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Earth Abides

3.94 of 5 stars 3.94 · rating details · 8,541 ratings · 847 reviews

A disease of unparalleled destructive force has sprung up almost simultaneously in every corner of the globe, all but destroying the human race. One survivor, strangely immune to the effects of the epidemic, ventures forward to experience a world without man. What he ultimately discovers will prove far more astonishing than anything he'd either dreaded or hoped for.

From th...more

Paperback, 345 pages

Published March 28th 2006 by Del Rey (first published 1949)

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Jun 19, 2010 Dan Schwent rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: early-sf

Men go and come but the earth abides.

I picked up Earth Abides because it was one of the inspirations for Stephen King's The Stand and because I've been in a post-apocalyptic mood lately. Earth Abides didn't disappoint.

It grabs you from the start. Isherwood Williams (Ish), gets bitten on the hand by a rattlesnake just after discovering an old hammer in the desert. After days of suffering from the rattler's bite, Ish wakes up and no one else is around. The beginning reminded me a little of Day of...more

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Jan 31, 2011 Jim rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction, classics, apocalyptic

I thought about giving this 5 stars as it is one of the best & earliest of the modern, serious apocalyptic SF novels. Written in 1949, it is a bit dated in some ways (the use of chemicals, lack of panic, & some equipment) but overall, it held up very well over the years. I don't agree with some of the specifics, but the story is not so much about specific technology, but about humanity & I think he presented a very interesting set of ideas.

If you're looking for action & adventur...more I thought about giving this 5 stars as it is one of the best & earliest of the modern, serious apocalyptic SF novels. Written in 1949, it is a bit dated in some ways (the use of chemicals, lack of panic, & some equipment) but overall, it held up very well over the years. I don't agree with some of the specifics, but the story is not so much about specific technology, but about humanity & I think he presented a very interesting set of ideas.

If you're looking for action & adventure, this book isn't for you. It is more thoughtful, posing interesting questions about the human condition. It does this by following one man who survives the end of our civilization & sees what happens to several generations of his descendents. How the rest of the world fares is briefly addressed, sometimes quite personally, but always in a perfunctory manner. I don't think this harmed the story at all, though. Any more detail would have bogged it down & not helped the central themes.

I'm not sure if I read this before, but parts seemed familiar, especially the end. Does anyone know if there was ever a short story done of this or did part of it appear as a novella or something?

(view spoiler)(less)

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Ish Williams Interesting that you see the lack of panic as dated. I first read the book in '61 and that's how people were. Calm, accepting like the little black gi...more
23 de Jun 11:27

Jim I think there was more trust in the government back then or something, if folks would have reacted the way described in the book. I'm not sure they wo...more
23 de Jun 14:18

Jun 27, 2011 Daniel rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Sometime in the 10 days that it took me to read through this book, I decided that the title could be renamed to "Earth Bides"--as in the Earth bides its time, and so does George R. Stewart in his deliberate study of the decline of civilization following a world-wide plague. After a strong first part, Stewart's story dips into a depression of shallow character development and didactic storytelling. Agenda takes the fore, and Stewart's writing takes a manipulative turn as his character marionette...more Sometime in the 10 days that it took me to read through this book, I decided that the title could be renamed to "Earth Bides"--as in the Earth bides its time, and so does George R. Stewart in his deliberate study of the decline of civilization following a world-wide plague. After a strong first part, Stewart's story dips into a depression of shallow character development and didactic storytelling. Agenda takes the fore, and Stewart's writing takes a manipulative turn as his character marionette from one crisis to another. Put bluntly, the middle of 100 pages of this book were, at times, a bore.

Still, "Earth Abides" is interesting for its time and place in fiction. Stewart wrote and published "Earth Abides" in 1949, so the society that gives way to nature and the passage of time is one that is devoid of cell phones, personal computers, internets, the multitude of plastic goods, disposable water bottles, a gi-normous nuclear industry and all of its lovely by-products, the civil rights movement, the Vietnam war, the sexual revolution, and other cultural movements and institutions that inform much of our modern thinking. The post-apocalyptic landscape that Stewart constructs is therefore very different from those that other artists depicted in the decades that followed. There is no radiation poisoning; no talk of world governments; no talk of the rest of the world in general. Without a nuclear arsenal to contend with--not to mention, any Cold War hang-ups about good vs evil, or all of the propaganda-prompted thinking that came with that period--his survivors are less attached to the world in any international sense, and thus free to consider their prospects for long-term survival in the context of an insular world that is less cynical than those proposed by other writers in later decades. (In fact, having read this, I am now interested in picking up other apocalypse-oriented fiction such as "The Plague," "Swan Song," "The Stand," "Hiero's Journey," etc, and comparing everyone's take on how it all ends).

