sighted Foes
Coker is an altruistic person who feel that the blind can be saved. He captures Bill and Josella and forces them to lead groups of the blind in different parts of London.

Durrant is a stubborn woman whose Christian virtues blind her to the present problems. She runs a farm commune that tries to save several hundred of the blind.

Torrence is a man with red hair who has notions of international control. He is the ultimate threat that seeks to split the lovers and is quick to use force.

The Triffids are large plant monsters with a deadly sting. In the novel they are treated similarly to how zombies often are: dangerous, but not as dangerous as other humans. They are probably the book's best idea and it is a shame that they are cheapened in the film.

Cold War Atmosphere
This novel was written early in the cold war and you can feel it in some of the paranoid comments. The descriptions of the slowly overgrown London countryside mesh well with the nefarious triffids knocking at the gates.

In the End
I wish the end had more to say. One of the villains reappears after not having been seen since about the halfway point. This results in a daring ruse that isn't too exiciting. Then we get a glimpse of the future, but as much as I would have liked. Maybe I've been spoiled by The Earth Abides.

Overall
This is a very enjoyable sci-fi tale that has really great concepts and ideas. This book's biggest problem is that it gets a bit diluted. There are four antagonists throughout the book that serve to represent different ways for dealing with the crisis. It is necessary to serve the book's goal, but hinders the story progression. This book has a lot of great ideas and will be a treat for fans of fifties sci-fi.
7.5/10

Earth Abides

Day 5
Earth Abides (1949)
By: George R. Stewart

Impressions
Ish is bitten by a rattlesnake while working on his graduate degree in Biology. He manages to get most of the poison out, but lies in bed delirious for days. A few people come, but run away when they notice he is sick. Ish first notices that he has seen fewer people in the last few days. He heads into town and sees the headlines that many have died of a great plague. This starts him on a journey to witness the results of the plague and its effect on the earth.

This is a very challenging book and contains many ideas about the nature of man and his progress. However; being written in the late forties means it can also slip into racism, sexism, and anachronism. Also, I'm not sure the writer liked animals terribly much if at all. He does use them effectively sometimes, but in certain sections there are dogs that don't act like I think they should. That said, it is still a fantastic look at its own time, containing some interesting comparisons to our own possible future. It tracks the adaption of man to the loss of civilization. In doing so, Earth Abides also seek to pin down what civilization is with its pros and cons being mostly up to the reader. As with most great books it draws some of its own conclusions, but also leaves the reader free to come to their own.

Our Hero
Isherwood 'Ish' Williams acts as our eyes and ears throughout the incredible journey. He is educated, but came off as a bit arrogant, especially at the start. By the end I thought he was a great main character and really felt a connection to him. So, if you dislike him at the beginning at least reserve judgment until part two.

Tribe of Observers
There are other important members of the Tribe, such as Em, Ezra, and Joey. However, including accounts of them spoils a lot of the charm of the book and wouldn't serve much good. I'll just say they are very effective in their goals. There is also technically a villain who serves to make a tremendous point, but doesn't actually do that much.

Declining Atmosphere
It is split into three different parts, each covering a year, with two interludes that serve to fill in the time gaps. The first year, year zero, contains Isherwood's assessment of the devastation. The second, year 22, show the progress of 'the Tribe' and the struggle of old versus new. The final, an unspecified year, is incredibly short and details the ultimate fate of Ish as he witnesses how his great grandchildren survive. The novel also contains articles, radio broadcasts, and prose from outside points of view interspersed through Ish's accounts. I was impressed at how cohesive the whole books is. It didn't feel like three different parts or even three different years. It felt like I read the entire life of Isherwood Williams.

In the End
The whole last three chapters of this book are awesome. It gets a little stranger and more stream of consciousness at the end, but it is a powerful finale to this epic tale.

