The world after the apocalypse
It is the beginning of the 1950s. A new infectious and deadly virus hits people and kills over 90% of the population within a dozen or so days! One of the few survivors is a young student named Ish. Moreover, when a pandemic breaks out, it is beyond the reach of civilization, so it has no idea what is happening in the world. Only after leaving the forest does he discover the drama that has happened to people. So he sets out in search of survivors, which is not an easy task at all. After some time, he begins to wonder if there is a chance to rebuild the human species and if he wants to undertake this task at all.
Philosophy and geography
The earth continues is a novel written by the American historian George R. Stewart. It is also the only science fiction book in the author’s oeuvre. Although it is extremely popular in the USA, it has arrived in our country only now, thanks to the Rebis Publishing House. It takes us to the United States, and the main character, Isherwood Williams, remains at the center of its events. We travel the whole country with him and we have the opportunity to get to know his thoughts. At the very beginning, I must admit that the novel is extremely difficult to evaluate. Let’s start with what’s positive about it. It is certainly incredibly interesting and intriguing. All fans of the post-apocalypse will surely be captivated by how the writer created an Earth almost completely devoid of people. On the plus side, you should focus on details, which you usually don’t think about when you read about such cataclysms. Because few focus on what species of animals could become extinct, which plants would have an advantage, and we certainly do not think about pets that would be locked in houses after the sudden death of the master and all his relatives, and would be sentenced to certain death. This is sad but true. In addition, I must say that although the book was originally published over 70 years ago, the passage of time is not evident in it. Yes, the characters do not have televisions, mobile phones or access to the Internet (although after the Cataclysm, they would not be able to use them anyway), it is somehow not very visible. They already have cars, electricity or radios, and thus the plot may seem closer to us today than it really is. Stewart also lets his hero run through all the states first and then lets him watch the world change. It precisely determines the moments when beams will rot, houses will fall, asphalt will break, tires will deflate, food will spoil, and rust will destroy and collapse huge bridges. And this is also a drawback of the book. While at the beginning we let our imagination run wild and together with Ish we want to see all the details of this new world, after some time it becomes boring. The action is not very smooth and it is not rushing forward. Instead, we get descriptions of nature that even Orzeszków would not be ashamed of. For several pages, Ish can drive through fields and meadows, and maybe not every blade, but a few tufts have already been described. Just descriptions of how a man plants a lemon or plows a bow, they are almost two pages each! As if that were not enough, his contemplation of what he should and should not do is a complete exaggeration to call “pouring water”. Once the action moves on, yes, there is quite a lot going on, but after a while we come back to the lengthy description. Ultimately, however, it should be said that it is so interesting that we will not get discouraged until we get to the end and get to know the whole story. Because it is definitely addictive and at most we will sometimes flip a few pages to find ourselves in the center of the real action again. Ultimately, however, it should be said that it is so interesting that we will not get discouraged until we get to the end and get to know the whole story. Because it is definitely addictive and at most we will sometimes flip a few pages to find ourselves in the center of the real action again. Ultimately, however, it should be said that it is so interesting that we will not get discouraged until we get to the end and get to know the whole story. Because it is definitely addictive and at most we will sometimes flip a few pages to find ourselves in the center of the real action again.
A few words about the release
The earth continues it has 420 pages. It was released in a hardcover, and the cover shows a dilapidated San Francisco, where most of the plot takes place, old cars and a hammer, which is an extremely important element for the whole novel. It was created by Igor Morski, especially for the Polish version. Inside you will find a few identical pictures, but in black and white, which mark the beginning of the next part of the book. At the end, we will also find a short information about the author. Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to read the original version, but according to the publisher’s assurances, the language was slightly modernized to make the whole reading even better. And of course, the translator deserves a big plus. Unfortunately, there were some minor bugs in the release itself. We will find typos here, missing a letter in a word or an open parenthesis. Although there are really few such mishaps, an attentive reader will certainly notice them and perhaps it will spoil the pleasure of reading a bit.
A classic without a doubt
The Earth continues undeniably had a tremendous influence on other writers and should be placed on the shelf of literary classics. This is the first novel to be a science fiction winner at the International Fantasy Award. Also Locus Magazineplaced it on the list of the best science fiction books. With his novel, Stewart undoubtedly influenced other writers and works that tell the story of the post-apocalypse. Here we have successful attempts to show the collapse of civilization, the reconstruction of society, economic and ecological changes following the almost complete disappearance of man, and the future that awaits us after such a huge pandemic. Sometimes the author does it too precisely, so we have to go through lengthy descriptions of nature and the main character’s thoughts. Ultimately, however, we will get caught up in the plot, and we will certainly not give up reading until we know the whole story of Isherwood Williams.
