Empty World

A junior (Puffin) version of Survivors, but if anything this is even more downbeat, until the very end, with only a total of 4 or 5 survivors (all teenagers) after the plague (here a form of super-acclerated progeria) and the hero on his own for much of it. Chilling and compulsive, as the blurb on the back says.

Loved this book as an 11 year old, and decided to give it a revisit. Definitely did not remember how dark this book was, jeez.. Pretty sure the main character is already suffering from PTSD prior to the apocalyptic plague which wipes out most of the world's population, allowing him the emotional disconnect to deal with the unfolding shitstorm, (really, this poor kid does not get a break..) Meanwhile, my 11 year old self spent a great deal of time happily dreaming about how awesome it would be to be able to live in a giant bookshop, (Waterstones @ Piccadilly was my preferred choice), and never be bothered by anyone ever again.

I'm not 100% sure it's a four star book, but it is exactly the kind of 'juvenile' classic SF that I like to read. Intense, but not too graphic for those of us with weak stomachs. Adequate characters, lots of exploration of ideas, engaging w/out reliance on a forced quick pace. I'm very glad Christopher's books are being made available in new editions and I look forward to reading the rest that my libraries get.

That being said, you might not want to read this yet if you still get the heebie-jeebies about references to a plague/ pandemic. It is interesting how differently Christopher envisioned people handling it than what really played out. I do recommend this short book if you're interested at all.

I loved the character of the biology show more teacher... I almost wish that one adult had survived because he was so wryly philosophical. Speaking of survivors, it's convenient that the only survivors are a few youth that are almost exactly the same age as each other, not younger or older. But of course that's necessary, and easily overlooked.

And I also am glad to relearn:

This is not a myth; fresh eggs sink while bad eggs float to the top. Simply fill a bowl with cold tap water and place your eggs in it. ... A bad egg will float because of the large air cell that forms at its base. Any floating eggs should be thrown out. (confirmed on google) show less

YA apocalyptic fiction. So-so. I had some trouble believing that the mortality rate would be so high, but can accept it as a quirk of the genre. It was the last quarter of the book that brought it down for me. Lucy simply had no personality at all. Not that Neil had a whole lot either, but Lucy seemed like no more than a conveniently placed plot point. The book wasn't bad, but I expected better of John Christopher.

Empty World by John Christopher revolves around the story of Neil Miller, a teenager who was living a normal life until a car accident killed the rest of his family. He is sent to live in a quiet retirement village on the coast of England with his grandparents, and one of his first nights there the news reports the story of a plague sweeping through India. The plague mutates and rapidly spreads around the world, killing almost everyone, starting with older people. Neil is one of the few who survives, in part because he has learned to handle grief and loneliness. He teaches himself to drive and goes to London in search of other people.

This story is beautifully written, and affected me more than John Christopher's more famous show more post-apocalyptic novel "No Blade of Grass". This story is told from the perspective of a teenager, and the end of the world as we know it is particularly sad as seen though the eyes of an innocent. Highly recommended. show less

written by teenager but it is as dark disturbing and thought provoking