Rating: 
Summary: A timeless story of a global biological holocaust
Review: The premise of this novel is that mankind suddenly experiences a biological holocaust in the form of a new disease--a form of super-measles that wipes out all but a tiny remnant of mankind. The author explains that "mankind had too long been rolling an endless succession of sevens" and that like all animals that had multiplied out of turn, the sudden catastrophe was inevitable to set the balance back to what nature intended. This novel tells the story of a very small group of survivors, and suggests what life would be like under in the aftermath, and perhaps, more profoundly, what such a scenario might mean for mankind.The author's premise is that little or nothing of civilization would survive such an event. In the story **very minor spoiler** although the survivors make attempts at preserving the skills and lessons of civilization, this eventually becomes impossible against the tide of events sweeping mankind back not just to barbarism (in which some skills and beliefs might have survived) but to downright savagery and superstition. The most profound thought that the author successfully imparts is that all of the traditions, skills, and manifestations of our civilization could--and would--be lost in a single generation. Unforgettable is when one of the characters in the story looks out at the ruins of the San Francisco Bay Bridge (before it too passes away) and asks--"who built this." The protagonist thinks for a second and answers: "the Americans built it." The next question is "who were the Americans?" I have never forgotten this exchange, which I felt illustrated brilliantly how important it is for one generation to impart the best ideas of civilization to the next, and how easily all our achievements and successes might be lost in the face of a global catastrophe. The reader need not and probably will not agree with all of the author's conclusions about what would happen in this scenario. Would we really lose the skill of a written language? Would we really fall all the way back almost to the Old Stone Age? The author will challenge the reader's own thoughts on this subject, and that is fine. One need not agree with all of the conclusions that the novel contains to enjoy this story. Although written many years ago, upon re-reading this novel recently I found that it had lost little or none of its impact or relevance. It features a bit more prudishness than a modern novel might contain, but in my opinion is none the worse for this. The story is well-told, the prose is quite good, and the storyline moves along all the while capturing and retaining the reader's interest. This is a novel that I would recommend to everyone.
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Summary: Ancestor of King's "The Stand" Offers Far-Greater Reality
Review: Stewart's books was perfectly creepy and emotional. I identified with the protagonist greatly, and do not feel he was too passive or overly-cerebral. Truth be known, in the few crises I have known, I've often reacted much like him. Okay, I'm a little more attached to things than he is, but I feel this is a plot contrivance to allow the story to go forward. Having read and re-read "The Stand" quite a few times now, I was struck by Stewart's decision (1) not to gather large groups together, (2) not to restart civilization (e.g., electricity, running water, et al), and (3) to cover such a large span of time. "The Stand" covers perhaps up to a year after a plague wipes out 99% of the human race. This book covers over a half-dozen decades. I feel that all three of these decisions demonstrated a far more likely result than King's use of dreams as a "deus ex machina" to gather persons into two camps for the "final conflict" between good and evil. Born in 1976, I am only now becoming aware of these post-apocalyptic classics. I have now finished "On the Beach" by Nevil Shute, "Alas, Babylon" by Pat Frank, and of course this one. The first two dealt with the all-too-real Nuclear Nightmare that even I experienced (though all those younger than me can't even remember there being a USSR). Shute's book was "a stern warning of things to come" and "Alas, Babylon" was more of a man vs. nature story. But this one, it dealt with the nightmare that first captivated me in "The Stand" - a world decimated by plague, leaving the infrastructure intact. While Stewart did not pick up the thread the way I wish he had - that is, some form of civilization being preserved, rather than yet another "Time Machine"-style primitive culture that barely recalls our culture. However, Stewart does spend a great amount of time talking about the decay of this world, and that fascinated me. Storm drains clogging, water seeping into houses and rotting the carpets, termites collapsing houses over the work of decades, dust settling into the corners of the Golden Gate Bridge and grass growing there, and the work of rain and frost on the Northeast roads. All of this riveted me. My biggest complaints are mostly minor, such as (1) how could running water go on for 20 years? (2) why did it take so long for the electricity to run out, and the biggest one (3) why were there no signs of panic (e.g., looting, riots, massive traffic jams as swarms of panicked people ran about in civilization's death throes, et al). My biggest gripe, however, is spiritual. Nobody in this book, even former churchgoers and clergy, feel any need to reach out to God. Admittedly, I'm biased, being a Christian, Biblical scholar, and