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World Made by Hand #3
A History of the Future: A World Made By Hand Novel
A History of the Future is the third thrilling novel in Kunstler’s "World Made By Hand" series, an exploration of family and morality as played out in the small town of Union Grove.
Following the catastrophes of the twenty-first century—the pandemics, the environmental disaster, the end of oil, the ensuing chaos—people are doing whatever they can to get by and pursuing a simpler and sometimes happier existence. In little Union Grove in upstate New York, the townspeople are preparing for Christmas. Without the consumerist shopping frenzy that dogged the holidays of the previous age, the season has become a time to focus on family and loved ones. It is a stormy Christmas Eve when Robert Earle’s son Daniel arrives back from his two years of sojourning throughout what is left of the United States. He collapses from exhaustion and illness, but as he recovers tells the story of the break-up of the nation into three uneasy independent regions and his journey into the dark heart of the New Foxfire Republic centered in Tennesee and led by the female evangelical despot, Loving Morrow. In the background, Union Grove has been shocked by the Christmas Eve double murder by a young mother, in the throes of illness, of her husband and infant son. Town magistrate Stephen Bullock is in a hanging mood.
A History of the Future is attention-grabbing and provocative, but also lyrical, tender, and comic—a vision of a future of America that is becoming more and more convincing and perhaps even desirable with each passing day.
Following the catastrophes of the twenty-first century—the pandemics, the environmental disaster, the end of oil, the ensuing chaos—people are doing whatever they can to get by and pursuing a simpler and sometimes happier existence. In little Union Grove in upstate New York, the townspeople are preparing for Christmas. Without the consumerist shopping frenzy that dogged the holidays of the previous age, the season has become a time to focus on family and loved ones. It is a stormy Christmas Eve when Robert Earle’s son Daniel arrives back from his two years of sojourning throughout what is left of the United States. He collapses from exhaustion and illness, but as he recovers tells the story of the break-up of the nation into three uneasy independent regions and his journey into the dark heart of the New Foxfire Republic centered in Tennesee and led by the female evangelical despot, Loving Morrow. In the background, Union Grove has been shocked by the Christmas Eve double murder by a young mother, in the throes of illness, of her husband and infant son. Town magistrate Stephen Bullock is in a hanging mood.
A History of the Future is attention-grabbing and provocative, but also lyrical, tender, and comic—a vision of a future of America that is becoming more and more convincing and perhaps even desirable with each passing day.
336 pages, Paperback
First published August 5, 2014
164 people are currently reading
1282 people want to read
About the author
James Howard Kunstler
60 books372 followersJames Howard Kunstler (born 1948) is an American author, social critic, and blogger who is perhaps best known for his book The Geography of Nowhere, a history of suburbia and urban development in the United States. He is prominently featured in the peak oil documentary, The End of Suburbia, widely circulated on the internet. In his most recent non-fiction book, The Long Emergency (2005), he argues that declining oil production is likely to result in the end of industrialized society and force Americans to live in localized, agrarian communities.
Source: Wikipedia
Source: Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 173 reviews
July 19, 2014
This is a fun read. I've given it five stars, and it is important that you understand that rating in the context of what the author is trying to do: This is an entertainment, a fable, a cautionary tale, a ripping yarn. It the novel was positioned as high literature, I'd give it a different rating. There are a couple of negatives but on the whole if you care about what life will be like when the fossil fuels are gone: read this and its predecessors in its series.
This is the third book in a series kicked off with World Made By Hand and the Witch of Hebron.
In the first novel the power is gone, and the small town of Union Grove, New York, contends with other local communities: A quasi-feudal plantation; an anarchist group of bikers who oversee the dump; and a religious crew on the run (not unlike the early Mormons). The Witch of Hebron is sort of a side-story involving a boy and a woman who provides different kinds of comfort to a variety of seekers.
This novel takes up the main story from World Made By Hand. A heinous murder happens, and the town and its environs must decide how to deal with it. The question is: Does the area still have the legal structures to exact justice and mercy in a civilized fashion? Meanwhile, a young man who at the end of World Made by Hand had lit out for the country to see what had happened elsewhere in the former USA, comes back with tales to tell. As the first novel was about the competition between societal structures in the small, this novel explores the emerging governmental competitions between what remains of the federal government, and some competing new countries in what was the Southern United States.
The novel is packed with appreciation for old ways and contempt for the productions of modern culture, most of which have decayed faster than their older counterparts (for instance, buildings made in the 1850s are intact, while buildings made in the 1960s have slumping roofs).
If you're curious about this, I'd advise starting with the first one, World Made by Hand. But this novel can be read standalone.
My concerns: Kunstler has some strong female characters but they are bundles of stereotypes. Meanwhile, as in the first novel especially, there are some supernatural elements that seem to be just thrown in. I think in part with the use of the supernatural, Kunstler is trying to remind us that this is just a story. That's the charitable view. But, really, I found the behaviors of Brother Jobe to be a stretch. The last thing: Kunstler paints the emerging Southern state in broad strokes: They are hypocritical religious fascists who love country music and car racing, and hate black people, Jews, and homosexuals. There's little subtlety here. But by keeping it simple and cartoonish, there is some great narrative propulsion and efficiency.
This is the third book in a series kicked off with World Made By Hand and the Witch of Hebron.
In the first novel the power is gone, and the small town of Union Grove, New York, contends with other local communities: A quasi-feudal plantation; an anarchist group of bikers who oversee the dump; and a religious crew on the run (not unlike the early Mormons). The Witch of Hebron is sort of a side-story involving a boy and a woman who provides different kinds of comfort to a variety of seekers.
This novel takes up the main story from World Made By Hand. A heinous murder happens, and the town and its environs must decide how to deal with it. The question is: Does the area still have the legal structures to exact justice and mercy in a civilized fashion? Meanwhile, a young man who at the end of World Made by Hand had lit out for the country to see what had happened elsewhere in the former USA, comes back with tales to tell. As the first novel was about the competition between societal structures in the small, this novel explores the emerging governmental competitions between what remains of the federal government, and some competing new countries in what was the Southern United States.
The novel is packed with appreciation for old ways and contempt for the productions of modern culture, most of which have decayed faster than their older counterparts (for instance, buildings made in the 1850s are intact, while buildings made in the 1960s have slumping roofs).
If you're curious about this, I'd advise starting with the first one, World Made by Hand. But this novel can be read standalone.