Also topical at the time is Stewart's depiction of people's lingering reliance on consumer goods such as matches and rifles and canned goods. His characters represent those who were immersed in the growing consumerism of the late 40s and used to its comforts. Once they assemble and agree to build a new life, they continue to seek out products and goods that they counted on for sustenance and industry. The main protagonist, Isherwood Williams, recognizes the limitations to this practice, and devotes himself to constructing a society that will be more self-reliant and capable--at least, in his eyes. Stewart plumbs some good insights from these parts of the story, and his portrayal of the different generations that follow the dissolution of civilization rings with enough truth to hold interest. Unfortunately, he is so keen to demonstrate his ideas that he resorts to didactic prose and plotting that is reminiscent of the dense writing that Ayn Rand poured into "Atlas Shrugged." The story slows considerably (one year occupies nearly 150 pages, whereas 21 passed by in less than twenty), and the characters devolve into flat game pieces that Stewart pushes around into arrangements that serve his agenda.

"Earth Abides" is a long-winded elegy about mankind (and I must stress the male gender implied in that word, as female characters play only a minor role in the story) and its place in the world without the context of civilization. As stated, it is notable for its time and place in literature, and for the influence that it had on future writers such as Stephen King. If you do pick it up, consider this advice: set aside a healthy amount of time, and just power through to the last sixty pages, where Stewart rests most of his agenda, and writes some poetic and profound prose about the end of life as he knew it.(less)

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Oct 05, 2008 Aerin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: litrachur, science-fiction, apocalyptic, well-that-was-awesome, the-luxury-of-loneliness

Cold War-era post-apocalyptic fiction is a favorite genre of mine. Although the idea that the world will end has always been with us, it wasn't until the development of the nuclear bomb that we as a species were faced with how easy it would be to annihilate ourselves. Nowadays, it seems like every day brings another potential agent of mass destruction: biological warfare, global warming, fundamentalist terrorism... We're so used to the idea that the world could end at any minute that it hardly b...more

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May 24, 2009 Kemper rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: apocalypse-now, sci-fi, classic-lit, germs-viruses

It comes across as a little dated. (When the hero sprays his pregnant wife's clothes with DDT because of flea concerns and it's considered a good thing, you gotta laugh.) But the core story holds up remarkably well.

Instead of the typical apocalyptic aftermath story with brave survivors fighting for survival, we get a small band of average people who would rather coast along by scrounging off the old world rather than trying to rebuild.

Stewart was doing a version of 'Life After People' decades b...more

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Jul 31, 2008 Huan-hua rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: lovers of post-apocalyptic fiction

Recommended to Huan-hua by: book club

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I loved this book. Someone else picked it for my book club a few years ago, and most of the people in the group hated it, so it's not for everyone--but I really enjoyed it.

I'm a sucker for postapocalyptic sci-fi, and this is subtler and gentler than the usual overblown, testosterone-laden books about hordes of zombies and cannibals and crazy-eyed survivalists with guns... it does a nice job of conveying the image of the world ending not with a bang, but a whimper. Most of humanity has been wipe...more

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Oct 06, 2008 Matthew rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

With the expiration of most of earth's population rendering most technological advancements useless and thrusting religion as we know it into obscurity, man has to learn to inhabit, and assign new meaning to, an uncivilized earth. Although a little slow at times, Earth Abides is a thoughtful, eloquently written novel, avoiding many of the pitfalls of the post-apocalyptic sci-fi garbage that it spawned. Written in 1949, it is remarkably apt today, only dating itself at times in it's treatment of...more

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Mar 17, 2008 Jeff Straub added it

I couldn't even finish it. I really wanted to; it was a neat take on the good ol' end of the world story, but I just couldn't get past how dated it was:

"He took a cigarette from the lacquer box on the coffee table"
"He turned on the radio and waited for the tubes to warm up"
"He laid down on the davenport"
"Again, he spent the night at a travel lodge along Rt. 66"

It just kept taking up more and more of my energy to not be distracted by the dated content that I stopped enjoying the story.

