Earth Abides: The 60th Anniversary Edition

It led the way for so many great apocalyptic yarns, and was influential in literature and in creating an awareness if the fragility of society. Isherwood was a paradigm for most civilized men. He was content to observe life, and was only dragged into life by his wife. When society fell, he calmly observed the fall of civilization, along with it. He dreamt of rescuing civilization...but settled for surviving on it's leftovers.

I wonder how many preppers read this in their formative years.

i chose this book after reading the short intro on the store. I am so glad I did. This book was intriguing. When you put the book down for the night you still thought about the story and hoped the world would survive. Definitely would recommend for anyone who wonders how the people of today's world would survive a major disaster. Probably not as well as those in the book for sure.

Starts off great, slows down too much in the middle but finishes well. If you are looking for a Robinson Crusoe post-apocalyptic type read this is not for you. Nothing like "The Stand". All the characters are at best low end of average and manage to accomplish very little over the 42 year span of the book. Somehow, I liked that about the book. The writer gets a little too esoteric though. Still, one of the better reads I have had this year. Written in 1949 and I got a hoot out of picking the small things that dated the book. Everybody smoking is an example.

This was a very timely book - it details what happens after a massive pandemic with only a few survivors and how they manage to live in the world over many years. It is very fascinating to read and ponder.

One of the all time great SiFi classics. Heartwarming and sad. I consider it one of the half dozen best SiFi books that I have ever read. I first read it many years ago and I rarely reread any book. This was one that is worth a second read.

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 children. Ish and Em and their small band of survivors create a fledgling community that struggles with immense hardships to survive. However, they do survive and their community "The Tribe" grows slowly. Ish, as the only educated person among the group, becomes a leader and eventually becomes revered almost as a God after many years. Ish remains a thinker throughout his life, and a worrier through most of it. The book is very interesting and presents much credible (at least based on the 1949 knowledge base) information about what the world would be like and how it would change if humans cease to be a significant force. It also presents much logical information about how a very small human community would struggle to adapt and develop a simple but functioning social organization. Much of the book presents Ish's thoughts about how to help his tribe survive and also how to motivate or manipulate them to develop skills and knowledge that might enable them to develop a new civilization in the future. At times, I did not like Ish, but I usually understood the logic of his thoughts and actions. Although things did not work out the way Ish wanted, he finally realized that the tribe and Earth's changing environment would interact to determine the future without his help. I found this book to be a slow but interesting read. It was also intellectually stimulating and engendered much emotion. Reading this science fiction classic is well worth the effort.

Almost finished reading this most excellent dystopian novel and it makes one think deeply about what is really important in life. Can't imagine yet how it will end, but I'm sure it will leave me in a deep emotion!

One of my fave post-apocalyptic novels of the 20th century--ahead of its time. Although I didn't agree w/the evolutionary approach to things, I really found it fascinating what Stewart projected happened in the animal/insect world after human-kind was almost extinct. This is truly a character-based, thought-provoking read. A classic.

It's a thought provoking book and worth reading and discussing.

My problem is with the lead character. The author warned me in the very first chapter about this guy, but I clung stubbornly to the hope he would act like a hero. Therein lies my disappointment.

Throughout the well crafted twists, turns and philosophical dilemmas, I was fighting the urge to jump into the pages as shake some sense into the guy. His most outstanding trait was his human -ness. That's what both makes and breaks (for me at least) the book. It will definitely make you think and it will make you feel a gamut of emotions.

If you are not a control freak you will probably really like this book.

One of my fave post-apocalyptic novels of the 20th century--ahead of its time. Although I didn't agree w/the evolutionary approach to things, I really found it fascinating what Stewart projected happened in the animal/insect world after human-kind was almost extinct. This is truly a character-based, thought-provoking read. A classic.

It's a thought provoking book and worth reading and discussing.

My problem is with the lead character. The author warned me in the very first chapter about this guy, but I clung stubbornly to the hope he would act like a hero. Therein lies my disappointment.

Throughout the well crafted twists, turns and philosophical dilemmas, I was fighting the urge to jump into the pages as shake some sense into the guy. His most outstanding trait was his human -ness. That's what both makes and breaks (for me at least) the book. It will definitely make you think and it will make you feel a gamut of emotions.

If you are not a control freak you will probably really like this book.

I enjoy apocalyptic books from an earlier era, like this one and Alas Babylon. This one had a fascinating view of long term survival of a remnant of humanity. The only logistics thing I thought wasn't handled well was, what happened to the millions of dead bodies? Would have thought disease from all the rotting corpses would have been more of a problem...

This great book addresses one of the age-old curiousities so many of us have: What would I do if one day suddenly I was all alone in a world wiped clean of almost every other person?

