The Sun Grows Cold

by Howard Berk

The time: The near future. The place: America. Across the devastated landscape of what once was the richest country on earth, a man and woman are running for their lives. Their enemy: the government of the United States, which has become a monstruously powerful agency for the control of every human body - and every human mind...

Genres: Science Fiction

249 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

Reviews

[Bill Ward · Rating 2 out of 5]

Guy wakes up from an amnesia treatment and tries to find out who he is in a post apocalyptic world. I bought the paperback at Goodwill and struggled to get all the way through it, but was relieved when I finally finished so I could go on to something more enjoyable. It's just good enough to keep you reading, but not good enough to enjoy. Not recommended.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Incredibly silly, but good fun.

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok this book took a sudden and horrific shift in direction. Many post apocalyptic sci fi novels I’ve read from this era have ended with a message of hope so I wasn’t prepared for how bleak the ending was. Is ignorance truly bliss? Is an unsatisfying fantasy better than the horror of what’s left of the world?

I’m surprised it’s never been adapted for film.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are lucky enough to find this antique, stick with it and accept the ending as typical of sci fi of this period. Berk is actually a great writer, with a talent for description. Goodreads doesn’t list any of his other works so this could be Berk’s sole sojourn into novel writing. This oldie came in a pile of eBay unread paperbacks. It’s reminiscent of environmental disaster books and movies of the period and actually speaks truth to man’s self destructive nature.

[Jolieg G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Een dikke 3 sterren.
Van genoten. spannend en van deze tijd.

[Andy Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is set in the United States in the near future following a major national disaster. The tale begins with few details known to the reader as we follow a patient in a psychiatric hospital, and to a lesser extent the medical staff. The patient makes an unusually quick recovery from the mysterious treatment to which he is exposed, and becomes more and more obsessed with finding out what exactly is going on. I won't give any more details as it may spoil the various revelations throughout the book, but I can say that the majority of the book follows the hero as he tries to determine the truth.

The story is well written and moves at a good pace. I wanted to keep reading to find out what the 'big secret' held from the hero is, and I wasn't disappointed with the ending. Although I found some of the details slightly unrealistic, this is an interesting variant on the usual stories within the post-apocalyptic genre and I would recommend it for that reason.

[Drusilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

The government has a plan & like most government plans it's dangerous for the average person, who doesn't have clue as to what is really going on.

[Andy]

1ST PANTHER EDITION.