My concerns: Kunstler has some strong female characters but they are bundles of stereotypes. Meanwhile, as in the first novel especially, there are some supernatural elements that seem to be just thrown in. I think in part with the use of the supernatural, Kunstler is trying to remind us that this is just a story. That's the charitable view. But, really, I found the behaviors of Brother Jobe to be a stretch. The last thing: Kunstler paints the emerging Southern state in broad strokes: They are hypocritical religious fascists who love country music and car racing, and hate black people, Jews, and homosexuals. There's little subtlety here. But by keeping it simple and cartoonish, there is some great narrative propulsion and efficiency.
December 11, 2014
Although I have stopped reading Kunstler's blog because of his tiresome tirades against tattoos and black Americans, I still think his overall thesis about the "long emergency" is an accurate one. Plus I really enjoy the world he has made (by hand!) in these novels. A History of the Future, the third in this series, was as enjoyable a read as the first two novels. It also (finally) provided a look at what happened to the world outside of upstate New York, as recounted by a prodigal son who barely survived his voyage through what remains of the United States. Barge travel, unskilled labor, horse traders, local whiskey, indentured servitude, racial politics, neo-Confederates (i.e., "corn pone Nazis"), and the treatment of the mentally ill by a justice system in tatters are a few of the topics that Kunstler explores here. By the time I finally put this book down, I couldn't wait to see where this imagined future is headed next. It will be a hard world in any case, but not one without beauty and humanity. And lots of locally produced alcohol, which cannot be a bad thing.
December 29, 2017
While I have greatly enjoyed Kunstler's post apocalyptic series, I am quite disappointed that his vision is still so based in white male patriarchal privilege and oppression.
There's nothing progressive in his view of women, children, persons of colour, etc. He barely even bothers to develop any characters at all other than privileged white men (the kind of "alpha" males that MRAs, et al, seem to see as "natural" rulers).
I can't help but think that a World Made By Hand will simply fall to the same basic pitfalls of valuing power over life, might-makes-right, and destruction of anything that doesn't support the elite of the world that preceded it.
There's nothing progressive in his view of women, children, persons of colour, etc. He barely even bothers to develop any characters at all other than privileged white men (the kind of "alpha" males that MRAs, et al, seem to see as "natural" rulers).
I can't help but think that a World Made By Hand will simply fall to the same basic pitfalls of valuing power over life, might-makes-right, and destruction of anything that doesn't support the elite of the world that preceded it.
April 25, 2020
Not the best book in the series, that will be the second one, but here You will find some answers about what is happening in other places of the United States Territory besides the little place where our main characters live.
The magic is lost somehow and I won't be reading the last one, not as intense as the previous ones., but all in all a good yarn.
The magic is lost somehow and I won't be reading the last one, not as intense as the previous ones., but all in all a good yarn.
July 13, 2016
It is hard for for me to admit that I was disappointed by this book. I really wanted to like it. I really expected to like it. It was not a bad book, but it was not nearly what it could or should have been, considering how good the previous volumes were. I give it 2 stars, which according to GoodReads means I find it ok. And that's accurate. I didn't dislike it, but it didn't blow my skirt up.
Almost all of my gripes about the book come from believability--or the lack thereof. I enjoy James Kunstler's positing of his particular style of dystopian future because I find it the most likely to happen. Zombies and viruses and mutants are fun, but the end of the oil age is far more likely.
Both "World Made by Hand" and "The Witch of Hebron" were interesting, full of characters who engaged me and who I wanted to know more about. "A History of the Future" did not engage me very much and I found the new characters either weak or unbelievable and the returning characters largely unrealistic.
The part of "A History of the Future" that bothered me the most, though, was the story-telling from the prodigal son Daniel. I realize that Daniel had a huge story to tell and that it would take time to tell it. My complaint is not with the length of the story or even the content, but rather the language used to tell it. Because Daniel literally "tells" his story, the language he uses should be believable and natural. It is neither.
People--especially young people--do not speak the way Daniel speaks. Several times I found myself wishing Daniel had carried a small notebook and written down his story so he could read it rather than tell it. When we write, we use different language than we use when we speak aloud. Daniel's words would have been far more believable if they were read from a journal. Besides, how can I believe that his memory is so excellent that he remembers the great detail he apparently remembers? I just can't.
The part of Daniel's storytelling that I found most off-putting was his incessant and inappropriate (even by today's standards) use of the word "like." I felt that Kunstler wanted to be, like, timely and, like, relevant but instead managed to be, like, trite and forced, and the eye-popping number of, like, commas that using the word necessitates makes it, like, really hard to read. Like.
I don't have much to say about the relationship between Daniel and Loving Morrow. I also found it to be unbelievable and almost embarrassing. Perhaps 18-year-olds in a world as broken as this one would behave much differently than they do in our world today. Perhaps. If they do, I hope they, like, stop using the word "like" in a ridiculous fashion. And I hope we are never able to be led as such simple-minded radicals the way Loving Morrow managed to lead this batch.
I do look forward to reading "The Harrows of Spring." I want to know what happens to these people. For the most part, I like them and care about them. I want to see whether Brother Jobe is the brilliant schemer I felt he was in the first book or the practical opportunity-seizer of the second. Or was he initially a schemer and now truly wants to build a community? What about Jasper Copeland? He is the character with the most promise to improve his community, yet he was dropped after a shining moment in the second book. I want to see his potential realized. And what happens to Stephen Bullock? That old asshole has something coming and I want to be around to see it, whatever it is.
Almost all of my gripes about the book come from believability--or the lack thereof. I enjoy James Kunstler's positing of his particular style of dystopian future because I find it the most likely to happen. Zombies and viruses and mutants are fun, but the end of the oil age is far more likely.
Both "World Made by Hand" and "The Witch of Hebron" were interesting, full of characters who engaged me and who I wanted to know more about. "A History of the Future" did not engage me very much and I found the new characters either weak or unbelievable and the returning characters largely unrealistic.
The part of "A History of the Future" that bothered me the most, though, was the story-telling from the prodigal son Daniel. I realize that Daniel had a huge story to tell and that it would take time to tell it. My complaint is not with the length of the story or even the content, but rather the language used to tell it. Because Daniel literally "tells" his story, the language he uses should be believable and natural. It is neither.
People--especially young people--do not speak the way Daniel speaks. Several times I found myself wishing Daniel had carried a small notebook and written down his story so he could read it rather than tell it. When we write, we use different language than we use when we speak aloud. Daniel's words would have been far more believable if they were read from a journal. Besides, how can I believe that his memory is so excellent that he remembers the great detail he apparently remembers? I just can't.
The part of Daniel's storytelling that I found most off-putting was his incessant and inappropriate (even by today's standards) use of the word "like." I felt that Kunstler wanted to be, like, timely and, like, relevant but instead managed to be, like, trite and forced, and the eye-popping number of, like, commas that using the word necessitates makes it, like, really hard to read. Like.