Maybe I'll...more

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Feb 04, 2011 Alice rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: found-through-goodreads

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Perhaps, he felt in his mind, that was the difference! That was the difference between woman and man. She felt only in terms of the immediate, and was more interested in being able to spot her child’s birthday than in all the future of civilization. Again, he felt superior to her.

I don't mind dated language in books, particularly when the book was written then. I don't mind dated ideas necessarily, as someone who likes classics and historical fiction. What I found in this book, which I had hoped...more Perhaps, he felt in his mind, that was the difference! That was the difference between woman and man. She felt only in terms of the immediate, and was more interested in being able to spot her child’s birthday than in all the future of civilization. Again, he felt superior to her.

I don't mind dated language in books, particularly when the book was written then. I don't mind dated ideas necessarily, as someone who likes classics and historical fiction. What I found in this book, which I had hoped to like as a fan of post-apocalyptic works and with a respect for its fathers, was that it dragged on slowly (albeit as slowly as time would drag on post-apocalypse), had little in the ways of interesting characters (I liked the dog more than the passive, egotistic protagonist, who, despite his sense of self-grandeur, was hardly a fountain of original thought), and that it did not redeem itself in any way. An interesting and perhaps accurate depiction of a speculative post-epidemic America, but with blinkers on.

The bleakness seeped into my consciousness like water oozing from a sponge of desolation, but unlike works like The Road, I found it not touching, not disturbing, not moving at all... just bleak and empty and rather devoid of character. And, yes, as the fact I quoted one of the more repulsive lines from this book, as a woman I felt put off by the misogyny in it. Ah, she may be the mother of nations, but woman, according to Earth Abides, is stupid, excitable, and unable of perceiving the same distant concepts and abstract notions that Ish and, indeed, Stewart are.

Then there are Evie and the native Americans Ish encounters early in the book. It would have been better, he had often thought, if they had merely put a can of sweet ant-poison within her reach somewhere. Well! I don't think Charlie thought so. And George certainly saw her as more than what he had written off when she was struggling as a child from the shock of the whole thing. Who knows? She was just Evie... none of the characters were particularly fleshed out, except Ish, and to an extent, Em and Joey. Joey's death was probably the most interesting part in the book.

It's not a terrible book, but I only finished it out of a sense of completionism. Even books I don't like have their place in my literary canon, refining my palate and reinforcing my contempt of certain ideas. Furthermore, by virtue of its citation as influences of greater works, and its place in post-apocalyptic literary history, it's at least notable, but I can't help but find that merit undeserved.

The rise and fall of humankind is a fascinating story, but I definitely think humans themselves are far more fascinating than this. Naturally its outdated worldview can be forgiven somewhat for its archaicness, but it doesn't make it any easier to swallow.

PS I did enjoy this bit:

“Oh,” she cried, “do not ask me for more courage! I do not know the arguments. I never went to college. All I know is that we did what we thought best. If there is a God who made us and we did wrong before His eyes—as George says—at least we did wrong only because we were as God made us, and I do not think that He should set traps. Oh, you should know better than George! Let us not bring all that back into the world again—the angry God, the mean God—the one who does not tell us the rules of the game, and then strikes us when we break them. Let us not bring Him back! Not you too!”

In its defense, perhaps I was looking for something else in this book that was not there. Did I understand what it was converying, that men go and come while Earth abides? Yes, but somehow, I found it so colourless I could not really develop a conviction about it at all.(less)

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Dec 20, 2007 Bob Lang rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: All

There is more to life than being an observer. The protaganist, Isherwood Wiliams, watches the world or what is left of it deteriorate and wonders why someone doesn't do anything about it.

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Nov 28, 2010 Crys Harris rated it 3 of 5 stars

The characters never read hooked me and drew me in.

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Apr 16, 2013 Sherry (bogiewine) rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book turned out to be both amazingly rewarding and incredibly exasperating, which is why I can’t make it a 5-star favorite even though I’m terribly tempted. Unfortunately, there was a huge chunk I really didn’t enjoy enough to justify doing that. Bear with me though because I just might change my mind. But before I get to the reasons why, anyone curious about reading Earth Abides should know that a good 2/3 to 3/4 was pretty much ALL observational narrative. Supposedly, although how could a...more This book turned out to be both amazingly rewarding and incredibly exasperating, which is why I can’t make it a 5-star favorite even though I’m terribly tempted. Unfortunately, there was a huge chunk I really didn’t enjoy enough to justify doing that. Bear with me though because I just might change my mind. But before I get to the reasons why, anyone curious about reading Earth Abides should know that a good 2/3 to 3/4 was pretty much ALL observational narrative. Supposedly, although how could anyone really know, this is more of a realistic vision of a post-apocalyptic world, at least much more than the Hunger Games variety oh so prevalent these days. As such we get drawn out accounts of the life cycles of ants or rats and other fauna, post-mankind of course, as well as the minutiae of mundane daily activities. Still, there were several inconsistencies for me, such as where were all the dead bodies? For a quick acting virus to seemingly wipe out the entire human race (in less than two weeks!), there were no bodies in the streets (save one in the very beginning) or in any of the homes which merely appeared to be abandoned.