Overall
It is difficult to talk about parts of this book since it works so well as a whole. This book reads like a natural update to and expansion of Jack London's The Scarlet Plague. Earth Abides has long been considered a seminal classic of both the science fiction genre as a whole and the apocalyptic fiction subgenre. I definitely agree with its placement in the canon of science fiction and recommend this book to anyone interested in those genres. It should also be an interesting read for anyone with anthropological interests. This is one of the best on this list and I keep finding myself comparing the other novels on the list to this one. Read it!
9.5/10

The Machine Stops

Day 4
The Machine Stops (1909)
By: E.M. Forster

Impressions
Vashti's life is made comfortable by the machine. It feeds her, clothes her, puts her to bed, allows her to see anything she wants to see and be inconstant communication with her friends.Her son has been trying to contact her, but she is worried about what he'll say. She puts it off until finally she gives in. But what does her son have to say and how will it affect the future of humanity?

A short story about the dangers of over-reliance on a sort of internet-like machine written over a hundred years ago... Sometimes science fiction is scarily prescient. This is a fantastic cautionary tale about something that was invented at the earliest eighty years later. The vision of a society stepping backward due to technology is fresh and speaks far beyond the author's scope.


Our Hero
Kuno is peripheral character in terms of the story, but he's the only main character who sees the coming fall. His tale takes place over the course of part two and concludes in part three with the warning in the title. He also gives us our only hope for humanity.

Inert Observer
Vashti is our narrator. She is also Kuno's mother and a true believer in the machine. We witness society's over reliance on technology through her. We also see that society's downfall. To her credit, she gives us an interesting perspective on her own society.

Mechanic Atmosphere
The use of screens and pneumatic tubes and gramophones to created 'the machine.' lends it a nice steampunk feel. However, the leap to just calling it the internet is quite easy to make. So much so, that I found it difficult to to separate the two.

In the End
The end is quite desolate, but provides enough hope to finish on. I wanted more actually. It leaves us to figure out the rest, but this could have easily expanded into a novel. This short story is around fifty pages and could have easily been expanded like The Last Man with accounts of human civilization after the fall.

Overall
This classic should be read as part of all high school curriculum today. It is nice and short, it relates to civilization today and it's a classic. Put it on your reading list, now!
9/10 (An additional point for being way ahead of its time)

The final of the four freebies, unfortunately you'll have to read the text online. It is short enough that I can say it's worth it and shouldn't cause much eye strain.
Check this out for free!

The Scarlet Plague

Day 3
The Scarlet Plague (1912)
By: Jack London

Impressions
An old man tells his grandsons the story of how he survived the Scarlet Plague. Howard Smith was once a learned university professor who witnessed the fall of civilization and the formations of the great tribes in the San Francisco Bay Area.

This shows a great deal thought as to what would happen if man rapidly died. Unlike some of the other plagues, this one has clear symptoms and a short survival time. There are some sexist and very racist attitudes present, but they don't dominate the story. The classist element is much higher and that sours certain parts when the lower class degenerate into savagery simply because they are poor. For our early apocalyptic tales, I'd say this is the most interesting and its perceived flaws today give a lot of insight into the time it was written.

Our Hero
Howard Smith is and old man looking back on his youth during the initial spread of the plague. He is not strong nor particularly brave, but he does the best that he can with what he has. Some of his attitudes are very outdated, but he is more of a progressive early twentieth century man. It is refreshing not to see an overly wise and passionate hero. He's just a man trying to survive.

Deadly Atmosphere
This story stretches from the initial attempts to fight the plague to the distant future hunters. The most amusing part, though it goes on for a bit too long is Howard Smith trying to explain the concept of a billion to his grandsons. It is a simple scene that shows how much humanity has lost and leads into his story.

In the End
Howard definitely has a reason for telling this story to his grandsons and whether they understand is left open. However, there is also a reason London chose to write this tale and it definitely makes it worth reading.

Overall
Jack London may be better remembered for Call of the Wild and White Fang, but this is certainly not a lesser effort. This is a great classic read that clearly influenced my Day 5 pick. So, be sure to read The Scarlet Plague before that novel. Despite its age this story reads quite well today.
8/10

The third of four freebies. Check it out on Project Gutenberg and Amazon!

