What do you think?
Rate this book
The Long Loud Silence
Corporal Russell Gary - operator-angle man-black marketeer, junior grade-liberator of anything loose - veteran of Salerno and Normandy - a man who knew how to live by his wits and a gun. Celebrating ten years in khaki, Gary went on a monumental binge... While he slept if off, the United States east of the Mississippi was laid waste by atomic bombs and plague germs. The few who survived were immune to the plague but carriers of the toxin. No one from the contaminated area crossed the Mississippi and lived more than a few seconds. The Army guarded every bridge, every inch of shore line. If you happened to be east of the river when the bombs fell, you stayed there until you died. There was no other choice, no other future. When Corporal Gary woke up he was on the wrong side of the river, the bombed and contaminated side...
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1952
4 people are currently reading
660 people want to read
About the author
Wilson Tucker
66 books33 followersArthur Wilson "Bob" Tucker was an American mystery, action adventure, and science fiction writer, who wrote as Wilson Tucker.
He was also a prominent member of science fiction fandom, who wrote extensively for fanzines under the name Bob Tucker, a family nickname bestowed in childhood.
He was also a prominent member of science fiction fandom, who wrote extensively for fanzines under the name Bob Tucker, a family nickname bestowed in childhood.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
November 17, 2014
The plot, the story, the details, and the secondary character Oliver were all very good. Unfortunately, the 'women' were all vulnerable young girls who existed only to affirm the virility of the protagonist, who is a raging dickhead from start to finish. I deeply wish Oliver had been the lead character instead -- a thoughtful man trying to live humanely in an inhumane situation. Instead of rooting for the hero, I was rooting for the hero to die.
February 6, 2013
This novel is an underrated masterpiece, a forgotten classic that every SF fan should be made aware of. Corporal Russell Gary wakes up after a birthday bender, finding the United States divided at the Mississippi River into two halves: one ruled by military martial law, the other a be-plagued nuclear and biological wasteland following an enemy attack. And the corporal is on the wrong side of the river.
A grim and disturbing look at post-catastrophe America, from the nuclear glow above Chicago to the propaganda depicting the few immunized survivors of the attacks as "enemy operatives." This is what The Road would be like if it were written in the 1950s, only with a less savory protagonist. Very bleak, very mature, very thoughful---an amazing novel. Highly recommended.
(Full review found here.)
A grim and disturbing look at post-catastrophe America, from the nuclear glow above Chicago to the propaganda depicting the few immunized survivors of the attacks as "enemy operatives." This is what The Road would be like if it were written in the 1950s, only with a less savory protagonist. Very bleak, very mature, very thoughful---an amazing novel. Highly recommended.
(Full review found here.)
October 19, 2022
Lástima de ese final birlado, porque con él estaríamos ante un libro importante, que de no haber competido con una de las obras grandes de Alfred Bester podría haber sido el primer Hugo de la Historia. Novela escrita con la sencillez propia de la que para mí es la auténtica década dorada de la ciencia ficción. Un postapocalíptico que engancha, con un buen tratamiento de personajes, buena trama y denuncia al macartismo.
La edición española, por donde solía en los 70, pésima. La traducción es para sacar el moquero y llorar sobre él desconsoladamente. Tucker lleva 36 años sin ser publicado en España. ¡Una reedición en condiciones ya!
La edición española, por donde solía en los 70, pésima. La traducción es para sacar el moquero y llorar sobre él desconsoladamente. Tucker lleva 36 años sin ser publicado en España. ¡Una reedición en condiciones ya!
May 6, 2009
A decent story, if you can ignore the narrator's weird ideas about women.
December 1, 2017
Super mediocre writing, incredibly misogynistic, paperback I read was riddled with errors, reason for apocalypse not very compelling. So two stars because it did a neat job with the idea of the two Americas and what propaganda can accomplish.
January 2, 2025
Classic Wilson Tucker Post-Apocalyptic Adventure Yarn from when Men were Men
"The Long Loud Silence," published in 1952, is the story of a soldier and World War II veteran, Corporal Russell Gary, who wakes up from a bender to discover half of the United States is dead and the other half is quarantined on the other side of the country (divided neatly by the Mississippi River) and, wouldn't you know it, Gary is on the wrong side and unable to flee to safety. Except the edition I read was a 1969 revised version released by Lancet (mass publisher of fine men's adventure novels in 75 cent paperback) in which Corporal Gary is a Vietnam veteran and the story is somewhat updated to 1960's era sensibilities.
Corporal Gary is a cunning, cynical character who believes in the doctrine of every man for himself... which makes him a somewhat unlikeable protagonist. Wouldn't be so bad if he were a younger age, but this 30-year-old character is a classic men's lit hero, in search of food and women, and also a typical slacker Army-lifer type that was a common feature of military life during the Cold War. He despises civilians and wants nothing more than to get back to the Army routine of three hots and a cot plus weekend passes to the flesh-pots of the nearest base town. Alas, the Army has blown the bridges and sealed the border between east and west thus forcing Gary to survive in the desolated eastern USA, where small pockets of survivors hunt each other for food and the desperate fling themselves at the Mississippi barrier in the forlorn hope of either mercy or a quick death.
This is a fun book to read and one of Tucker's classics of his sci-fi canon of work. The reader will note that Tucker foreshadows themes that appear in later, more popular post-apocalyptic books such as "A Boy and His Dog," "The Survivalist," and "The Road." And like his later, more well-known classic, "The Year of the Quiet Sun" (1970), Tucker's hero is a romantic at heart in search of a woman to share his post-apocalyptic world with... even though he is too cynical and insensitive to make it work.
Wilson is a good writer, an author who also published in the mystery, adventure, and espionage genres. He should be read and his work is as good as his more famous peers such as Robert Heinlein. Tucker was a sci-fi fanzine publisher as well, and often the master of ceremonies at sci-fi/fantasy conventions. I've read a few reviews of this book in which the reviewer, using post-modern sensibilities, decries Tucker as a misogynist for his depiction of women as weak or desperate in his novels. That is laughable. Tucker is a product of his age, and had quite a following of female fans in the sci-fi fan-world in which he was a well-known celebrity. I can assure you, readers in a future, more grounded age will find our own obsession with woke-boss girls and triple-minority-multiple-pronoun characters to be equally tiresome... but I digress.
All in all, I would recommend "The Long Loud Silence" to anyone who likes post-apocalyptic novels, 1950's Atomic Age Sci-Fi, and/or vintage men's adventure stories.