In addition every single character frustrated the hell out of me, including our protagonist, Ish. It seemed all he could do was bemoan the stupidity of those who survived even as he himself continued to be ineffectual – and all the while cultivating a god complex. One could see how that could occur, however, since everyone was so completely complacent, content to live off the remnants of civilization after “The Great Disaster“. Ish alone could see the dangers and futility of this, yet he was all too paralyzed by his cerebral nature and lack of leadership skills to do anything but worry. He was esteemed by his community of survivors as a visionary, if not mildly indulged, but certainly not taken seriously. Perhaps complacency is a more accurate portrayal of the response to a true apocalypse than we’ve been led to believe. I don’t know though, either it just didn’t ring true or I’ve been brainwashed into the vanity of human specialness and ingenuity. I’ll just say they really could have used an action oriented “Type A” person around, but nope, not a one in sight. I’m guessing the plague must have taken them out first.

What's more it was sometimes difficult to get past the outdated views of race and gender presented in this book, which was written in 1949; although I think an attempt was made to portray Ish as somewhat progressive due to his status as a scholar and intellectual. Every time some comment or characterization served to remind me of the publication date, however, I had to tell myself he, through the lens of the author of course, was thinking and acting realistically as a white male product of the era. It was certainly a reminder that we have come a long way despite lingering attitudes and unresolved issues.

Yet, regardless of these criticisms, some moments were beautifully written and captivating, arousing my curiosity enough as to want to see where it would all lead. And lead somewhere it most certainly did, enough to ultimately view all of my complaints as nitpicking, moreover, as imperative to the story’s denouement and essential message. It’s just too bad it was so protracted, or more likely that I am too much a product of our short attention span times to appreciate such a nuanced build up for what it was. The unending minutiae, the frustrations with the characters, even the race and sex issues to some extent, were crafted with such subtle intent as to come together in a powerfully emotional, meaningful climax. The long-awaited denouement was not only deeply satisfying, but possibly the most effective, beautiful, and emotionally wrenching of any book I have ever read. I came to realize how invested in Ish I had become.

I can’t say much more without taking away the possibility of this same affective experience from anyone piqued enough to give this book a go. All I can say is everything that happens matters. It is a story about life, its ebbs and flows, how it endures and how it comes full-circle. Ultimately it is about the nature of man (yes, mostly man rather than woman, sorry to say, but again - 1949) and faith in humanity. But in its essence it is about faith in the earth, in both its constancy and change, and in its transcendence. Despite constant frustration throughout most of the story, I haven’t been able to let this one go. It is one of those books. The beauty and power of its conclusion will stay with me for a long, long time. If you read it, ignore all my nitpickings and stick with it. You won’t regret it.
(less)

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Nov 26, 2011 Mur Lafferty rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: audio, novel-research, scifi, read-in-2011

I am a couple hours into the audiobook, and annoyed that Ish is kind of a dick. I understand the book will reflect the thinking of the time, but that doesn't make me enjoy the sexist writing any more (this is why I have trouble with classic SF). beyond that, Ish doesn't seem to really mourn the world, he keeps a detached and scholarly view of everything. he abandons a drunk because he doesn't want a companion of that ilk, then feels little remorse when he finds the man dead of alcohol poisoning....more

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Mar 27, 2008 Thomas rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Teens and Older

Shelves: my-science-fiction-bookshelf

This is my favorite novel of all time. I first read the story way back when I was in high school, so I can recommend this to young readers.

The story may well be the first post-apocalyptic novel of its kind - I know of no others that have proceeded it and I do not count H.G. Wells' The Time Machine as in this category. Regardless, I consider this book to be the standard against which all other post-apocalyptic novels should be judged.

George R. Stewart is well suited to write this book as he has a...more

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May 02, 2009 Kelly rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: library

This was the first 'post apocalyptic' novel I ever read. Oddly, I found it on my mother's bookshelf when looking for something to read one day. This is one of those books I'll remember forever, and probably one of my all time top ten. I wonder how it will stand up to a re-read?