After London; Or, Wild England

Day 2
After London; Or, Wild England (1885)
By: Richard Jefferies

Impressions
A plague has knocked civilization back to feudalism. The upper class creates fiefdom and very few retain the ability to read. The great cities have become toxic monstrosities, lethal to anyone to enters. Felix, the son of an indebted Baron, struggles to win the hand of Aurora, the daughter of a wealthy baron. So Felix sets off to make his fortune so Aurora's father will consent to their marriage.

This book is about 60% descriptions with all of part 1 (the first five chapters) being nothing but description. It gets tiring. I don't think anything really happens in this novel until about halfway through it. We lots of description on the changes of the world. We get a lot of Felix and his brother, Oliver, making the canoe. We get a description of them at Castle Thyma, home of Aurora. Then the story finally starts. Once Felix sets off on his journey the story gets vastly better. He gets invovled in several wars and faces the dangers of London.

Our Hero
Felix is out emo protagonist. He's great with a bow, but that is considered a footman's weapon. He studies a lot, but knights don't study! He's also very self involved. He only thinks about himself and it gets kind of irritating as he whines for large sections of the book.

Medieval Observers
Oliver is Felix's older brother and a true knight. He acts as a foil to Felix, but he doesn't really do much. He gives some advice on the canoe and impresses Aurora's father.

Aurora is Felix's love interest. She is the perfect woman. She's smart, beautiful and wealthy. She convinces Felix that she loves him and needs him. Her character could easily have been expanded into a fleshed out and interesting character dealing with a controlling father. However, she comes across as unrealistic and a bit naive.

Atmosphere
The descriptions of the river kingdom and London are where Jefferies is at his best. The rest of the description is a great example of "show don't tell" run amok. It is just too much. There is no narrative for the first quarter of this book.

In the End
The end knocked this books score right back down. After the the beginning, it was a slow climb to me enjoying this book and I was... until the end. Because there is no end. This book does not end. After spending five chapters describing the end of the world. He doesn't end the book!

Overall
So, why didn't Richard Jefferies just write a medieval story? I don't know. This could have easily been one. However; him making it an Apocalyptic tale certainly improved its lifespan, so there's that. If you want to read a book about civilization adapting after a plague, then days 3 and 5 are much better reads. This one is definitely bargain bin material.
5/10

The second of the four freebies. Get it from Project Gutenberg or Amazon.

The Last Man

Today I start my countdown to the end of the world! The Mayan calendar runs out on December 21st and I have a piece of Apocalyptic Literature for each day. All these contain at least some description of the change from old to new world (this is Apocalyptic not Post-Apocalyptic). I also decided to avoid zombies and skirted the line on aliens due to their more Halloweenish nature. We'll start off with the same author as my first Frightening Fiction: Mary Shelley.


Day 1
The Last Man (1826)
By: Mary Wolstonecraft Shelley

Impressions
Around 2073, Lionel Varney, a young man from a fallen noble family, attempts revenge on the king's son, Adrian. Through this the two become good friends. Lionel even marries Adrain's sister Idris. Lionel's sister, Perdita, marries an ambitious nobleman named Lord Raymond. The Last Man explores the lives of these five and to some extent their children. They face political upheaval and even a deadly plague that wipes out most of humanity.

Sorry about the vague summary, but this book is long. It is a dense 550 pages that takes place over 26 years. The middle drags on and the plague doesn't even do much until halfway through the novel. However; the beginning and the end of this book are stunning. The prologue itself is worth the read even if you don't read the rest of the novel. There are several glorious passages that illuminate the struggles of life and death. About 75% of the way through the novel Lionel reflects, "How intensely I then long to lie down beside her, to gaze till death should gather me to the same repose. But death does not come at the bidding of the miserable." This is how good some parts are. Unfortunately, Mrs. Shelley could have used an editor to cut the fat and some of the more useless characters and conflicts in the book.

This is also among the earliest science fiction novels, though it doesn't get into any science. Despite talking place in the late 21st century, people use 19th century weapons and modes of travel. Even the politics of England are only just getting past the monarchy and into the plutocracy stage. This can make it jarring especially to a modern reader, but I tend to think of it more a possible future setting made to explore social concepts. After all, this is before the science fiction genre was really established. H.G. Wells and Jules Verne weren't even born when this novel was published!

