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Post Apocalypse America...Bluevale was about all Howie had seen of the world. Even his Pa, who knew everything, didn't know much about the way it was before the war.
Scriptures said all of the unclean animals had been wiped out. Howie didn't know what that meant exactly. He'd seen horses. And stock of course. Stock looked like humans. 'Cept stock had no soul. That's why they was meat.
Howie had a good life for a boy. Then the soldiers came. And what they did to his folks made him grow up show more right quick. He got his revenge—'cept now the whole darn army was after him. But he had a huge country to run across... and lots of miles to stay alive.
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First released in the paperback series "Asimov Presents," this novel, and it's sequel "Dawn's Uncertain Light," hold up beautifully decades after their first publication, because their message, and their world, speak to deeply disturbing elements of humanity itself, and that message is timeless.
"The romantic narrative skillfully moves from a well-told if familiar story of war and the western frontier to areas of ambiguity and uncertainty that readers are left to answer for themselves..." - Publisher's Weekly
"A... well-worked-out look at post apocalyptic America." - Tim Powers (Author of The Anubis Gate)
. Fantasy. Fiction. Horror. show less
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I am torn about whether or not I liked this book.
What I did like about it is how the "new world" was presented as if it were perfectly normal to farm their "meat" and that there was only one acknowledged animal still existing and that there was only one race of humans. The author did not make a big deal of any of these issues as if they weren't fundamentally horrifying and revolting subjects.
What I didn't like about it was that it really was just an adventure novel where a boy grows into a man after numerous fight/battle scenes. There was no real exploration of the post-apocalypse world, or what caused the apocalypse in the first place.
I will admit that the very first page did cause me to go check the publication date because it seemed show more very dated/politically incorrect. The story had been written more recently (1986) than the tone of it felt (1950s) but I think this was intentional to show how "backward" society would become post-apocalypse.
Anyway, I did like the story, mostly. And it felt realistic too. I think I'll go see what else Barrett has written 'cause I'm curious now. show less
What I did like about it is how the "new world" was presented as if it were perfectly normal to farm their "meat" and that there was only one acknowledged animal still existing and that there was only one race of humans. The author did not make a big deal of any of these issues as if they weren't fundamentally horrifying and revolting subjects.
What I didn't like about it was that it really was just an adventure novel where a boy grows into a man after numerous fight/battle scenes. There was no real exploration of the post-apocalypse world, or what caused the apocalypse in the first place.
I will admit that the very first page did cause me to go check the publication date because it seemed show more very dated/politically incorrect. The story had been written more recently (1986) than the tone of it felt (1950s) but I think this was intentional to show how "backward" society would become post-apocalypse.
Anyway, I did like the story, mostly. And it felt realistic too. I think I'll go see what else Barrett has written 'cause I'm curious now. show less
A dark, post-apocalyptic America. A strange read even for those who have digested King's The Stand and McCammon's Swan Song. Nevertheless, a worthwhile addition if you enjoy end of civilization as we know it books. This genre has come a long way since the days of On the Beach and Alas, Babylon.
THROUGH DARKEST AMERICA
By Neal Barrett, Jr.
It’s not very often that a fiction writer can make me cringe. Very little of what makes its way into print is even a tithe of the awfulness that is splashed across headlines and that is usually watered down to meet the demands of a public that has no tolerance for news that might be upsetting.
http://fireandsword.blogspot.com/2007/08/through-darkest-america-by-neal-barrett...
By Neal Barrett, Jr.
It’s not very often that a fiction writer can make me cringe. Very little of what makes its way into print is even a tithe of the awfulness that is splashed across headlines and that is usually watered down to meet the demands of a public that has no tolerance for news that might be upsetting.
http://fireandsword.blogspot.com/2007/08/through-darkest-america-by-neal-barrett...
Very Good. Depressing view of a truly dystopian future.
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Neal Barrett, Jr. was born in San Antonio Texas on November 3, 1929. His first science fiction work, To Tell the Truth, appeared in a 1960 issue of Galaxy. His short stories include Perpetuity Blues, Ginny Sweethips' Flying Circus, Stairs, Cush, and Radio Station St. Jack. His short stories have also been collected in several books including show more Slightly Off Center: Eleven Extraordinarily Exhilarating Tales, The Day the Decorators Came, and Other Seasons: The Best of Neal Barrett, Jr. His first novel, Kelwin, was published in 1970. His other novels include The Gates of Time, The Leaves of Time, Stress Pattern, The Karma Corps, The Hereafter Gang, Interstate Dreams, and Prince of Christler-Coke. He also wrote graphic novels, crime fiction, young adult fantasy novels, and a variety of franchise novels for series like the Hardy Boys, Judge Dread, Babylon 5, and Dungeon's and Dragons. He was named Author Emeritus by SFWA in 2010. He died on January 12, 2014 at the age of 84. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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- Canonical title
- Through Darkest America
- Original publication date
- 1986
- People/Characters
- Howie Ryder
- Blurbers
- Waldrop, Howard ; Powers, Tim ; Shiner, Lewis
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- Members
- 153
- Popularity
- 213,347
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (3.71)
- Languages
- English, Italian
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 4
- ASINs
- 1