5/1/09: Stands up awesomely well to a re-read. Its a classic!

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Jun 29, 2010 Liz rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopias

As an employee at UC Berkeley there is a kind of liberation that comes with reading of someone breaking into Doe library after the fall of civilization as we know it to get to the books inside. I do hope he remembered to have them scanned by the people at the checkout desk. :-)

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Sep 07, 2007 Deborah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: alltimefavorites

what i loved about this book was it's reality... what would happen if?
a massive epidemic - nearly everyone on earth dead... the practical end of what would happen next. gathering a few survivors, building a new life and lifestyle. the main charactor (your basic mild mannered guy) over time realizing that he needed to teach the next generation what they'd need to survive without common utilities or grocery stores. this book made me think... and one of the best 'visuals' .... 'he sat and watched...more

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Mar 06, 2009 Mary rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was read for ENG 360A Class taken in 2007.

Readings Environmental Novel English Class required.

This was a really quick read and I actually read it for an English class.
It's a post apocalyptic story followin one survivor and the issues he needs to deal with and think about.
I'm usually not too keen on these types of stories but this one caught my attention because of the timelessness in regards to survival and ecology.

Stewart addresses questions like if you were one of the few survivors on ea...more

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Mar 12, 2013 Annette rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: post-apocalyptic

This was a re-read: initial read at least 15 years ago.
Written in 1947, Earth Abides is one of the earliest of the modern post-apocalyptic genera. It differs starkly from other favorites in the genera such as the "Emberverse" and "Island in the Sea of Time" series by S.M. Stirling and Lucifer's Hammer, in that the surviving population is so small and the infrastructure of modern civilization so intact that there is no actual struggle to survive. Indeed, the water keeps running in SF for more th...more This was a re-read: initial read at least 15 years ago.
Written in 1947, Earth Abides is one of the earliest of the modern post-apocalyptic genera. It differs starkly from other favorites in the genera such as the "Emberverse" and "Island in the Sea of Time" series by S.M. Stirling and Lucifer's Hammer, in that the surviving population is so small and the infrastructure of modern civilization so intact that there is no actual struggle to survive. Indeed, the water keeps running in SF for more than 20 years! Therefore those who somehow escaped the plague had only to avoid mental breakdown (not so easy, in fact, as it may seem) to have it terrifically easy - easier, in many ways, than they did before the disaster. Furthermore, Stewart's protagonist is an academic - a confirmed observer - with no pre-existing habit of action. And in the tiny community he founds, he is no exception: the most practical skill any member holds is carpentry, and none of them aside from Ish have any real imagination - or, as he puts it "the ability to see what's not there."
With no dynamic leadership and no external or internal threats to life and limb, it is perhaps as inevitable as the author suggests that the various skills of civilization - up to and including the seemingly simple capacity to Work at something until it is done - disappear within the first generation. I found myself agonizing with Ish over the others' unwillingness to take positive action - even as I asked myself whether, given similar circumstances, my own often initiative-poor personality would not lead to a similar end. I think my children would learn to read; I am not sure they'd learn to farm, domesticate cattle, weave, sew, or any of the other "critical but not quite yet" skills the community would need in, say, 50 more years.
Perhaps the least realistic thing in "Abides" is the essential atheism of the community. Two of the adult members retained some ritual and perhaps even some belief, but they were the least influential of the group, and the second generation lapsed into a very mild mythology centered around the founders. In this I think Stirling hits closer to the mark with the almost hyper-spiritualism of his surviving tribes. Man is an inherently spiritual being, and will invent whatever he needs to fill that void if something is not supplied in early childhood. You do not find atheistic primitives!
Still, a very thought provoking read both for a historic perspective on the culture of the mid 20th century, and the various "what if's" it provides to the current imagination. (less)

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Mar 07, 2013 Melanie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction-fantasy

This book is an interesting look at what things were like in around 1950 in the US and how a person of that time might view a post-apocalyptic world. It's also an interesting look at what was considered to be very good science fiction at the time.

However, I had some big problems with it. Ish, the protagonist, gathers a small group of eight survivors, including one child who is mentally incompetent. They then proceed to have as many children as they possibly can starting from four women and three...more

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Mar 01, 2013 Laura Zurowski rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: another-place-another-time

I found this story fascinating as I've always had a morbid curiosity about what the earth would be like if humans were near extinction. What would it be like to wander in near isolation? How would nature go about re-claiming its presence? Would the surviving people be able to figure out ANYTHING without our internet and GPS systems?