future University prof. But I am a rational being, and I feel a rational argument can be made for the spiritual side of man, a characteristic that even the protagonist recognizes, even if he can't properly articulate, let alone address, this "God-shaped hole" in each of us. Now, I realize that science fiction, even more than other genres, allow us to paint on a blanked canvas (the devastated world) our worldviews on such things as man's innate goodness or evil, the necessity or redundancy of God (e.g., church, Scriptures, etc.), the expression of our social nature, the necessity (or redundancy) of modern technologically-dependent society, and so forth. I understand that we're not all going to agree; I don't feel it's my job to insist on homogeneity amongs everyone. However, if I wrote a book along these lines, I would make sure to include atheists, skeptics and agnostics, along with members of other religions (at varying degrees of dedication) along with those persons I feel "make sense" from my perspective. While by no means do I feel "all religions lead to God" or that "you just need to be sincere," I do agree that any description of a post-apocalyptic (or any other) reality, in order to be fair to the multiplicity of human thought and experience, must recognize that "it takes all kinds." That said, I did find myself chilled by the spiritual apathy evidenced, among other things, by the community's perception of "Evie," the mentally-challenged pariah. "We don't want no idiot children ruining the gene pool" the protagonist declared in some fashion on numerous occasions. While I may see, in a survival-based world, the necessity of taking precautions, I did feel that the cold and unfeeling attitude ("should we have even let her live?" Ish asks himself repeatedly) was frightfully inhumane. There is no "all are created equal" here, no "all are God's children" here. While I understand expediency, I do not feel it must be carried out heartlessly. However, apart from this one real gripe, I truly do recommend this book to anyone interested by such things, like me. After borrowing this book from a library (copies are hard to find!) I've decided to buy it. I suppose that's the best recommendation I can give...
Rating:
Summary: darn near literary classic standard
Review: a text book for CRAZED survivalist, an inspirational book for all wanna be LONERS THIS IS A WHAT IF BOOK BIG TIME WHAT IF I HAD ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD TO BORE MYSELF INTO EXHAUSTATION how? NOT by reading this the first one third of the book a real page turner,ITS sharp and focused poignant account of AlONESS,perhaps the best everbut after so many pages of simple shimmering magic like precission TRULLY UMFATHOMABLY BRILLIANT,WHAT WAS AN EASE TO READ STARTS TO SPUTTER,and you wish to return to the earlier,novelty of the freshLY conceived snappy symbols of transformation our{ extinction our exhaustion,}NOT THE NOW I KNOW IT ALL TURNS INTO A BIG BORE.{snore}
Rating: 
Summary: Tells, Rarely Shows
Review: George R. Stewart's Earth Abides follows a character named Ish through a post-apocalyptic America, which crumbled after a mysterious plague nearly wiped out the human race. The story's sentences are nearly flawless in pace and suspense; however, a number of the narrative's situations seem hampered by a lack of substance or immediacy. For example, the main character lacks emotional depth. After realizing he may be the only person alive on Earth, Ish hardly grieves. He realizes everybody he's ever known--whether relatives, friends, or significant others is dead--but he never cries, goes without food, or experiences a numbing depression, which is what most people do when enduring trauma. Instead, Ish simply feels lonely. Being a cerebral graduate student who studied anthropology, he analyzes the situation rationally. This makes Ish seem more like a robot than a person. As for immediacy, there are a number of dramatic scenes that somehow escaped the author's description. After Ish forms a very small tribe of survivors, the clan experiences an outsider. Ish's reaction to the newcomer's dangerous behavior is to respond with violence. But the violence is never shown. The narrative just stops and a new, rambling chapter begins in which Ish ponders the tribe's actions. This was a whooper of a disappointment, considering that the author skillfully constructed an amazing amount of suspense, which abruptly ended without an appropriate payoff. Even with these problems, Earth Abides is extremely difficult to put down. The quickness of the prose and the wondering of what Ish will see next in a dilapidated, lawless world makes for a good page-turner. The character's anthropologic explanations as to why people behave the way they do is interesting, but not interesting enough to sprinkle them onto every single page.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic, but not for all tastes