Ish, the main character, is a non-descript every-day Joe who finds himself in just this scenario. There are a few other survivors along the way, eventually forming a "tribe." They all have their flaws and eccentricities which makes the story all the more believable. If you plucked a random selection of humanity and put them on a desert island they wouldn't all be super heroes! They would bumble along and learn how to survive as best they could within their limited capabilities.

It was the way in which the author wrote the book that made it so great for me. The little interjections within chapters describing the changes in the Earth away from the human plot were great, and they provided context and realism to the human story. The progression through the 60 some-odd years was expertly crafted by singling out the years with momentous turning points for more detail, and speeding through the fascinating "quick years" in between. The descent back to a stone-age type existance twists the emotions. Sad for one who is familiar with the conveniences and comforts of modernity, but understandably necessary for the new human condition.

A great novel that is considered a classic of post AP for very good reason.

I would like to say that in reading other reviews here that dislike this book, the people in this book remind me greatly of many people I have known. Yes, they didn't seem to try very hard to continue civilization, but then he explains that and ponders that at great length. Yes, the main characters were annoying and all too real. All the people that say, "I would have done this!" or "they should have done that!" are just getting what the author wanted you to do, think about it.

They characters in the book, the few rag tag remnants of civilization, fail to even prepare for the inevitable illness that befalls them, typhoid. Just like all of humanity in 1949 failed to prepare for the pandemic that wipes them out. And just like we have still failed to prepare for the coming pandemic of today.

This is a cautionary tale that is enjoyable to read. What I would say the the people who don't like it is, And what exactely have you done lately to prepare civilization for what the World Health Organization has recently stated is "inevitiable"?

I remembered reading this book as a teenager! It was interesting to see what I remembered and how my response has changed over the years. I enjoyed this book, but a lot of the concepts seemed dated to me, particularly the ethnic stereotyping (atrocious!). Also the relative lack of violence and upheaval during the plague/apocalypse. Nowadays we have a much darker view of what that would be like! If you can get beyond that, it's enjoyable, particularly the end.

I listened to this story while driving across the United States, and I loved every minute it. It was well written/told and very captivating. Interesting in the way Stewart devolved civilization to the point of primitive existence, but his idea was presented in in a very believable fashion. It has forever changed my perspective on hammers.

This review will be short and simple as there are tons of detailed reviews already available.

Earth Abides is great. It turns over and over in your head for days, weeks, months, & years.. just as a great book should. Not only does it provide a glimpse into the possible future, it also shows what it was like back in mid-1900s America. Definitely a thinker's book. I'd recommend it to anyone, ESPECIALLY if you like post-apocalyptic/last man on earth type tales.

While attending college, one of my instructions required us to read this book. I couldn't put it down. Although published in the forties, this book is a near timeless look at a post apocalyptic world. Not only does the book look at how humans in the new world try to rebuild society, it also delves into the intricate workings of various species. Fascinating read even after all these years.

I was disappointed, after reading Alas Babylon, I was excited to read this based on other opinions. I felt that he left out too much information on how they survived and also that it was so caught up in how the main character was feeling at all times (boring!), I felt that the same lines were repeated over and over. I finished it hoping that it would improve.

This book was great. It tells a tale of civilization going out with a whimper and not a bang. It probably could have been shorter because the author belabors some points to an unusual degree, but it does get to the point eventually. I think Mr Stewart has a pretty good handle on how people will meet their end! Worth the time and the price. Get it!

An well written doomsday book. Most of mankill dies and this is a story about how a few survive the following years. When most of mankind dies the infrastruce is left in place, however, it deteriourates and the few who do survive adapt to the environment.

A well written and compelling story about survival after an apocalyptic event that left most of the world population dead. No zombies, no aliens or other unrealistic characters. This is more a story about how society might change after such an event. I highly recommend this thought provoking story.

Having just finished reading Earth Abides, by George R. Stewart, my mind cannot put it down. When I began the book, I expected an apocalypse type novel, and it is that, but it is very much more. I was drawn into the existence of the main character, Isherwood Williams, in such a profound way that I am quite at a loss without him. He is not a formula hero, in that he has human frailties. He is a ponderer and a worrier, much like me. Perhaps that is why I was able to relate to him so easily. He takes nothing at face value, instead he is always fretting, contemplating, and evaluating. His successes are mitigated and his blessings are mixed, as is often the case in real life. There is nothing about the book that is formula, which is a rarity in this genre. On the contrary, it is a truly original work, replete with both adventure and philosophy. The writing style flows beautifully, without an unnecessary phrase or a word out of place. It is a true work of literature, one of the best books I ever read. I am sure that its effect on me will endure, and I will remember this book and its vivid characters for the rest of my life.

A great read, very well written, and though it was first published over six decades ago it's themes and observations are timeless. The questions it raises are more relevant today than ever, Highly recommended reading.