The post-virus world that main character Ish and his rag-tag clan find themselves inhabiting is one oddly reminiscent of the modern day depopulated city. Imagine what...more

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Feb 04, 2013 Marc Goldstein rated it 3 of 5 stars

Isherwood Williams , a scientist conducting research in the wilderness, survives a deadly plague that appears to have eradicated almost all human life. The only tool he has is a hammer. Eventually he discovers a few other survivors and together they attempt to rebuild society. They couple and have children. Ish survives power struggles in the tribe and tries his best to impart the wisdom of western civilization to the younger generation. His efforts are ultimately futile as the realities of the...more

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Feb 04, 2013 Smcleish rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: owned

Originally published on my blog here in August 2003.

Of all the post-apocalyptic science fiction novels ever written, Earth Abides is probably the most poetic. George R. Stewart wrote only the one science fiction novel, and his is one of the less well known classics of the genre. Most literary writers seem to adapt poorly to science fiction, overusing its clichés, but Stewart is one of a handful (in the company of Orwell, Huxley and possibly Atwood) to have found something to say and a way to say...more Originally published on my blog here in August 2003.

Of all the post-apocalyptic science fiction novels ever written, Earth Abides is probably the most poetic. George R. Stewart wrote only the one science fiction novel, and his is one of the less well known classics of the genre. Most literary writers seem to adapt poorly to science fiction, overusing its clichés, but Stewart is one of a handful (in the company of Orwell, Huxley and possibly Atwood) to have found something to say and a way to say it which has expanded the reach of the genre.

The narrator, Isherwood Williams, is working in the high desert mountains of northern California, alone in a remote cabin, when the disaster strikes. Like John Wyndham in the contemporary The Day of the Triffids, Stewart eschews the obvious atomic apocalypse to eradicate almost all of humanity with a plague, survived only by those naturally immune or particularly remote. (Today, the plague, especially if caused by human tampering with genetics, is the fashionable apocalypse.) The novel has three main parts - the initial disaster and its immediate aftermath; the situation twenty years later, as a small group of survivors faces some major crises; and a fast forward to the last days of Ish's life, as possibly the last old American left alive.

Many novels of this type are about the process of rebuilding civilization after the catastrophe, but Earth Abides has one feature which really makes it stand out. Almost immediately after discovering what has happened, Ish sets out to travel around the States, to try and understand it. The descriptions of the deserted cities (and the handful of people that Ish does find alive) is the novel's major strength; it is an elegy for the end of the civilization we still see around us, and evokes such things as the empty city marvellously.

When describing the beginning of the renewed rise of civilization, most science fiction novels assume that the intellectual legacy of the past will be important, and that everything a group does will involve sensible planning (for example, ensuring the preservation of seed). This is at least partly because of the history of the science fiction genre, in that both readers and editors (especially in the States), approved of stories in which the intellectual man of science with whom they identified was able to triumph (sometimes writers seem to be trying to write a manual on "how to survive the coming catastrophe" rather than fiction). In Earth Abides, Stewart is not so optimistic about the ability of reason to reign supreme, and it must be admitted that there is a great deal of evidence on his side. Ish may be the most vocal member of the small community which grows up around him and the woman that he meets after returning from his travels, but he never manages to persuade them of such things as the importance of education and the preservation of learning. Ish is not as all knowing as tends to be the case with the characters with a scientific background in this situation, either (think of Heinlein's omnicompetent heroes for the standard examples from the time). He is caught out by the various waves of animal population explosion and collapse which follow the removal of checks and balances imposed by mankind (which occur at different times, depending on the reproductive rate of the animal concerned); as a result he is unable to have seed stockpiled before a plague of rats makes it virtually impossible to scavenge. (The group live for years mainly on tins recovered from around San Francisco.)

Earth Abides is the sole example of Stewart's distinctive voice in the science fiction genre, and it remains something of an outsider, a forgotten classic.(less)

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Jan 25, 2013 Chris rated it 5 of 5 stars

This novel captures a number of accurate, but quite despicable characteristics of humankind: our laziness, our fear of leading, and how easily we can ignore problems while they stare us in the face. The protagonist is on of those intellectuals who is full of ideas, but woefully short on the qualities of a leader. The small society that forms around him consists of people not particularly skilled or strong, content to live off of what's been left behind.