"The Long Loud Silence," published in 1952, is the story of a soldier and World War II veteran, Corporal Russell Gary, who wakes up from a bender to discover half of the United States is dead and the other half is quarantined on the other side of the country (divided neatly by the Mississippi River) and, wouldn't you know it, Gary is on the wrong side and unable to flee to safety. Except the edition I read was a 1969 revised version released by Lancet (mass publisher of fine men's adventure novels in 75 cent paperback) in which Corporal Gary is a Vietnam veteran and the story is somewhat updated to 1960's era sensibilities.
Corporal Gary is a cunning, cynical character who believes in the doctrine of every man for himself... which makes him a somewhat unlikeable protagonist. Wouldn't be so bad if he were a younger age, but this 30-year-old character is a classic men's lit hero, in search of food and women, and also a typical slacker Army-lifer type that was a common feature of military life during the Cold War. He despises civilians and wants nothing more than to get back to the Army routine of three hots and a cot plus weekend passes to the flesh-pots of the nearest base town. Alas, the Army has blown the bridges and sealed the border between east and west thus forcing Gary to survive in the desolated eastern USA, where small pockets of survivors hunt each other for food and the desperate fling themselves at the Mississippi barrier in the forlorn hope of either mercy or a quick death.
This is a fun book to read and one of Tucker's classics of his sci-fi canon of work. The reader will note that Tucker foreshadows themes that appear in later, more popular post-apocalyptic books such as "A Boy and His Dog," "The Survivalist," and "The Road." And like his later, more well-known classic, "The Year of the Quiet Sun" (1970), Tucker's hero is a romantic at heart in search of a woman to share his post-apocalyptic world with... even though he is too cynical and insensitive to make it work.
Wilson is a good writer, an author who also published in the mystery, adventure, and espionage genres. He should be read and his work is as good as his more famous peers such as Robert Heinlein. Tucker was a sci-fi fanzine publisher as well, and often the master of ceremonies at sci-fi/fantasy conventions. I've read a few reviews of this book in which the reviewer, using post-modern sensibilities, decries Tucker as a misogynist for his depiction of women as weak or desperate in his novels. That is laughable. Tucker is a product of his age, and had quite a following of female fans in the sci-fi fan-world in which he was a well-known celebrity. I can assure you, readers in a future, more grounded age will find our own obsession with woke-boss girls and triple-minority-multiple-pronoun characters to be equally tiresome... but I digress.
All in all, I would recommend "The Long Loud Silence" to anyone who likes post-apocalyptic novels, 1950's Atomic Age Sci-Fi, and/or vintage men's adventure stories.
October 3, 2014
In many ways this is a fairly typical post-apocalyptic disaster novel, but it was originally published in 1952 so it may have been fairly original at the time. In this case the disaster is limited to the eastern portion of the United States, where a combination of nuclear and biological attacks have left all major cities uninhabitable. There are survivors in the country due to immunity from the various germs, but they are trapped in the states east of the Mississippi river.
The story centres around a soldier who wakes up on the wrong side of the river after a huge drinking binge. He finds that most people are either dead or have attempted to evacuate the cities. The majority of the book follows his attempts to survive over the following years. In particular he tries to find a way to cross over the river and re-enter the civilised land to the west. However, the army guards the entire river bank and the few remaining crossings, so this isn't easy.
There aren't many surprises really, but if you like post-apocalyptic fiction or disaster stories then you won't be disappointed. It's an interesting example of this genre as the main character is not particularly heroic and isn't even a nice person, to be honest, and that's how he manages to live where others might not. This book is free from the crazy mutants and giant insects that many stories concerning nuclear attacks seem to feature (despite the cover illustration) but it is unrealistic is some respects due to its age. I can't help feeling that modern nuclear and biological weapons would be a bit more deadly, but I guess that a total lack of survivors wouldn't make a very interesting tale.
The story centres around a soldier who wakes up on the wrong side of the river after a huge drinking binge. He finds that most people are either dead or have attempted to evacuate the cities. The majority of the book follows his attempts to survive over the following years. In particular he tries to find a way to cross over the river and re-enter the civilised land to the west. However, the army guards the entire river bank and the few remaining crossings, so this isn't easy.
There aren't many surprises really, but if you like post-apocalyptic fiction or disaster stories then you won't be disappointed. It's an interesting example of this genre as the main character is not particularly heroic and isn't even a nice person, to be honest, and that's how he manages to live where others might not. This book is free from the crazy mutants and giant insects that many stories concerning nuclear attacks seem to feature (despite the cover illustration) but it is unrealistic is some respects due to its age. I can't help feeling that modern nuclear and biological weapons would be a bit more deadly, but I guess that a total lack of survivors wouldn't make a very interesting tale.
December 21, 2009
I think if I'd read this book when it was first published in 1952, I would have given it 5 stars for breaking new ground. So maybe 3 stars is unfair, but there ya go.
It's worth a read, but it's out of print. Amazon sellers are asking too much but there are cheaper copies at ABE.
I really didn't like the "hero", Corporal Gary. He uses people and kills too easily. He's a good character, even though you can't call him a good man. He wants to survive, at any cost. I suppose there would be a lot of Corporal Garys out there, in the same situation. The book did make me wonder what I'd do, how far I'd go to stay alive.
It's worth a read, but it's out of print. Amazon sellers are asking too much but there are cheaper copies at ABE.
I really didn't like the "hero", Corporal Gary. He uses people and kills too easily. He's a good character, even though you can't call him a good man. He wants to survive, at any cost. I suppose there would be a lot of Corporal Garys out there, in the same situation. The book did make me wonder what I'd do, how far I'd go to stay alive.
February 3, 2018
Surprisingly unsympathetic protaginist.
July 11, 2023
Il lungo silenzio, di Wilson Tucker (The long loud silence, 1952 e 1968)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fortunosamente recuperato su una bancarella più di 40 anni dopo la prima lettura, il volume testimonia innanzitutto la cura della Collana SF di anticipazione: non solo la copertina e illustrazione interna di Festino, non solo l’introduzione di De Turris & Fusco, ma soprattutto l’attenzione filologica: aver preso la seconda versione del romanzo, riscritta dall’autore nel ’68 (la prima, tempestivamente tradotta nella Biblioteca Economica Mondadori, era del ’52: i riferimenti al Vietnam abbiano sostituito quelli alla II Guerra Mondiale), averla fatta tradurre dallo stesso traduttore di vent’anni prima, che in appendice commenta anche lo stato della guerra batteriologica; recuperare il finale inizialmente cassato dall’editore, perché il lettore possa confrontare.. Così si deve trattare la fantascienza! (ovviamente al costo di 4-5 Urania di allora).