After finishing George R. Stewart’s Earth Abides I felt a strong sense of relief. I was so very happy that the book was finally over. I felt that the book could have gotten the point across in a lot less pages. The book felt extremely repetitive and is pretty much a summary of what happened to the main character. While the book makes interesting points, I found it a very boring read.

The book follows Ish as he makes his way in a post-apocalyptic world. Ish’s journey starts just as everything is settling down and only the survivors of the disaster remain. First of all, I thought Stewart’s representation of how humans would handle an apocalypse was unrealistic. The world would be thrown into chaos. The book mentions that when Ish visited the larger towns there were more examples of looting and such, but he says that for the most part humans seemed to deal with it calmly. I feel like it would be the exact opposite and humans would not know how to handle the situation. I do however, like the fact that the apocalypse was caused by a virus and feel like this is a very likely cause. I believe that a biological attack to the human race would be the one thing to take us out.

One of the things that I found quite interesting was the moral debate that plagued Ish throughout the book. Ish constantly worries about the future and the things he knows will come, but does nothing about them to make a difference. As he gets older and resources begin to run out, he becomes frustrated by his lack of action and worried about the future. This really made me think about the differences of the creation of society versus the rebuilding of one. As we built our world the technology and knowledge of the world grew with us. In the case of Ish, he has the knowledge of how the world works and the technology that makes day to day living easy, but the knowledge is useless and only haunts him as he tries to rebuild the world. I can understand his frustration as the world takes a different shape from the future he wants to see. Knowing that there are safer and easier ways of living, but no ability to change things would only make me angrier.

Overall I think that this book has interesting ideas, but it was a little too boring for my taste.

Forget zombies, ecological collapse, and meteor strike novels. This one is, if not the original, one of the earliest, and arguably the best, of the post-apocalyptic works in SF. I don't understand the cover selection, but that's OK.

Forget zombies, ecological collapse, and meteor strike novels. This one is, if not the original, one of the earliest, and arguably the best, of the post-apocalyptic works in SF. I don't understand the cover selection, but that's OK.

Stewart's Earth Abides is an interesting read, if only to see where so many tropes of viral apocalyptic fiction got their start. I particularly liked the way that Stewart used the compressed interchapters to jump forward twenty years at a time while still giving readers a sense of what was happening with the characters and the colony.That said, I spent a lot of time mentally yelling at the characters and feeling mildly annoyed with the narrative; I feel that way with most mid-20th-century fiction, though, so it's not specific to Stewart or to Ish.

I read this book based on other reviews - having searched for good post-apocalypse novels. After reading Cormac McCarthy's "The Road", I was preparing myself for a depressing, yet thought-provoking read. "Earth Abides" was a thrill to read, and I kept turning back to remind myself that it was originally published in 1949! I thought the complete absence of any "modern" references to today's highly computerized world would make the story instantly outdated, but in fact, the opposite was true, for if we lost power, we would have to revert to very basic skills, just like Ish and his tribe did. This truly is a book that will stay with me for a very long time. Highly recommended!

Earth Abides will no doubt remain one of the classic post-apocalyptic books of our era. The characters are well-developed and easy to like and the setting is as familiar as the Golden Gate bridge and the Oakland hills (where most of the story takes place). When I first read Earth Abides at the age of twelve, I thought it a fascinating and engaging tale that kept me turning pages well into the night. Now, at forty-five, I find it somewhat quirky, ethically questionable, and rather unrealistic in it's study of human nature. Despite the great effort George R. Stewart puts into developing well-rounded characters, most of their attitudes and beliefs would be more suited to the 19th century than the 21st. Racism and sexism are both a noticeable undercurrent and the academic elitism of the main character starts out annoying then rapidly becomes nauseating.

Although a powerfully thought-provoking read at the age of 12, at the age of 45 I find it strongly dated and woefully inadequate. Still, it is a classic and is well worth reading for anyone with an interest in post-apocalyptic fiction, anthropology, or the foundations of social order.

Written in 1949, Earth Abides holds up and is surprisingly current. I first read it when I was a junior in high school a few decades ago. It stayed with me, has a haunting ending, and I could not shake it. Years later in my 20s or 30s I reread it, and I had the same reaction, but deeper. Now in my senior years I have returned to it. With more knowledge about the depletion of earth's resources and "An Inconvenient Truth" about our future, and having seen such documentaries as "The World Without Us", Earth Abides is more haunting than ever. It is a about some of us who survive in the deteriorating world after the demise of most of earth's population from some epidemic. What happens to civilization? How does it deteriorate? what is salvageable? how do we go on? Earth Abides raises questions as it observes the transition from the Old Times to the new future. It is not strictly science fiction but rather a speculative post-apocalypse novel that has held up over time. It is still timely and current. It is still haunting. Highly recommended.