One of the earliest examples of post-apocalyptic science fiction. It’s awash with ideas and thoughtful analysis of the challenges that might face a remnant of humanity living in the wreckage of a disaster – even one that, in this case, didn’t involve a war.

It’s not a book that’s aged well, though. Stewart isn’t a natural fiction writer, and his characters never become anything more than two-dimensional stereotypes both in terms of their reactions and their relationships. In that sense it’s inferior to, for example, A Canticle for Leibowitz or Damnation Alley, but enjoyable nonetheless.

2/5. Finished Friday 5 April, 2019.

(Originally published on Goodreads.)