I don't have much to say about the relationship between Daniel and Loving Morrow. I also found it to be unbelievable and almost embarrassing. Perhaps 18-year-olds in a world as broken as this one would behave much differently than they do in our world today. Perhaps. If they do, I hope they, like, stop using the word "like" in a ridiculous fashion. And I hope we are never able to be led as such simple-minded radicals the way Loving Morrow managed to lead this batch.
I do look forward to reading "The Harrows of Spring." I want to know what happens to these people. For the most part, I like them and care about them. I want to see whether Brother Jobe is the brilliant schemer I felt he was in the first book or the practical opportunity-seizer of the second. Or was he initially a schemer and now truly wants to build a community? What about Jasper Copeland? He is the character with the most promise to improve his community, yet he was dropped after a shining moment in the second book. I want to see his potential realized. And what happens to Stephen Bullock? That old asshole has something coming and I want to be around to see it, whatever it is.
March 14, 2015
I really enjoyed World Made by Hand but hadn't realized Kunstler had turned it into a series until I came across this third in the series at the library.
The premise of this series is that in the near future the world has undergone a series of catastrophes - a disastrous Middle East war, annihilation of LA and DC, a series of epidemics - that have caused the collapse of consumerist, central-government-managed, fossil-fuel-driven civilization. Humanity is back to the 19th century - at best.
I don't think our civilization would collapse as quickly as these books represent, but, if you can suspend that disbelief, Kunstler's post-apocalyptic world is vivid and plausible.
World Made by Hand included good characters and a tight plot with a lot of tension, if I recall correctly. The characters in this third book are not as well-drawn, and the plot lacks tension. I think Kunstler made a mistake in telling Daniel's story as a retrospective. We already know he will
survive, since he is telling the story once he returns to Union Grove, so his story lacks drama. I think Daniel's story should have been told in present tense, alongside the events in Union Grove, even though they are not happening concurrently. And it would have been a neat trick to relate them somehow. The plot of this book is driven mostly by the showing of how the world works, and how various people adapt or fail to adapt, after the collapse. That's interesting, to be sure - the book was a real page-turner for me- but does not excuse a kind of flabby plot.
As a Christian, I really liked that religious faith was given a place, but not a disproportionate place, in the life of Union Grove after the collapse of the "old times." Some people are bitter against God, but the Congregational Church survives, as does a new Christian sect that seems weird but does a lot of good in the town. This seems about right to me. Kunstler treats faith with what seems to me proportionate respect.
As a feminist, I was disappointed that women seem to have very little agency in the post-apocalyptic world, but, hey, it's not my book, I don't get to decide these things. Overall, this was a good read and I will probably go back and read the second in the series, The Witch of Hebron
The premise of this series is that in the near future the world has undergone a series of catastrophes - a disastrous Middle East war, annihilation of LA and DC, a series of epidemics - that have caused the collapse of consumerist, central-government-managed, fossil-fuel-driven civilization. Humanity is back to the 19th century - at best.
I don't think our civilization would collapse as quickly as these books represent, but, if you can suspend that disbelief, Kunstler's post-apocalyptic world is vivid and plausible.
World Made by Hand included good characters and a tight plot with a lot of tension, if I recall correctly. The characters in this third book are not as well-drawn, and the plot lacks tension. I think Kunstler made a mistake in telling Daniel's story as a retrospective. We already know he will
survive, since he is telling the story once he returns to Union Grove, so his story lacks drama. I think Daniel's story should have been told in present tense, alongside the events in Union Grove, even though they are not happening concurrently. And it would have been a neat trick to relate them somehow. The plot of this book is driven mostly by the showing of how the world works, and how various people adapt or fail to adapt, after the collapse. That's interesting, to be sure - the book was a real page-turner for me- but does not excuse a kind of flabby plot.
As a Christian, I really liked that religious faith was given a place, but not a disproportionate place, in the life of Union Grove after the collapse of the "old times." Some people are bitter against God, but the Congregational Church survives, as does a new Christian sect that seems weird but does a lot of good in the town. This seems about right to me. Kunstler treats faith with what seems to me proportionate respect.
As a feminist, I was disappointed that women seem to have very little agency in the post-apocalyptic world, but, hey, it's not my book, I don't get to decide these things. Overall, this was a good read and I will probably go back and read the second in the series, The Witch of Hebron
June 15, 2023
3.5 stars rounded up.
Probably my favorite book in this series. It takes place during the holiday season sometime in the future, after a societal/economic collapse. Bombs have destroyed DC and LA. The country is broken into at least three factions: the Federals in the north; the New Foxfire Republic in the middle southern states (think MAGA Republicans on steroids) and a black republic in the deep southern states. Mexico is trying to reclaim Texas, and Asia is trying to take over the northwest coast, Canada is no longer our ally and pandemics eviscerated populations as did wars.
Chapter 40 explains a lot of what happened in the world and the general breakdown of society as all the conveniences we have known disappeared due to lack of electricity and gas with some prescient passages: China engineered, an epidemic; Fascism is rising in Europe; wars in the Middle East cause global calamity.
The main plot points of this book are about a woman who has gone mad from meningitis and commits, a brutal crime, and a young man who left to see what happened to the rest of America returns and tells his story. There are some lesser plot lines which are interspersed within these stories which illustrate some of the new social constructs.
I like this series because it shows what might happen if the world as we know it disappears, and we are forced to fend for ourselves without our common creature, comforts, as well as all the scientific advances we have made in the past 150 years, electricity being the main engine that drives all that we have. There is an element of “magical realism” in the form of the New Fathers religious cult that comes to Union Grove. (Think Mormons before they became mainstream.) The male characters are the strongest, with women taking a lesser role, except for Loving Morrow, a former country singer who is the head of the New Foxfire Republic. Interestingly enough, the figurehead of the New Fathers is a woman who is kept in a secret room, fed all of the food she wants, (think a female Jabba the Hutt) but doesn’t seem to have much to do. The the men run everything for her.
This book explains a lot of what the previous two books just alluded to. It’s a good escapist read and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series someday.
Probably my favorite book in this series. It takes place during the holiday season sometime in the future, after a societal/economic collapse. Bombs have destroyed DC and LA. The country is broken into at least three factions: the Federals in the north; the New Foxfire Republic in the middle southern states (think MAGA Republicans on steroids) and a black republic in the deep southern states. Mexico is trying to reclaim Texas, and Asia is trying to take over the northwest coast, Canada is no longer our ally and pandemics eviscerated populations as did wars.