Del romanzo in sé, ricordavo poco: è un buon romanzo catastrofico, molto efficace dal punto di vista narrativo e descrittivo, forse non invecchiato benissimo (per questo non posso dargli più di 3/5): una cruda storia di sopravvivenza post-catastrofe, con un protagonista volutamente sgradevole; l’autore si concentra sulle sue vicissitudini individuali, senza curarsi delle comunità che probabilmente stanno sorgendo, della parte degli USA superstite, ecc.; c’è solamente, ossessivo, il punto di vista del protagonista, come nella Strada di McCarthy; altro romanzo ambientato in un post-catastrofe dove NON c’è una vera rinascita, sia pure barbarica, ma ci si limita a saccheggiare i sempre più scarsi avanzi della civiltà precedente, in un aumento ineluttabile dell’entropia; ma qui non c’è nemmeno un fuoco da tramandare.
La catastrofe non è del tutto chiara: un attacco da un’ignota potenza straniera sulla parte orientale degli USA, che combina atomiche sulle grandi città e bacilli di peste polmonare e almeno un’altra malattia sul resto del territorio. Non seguono rappresaglie: semplicemente tutto si ferma, e gli USA a est del Missisippi vengono messi in quarantena e abbandonati al proprio destino dagli USA a Ovest (con la collaborazione del Canadà).
Il romanzo non mi sembra invecchiato benissimo perché è scritto più nello spirito del pulp che in quello della fantascienza moderna: la logica non è rigorosa né nella catastrofe, né nella sopravvivenza del protagonista (perché è immune? Perché i predoni, che hanno ucciso una donna nella stanza accanto, lo hanno soltanto derubato? E soprattutto, perché dice che se non si fosse sbronzato così per festeggiare i trent’anni, non sarebbe finito nella zona di quarantena? Ha attraversato il fiume apposta per festeggiare? Ma non lo dice mai. Cos’è quell’odore insistente e già noto? troppo presto perché sia la putrefazione. Perchè, quando è guardiano nella fattoria degli Hoffmann, sente il bisogno di nascondere il cadavere del predone che ha ucciso, se i padroni di casa gli hanno chiesto di fare proprio quello?).
Inoltre, le donne: apprezzo un narratore che non indulga nel descrivere stupri, ma è credibile che le donne che incontra siano tutte così pronte a darglisi con entusiasmo? Ed era proprio necessario sciogliere la “società” con Oliver per condividere Sally, solo perché è in arrivo un figlio (di chissà chi dei due)? L’ossessione di Irma di dimostrargli a letto che ha diciannove anni e non sedici come crede lui.. per stuzzicare i lettori? La stessa ossessione dei 19 anni torna con Sandy, la 12enne che salva dai cannibali: era probabilmente l’età legale del consenso allora, e se sulla violenza la censura USA è di manica larga, sulle questioni sesuali è ferrea..
In questo racconto di crudo realismo, apprezzabile perché non scade nel cinismo, con un protagonista né buono né cattivo ma pronto a sopravvivere a qualunque costo (e talmente ignorante da non capire a cosa porterà la sua sanguinaria sortita a ovest), spiccano alcuni tocchi non banali: la critica verso il Governo e “i generaloni”, pronti a bollare nella loro propaganda radiofonica i superstiti come “agenti nemici” per sterminarli più facilmente e procedere alla ricostruzione (la televisione non era ancora diffusa ai tempi della prima versione e non è stata inserita nella seconda: è meno suggestiva); inoltre la disperata solitudine del protagonista quando sente alla radio voci femminili di cantanti; una crisi lacerante come quella del protagonista dei “Vampiri” di Matheson (che sarebbe uscito due anni dopo).
Il finale dimostra ancora una volta una caratteristica del romanzo: non essere “logico” come la fantascienza moderna vuole, ma “a effetto” (spesso artisticamente più efficace): che senso ha che dopo tanti anni i superstiti si stiano ancora scannando tra di loro, e “i generaloni” non siano passati alla riconquista delle terre contaminate, o sterminando i superstiti (portatori sani) o dotati di vaccino? Verrebbe da pensare che l’infelice sortita del protagonista a ovest del Mississippi abbia portato lo sterminio anche colà.. se non fosse che di recente ha sentito passare un camion militare. E l’agnizione finale è poco credibile realisticamente, ma molto efficace artisticamente: qualunque dei due finali si preferisca!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fortunosamente recuperato su una bancarella più di 40 anni dopo la prima lettura, il volume testimonia innanzitutto la cura della Collana SF di anticipazione: non solo la copertina e illustrazione interna di Festino, non solo l’introduzione di De Turris & Fusco, ma soprattutto l’attenzione filologica: aver preso la seconda versione del romanzo, riscritta dall’autore nel ’68 (la prima, tempestivamente tradotta nella Biblioteca Economica Mondadori, era del ’52: i riferimenti al Vietnam abbiano sostituito quelli alla II Guerra Mondiale), averla fatta tradurre dallo stesso traduttore di vent’anni prima, che in appendice commenta anche lo stato della guerra batteriologica; recuperare il finale inizialmente cassato dall’editore, perché il lettore possa confrontare.. Così si deve trattare la fantascienza! (ovviamente al costo di 4-5 Urania di allora).
Del romanzo in sé, ricordavo poco: è un buon romanzo catastrofico, molto efficace dal punto di vista narrativo e descrittivo, forse non invecchiato benissimo (per questo non posso dargli più di 3/5): una cruda storia di sopravvivenza post-catastrofe, con un protagonista volutamente sgradevole; l’autore si concentra sulle sue vicissitudini individuali, senza curarsi delle comunità che probabilmente stanno sorgendo, della parte degli USA superstite, ecc.; c’è solamente, ossessivo, il punto di vista del protagonista, come nella Strada di McCarthy; altro romanzo ambientato in un post-catastrofe dove NON c’è una vera rinascita, sia pure barbarica, ma ci si limita a saccheggiare i sempre più scarsi avanzi della civiltà precedente, in un aumento ineluttabile dell’entropia; ma qui non c’è nemmeno un fuoco da tramandare.
La catastrofe non è del tutto chiara: un attacco da un’ignota potenza straniera sulla parte orientale degli USA, che combina atomiche sulle grandi città e bacilli di peste polmonare e almeno un’altra malattia sul resto del territorio. Non seguono rappresaglie: semplicemente tutto si ferma, e gli USA a est del Missisippi vengono messi in quarantena e abbandonati al proprio destino dagli USA a Ovest (con la collaborazione del Canadà).