Our Heroes
Lionel Varney is our hero and the eponymous Last Man. His rise from commoner with noble blood to full nobleman reflects his later struggles. He's also built up so that we care about his family and those around him. He does get melodramatic sometimes, but this was written by one of the core romantics, so that's to be expected. Also interesting, is that he shares many autobiographical details with Mary Shelley herself.

Adrian is the former king's son and believer in liberal causes and freedom. He's a dreamer whose dreams and spirit are nearly crushed by the daunting reality around him. He slips into melodrama and feverish fits even more often than Lionel. Interesting, given the fact that he's based on Mary Shelley's husband, Percy.

Lord Raymond is an ardent supporter of the upper class and calls for a return to monarchy. He appears to be one of the antagonists when he's first introduced, but changes over the course of story. I'm not sure I even have to state that he's based on Lord Byron because it is made quite obvious.

Feminine Observers
Idris is Adrian's sister and later the wife of Lionel. She is caring and probably should be included in the heroic cast, but she really is treated more as an object most of the time. She develops more over the course of the novel and is a loving wife and mother.

Perdita is Lionel's sister who indulges in one of the more tempestuous romances of the novel with Lord Raymond. So much so that I found that her and Raymond got a bit wearing as the book went on.

Evande is a love interest of Adrian and Raymond. She serves mostly to drive melodrama and I think she could have easily been cut and the novel would have benefited from it.

Clara is the daughter of Raymond and Perdita. She doesn't get a lot of page time, but she stands out more than her cousins Alfred and Evelyn. She develops as a strong, independent and caring young woman. I think her role should have been increased.

Juliet is a plot device character we're meant to care about toward the end. She sort of appears in part three with a full backstory interacting with leads like she's been there the whole time. This is rather jarring after the unnecessary minor character descriptions during part 2. She was exactly like one of them except she kept reappearing. In this manner she seemed very forced in, right up to and including her over dramatic and out of nowhere death. If she had been properly integrated into the story she could have been a decent character, as it is, she could easily have been replaced with another lead.

Political Foes
The Countess of Windsor is Adrian and Idris' mother and the former queen of England. She is an antagonist during the first section when she tries to separation Lionel and Idris for her own political gain. Like many of the potential antagonists, she is somewhat redeemed by her actions at the end of the book. In fact, one of my favorite scenes is where she finally acknowledges Lionel as a proper son-in-law.

The Imposter is a villain who rears his head near the end and causes some problems for the last group of survivors. There are several parts during his section that Mrs. Shelley skips over that I found odd. As such he ended up more like some of the people mentioned in Part II, who just seemed unnecessarily brought in to fill up pages. This is a shame as he could have been an excellent overarching villain for most of part three.

Romantic Atmosphere
As is to be expected from any Romantic writer, Shelley is at home in describing the incredible bounty of nature. However; I think she surprised me most at her ability to descrive the ravages of war and plague. Ghastly visions of the apocalypse are rendered so that you can almost feel the mountains of corpses give as your knee presses into the rib cage of a greek soldier or a warm noxious plague infested breath making its way to your lungs. It does get a bit depressing with how much she summarizes some sections only to lavish others with attention. Most of the descriptions are brilliant though.

In the End
The end endeavors to be as positive as it can, but after the somewhat soul crushing right it seems a bit out of place. Right up until the very end Lionel is losing people and suffering. I think I almost would have been kinder without the somewhat forced happy ending.

Overall
With a little more focus on the core characters this book could have been even better than Frankenstein. Take a look at the brilliant prologue about how she got the idea for the novel which is brilliant alone. While reading I found myself scanning through some minor characters and the secitons about politics because they seem only to be brought up when convenient for Mrs. Shelley to make a point and tend not to advance the story. Yes, there is interesting historical context to be drawn for it, but it sometimes comes at the cost fo the characters. There is also a large amount of romantic melodrama that could have been cut down. These issues prevent the story from being the perennial classic that Frankenstein remains. Despite these shortcomings, The Last Man remains an interesting look at the politics and historic figures of Shelley's time.
6.5/10

This book is the first four freebies I'll be looking at on this list. Get it at Project Gutenberg!