Chapter 40 explains a lot of what happened in the world and the general breakdown of society as all the conveniences we have known disappeared due to lack of electricity and gas with some prescient passages: China engineered, an epidemic; Fascism is rising in Europe; wars in the Middle East cause global calamity.
The main plot points of this book are about a woman who has gone mad from meningitis and commits, a brutal crime, and a young man who left to see what happened to the rest of America returns and tells his story. There are some lesser plot lines which are interspersed within these stories which illustrate some of the new social constructs.
I like this series because it shows what might happen if the world as we know it disappears, and we are forced to fend for ourselves without our common creature, comforts, as well as all the scientific advances we have made in the past 150 years, electricity being the main engine that drives all that we have. There is an element of “magical realism” in the form of the New Fathers religious cult that comes to Union Grove. (Think Mormons before they became mainstream.) The male characters are the strongest, with women taking a lesser role, except for Loving Morrow, a former country singer who is the head of the New Foxfire Republic. Interestingly enough, the figurehead of the New Fathers is a woman who is kept in a secret room, fed all of the food she wants, (think a female Jabba the Hutt) but doesn’t seem to have much to do. The the men run everything for her.
This book explains a lot of what the previous two books just alluded to. It’s a good escapist read and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series someday.
April 10, 2020
It's the third novel in his A World Made By Hand series, which is a great take on the post-apocalytpic future. I like his style and like the world, but the plot isn't quite there. It follows a bunch of mostly disconnected stories that overlap occasionally and none of them come to a very satisfying conclusion. It feels kind of lackluster. It's worth reading if you like the series, but it's not a great chapter.
Second reading:
In the midst of the COVID-19 shutdown, I turned to some post-apocalyptic fiction, which is admittedly a weird choice. I thought I hadn't read this one, but I guess I had. I think I liked it better the second time around, though it does seem to come to a fairly sudden conclusion. It has a nice, relaxed style, with mostly short chapters (makes for easy reading during this time).
Second reading:
In the midst of the COVID-19 shutdown, I turned to some post-apocalyptic fiction, which is admittedly a weird choice. I thought I hadn't read this one, but I guess I had. I think I liked it better the second time around, though it does seem to come to a fairly sudden conclusion. It has a nice, relaxed style, with mostly short chapters (makes for easy reading during this time).
July 1, 2020
I read "World Made by Hand" a few years ago and discovered the 2nd in the series ("The Witch of Hebron") and read it although it was disturbingly violent, especially toward women. The "witch" in the title is essentially a high-brow prostitute. But, because I just have to know how stuff ends, I powered on.
And then, because sometimes it's just fund to read the equivalent of potato chips... I read "A History of the Future." And again, finished because... gotta see how it all ends, despite the fact that this was clearly some kind of "parable" or political polemic.
I hadn't read any of the reviews, but was glad that it wasn't just me noticing the Kunstler has some weird ideas about women. Why in this new organization of the world are there no women in leadership roles (except of course the wacky religious-country star women in charge of the bad Foxfire Republic - undone by her insatiable lust)?
Why in the world would we women wear long dresses if pants are available? If in this post-oil world, people have learned how to grow fiber and produce fabric and sew pants by hand for the men, why would the women (who do all the sewing along with all the other "women's work") not make themselves pants? I'm pretty sure it wasn't the wearing of pants that caused the end of the world as we know it... Or is this just a fantasy? For men?
I had some hope for the post-apocalyptic world after "World Made by Hand" and thought that the different types of economic systems portrayed were kind of clever, but this one just creeped me out.
P.S. I just read some of Kunstler's blog posts and have decided to return the final installment of this series to the library unread. His homophobic and misogynistic views are not worthy of my time.
And then, because sometimes it's just fund to read the equivalent of potato chips... I read "A History of the Future." And again, finished because... gotta see how it all ends, despite the fact that this was clearly some kind of "parable" or political polemic.
I hadn't read any of the reviews, but was glad that it wasn't just me noticing the Kunstler has some weird ideas about women. Why in this new organization of the world are there no women in leadership roles (except of course the wacky religious-country star women in charge of the bad Foxfire Republic - undone by her insatiable lust)?
Why in the world would we women wear long dresses if pants are available? If in this post-oil world, people have learned how to grow fiber and produce fabric and sew pants by hand for the men, why would the women (who do all the sewing along with all the other "women's work") not make themselves pants? I'm pretty sure it wasn't the wearing of pants that caused the end of the world as we know it... Or is this just a fantasy? For men?
I had some hope for the post-apocalyptic world after "World Made by Hand" and thought that the different types of economic systems portrayed were kind of clever, but this one just creeped me out.
P.S. I just read some of Kunstler's blog posts and have decided to return the final installment of this series to the library unread. His homophobic and misogynistic views are not worthy of my time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 25, 2014
This is another interesting addition to this series, which takes place in post-collapse America maybe 20-30 years in the future. The previous two in the series were probably better as stories in and of themselves, but I enjoyed how Kunstler used this one to show the changes to the broader world outside of upstate New York. I also think he has done a nice job laying the groundwork for the fourth and final book in the series, which I heard him say in a podcast interview would likely be out in 2015. All in all, if you are at all interested in the possibility that out techno-centric, cheap-energy-based world may not survive the century and what a world beyond our current situation may look like, this is a very well-thought-out series that also happen to be good stories in their own right.
April 15, 2018
Couldn't Put it Down
Not quite as impactful as the first in the series, but gripping and engaging all the same. I couldn't put it down, and ended up reading it in two sessions. Very pleased with Brother Jobe, whom I wasn't quite sure I liked initially.
I do hope there is, or will be, another volume in this series. The characters all grow on you and the reader is left with hope at the end. Very glad I bought this and the ones before it.
Not quite as impactful as the first in the series, but gripping and engaging all the same. I couldn't put it down, and ended up reading it in two sessions. Very pleased with Brother Jobe, whom I wasn't quite sure I liked initially.
I do hope there is, or will be, another volume in this series. The characters all grow on you and the reader is left with hope at the end. Very glad I bought this and the ones before it.
August 31, 2014
Certainly not the best of the World Made by Hand series... the writing seemed overly simplistic and repetitive, even for Kunstler. This is the first time I actually didn't get pulled in head over heels into Union Grove and I finished the book feeling disappointed.
January 29, 2016
I was headed towards giving this book four stars until he started stereotyping certain segments of society. Being a member of one of these segments, I don't appreciate it. Shame on you!
September 17, 2022
Overall it's at the same level as the previous books, but in some parts the events and situations can be a bit predictable and uninspired.
