Review of “Earth Abides” by George R. Stewart

This story unfolds in the aftermath of a global pandemic that kills 99.9% of humans. It was first published in 1947 but, as the cover shows, it is coming soon to streaming services; nevertheless it is grounded in the post-WWII era. The author does a reasonable job of making the story independent of the era. The central character, Ish, witnesses the regeneration of culture but not civilization.

This novel focuses on a graduate student who isn’t a genius, nor is he stupid. In fact he focuses on the intelligence of his fellow survivors continuously. He carries a weight of intellectual solitude throughout his long life, even as The Tribe grows in number. The author interweaves the emotional torment of Ish with the deterioration of the accoutrements of civilization, leading to a not-unexpected finale. The grammar is clumsy, probably because of a lack of writing skill, but the effect is (mostly) positive because of the disintegration of knowledge that can’t be learned outside the classroom , including written language.

Ish continuously contemplates many ideas that plague modern society over the course of this simple and repetitive story. Nevertheless the author does an excellent job of following one person’s interpretation of such a catastrophic event, even if he isn’t as smart as he thinks he is — that may be Stewart’s greatest achievement: no one is as smart as they think they are.

This is a good story that might even bring a tear to your eyes …