So it is not a story of heroism. It is inst...more

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Jan 09, 2013 Bill rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: post-apocolyptic

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Was an awesome book that delved into the ideas of a world without man. Well, I guess that is not true in the fact that the protagonist is a man that wanders around in this desolation and does find some other survivors. I found it a really fascinating read up until the point to where he starts to build a small village with the other survivors. The idea behind it is fascinating and I love the way that there is a wide variety of people and differing view points, BUT, I hate the fact that the protag...more

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Nov 22, 2012 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Julie by: Octavia Butler

Shelves: 2011, author_male, history_alt, pub_post-1945, scifi, scifi-postapocalyptic, type_fiction

A virus wipes out most of humanity within a couple of days. I’ve read many scifi novels that begin this way, and most of them spend the majority of the subsequent pages describing the ensuing social chaos in dystopian detail. Earth Abides takes a completely different tack. There is no swaggering little Napoleon lording it over a tiny flock of survivors—there are simply too few people left. There is very little deprivation—people can comfortably survive for years on the leftover canned goods in e...more

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Sep 29, 2012 Midnyte Reader rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-books, dystopian

I had an interesting experience with this book. I listened to it on audio, but the second to last disc wouldn't work. It was so frustrating. I did happen to have a physical copy and I was able to finish it. So although I only physically read the book more toward the end I got the chance to see if I felt differently about the written work from the audio. I think the audio was better for me in this case because honestly, I didn't find much of it intriguing at all. It was slow listening but even sl...more I had an interesting experience with this book. I listened to it on audio, but the second to last disc wouldn't work. It was so frustrating. I did happen to have a physical copy and I was able to finish it. So although I only physically read the book more toward the end I got the chance to see if I felt differently about the written work from the audio. I think the audio was better for me in this case because honestly, I didn't find much of it intriguing at all. It was slow listening but even slower reading.

Ish is a survivor who was a Geographer pre-end of humanity and now he is intrigued with watching the Earth's changes. Unfortunately, I really don't like Ish. He is arrogant and at times even unkind. He fancies that he himself is an intellectual, but most of the people he has found are simply not. He feels that the people who did survive the horrific events did so because they have no imagination and therefore cannot appreciate the scope of the situation. He even thinks his own wife is not that intelligent. Although I do have to say he gives her plenty of commendation for her strength of character.

What I kept thinking even halfway through the book was that he didn't go back and get the dog! There was a dog chained up in the beginning and when he realized that humanity was gone, he didn't go back to get the poor animal. I know it's silly, and maybe he was too far away, but I would have and I kept waiting for him to do so. He didn't even think about the dog again. I couldn't help but judge his character because of this. I know it's really being nitpicky, but I can't help it.

Much of the book is Ish's thoughts as he contemplates what the world has become and what it will become. He also analyzes the few people he meets and predicts their outcomes. The reader is also shown how Ish reaches certain decisions. It would be great for people who are really into existentialism and enjoy minute details of someone's thought process.

This book was published in 1949 and it is interesting to see the way of the world then and the references to that time period. What I also think is cool is the way the people change as generations go by. I would have really liked to have seen more of that.

I think that the Earth itself is the most interesting character to me. The humans are a counterpoint. I did find some interesting aspects, especially with the ecological observances. There were also some moments of heartbreak and drama. I also think that this book would be an amazing discussion book. There are so many issues to be studied. Social norms, rules, laws, teamwork. Even though I didn't enjoy the book, I wouldn't be opposed to discussing the topics that can be derived from it.

Afterthoughts:
Most of the reviews are overwhelmingly positive -- Which kind of makes me feel like I'm missing something or I'm not bright enough to appreciate the importance of this work.
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Aug 23, 2012 Clark Hallman rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

First published in 1949, Earth Abides is George R. Stewart’s take on what would happen if all of the human population of Earth, except a few scattered survivors, were killed by a vicious disease. The tale is presented entirely through the thoughts and experiences one man, i.e., Isherwood Williams. Ish is a graduate student when the “Great Disaster” leaves him alone in the Oakland CA area. He eventually finds a few other survivors, including Emma (Em) who becomes his partner and the mother of his...more

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Aug 11, 2012 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

This is an early work of post-apocalyptic fiction based on a pandemic wiping out a large portion of humanity. The protagonist is a reclusive type, a young university student of some type, who spends long periods of time in his remote cabin. As the scene opens, he is bitten by a rattlesnake, and falls very ill, though he survives. He soon discovers, on re-entering town, that he survived an illness more than just snakebite, and finds everywhere he goes, including his parents' house, devoid of peop...more