July 15, 2024
Part of the series. I am drawn in.
I think this could be a possible future. The West had to spend almost 1000 years in the medieval period. "Resets" happen.
I think this could be a possible future. The West had to spend almost 1000 years in the medieval period. "Resets" happen.
August 5, 2020
So, I’m going to begin by noting that I’ve read books 1-4 in this series—I didn’t love this one, but I plainly didn’t dislike it enough to give it up, or skip its sequel—but it was a marked departure in several ways.
What I’ve appreciated about the series has been how immersive it is, and how believably its world-building unfolds. I’m not commenting on how plausible I think it is, in the real life—some things yes, some things, maybe not—but in terms of story? It nails the balance between enough detail to convince me, without so much detail I lose the thread (or sustained interest). There are some interestingly weird bits of magical or paranormal abilities, quietly woven into the narrative, in an open-ended way that I really enjoyed, and found pretty unique. And while I caught a few hints in book 1, and a few more in book 2, of some sociopolitical leanings that are distinctly not my own—it didn’t land in a polemical place. Fair enough; everybody has a right to their opinion, and if they still tell an interesting story, I’m still probably interested in reading it.
Book 3, though. Oh, man.
It’s less of a story than a parable, and in some extended stretches, less even a parable, than just a rather strident essay on the evils of (present-day) modernity. I don’t disagree with the author’s clear conclusion that many facets of our present way of life are distressingly unsustainable—I don’t altogether share his views on what is and isn’t worth striving to preserve, within contemporary life, either—but neither of those things is really what I take issue with. I just found myself disappointed by the extent to which an interesting, believable, widely varying cast of characters suddenly flattened out into a dozen variations on the author’s own voice.
The dialogue got weirdly declamatory and didactic—the book literally opens with an explicit statement that it’s set several years into our future, which is the wrong kind of jarring in the same way as a middle school essay whose opening line is, “My paper will be about...”. The period- and region-specific dialects lost consistency and coherence. The shifts in social norms tilted, in several instances, from considerable, but plausible over this timeline, especially in light of the considerable global changes in infrastructure and resource access—into extreme, implausible, and weirdly anachronistic. Like—there’s just no reason that a shift back to 19th-century living standards would automagically prompt a universal shift to 19th-century spoken language and writing conventions. Villains got flatter and more extreme. Plot devices felt less like ways to tell a story, more like ways to lead up to another sermon—or, in some cases, to avoid telling parts of the story that looked *interesting*, but weren’t obvious routes into the author’s particular critical lens.
It just kind of felt like the book lost track of what it was doing. Fiction can take a position—even one I disagree with—and still tell a believable, interesting story. But the fifth or sixth time I read a character who’s, say, leaving on an expedition for uncharted country; or just walking away from some act of overwhelming violence; or engrossed in meeting their immediate survival needs... talking discursively to themself about how cheaply and foolishly built strip-malls used to be? It gets interruptive, and it gets clear that I’m reading the author’s inner monologue, not the character’s.
The plot stayed interesting. And the characters came most of the way back to life, by book 4. But this one could have used one more real hard edit.
What I’ve appreciated about the series has been how immersive it is, and how believably its world-building unfolds. I’m not commenting on how plausible I think it is, in the real life—some things yes, some things, maybe not—but in terms of story? It nails the balance between enough detail to convince me, without so much detail I lose the thread (or sustained interest). There are some interestingly weird bits of magical or paranormal abilities, quietly woven into the narrative, in an open-ended way that I really enjoyed, and found pretty unique. And while I caught a few hints in book 1, and a few more in book 2, of some sociopolitical leanings that are distinctly not my own—it didn’t land in a polemical place. Fair enough; everybody has a right to their opinion, and if they still tell an interesting story, I’m still probably interested in reading it.
Book 3, though. Oh, man.
It’s less of a story than a parable, and in some extended stretches, less even a parable, than just a rather strident essay on the evils of (present-day) modernity. I don’t disagree with the author’s clear conclusion that many facets of our present way of life are distressingly unsustainable—I don’t altogether share his views on what is and isn’t worth striving to preserve, within contemporary life, either—but neither of those things is really what I take issue with. I just found myself disappointed by the extent to which an interesting, believable, widely varying cast of characters suddenly flattened out into a dozen variations on the author’s own voice.
The dialogue got weirdly declamatory and didactic—the book literally opens with an explicit statement that it’s set several years into our future, which is the wrong kind of jarring in the same way as a middle school essay whose opening line is, “My paper will be about...”. The period- and region-specific dialects lost consistency and coherence. The shifts in social norms tilted, in several instances, from considerable, but plausible over this timeline, especially in light of the considerable global changes in infrastructure and resource access—into extreme, implausible, and weirdly anachronistic. Like—there’s just no reason that a shift back to 19th-century living standards would automagically prompt a universal shift to 19th-century spoken language and writing conventions. Villains got flatter and more extreme. Plot devices felt less like ways to tell a story, more like ways to lead up to another sermon—or, in some cases, to avoid telling parts of the story that looked *interesting*, but weren’t obvious routes into the author’s particular critical lens.
It just kind of felt like the book lost track of what it was doing. Fiction can take a position—even one I disagree with—and still tell a believable, interesting story. But the fifth or sixth time I read a character who’s, say, leaving on an expedition for uncharted country; or just walking away from some act of overwhelming violence; or engrossed in meeting their immediate survival needs... talking discursively to themself about how cheaply and foolishly built strip-malls used to be? It gets interruptive, and it gets clear that I’m reading the author’s inner monologue, not the character’s.
The plot stayed interesting. And the characters came most of the way back to life, by book 4. But this one could have used one more real hard edit.
September 1, 2020
Kunstler's story of a post-oil, politically shattered, small-town America is common yet unique premise. The small-town setting allows for an intimate focus on the social ecosystem of interdependent relationships. The story is set during the holidays and focuses on a half-dozen citizens including a wife guilty of murdering her husband and son, and a young man returning from his explorations of America. Character arcs are flat, and chapters present themselves as snapshots characters of lives over a short period of time. There seems to be a common thread of guilt and redemption, but there's no endpoint or grand narrative. This structure is not overly disappointing, but I fail to detect the author's intentions beyond a longing and wishful return for small-town, agrarian America. In addition, female characters outside of an obvious, cartoonishly evil female theocrat revert to having roles held by women in the nineteenth century. I doubt this would happen; it's not the default order of things, and counter to recent history thus diminishing the book's realist tone. I can guess this author's politics, but the premise and setting made me take the bait. Overall, Kunstler strives for post-apocalyptic realism that is little more than a thin disguise for nostalgia.