Il romanzo non mi sembra invecchiato benissimo perché è scritto più nello spirito del pulp che in quello della fantascienza moderna: la logica non è rigorosa né nella catastrofe, né nella sopravvivenza del protagonista (perché è immune? Perché i predoni, che hanno ucciso una donna nella stanza accanto, lo hanno soltanto derubato? E soprattutto, perché dice che se non si fosse sbronzato così per festeggiare i trent’anni, non sarebbe finito nella zona di quarantena? Ha attraversato il fiume apposta per festeggiare? Ma non lo dice mai. Cos’è quell’odore insistente e già noto? troppo presto perché sia la putrefazione. Perchè, quando è guardiano nella fattoria degli Hoffmann, sente il bisogno di nascondere il cadavere del predone che ha ucciso, se i padroni di casa gli hanno chiesto di fare proprio quello?).
Inoltre, le donne: apprezzo un narratore che non indulga nel descrivere stupri, ma è credibile che le donne che incontra siano tutte così pronte a darglisi con entusiasmo? Ed era proprio necessario sciogliere la “società” con Oliver per condividere Sally, solo perché è in arrivo un figlio (di chissà chi dei due)? L’ossessione di Irma di dimostrargli a letto che ha diciannove anni e non sedici come crede lui.. per stuzzicare i lettori? La stessa ossessione dei 19 anni torna con Sandy, la 12enne che salva dai cannibali: era probabilmente l’età legale del consenso allora, e se sulla violenza la censura USA è di manica larga, sulle questioni sesuali è ferrea..
In questo racconto di crudo realismo, apprezzabile perché non scade nel cinismo, con un protagonista né buono né cattivo ma pronto a sopravvivere a qualunque costo (e talmente ignorante da non capire a cosa porterà la sua sanguinaria sortita a ovest), spiccano alcuni tocchi non banali: la critica verso il Governo e “i generaloni”, pronti a bollare nella loro propaganda radiofonica i superstiti come “agenti nemici” per sterminarli più facilmente e procedere alla ricostruzione (la televisione non era ancora diffusa ai tempi della prima versione e non è stata inserita nella seconda: è meno suggestiva); inoltre la disperata solitudine del protagonista quando sente alla radio voci femminili di cantanti; una crisi lacerante come quella del protagonista dei “Vampiri” di Matheson (che sarebbe uscito due anni dopo).
Il finale dimostra ancora una volta una caratteristica del romanzo: non essere “logico” come la fantascienza moderna vuole, ma “a effetto” (spesso artisticamente più efficace): che senso ha che dopo tanti anni i superstiti si stiano ancora scannando tra di loro, e “i generaloni” non siano passati alla riconquista delle terre contaminate, o sterminando i superstiti (portatori sani) o dotati di vaccino? Verrebbe da pensare che l’infelice sortita del protagonista a ovest del Mississippi abbia portato lo sterminio anche colà.. se non fosse che di recente ha sentito passare un camion militare. E l’agnizione finale è poco credibile realisticamente, ma molto efficace artisticamente: qualunque dei due finali si preferisca!
October 29, 2025
"Gary, an army corporal, wakes up in a hotel room in Illinois following a drunken binge. He discovers that the town is deserted except for a handful of corpses and comes to the realization that the country has been subjected to an attack. He discovers one other survivor, a girl of 19. They take a car and, after filling it with supplies, drive toward Chicago, which they find to be in flames. They drive west, only to discover that almost all bridges over the Mississippi have been disabled; the one remaining bridge is guarded by army troops on the western side, who shoot anyone attempting to cross over. The girl abandons him; as he travels further, Gary learns that the nuclear attack was combined with bacteriological warfare which infected the entire population with pneumonic plague. Only those rare individuals with natural resistance have survived, but since they are carriers of the disease, the entire eastern third of the country has been quarantined."--Wikipedia synopsis
I didn't care for the main character at all. He's a puto who feels sorry for himself because he doesn't get laid as much as he used to.
Corporal Gary teams up with an ex-science teacher. They are traveling across the country from North to south, camping out, and at one point, a young woman comes striding up to them. I hated this part; so ugly:
"Sally said to Oliver, "I like you."
"Thank you-appreciate the compliment no end."
He briefly took his eyes from the road and flashed her a warm grin. "I like you too-but that doesn't alter the terms of our partnership. The corporal and me: fifty-fifty."
Sally thought about it. "You want me to be nice to both of you?"
"That's right." Oliver nodded. "Or not at all."
The long silence descended on the crowded cab once more. She turned her head sharply to study Gary, to examine his eyes and lips as though they were most important to her, as though they were the keys she sought to determine character. Their glances met and locked, each glance a neutral one that had not yet found time to form a bias. When the girl turned away to again concentrate on the driver's profile, Gary went back to his continual chore of watching the countryside for movement."
"A full year now had passed, and perhaps even more .
A year. And in the dim beginning he and a thou-sand like him had supposed it might last a couple of days, perhaps a week or so. What blind and stupid fools they had been. The schoolteacher had been more of a pessimist in his opinions-his early thoughts were that the quarantine would last a month, even two. And now the first full year had passed and he was in the begin-ning months of another. How much longer would the cursed thing continue? Wasn't a year long enough to wear away the dangers? Wasn't a year much, much too long to be cut off from your own kind?
The damned brass was responsible."
Different people that Corporal Gary comes across in the eastern part of the country have mused about the cable that runs along the bottom of the Mississippi, that carried telegraphs in the old days. They wonder if they could get scuba diving gear and follow that cable to the other side, to a part that was not guarded by the army. Three men who kidnap Corporal Gary and take his supplies, find out:
" "But what was that big light?" He was trembling.
"Magnesium flare-Harry fell over a trip wire and set it off, I guess. It means they got the shore wired. I'll have to remember that." He burrowed deeper into the soil and moved the shotgun to a more comfortable posi-tion, preparatory to dozing off. "Yessir, poor old Harry actually made it. I didn't think he had it in him."
So they had the shore wired-at that point. They surely didn't have it wired the entire length of the river -counting all the crooks and turns the damned thing must be two thousand miles long or more. The army didn't have that much wire. No-only the weak points were booby-trapped. They had wired the immediate area about the bridge either because the structure itself offered concealment to anyone attempting to sneak across beneath it, or because they were aware of the underwater cables and knew someone would eventually discover them. Such as poor old Harry-short of wind and not too sound of limb, but he had made it after a long time. And a baited trap plus patient prodding.