Review: As of this date there are 158 reviews of George R. Stewart's Earth Abides here in Amazon.com. I'm not sure that writing a 159th will really add any value or if anyone will even make all the way to #159 to see it. But I feel very strongly about this book and to the intrepid reader who gets this far, I hope it helps you to decide to give the book a try. I was 12 years old in 1968 when my Mother gave me this book to read. She was (and still is) a voracious reader. But she has never liked or appreciated science fiction. Then again, she never considered this book to be science fiction. I read the book in one day that summer and have read it at least a half dozen times in the 35 years since then. And I would agree. Although often voted as one of the best science fiction books of all time, I don't really think of it as science fiction. Stewart was not a science fiction writer. Rather he was more of an ecological writer looking at how the planet behaves in relation to specific circumstances. Two of his other novels, Fire and Storm are good examples of this. One area I differ strongly from my Mom is, I do have a good appreciation for science fiction as well as other apocolyptic fiction. Ray Bradbury, Frank Herbert, Robert Heinlein, Philip Jose Farmer and Issac Asimov have thrilled and entertained me for years. But Earth Abides was what got me started and remains my favorite piece of fiction. Earth Abides is a simple "what if" story. What if virtually every person on earth died and only a handful were left? Given the book's publication date in 1949, it was groundbreaking. No one had really written a novel on this topic before this. Virtually all the other books in this genre owe a debt of gratitude to Stewart. Books such as The Stand by Stephen King, Alas Babylon by Pat Frank, Malevil by Robert Merle, Lucifer's Hammer by Niven & Pournelle and Swan Song by Robert McCammon included. Stewart must have had his influences, but not from a book or author of this kind. Therefore the story does not focus on war or technology or industry (or science fiction). Instead it is a tale of how the people might behave under the circumstances, the struggles they deal with, the decisions they make and the decisions they fail to make. It is also a tale of how the earth changes and the previous efforts of mankind are so easily erased. Some reviewers here have criticized the main character Ish as being too passive. But this is a part of the novel that rings very true for me. How agressive would one be after living through a time when virtually everyone else dies? Wouldn't most people struggle to survive, never mind thrive? I won't give away the plot for anyone who has gotten this far. Plus if you've made it all the way to this review, you've seen the plot described almost 158 times. In the end the book is both depressing and uplifting. It is depressing in that most of man's advancements appear to be lost by the end of the book. But it is uplifting to realize that the earth heals itself and in the end man will start fresh. The book is both a product and a victim of it's time period, the late 1940's. Some of it will feel a little dated, after all it's over 50 years old and think what has happened in those 50 years. But remarkably, it still comes across as fresh. And with very little update could be brought up to present day and still be a powerful piece of fiction. All in all this is a great read for most people. For those looking for a hard core science fiction look at the end of the world, go watch the Terminator movies.
Rating:
Summary: A Remarkable Book
Review: 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.
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Summary: A different kind of post-apocalyptic novel
Review: Earth Abides by George Stewart is one of many post-apocalyptic novels written during the height of the Cold War. However it is quieter and more introspective than most of its peers, something made evident by the manor of disaster that devastates mankind in the novel. Instead of a nuclear inferno, a viral plague almost eradicates humanity. Isherwood "Ish" Williams is trapped in an isolated cabin recovering from a snakebite when the epidemic is unleashed. When he heals and ventures outward, he discovers the near extinction of his species and begins a search for others who immune to the disease. That section is interesting but Earth Abides becomes a truly outstanding novel when Ish discovers others and they found a new society. Stewart takes a sociological approach to this development. He gives a fascinating account of a community completely isolated from other communities and a generation living in a Garden-of-Eden-state, completely isolated from its own past. One of the novel's best moments occurs when an untrustworthy visitor comes to the area and Ish and the other elders must decide what action to take. Their decision will surprise you. Both in the post-apocalyptic genre and the field of science fiction in general, Earth Abides is a gem.
Rating:
Summary: A brilliant dystopia
Review: This is an extraordinary novel, wider appreciation of which has probably been hampered by categorization as science fiction. While there are some slight anachronisms (the book appeared in 1949) the ideas, and the narrative, are disturbingly fresh. To me the most stunning - and frighteningly plausible - theme was how fragile "civilization" is, and how quickly everything could collapse even though the material and intellectual basis for "civil society" remained intact and available.
Rating:
Summary: Thought provoking
Review: One of the most interesting books I've ever read. I wish he'd focused a little more on what happened in the rest of the world than the Tribe, but an amazing book all the same.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome!
Review: This book should be considered right up there with the classics of the genre. It's a wonderful and complex narrative that pulls you in and slowly pulls you along. It's not action packed but it is a very realistic look at a future where mankind has suffered a terrible tragedy. Highly recommended!
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