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Aug 01, 2012 Gail rated it 5 of 5 stars

Because it is impossible to escape hearing about the upcoming end of the world this year, why not indulge in some thought-provoking literature to add some philosophical commentary to this concept? Earth Abides, by George R. Stewart provides just this food-for-thought in a novel published first in 1949, but still so relevant to humanity today.
The culprit in this post-apocalypse novel is not of the man-made type, but a pandemic culling most of the world’s population, leaving a few surviving stragg...more Because it is impossible to escape hearing about the upcoming end of the world this year, why not indulge in some thought-provoking literature to add some philosophical commentary to this concept? Earth Abides, by George R. Stewart provides just this food-for-thought in a novel published first in 1949, but still so relevant to humanity today.
The culprit in this post-apocalypse novel is not of the man-made type, but a pandemic culling most of the world’s population, leaving a few surviving stragglers. Isherwood “Ish” Williams is one of those survivors and the main character of this story. Happy to be off alone in the wilderness, performing research for his PhD, he stumbles back into civilization with only his hammer, after being bitten by a rattlesnake, to which he later credits his survival. As he slowly discovers the annihilation, he battles with himself as to whether he prefers to remain alone or seek out any other survivors. Ish flees from the first opportunity to meet another person. When he looks again for the human-caused smoke, he has a certain sense of relief to not see it, yet an even stronger sense of disappointment.
He decides to embark on a journey across the country to see what he can find. Fearful of consequences, he finally concludes that “nothing more than my death can happen. What am I afraid of?” He then resolves, if he is to live at all, he would live without fear.
Ish eventually gains a companion in a dog, and finds a woman to live with. As they learn to adapt to such a changed world, the question of whether to bring a baby into it surfaces. “Who was he to set mankind on the long and uncertain road to the future?” But when a child is conceived, his despair becomes hope.
Gradually the little tribe increases by the addition of other travelers, and the birth of more children. Ish becomes the leader and realizes that the preservation of knowledge is up to him. All the world’s information is contained in the nearby university library (no internet in 1949!) which he makes an effort to preserve, along with music, culture, and literature. He tries teaching the younger generation, but in this new world order, he wonders whether geography and history really matter anymore. Cars and transportation have failed, the electricity gave out soon after the disaster, and people now just live day to day. “If you lost the continuity of time”, he thinks, “you lost something that might never be recovered. Time was history, history was tradition, tradition was civilization”.
Throughout this book, Ish’s hammer serves as a symbol of strength and unity. Brought out of the wilderness with him after being snake-bitten, it was used for security in the first days. Later, carrying it with him constantly, it had become an object of superstition to the rest of the tribe. It had somehow come to have a life of its own and given its owner a special power. He realizes in his later days that he must have become a god – he had never wished to become a god. It was irrational, but “perhaps rationalism had only been one of the luxuries which men could afford under civilization.”
As Ish reaches the end of his days, he comes to understand that his sacred library, repository of all knowledge, was of no importance any longer as the world had changed. He realizes that a man should make peace with himself, even though all conditions have changed, and that a man should face the question of whether in his life he had satisfied the ideas which he had built up within himself as to what he should be and that all this was not a matter of priests and religion but of a man himself.
In addition to these philosophical questions the protagonist wrestles with, the book also presents, in separate Italicized paragraphs, the biological and ecological results of the decimation of the human population, which I found quite interesting, and appropriate since Ish was researching the ecology of the area at the time. If you’re going to read one apocalypse novel before “the end”, make it this one – it will stay with you.
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About George R. Stewart

George Rippey Stewart was an American toponymist, a novelist, and a professor of English at the University of California, Berkeley. He is best known for his only science fiction novel Earth Abides (1949), a post-apocalyptic novel, for which he won the first International Fantasy Award in 1951. It was dramatized on radio's Escape and inspired Stephen King's The Stand .

His 1941 novel Storm , featuri...more

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Quotes from Earth Abides

“In that world, those with seeing eyes could only blunder about, but the blind man would be at home, and now instead of being the one who was guided by others, he might be one the one to whom the others clung for guidance.” — 3 people liked it

“It is a strange thing," he thought, "to be an old god. They worship you, and yet they mistreat you. If you do not want to do what they wish, they make you. It is not fair.” — 2 people liked it

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