Corporal Gary saves a little 8-year-old girl from two men who were chasing her. They had already killed her brother. He went to go find the body, and that's when he finds out people are practicing cannibalism:
" "You wait right here," he told Sandy. "I'll get Lee."
She leaned against a cold tree and watched him go.
A part of Lee Hoffman's body had been stripped bare and the flesh cut away. Gary paused for long minutes, staring down at it, gripping his lower lips between his teeth. In an absent sort of way he had speculated on this, had foreseen it if the quarantine lasted long enough and the contaminated survivors grew hungry enough. There had been authenticated reports of it happening among marooned Japanese soldiers during the last war-when the food gave out, the prisoners suffered if there were any, and if not, then one of the soldiers became the unwilling victim. The strongest and the most unprincipled will stay alive in some way, even when that way is winnowed down to cannibalism."
In the beginning of the book, Corporal Gary had partnered up with a young woman named Irma, who he found looting a grocery store. They had hung out together, but when Gary saw soldiers on the other side of the mississippi, he thought they would accept him, being a soldier himself. So he abandoned her, and later he wishes that he hadn't:
"They had eaten together while sitting on the curbing before some abandoned grocery store, or sitting on a hotel bed, or behind the wheel of a car. Eaten and lived together for many days back before he realized the world was lost. She had gone with him while he collected his weapons, his first car, his initial stock of supplies for the hungry days he supposed were ahead until he could get back to the army. Days! Irma had kept him close company, only to part at the bridge.
That had been a damned fool thing to do. They should have stayed together. Irma had been a pretty girl, would be pretty still-if she were living. She'd be twenty-one now, according to her figures. Attractive figures.
And after Irma?
The string bean who had walked up to them in the Tennessee hills. Sally. No other name, just Sally, who could be nice to them both but preferred Oliver, the schoolteacher. He wondered briefly if he had a son, or had Oliver? Sally was pretty much of a nonentity in his memory, just a woman who had been there at the time and left no indelible mark on him. Somewhat similar to the woman in New Orleans for a couple of weeks after leaving Sally. Her name was already lost, and the memory of her nearly so until he concentrated on it.
Three. In a year and a half. And that for a man who liked to boast around the barracks of his numberless conquests." 🙄
Corporal Gary uses his wits to hijack an army truck, and the dog tags and uniform of one of the men who had been in them. He manages to get across the mississippi, and Escape from being quarantined, only to find out that wherever he went, he would be discovered a day later, because he was a carrier of the plague. Thus, he makes his way back to the other side of the mississippi, back to the eastern half of the country that has been abandoned by the West. The ending is kind of lame: Irma has been tracking him, and lays clues for him to find her in a convenient little cabin. Their own little love nest.
I didn't care for the main character at all. He's a puto who feels sorry for himself because he doesn't get laid as much as he used to.
Corporal Gary teams up with an ex-science teacher. They are traveling across the country from North to south, camping out, and at one point, a young woman comes striding up to them. I hated this part; so ugly:
"Sally said to Oliver, "I like you."
"Thank you-appreciate the compliment no end."
He briefly took his eyes from the road and flashed her a warm grin. "I like you too-but that doesn't alter the terms of our partnership. The corporal and me: fifty-fifty."
Sally thought about it. "You want me to be nice to both of you?"
"That's right." Oliver nodded. "Or not at all."
The long silence descended on the crowded cab once more. She turned her head sharply to study Gary, to examine his eyes and lips as though they were most important to her, as though they were the keys she sought to determine character. Their glances met and locked, each glance a neutral one that had not yet found time to form a bias. When the girl turned away to again concentrate on the driver's profile, Gary went back to his continual chore of watching the countryside for movement."
"A full year now had passed, and perhaps even more .
A year. And in the dim beginning he and a thou-sand like him had supposed it might last a couple of days, perhaps a week or so. What blind and stupid fools they had been. The schoolteacher had been more of a pessimist in his opinions-his early thoughts were that the quarantine would last a month, even two. And now the first full year had passed and he was in the begin-ning months of another. How much longer would the cursed thing continue? Wasn't a year long enough to wear away the dangers? Wasn't a year much, much too long to be cut off from your own kind?
The damned brass was responsible."
Different people that Corporal Gary comes across in the eastern part of the country have mused about the cable that runs along the bottom of the Mississippi, that carried telegraphs in the old days. They wonder if they could get scuba diving gear and follow that cable to the other side, to a part that was not guarded by the army. Three men who kidnap Corporal Gary and take his supplies, find out:
" "But what was that big light?" He was trembling.
"Magnesium flare-Harry fell over a trip wire and set it off, I guess. It means they got the shore wired. I'll have to remember that." He burrowed deeper into the soil and moved the shotgun to a more comfortable posi-tion, preparatory to dozing off. "Yessir, poor old Harry actually made it. I didn't think he had it in him."
So they had the shore wired-at that point. They surely didn't have it wired the entire length of the river -counting all the crooks and turns the damned thing must be two thousand miles long or more. The army didn't have that much wire. No-only the weak points were booby-trapped. They had wired the immediate area about the bridge either because the structure itself offered concealment to anyone attempting to sneak across beneath it, or because they were aware of the underwater cables and knew someone would eventually discover them. Such as poor old Harry-short of wind and not too sound of limb, but he had made it after a long time. And a baited trap plus patient prodding.
Corporal Gary saves a little 8-year-old girl from two men who were chasing her. They had already killed her brother. He went to go find the body, and that's when he finds out people are practicing cannibalism:
" "You wait right here," he told Sandy. "I'll get Lee."
She leaned against a cold tree and watched him go.
A part of Lee Hoffman's body had been stripped bare and the flesh cut away. Gary paused for long minutes, staring down at it, gripping his lower lips between his teeth. In an absent sort of way he had speculated on this, had foreseen it if the quarantine lasted long enough and the contaminated survivors grew hungry enough. There had been authenticated reports of it happening among marooned Japanese soldiers during the last war-when the food gave out, the prisoners suffered if there were any, and if not, then one of the soldiers became the unwilling victim. The strongest and the most unprincipled will stay alive in some way, even when that way is winnowed down to cannibalism."
In the beginning of the book, Corporal Gary had partnered up with a young woman named Irma, who he found looting a grocery store. They had hung out together, but when Gary saw soldiers on the other side of the mississippi, he thought they would accept him, being a soldier himself. So he abandoned her, and later he wishes that he hadn't:
"They had eaten together while sitting on the curbing before some abandoned grocery store, or sitting on a hotel bed, or behind the wheel of a car. Eaten and lived together for many days back before he realized the world was lost. She had gone with him while he collected his weapons, his first car, his initial stock of supplies for the hungry days he supposed were ahead until he could get back to the army. Days! Irma had kept him close company, only to part at the bridge.