July 29, 2014
A History of the Future by James Howard Kunstler is the highly recommended third book in the World Made by Hand series. These books are set in a future America after a complete economic, political, and cultural collapse has occurred. Epidemics have swept the land and the population has been decimated. In this world, those who are going to survive are forced to live literally by what they can do with their own hands and labor. It is sort of a dystopian pioneer setting - the simple life but in a changed, harsh world.
It is just before Christmas in the town of Union Grove in upstate New York. While there is no electricity, the town is doing what it can to decorate and celebrate a much simpler holiday, but perhaps one with more meaning after the catastrophes of previous years. The New Faith Covenant Brotherhood Church has opened a tavern, a pet project for Brother Jobe, which gives the townspeople a place to fellowship and helps bring a sense of a new normalcy returning to Union Grove. Andrew Pendergast is thriving. He has kept busy, and with his many varied interests, is actually doing quite well in this new world where self-sufficiency is the key.
But then the unthinkable happens - a double murder. It appears that Mandy Stokes, a woman whose sanity is truly in question, has murdered her child and husband on Christmas Eve. She needs to be locked up. The Brotherhood volunteers a place where this is possible and now the town must decide how to proceed. Is there a legal system intact to handle a murder trial? During the same time, Daniel Earle, the son of Mayor Robert Earle who left Union Grove at the end of the first book, World Made By Hand, has returned home. Emaciated, exhausted, and ill, Daniel needs a chance to recover, but even more important is the news he brings of the fractured outside world.
The series started with World Made By Hand and The Witch of Hebron. Although I have read World Made By Hand, I have not read the second book and had no problem following the story. It might behoove readers interested in this series to at least read World Made By Hand first.
Many of the same concerns I had with World Made By Hand continued with A History of the Future, with the exception of tying up the loose ends of the story. Naturally, if you are writing a series of books set in the same world, certain parts of the story and plot may continue on into the next novel, so that problem was neatly answered. The female characters continue to feel one dimensional and I still know that people around my part of the country could survive and thrive because they have a wealth of skills and knowledge that the people of Union Grove, NY, are somehow lacking. It is encouraging that the survivors are doing better and learning old/new-to-them skills.
Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Grove/Atlantic for review purposes.
It is just before Christmas in the town of Union Grove in upstate New York. While there is no electricity, the town is doing what it can to decorate and celebrate a much simpler holiday, but perhaps one with more meaning after the catastrophes of previous years. The New Faith Covenant Brotherhood Church has opened a tavern, a pet project for Brother Jobe, which gives the townspeople a place to fellowship and helps bring a sense of a new normalcy returning to Union Grove. Andrew Pendergast is thriving. He has kept busy, and with his many varied interests, is actually doing quite well in this new world where self-sufficiency is the key.
But then the unthinkable happens - a double murder. It appears that Mandy Stokes, a woman whose sanity is truly in question, has murdered her child and husband on Christmas Eve. She needs to be locked up. The Brotherhood volunteers a place where this is possible and now the town must decide how to proceed. Is there a legal system intact to handle a murder trial? During the same time, Daniel Earle, the son of Mayor Robert Earle who left Union Grove at the end of the first book, World Made By Hand, has returned home. Emaciated, exhausted, and ill, Daniel needs a chance to recover, but even more important is the news he brings of the fractured outside world.
The series started with World Made By Hand and The Witch of Hebron. Although I have read World Made By Hand, I have not read the second book and had no problem following the story. It might behoove readers interested in this series to at least read World Made By Hand first.
Many of the same concerns I had with World Made By Hand continued with A History of the Future, with the exception of tying up the loose ends of the story. Naturally, if you are writing a series of books set in the same world, certain parts of the story and plot may continue on into the next novel, so that problem was neatly answered. The female characters continue to feel one dimensional and I still know that people around my part of the country could survive and thrive because they have a wealth of skills and knowledge that the people of Union Grove, NY, are somehow lacking. It is encouraging that the survivors are doing better and learning old/new-to-them skills.
Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Grove/Atlantic for review purposes.
October 20, 2017
I’m really enjoying this series of books. It’s an interesting thought experiment on topics that have occurred to me many times - what happens if we have no more electricity or oil? How is climate change going to affect our lives? Why do we build cities the way we have been doing?
The author has a way with words, and has clearly had some of the same thoughts I have had, about community and city planning and education. The only think that’s starting to annoy me is that so far there are only white Christians in the books. I happen to think that an interesting question would be how a diverse community might (hopefully) pull together if everyday life suddenly became very different. I’m okay with suspending disbelief, and I don’t think every novel needs to perfectly accurately address every topic, in order to be enjoyable. That’s just what I perceive is missing from this series: different kinds of people. However, I am listening with rapt attention and can’t wait to get back to my audiobook when I have moments of free time. The narrator is amazing, and the whole thing feels like an adult version of Little House on the Prairie, which was totally my jam as a kid.
The author has a way with words, and has clearly had some of the same thoughts I have had, about community and city planning and education. The only think that’s starting to annoy me is that so far there are only white Christians in the books. I happen to think that an interesting question would be how a diverse community might (hopefully) pull together if everyday life suddenly became very different. I’m okay with suspending disbelief, and I don’t think every novel needs to perfectly accurately address every topic, in order to be enjoyable. That’s just what I perceive is missing from this series: different kinds of people. However, I am listening with rapt attention and can’t wait to get back to my audiobook when I have moments of free time. The narrator is amazing, and the whole thing feels like an adult version of Little House on the Prairie, which was totally my jam as a kid.
July 31, 2020
The archvillain in this book is basically Dolly Parton, but as a KKK grand wizard.
Dude, what the fuck did Dolly ever do to you that she looms so large in your misogynist nightmares?
Rural southerners are portrayed as toothless, Nascar-loving simpletons who are eager to join lynch mobs. I have a friend who grew up in rural Tennessee (near Dollywood, actually) who could both survive in JHK's low-technology world *and* handily kick his ass, both physically and intellectually. This would be particularly emotionally satisfying as she is both gay and a woman.
There are finally Black people in this book, but only off-screen, as the Dolly clone and her minions have ethnically cleansed the parts of the country that the protagonist actually visits.
A woman with a Master's degree in Women's Studies goes crazy and kills her family.
One of the main characters is an ex-gay.
It did keep me turning the pages, though, and I enjoyed the descriptions of the food. I probably would have been better off finding a book on 18th century cooking.
*skips away humming "Jolene" *
Dude, what the fuck did Dolly ever do to you that she looms so large in your misogynist nightmares?