That had been a damned fool thing to do. They should have stayed together. Irma had been a pretty girl, would be pretty still-if she were living. She'd be twenty-one now, according to her figures. Attractive figures.
And after Irma?
The string bean who had walked up to them in the Tennessee hills. Sally. No other name, just Sally, who could be nice to them both but preferred Oliver, the schoolteacher. He wondered briefly if he had a son, or had Oliver? Sally was pretty much of a nonentity in his memory, just a woman who had been there at the time and left no indelible mark on him. Somewhat similar to the woman in New Orleans for a couple of weeks after leaving Sally. Her name was already lost, and the memory of her nearly so until he concentrated on it.
Three. In a year and a half. And that for a man who liked to boast around the barracks of his numberless conquests." 🙄
Corporal Gary uses his wits to hijack an army truck, and the dog tags and uniform of one of the men who had been in them. He manages to get across the mississippi, and Escape from being quarantined, only to find out that wherever he went, he would be discovered a day later, because he was a carrier of the plague. Thus, he makes his way back to the other side of the mississippi, back to the eastern half of the country that has been abandoned by the West. The ending is kind of lame: Irma has been tracking him, and lays clues for him to find her in a convenient little cabin. Their own little love nest.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 22, 2014
“Gary scivolava nell’oscurità lungo la riva e aspettava il rumore dell’esplosione, il colpo penetrante di una carabina. Che insensata quella vecchia a pensare di poter sgattaiolare attraverso il ponte, l’altra estremità era sorvegliata dalle truppe con i fari a raggi infrarossi e i cannocchiali montati sulle carabine.” È l’inizio della spaventosa cronaca di guerra futura di cui è protagonista il soldato Russell Gary: un uomo che ha la sola colpa di essersi ubriacato prima che si scatenasse l’inferno. Per di più sulla riva “sbagliata” del fiume. The Long Loud Silence è il romanzo più celebre di Wilson Tucker. Lo presentiamo nella versione appositamente ampliata e aggiornata dall’autore e con la prima stesura inedita della conclusione, mai apparsa nelle edizioni americane.
July 27, 2014
As much as I love post apocalyptic novels, I must say this book was pretty bad. the big problem is that the main character is unlikeable and when you don't care about the central figure in a book , you've got a real problem.
May 1, 2025
This is a edited/shotened version of the review that is on my Blog. For The Full review please visit it.
BAFTD Blog link
Also feel free to visit my Booktube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/@backawayfrom...
Introduction
Ever since reading ‘The Year of the Quiet Sun’ last year i’ve been looking forward to reading Wilson Tuckers 1953 post apocalyptic work ‘The Long Loud Silence’. The Long Loud Silence is another case of a book that should really be in print that isn’t. It is the sort of book that you would think was in the SF Masterworks collection.
The Plot
The book opens up when Corporal Russel Gary wakes up with a hangover to discover America has been bombed. He is on the wrong side of the Mississippi, there has been a quarantine placed along the line of the river with the East side being ‘contaminated’ by radiation or plague. The story is that of survival and loneliness and Gary’s quest to get to the safe zone. Tucker Wilson pulls no punches in his writing. In the beginning Gary is not a likeable person which we discover quickly.
As the book develops through a mixture of loneliness and optimism we feel the little humanity being sucked out of people. Don’t expect any strong female characters, the women in this grim world are commodities and foils for the characters. That’s just how this world is. Gary travels down the Mississippi sometimes looking for ways to cross and at other times just surviving. As the population dies off all that remains is those that have pushed the envelope to survive. At one point Gary comes into contact with a family who have managed to survive and keep some semblance of humanity, rather than fully embracing this all he does is work out how he can exploit the situation
In Conclusion
This book is pretty grim as you can tell, post World War II with memories of that war you can feel in the writing. The war in Europe and the Pacific hang-over this book. I like Tucker’s writing style and prose as it doesn’t distract from the ongoing narrative. After having read the Year of the Quiet Sun I can see the thread from this book to that. The narrative conveys the mixture of loneliness and desperation well and unlike some other books in the Post-Apocalyptic genre it doesn’t hit you around the head with ideas. In a similar tone to The year of the Quiet Sun it slowly pulls you into those feelings.
I don’t like to overthink or make too many conclusions about a narrative because of when the book was written, I like the story and characters to pull me into their world no matter when they were written and well written books should be able to do that. What I'm impressed with considering it was written in the 1950’s is that it’s a book with an unlikeable and very disagreeable character, and has references to Cannibalism (in the U.K Version). Polyamory is overall dark and depressing. The straightforward way the prose is and the way the story creeps up on you make this well worth a read. I know this is only the third Wilson Tucker I’ve read, the others being The Tear of the Quiet Sun and Time Masters, but I really like the way he finishes his books. The long Loud Silence like his other work has an interesting and thought provoking ending to it. I would be very interested to read the updated version from 1969.
I look forward to reading more of Wilson Tucker's work.
Full Review on my Blog, link at top
BAFTD Blog link
Also feel free to visit my Booktube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/@backawayfrom...
Introduction
Ever since reading ‘The Year of the Quiet Sun’ last year i’ve been looking forward to reading Wilson Tuckers 1953 post apocalyptic work ‘The Long Loud Silence’. The Long Loud Silence is another case of a book that should really be in print that isn’t. It is the sort of book that you would think was in the SF Masterworks collection.
The Plot
The book opens up when Corporal Russel Gary wakes up with a hangover to discover America has been bombed. He is on the wrong side of the Mississippi, there has been a quarantine placed along the line of the river with the East side being ‘contaminated’ by radiation or plague. The story is that of survival and loneliness and Gary’s quest to get to the safe zone. Tucker Wilson pulls no punches in his writing. In the beginning Gary is not a likeable person which we discover quickly.
As the book develops through a mixture of loneliness and optimism we feel the little humanity being sucked out of people. Don’t expect any strong female characters, the women in this grim world are commodities and foils for the characters. That’s just how this world is. Gary travels down the Mississippi sometimes looking for ways to cross and at other times just surviving. As the population dies off all that remains is those that have pushed the envelope to survive. At one point Gary comes into contact with a family who have managed to survive and keep some semblance of humanity, rather than fully embracing this all he does is work out how he can exploit the situation
In Conclusion
This book is pretty grim as you can tell, post World War II with memories of that war you can feel in the writing. The war in Europe and the Pacific hang-over this book. I like Tucker’s writing style and prose as it doesn’t distract from the ongoing narrative. After having read the Year of the Quiet Sun I can see the thread from this book to that. The narrative conveys the mixture of loneliness and desperation well and unlike some other books in the Post-Apocalyptic genre it doesn’t hit you around the head with ideas. In a similar tone to The year of the Quiet Sun it slowly pulls you into those feelings.
I don’t like to overthink or make too many conclusions about a narrative because of when the book was written, I like the story and characters to pull me into their world no matter when they were written and well written books should be able to do that. What I'm impressed with considering it was written in the 1950’s is that it’s a book with an unlikeable and very disagreeable character, and has references to Cannibalism (in the U.K Version). Polyamory is overall dark and depressing. The straightforward way the prose is and the way the story creeps up on you make this well worth a read. I know this is only the third Wilson Tucker I’ve read, the others being The Tear of the Quiet Sun and Time Masters, but I really like the way he finishes his books. The long Loud Silence like his other work has an interesting and thought provoking ending to it. I would be very interested to read the updated version from 1969.
I look forward to reading more of Wilson Tucker's work.
Full Review on my Blog, link at top
April 4, 2021
Kıyamet sonrası bir dünyada geçen bir hikaye. Zaman kaybı oldu benim için. Son sayfaya kadar bir gelişme bekledim ama yok.
June 27, 2021
Es muy fácil malinterpretar "El clamor del silencio", una de las primeras novelas de ciencia ficción de Wilson Tucker. Superficialmente, sería lógico confundirla con una de las típicas narraciones aventureras que proliferaron en las revistas pulp durante los años treinta y cuarenta.
Gary Russell, un cabo del ejército estadounidense, se despierta cierto día de una borrachera y se ve en medio de una ciudad devastada y abandonada. Al cabo de un tiempo descubre que el noreste del país ha sido atacado por un enemigo ignoto, que ha arrasado las grandes ciudades con bombas atómicas y ha esparcido por el resto del territorio terribles enfermedades. Se inicia, pues, una lucha por la supervivencia en la que Gary es... ¿el héroe?
Nada de eso. "The long loud silence" es de 1952, y eso nos permite contextualizarla de un modo diferente. En esta época, antes de que la amenaza nuclear rusa fuera patente, el gobierno de los EE.UU. se estaba esforzando denodadamente por vender la idea de que la energía atómica era el futuro y de que los bombardeos de Hiroshima y Nagasaki habían sido justos, necesarios y proporcionados.
Con "El clamor del silencio", Wilson Tucker lo que hizo fue volver las tornas y situar al propio territorio norteamericano como receptor del ataque (por aquel entonces no se conocía mucho de los efectos de la radiación, así que añadió guerra biológica al catálogo de atrocidades). No importa tanto quién es el responsable como la reacción de los ciudadanos y del gobierno en funciones, que delinea una frontera interna impenetrable a lo largo del río Mississipi. Todo lo que queda al este del mismo, es territorio salvaje, abandonado a su suerte. En estas condiciones, Gary hace lo que considera necesario para sobrevivir... y Gary no es un ser humano particularmente ético.
"El clamor del silencio" no es una novela de aventuras. Es una denuncia. Es una exploración amarga de lo peor del ser humano. Puso a la sociedad estadounidense y su despreocupación para con el modo en que habían ganado la guerra frente a un espejo que devuelve una imagen poco favorecedora. En cierto sentido, es lógico que muchos prefieran ver en Gary a un héroe y se sientan defraudados cuando resulta poco convincente en ese papel.
Reseña completa en Rescepto Indablog: https://rescepto.wordpress.com/2021/0...
Gary Russell, un cabo del ejército estadounidense, se despierta cierto día de una borrachera y se ve en medio de una ciudad devastada y abandonada. Al cabo de un tiempo descubre que el noreste del país ha sido atacado por un enemigo ignoto, que ha arrasado las grandes ciudades con bombas atómicas y ha esparcido por el resto del territorio terribles enfermedades. Se inicia, pues, una lucha por la supervivencia en la que Gary es... ¿el héroe?
Nada de eso. "The long loud silence" es de 1952, y eso nos permite contextualizarla de un modo diferente. En esta época, antes de que la amenaza nuclear rusa fuera patente, el gobierno de los EE.UU. se estaba esforzando denodadamente por vender la idea de que la energía atómica era el futuro y de que los bombardeos de Hiroshima y Nagasaki habían sido justos, necesarios y proporcionados.
Con "El clamor del silencio", Wilson Tucker lo que hizo fue volver las tornas y situar al propio territorio norteamericano como receptor del ataque (por aquel entonces no se conocía mucho de los efectos de la radiación, así que añadió guerra biológica al catálogo de atrocidades). No importa tanto quién es el responsable como la reacción de los ciudadanos y del gobierno en funciones, que delinea una frontera interna impenetrable a lo largo del río Mississipi. Todo lo que queda al este del mismo, es territorio salvaje, abandonado a su suerte. En estas condiciones, Gary hace lo que considera necesario para sobrevivir... y Gary no es un ser humano particularmente ético.
"El clamor del silencio" no es una novela de aventuras. Es una denuncia. Es una exploración amarga de lo peor del ser humano. Puso a la sociedad estadounidense y su despreocupación para con el modo en que habían ganado la guerra frente a un espejo que devuelve una imagen poco favorecedora. En cierto sentido, es lógico que muchos prefieran ver en Gary a un héroe y se sientan defraudados cuando resulta poco convincente en ese papel.
Reseña completa en Rescepto Indablog: https://rescepto.wordpress.com/2021/0...
July 11, 2020
Full review: https://sciencefictionruminations.com...
"Preliminary Note: I read the 1969 Lancer edition which was “specially revised and updated by the author.” Other than many overt references to the Vietnam War which chronologically could not have been in the original 1952 edition, I am uncertain how much was subtracted, added, or re-conceived. John Clute at SF Encyclopedia indicates that “early editions” deleted references to cannibalism. Perhaps he means the pre-1969 editions as it is horrifyingly present in this edition. I wish I read the first edition as comparisons to his contemporaries would be easier to make. Anyone who has read both versions or knows of a resource which lays out the modifications, please let me know. The idea of updating a radical 50s novel for a late 60s audience intrigues me!
The Long Loud Silence (1952, revised 1969) is a quiet novel that depends on the emotional impact [...]"