Rural southerners are portrayed as toothless, Nascar-loving simpletons who are eager to join lynch mobs. I have a friend who grew up in rural Tennessee (near Dollywood, actually) who could both survive in JHK's low-technology world *and* handily kick his ass, both physically and intellectually. This would be particularly emotionally satisfying as she is both gay and a woman.
There are finally Black people in this book, but only off-screen, as the Dolly clone and her minions have ethnically cleansed the parts of the country that the protagonist actually visits.
A woman with a Master's degree in Women's Studies goes crazy and kills her family.
One of the main characters is an ex-gay.
It did keep me turning the pages, though, and I enjoyed the descriptions of the food. I probably would have been better off finding a book on 18th century cooking.
*skips away humming "Jolene" *
November 20, 2015
A rather thought provoking book about a future US post two major bombings of DC and LA. In the current US environment of unbridled American exceptionalism, it's hard to even think about the US not continuing to dominate world politics forever - this possibility is what makes this book so fascinating.
I couldn't help but be continually reminded of the 1960's Whole Earth Catalog environment when many of us baby boomers were planning for the worst and figuring how to live with no electricity, plastics, etc. Again, in today's US, this sort of thinking seems downright crazy - at least for now.
This book is loads of fun - although the anti-suburban rant gets a little tiresome - even to me - a consummate anti-suburban guy. I thought it made some really interesting observations about physical health care and mental health and the return to a much more simple way of life in every regard.
I'm off to find Book Number One of this series!!
I couldn't help but be continually reminded of the 1960's Whole Earth Catalog environment when many of us baby boomers were planning for the worst and figuring how to live with no electricity, plastics, etc. Again, in today's US, this sort of thinking seems downright crazy - at least for now.
This book is loads of fun - although the anti-suburban rant gets a little tiresome - even to me - a consummate anti-suburban guy. I thought it made some really interesting observations about physical health care and mental health and the return to a much more simple way of life in every regard.
I'm off to find Book Number One of this series!!
August 19, 2014
This is the 3rd book in the World Made by Hand series and I have loved them all. This one ended in such a way that I know a 4th is coming. I'm already looking forward to it!
August 21, 2015
I enjoy this series. A different take on the post-apocalypse world.
May 26, 2017
so far this is the best of the 3. good series.
January 24, 2022
This book reads like two books, one of them good, the other... weird.
The World Made by Hand series definitely jumped genres at the end of the first book, from pure survival fiction to magical realism, and Kunstler doubled down in The Witch of Hebron (book 2) with the magical realism. I also happen to believe that book to be the darkest so far (I have not read book 4 at this writing). A History of the Future gets a little lighter, but also delves into the concept of demon possession. Brother Jobe is expanded on as a character, and the powers hinted at in the first two novels are shown more here. He is much more likable.
I had stated previously that Loren Holder was my least favorite character because of the slipshod way he approaches his office of the ministry. Holder's character is largely relegated to the background, which is not really a negative, seeing as how organized religion in the town has been left to Jobe's posse of amish/menonite/pentacostal/fundamentalist/nazarene/hodge-podge religious folks.
So why did I give this book 3 stars? Simple.
The "Fox Fire Republic."
The FFR is what became of about half the south (Western part of the former CSA) whereas the other became "New Free Africa" (I forgot the name cause I truly did not enjoy these sections of the novel). As you can guess, the south split along racial lines, and a race war began. The FFR is clearly the result of someone who has either never met a southerner or just wants to make a cartoon depiction of it. Everyone in the FFR is racist, they (literally) worship their leader, a blonde, ditzy country music singer who claims to receive direct revelation from Jesus, collects Thomas Kincade, and lives in a McMansion where she seduces young men. It would be a comedy skit were it not for the somber tone of the rest of the novel.
I have no idea how someone who researches their novels as carefully as these, and then drops the ball by basically making a Larry the Cable Guy nation the enemy.
The World Made by Hand series definitely jumped genres at the end of the first book, from pure survival fiction to magical realism, and Kunstler doubled down in The Witch of Hebron (book 2) with the magical realism. I also happen to believe that book to be the darkest so far (I have not read book 4 at this writing). A History of the Future gets a little lighter, but also delves into the concept of demon possession. Brother Jobe is expanded on as a character, and the powers hinted at in the first two novels are shown more here. He is much more likable.
I had stated previously that Loren Holder was my least favorite character because of the slipshod way he approaches his office of the ministry. Holder's character is largely relegated to the background, which is not really a negative, seeing as how organized religion in the town has been left to Jobe's posse of amish/menonite/pentacostal/fundamentalist/nazarene/hodge-podge religious folks.
So why did I give this book 3 stars? Simple.
The "Fox Fire Republic."
The FFR is what became of about half the south (Western part of the former CSA) whereas the other became "New Free Africa" (I forgot the name cause I truly did not enjoy these sections of the novel). As you can guess, the south split along racial lines, and a race war began. The FFR is clearly the result of someone who has either never met a southerner or just wants to make a cartoon depiction of it. Everyone in the FFR is racist, they (literally) worship their leader, a blonde, ditzy country music singer who claims to receive direct revelation from Jesus, collects Thomas Kincade, and lives in a McMansion where she seduces young men. It would be a comedy skit were it not for the somber tone of the rest of the novel.
I have no idea how someone who researches their novels as carefully as these, and then drops the ball by basically making a Larry the Cable Guy nation the enemy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 4, 2017
A couple of years have passed since we last hung out the residents of Union Grove, New York. In many ways not that much has changed. There's progress being made in the construction of a community laundry and a new tavern has opened providing a focal point for socialization. You'll still bump into Robert Earle and his friend Loren Holder. Those who have survived the collapse of the government and all its subsequent illnesses are still scratching out a living out of what remains by their newly embraced roles. Awesomely enough though, Union Grove is about to expand. With the unexpected arrival of Robert's son Daniel, who left town with Loren's son two years ago and had not been heard from since, we are finally able to get a first hand account of what the America of now has become.
Daniel's account of his travels reveal a country in the grips of a race war. Loving Morrow, the leader of the Foxfire Republic has gathered a band of white supremacist thugs and driven the blacks and "others" out of certain states. The dispossessed rally under their own leader Sage. Meanwhile, what remains of the US federal government has drifted from DC to Nashville, to Chicago, and finally to St Paul. The Foxfire Republic is poised against the government for control of the Ohio River. Daniel himself is recruited for an assassination plot against Loving Morrow, a task which he struggles to relate to his family. As Daniel weaves the tale of his American journey existence, others in Union Grove are handling more local dramas including a supernaturally motivated murder and individuals trying to fit in in this still fairly new world.
I would recommend this entire series for its variety of characters, real sense of place and a spattering of weird in all the right places.
Daniel's account of his travels reveal a country in the grips of a race war. Loving Morrow, the leader of the Foxfire Republic has gathered a band of white supremacist thugs and driven the blacks and "others" out of certain states. The dispossessed rally under their own leader Sage. Meanwhile, what remains of the US federal government has drifted from DC to Nashville, to Chicago, and finally to St Paul. The Foxfire Republic is poised against the government for control of the Ohio River. Daniel himself is recruited for an assassination plot against Loving Morrow, a task which he struggles to relate to his family. As Daniel weaves the tale of his American journey existence, others in Union Grove are handling more local dramas including a supernaturally motivated murder and individuals trying to fit in in this still fairly new world.
I would recommend this entire series for its variety of characters, real sense of place and a spattering of weird in all the right places.
February 10, 2022
Third in Kunstler's "World Made by Hand" series, History opens on the town of Union Grove in winter, as it prepares to celebrate Christmas. The unexpected return of Daniel Earle, who has been traveling North America to find out what's become of the rest of the country following the collapse of everything. should make for a merry Christmas all around -- but Robert brings with him stories of horror, decay, and death, and Union Grove bears witness to a series of murders, including one on Christmas Eve. History revisits Kunstler's theme from the first book, the struggle to maintain a lawful order in challenging circumstances, and mixes this with Kunstler's speculations on the way world events might proceed with a peak oil collapse, and his commentary on everything from the human need for useful labor to the widespread use of crappy construction methods in the Bad Old Days. The main attraction here should be the goings-on down south, but Kunstler's view of the people of Appalachia and the South is patently ridiculous. I've been listening to Kunstler in interviews and lectures since 2008 and was surprised at how low-effort his worldbuilding for that area of the country was. Granted, this isn't his neck of the woods, but as someone who's traveled the country I'd expect Kunstler would deliver a more believable depiction. That said, I'll still finish the series, if only because I've already purchased the 4th book.
October 23, 2022
Book 3 in the World Made by Hand series continues to entertain. I am thoroughly enjoying this series.
1) Once again, the post-apocalyptic small-town world is beautifully drawn.
2) A single theme moves through the many tales within this book: "the importance of one's work." Each character explores an aspect of what it means to serve--oneself, one's master, one's family, community, country, God, or an ideal such as justice. The journeys to these discoveries are smart and eye-opening.
3) Daniel's story feels like it could have, and perhaps should have, been its own novel. Nonetheless, it is tense and entertaining.
4) Book 3 does (occasionally) feel a bit heavy-handed. By the 3rd book, readers are familiar with the author's premise and passion: a world dependent on a depletable fuel source is folly. Additionally, the racial attitudes and unsophisticated decorating tastes of the the Tennessee-area ruling party seem to spring from stereotypes that test the suspension of belief--but some of these scenes are quite funny, so ... moving on.
5) Overall, an excellent book. The structure and theme exploration are far superior to most novels, particularly ones that fall (willingly or unwillingly) into post-apoc genres. The Witch of Hebron (book 2 in the series) is one of my all-time favorite books. History of the Future is not up to that level, but it's good. If you enjoyed the first two, you'll enjoy this one.
1) Once again, the post-apocalyptic small-town world is beautifully drawn.
2) A single theme moves through the many tales within this book: "the importance of one's work." Each character explores an aspect of what it means to serve--oneself, one's master, one's family, community, country, God, or an ideal such as justice. The journeys to these discoveries are smart and eye-opening.
3) Daniel's story feels like it could have, and perhaps should have, been its own novel. Nonetheless, it is tense and entertaining.
4) Book 3 does (occasionally) feel a bit heavy-handed. By the 3rd book, readers are familiar with the author's premise and passion: a world dependent on a depletable fuel source is folly. Additionally, the racial attitudes and unsophisticated decorating tastes of the the Tennessee-area ruling party seem to spring from stereotypes that test the suspension of belief--but some of these scenes are quite funny, so ... moving on.
5) Overall, an excellent book. The structure and theme exploration are far superior to most novels, particularly ones that fall (willingly or unwillingly) into post-apoc genres. The Witch of Hebron (book 2 in the series) is one of my all-time favorite books. History of the Future is not up to that level, but it's good. If you enjoyed the first two, you'll enjoy this one.
June 22, 2020
The third book continues the theme of seasons, this time Winter.
I think Kunstler is right to emphasize the importance of social cohesion and community in crisis situations. People will turn to leaders that offer them a place. In fact, it may be a duty for the well-off to have people as servants or workmen to give their lives meaning. It is unfortunate that Kunstler is not a Christian, though, which shows throughout his novels, especially in Southern caricatures.
I had not really read fiction in a while before the World Made by Hand series. This book in particular talks a lot about the “old days” and what happened to the broader world in the age of decline and collapse, which could be useful if you’re looking to prepare.
The winter theme isn’t carried as well through compared to the Halloween one, and the plot is weak. The backstory was just too wild, reading like fantasy at times. Also, all the women were sexualized a bit much (even the middle-aged ones), a bit perverse.
I think Kunstler is right to emphasize the importance of social cohesion and community in crisis situations. People will turn to leaders that offer them a place. In fact, it may be a duty for the well-off to have people as servants or workmen to give their lives meaning. It is unfortunate that Kunstler is not a Christian, though, which shows throughout his novels, especially in Southern caricatures.
I had not really read fiction in a while before the World Made by Hand series. This book in particular talks a lot about the “old days” and what happened to the broader world in the age of decline and collapse, which could be useful if you’re looking to prepare.
The winter theme isn’t carried as well through compared to the Halloween one, and the plot is weak. The backstory was just too wild, reading like fantasy at times. Also, all the women were sexualized a bit much (even the middle-aged ones), a bit perverse.
August 6, 2022
As I work my way through this series, this is definitely the weakest book so far. The rambling parts featuring Daniel’s exploits, which could have been very interesting were dull and dry and told without any flair. Just repetitive descriptions of people and food. The union grove story was much more engaging but I felt it was underdeveloped. Also, the character of bullock was becoming a bit of a cartoon. Mandy stokes story just abruptly resolved, the demons just left and she was fine? Many chapters felt unfinished, I was constantly checking to see if I had skipped a page. It overall just seemed poorly planned out and hastily executed for a series that I have enjoyed up until now. I will still read the final book, because of course I have invested a lot of time in this series but I can only hope that it is more engaging and satisfying that this book has been.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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