"Preliminary Note: I read the 1969 Lancer edition which was “specially revised and updated by the author.” Other than many overt references to the Vietnam War which chronologically could not have been in the original 1952 edition, I am uncertain how much was subtracted, added, or re-conceived. John Clute at SF Encyclopedia indicates that “early editions” deleted references to cannibalism. Perhaps he means the pre-1969 editions as it is horrifyingly present in this edition. I wish I read the first edition as comparisons to his contemporaries would be easier to make. Anyone who has read both versions or knows of a resource which lays out the modifications, please let me know. The idea of updating a radical 50s novel for a late 60s audience intrigues me!
The Long Loud Silence (1952, revised 1969) is a quiet novel that depends on the emotional impact [...]"
July 19, 2021
I read this book because I saw a history photo showing the author working as a projectionist in one of the old local downtown theaters before he went on to write science fiction. It is an interesting read. Using language mannerisms of the time, describing current day or near future was part of the adventure of this book. The story could easily take place in modern day and that insight was a little unnerving.
August 13, 2021
long time since I read this. a post-apocalyptic pandemic survivalist story, the first I ever read of both genres. Possibly the first survivalist sci-fi novel (not sure where it sits date wise with Heinlein's 'Farnham's Freehold'). After years of militarily imposed regional isolation a survivor makes his way back to the remnants of civilisation. A definite classic in my rather extensive collection.
December 18, 2015
Birçok yerde klasik olarak geçiyor; eleştirilerde, yorumlarda vs. Ama bir eserin klasik olması için biraz da zamana yenilmemiş olması gerekiyor galiba. Sürekli bir yol hikayesi olarak akması, "benzerlerini" kendisinden ilham alsalar bile okumuş olmamız, karakter yaratımına zaten önem verilmemiş olması kitabın eksilerinden.
Klasikse klasik, ben iki yıldızı basıyorum; zamana yenilen klasik olmaz.
Klasikse klasik, ben iki yıldızı basıyorum; zamana yenilen klasik olmaz.
August 14, 2024
"you couldn't write this now", and for a good reason. The story is pretty good considering the age of the book. Feels very modern
The book however is the worst pile of misogynistic trash I've ever read. Stop crying or I'll punch you good. You will obviously sleep with both of us men and not have a thing to say about it. I'd love to visit her when she's older.
The book however is the worst pile of misogynistic trash I've ever read. Stop crying or I'll punch you good. You will obviously sleep with both of us men and not have a thing to say about it. I'd love to visit her when she's older.
February 2, 2008
great 50s Sci-Fi
March 23, 2018
Good campy 50's sci fi...anticipates biological warfare and the challenges of surviving in a post apocalyptic world.....
October 23, 2013
The story is interesting and good if thinking it was written in the 1950s.
The female characters are treated like things... Unbelievable.
They accept everything from the mani character...
The female characters are treated like things... Unbelievable.
They accept everything from the mani character...
May 29, 2015
1977 grade C
June 28, 2015
Loved it. Another great piece of apocalyptic fiction from the Cold War era... they really knew how to write 'em back then. I even grabbed a couple of first printings because of it.
May 25, 2024
This is another of my father's old science fiction books. He bought it in 1954, two years after its publication. It was the early years of the cold war, when terrifying weapons were proliferating. Tucker envisions a devastating attack on the eastern U.S., with nuclear weapons obliterating the larger cities and biological weapons taking out the rest of the region. East of the Mississippi River is a wasteland, while civilization carries on to the west. But the biological contamination must be contained. The Army therefore destroys most of the bridges crossing the river and keeps the few that remain under heavy guard. Anyone attempting to cross into the west is killed.
Following a birthday binge, Corporal Russell Gary wakes up on the wrong side of the river. The novel follows him as he fights for survival in a land where resources are scarce and nobody can be trusted. Always in the back of his mind--and sometimes in the forefront--is the desire to get across the river and rejoin the Army.
I suppose this would be classified as a men's science fiction adventure. Gary has skills and determination aplenty, and he does survive. But he's not a very likeable character. He cares only for himself, uses everyone he meets, and often throws them away when he's done with them. The women he meets are only good for satisfying his sexual needs, and the men, with one exception, are pretty much only good for helping him get across the river. And he persists in that, even though he's been told that if he gets across, he'll be endangering the entire population, because likely he's carrying the disease that wiped out the east. Does he care? Nope. He just wants his old life back.
It's an okay story, otherwise. It's just hard to imagine anybody rooting for this guy or even caring much about him.
Following a birthday binge, Corporal Russell Gary wakes up on the wrong side of the river. The novel follows him as he fights for survival in a land where resources are scarce and nobody can be trusted. Always in the back of his mind--and sometimes in the forefront--is the desire to get across the river and rejoin the Army.
I suppose this would be classified as a men's science fiction adventure. Gary has skills and determination aplenty, and he does survive. But he's not a very likeable character. He cares only for himself, uses everyone he meets, and often throws them away when he's done with them. The women he meets are only good for satisfying his sexual needs, and the men, with one exception, are pretty much only good for helping him get across the river. And he persists in that, even though he's been told that if he gets across, he'll be endangering the entire population, because likely he's carrying the disease that wiped out the east. Does he care? Nope. He just wants his old life back.
It's an okay story, otherwise. It's just hard to imagine anybody rooting for this guy or even caring much about him.
June 11, 2022
I read this book when I was a teenager, that's probably the main reason I didn't enjoy "The Road" as much when that similar but now much more famous postapocalyptic survival horror came along later - been there, done that.
As for reviews here saying it's misogynic etc you have to take into account that a) pretty much all books of that era was, so just deal with it, and b) the author deserves posthumous credit for being one of few that actually updated a book to change with the times - for one in the version I read the protagonist was actually a veteran from the Vietnam war rather than WW2 - had he still been around today (assuming copyrights and contracts allows for such now) I'm confident that he would have wanted to give us a version from an Afghanistan female veteran's point of view.
As for reviews here saying it's misogynic etc you have to take into account that a) pretty much all books of that era was, so just deal with it, and b) the author deserves posthumous credit for being one of few that actually updated a book to change with the times - for one in the version I read the protagonist was actually a veteran from the Vietnam war rather than WW2 - had he still been around today (assuming copyrights and contracts allows for such now) I'm confident that he would have wanted to give us a version from an Afghanistan female veteran's point of view.
November 4, 2023
Gosh-damn that was dark. I picked up this 1953 edition in a charity bookshop in London, not expecting much. But as it turned out, it's a compelling read, depicting the steady descent of one half of the 1950s US into barbarism, following a series of bombings and a deadly plague. An early post-apocalyptic tale featuring an anti-hero who you quickly realise is a complete monster; well worth tracking down if you like your end-of-the-world stories bleak and grim!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews