The Empty World

by D.E. Stevenson

Boarding an airliner headed from New York to London, writer Jane Forrest knows it will be a turbulent flight. An electrical storm stands between Jane and London. When a spectacular surge of lightning illuminates the clouds below them and the airliner is knocked off course, Jane turns to the dashing, intelligent Sir Richard Barton in the next seat. As dawn breaks, Jane realises there are no lights on the ground and the radio is jammed. When the airliner is safely landed on a deserted airfield they find cars abandoned and a mysterious lack of people on the deathly silent streets of Glasgow. Believing she will be safe in the arms of Sir Richard, it’s not until he is mysteriously taken ill that Jane questions her love... The Empty World is a touching yet thrilling sci-fi romance classic from D.E. Stevenson, perfect for fans of Stephen King and Lois McMaster Bujold. Praise for The Empty ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Apocalyptic fiction by D. E. Stevenson. What more could I ask?' - Library Thing ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Like a 1936 Stephen King' - Goodreads reviewer D. E. Stevenson was born in Edinburgh. Her father was a first cousin of Robert Louis Stevenson. She was educated privately and travelled widely in France and Italy with her parents. She married a major in the Highland Light Infantry and moved with the regiment from place to place gaining valuable experience of life and people.

Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction, Romance, Dystopia, British Literature, Fantasy

218 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 1936

About the author

There is more than one author with this name

Dorothy Emily Stevenson was a best-selling Scottish author. She published more than 40 romantic novels over a period of more than 40 years. Her father was a cousin of Robert Louis Stevenson.

D.E. Stevenson had an enormously successful writing career: between 1923 and 1970, four million copies of her books were sold in Britain and three million in the States. Like E.F. Benson, Ann Bridge, O. Douglas or Dorothy L. Sayers (to name but a few) her books are funny, intensely readable, engaging and dependable.

Reviews

[Rain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written in the 1930s with language and behavior of that era.

“Primitive man is still lurking underneath the veneer of civilisation.”

Flying from New York to London, a small group of people discover they are the only ones left alive after the tail of a comet passes by earth. They are thrown off course and land in Edinburgh.

They passed a bus which had overturned, and was lying helpless in the ditch. They passed empty lorries, empty buses, empty cars, empty villages. Nobody spoke.

Twilight zone-ish
Post apocalyptic
Psychological
Old fashioned love story

Neither of them was in love, but they liked each other immensely. In this strange empty world they were like a pair of children, clinging to each other’s hands in the dark.

There are some issues with the science but overall, I was thrilled with this dystopian landscape and storytelling.

[Elaine and Tess the Springer. I won’t be on GR for a bit. · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read.

I loved The Empty World. I got into the characters right away and the pace was perfect. It was impossible to put down.

[Alisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one wild story, and waaaaay outside DE Stevenson’s normal milieu.
If you think you’d like to read a book written in the 30’s but set in the futuristic 70’s and that begins with a freakish apocalypse, then, yeah, give this book a try. Do like I did and don’t read the synopsis. It’s more compelling when you go in blind. That’s why I’m not going to give any other plot points.

I actually would have given it 4 stars but I got annoyed in the last few chapters and just wanted to see it wrap up. But it was surprisingly fascinating overall and if you like DE Stevenson but you also like also weird stuff, you might appreciate it.

[Elizabeth]

Sooooo not my cup of tea!! But it's DES, so it's well written and with some fascinating sociology/psychology angles. It would be fun to discuss this with others. I very much feel about this as I did about Trollope's anomaly, The Fixed Period. I'm glad I read them because I want to be a completist for both authors, but I doubt I'll feel the need to revisit either. In the end, I enjoyed Trollope's more with my buddy readers, though both have interesting ideas about human nature and its dignity. But give me Vittoria Cottage any day!!

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh. My. Goodness. Who knew that D.E. Stevenson wrote a dystopian novel????? As a huge fan of her beautifully written light novels (mostly about regular people living out their daily lives), I was dumbfounded to discover this little gem. No, it doesn't have the finesse of her later novels, but it was a rollicking fun read.

Jane Forrest is travelling from the U.S. to England. When she lands, the world as she knew it no longer exists. There are no other living creatures. No insects, birds, animals, people. The other survivors (those on the plane with her) soon show their true characters. Then it's the good guys against the bad guys and a fight for survival. Sounds cheesy, but I loved it.

All the questions that make dystopian fiction worthwhile are here: Who should have power and how should it be used? How to survive and rebuild? When all modern civilization is erased, what are the basics of life that really matter? Are some lives worth saving more than others? Is utopia possible considering man's sinful, fallen nature?

A fun and fascinating novel.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dystopian post-apocalyptic sci-fi from the 30s, written by an author known for her ‘light romances’?!? It actually worked well for me. I enjoyed how different it was from my usual reading choices.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really, British Sci-Fi. i had read it years and years ago through interlibrary loan, but it has been re-published since then and a friend sold me her copy. it is an odd one for stevenson, as it was written in the 1930's and was her one try at sci-fi. but really i enjoyed it a lot. i was surprised. it is strange. ideas of sci-fi from the 30's are bound to be a bit strange. it's a bit stiff. and yet i had trouble putting it down. i kind of zipped through it because i wanted to know what was going to happen next, so that is a pretty good sign of a good book. it is old-fashioned. this time, though it hit me that this was the plot used by the movie '2012', in which the earth was going to suffer a catastrophe and a few people knew and planned for it - was surprised at how many likenesses there were between the plots. anyway, a very fun read.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn’t expect to enjoy this much as it’s so different from her usual style but I quite liked it!

[Classic reverie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love anything D. E. Stevenson writes, she captivates me and I was super excited to read her dystopian thriller, "The Empty World" which I had a hard time putting down. This story was published in 193, but the setting is the future, 1973, I find it fascinating just in the fact that we see what she would think a future would look like and pair that with a comet hitting the earth. So she is writing before this story before World War 2, it seems to be before because of the mention of The Great War (1). The plane turbulence and the landing on an "empty world" is so "Twlight Zone". I found the reference to Jane's radium watch and radium water, quite eerie, due to the ignorance of the times of radium's serious health
risk. The idea that being told what to do without a say by a government or a leader thinking, they know better so the people have little to say and cowered into compliance, standing for freedom is always essential! One wonders how much today's society has been taking our freedoms.


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Boddington character has a kind of Hilter mentality, his henchman and creating a superior race, was she thinking of him, when she wrote this.
The character of the two left and man seemed to become more humane, especially when they are losing each other, Bolton soon sees the need for others.



Jane Forrest is a historical novel writer and returning home to London after 3 month stay in the USA. the year is after 1973, this book published was published 1936. While Jane Forrest is talking to Sir Richard Barton, the newspaper proprietor, they talk of continual inventions that keep making life complicated, be careful of what you wish for. In the year 2021, Stevenson sentiment about life is so very true, the more things that are suppose to make life easier, generally save time but also can take up more time, too much stimulus has a long term effect, not understanding the time taken away from nature and piece of mind. An electrical storm has upset and threw the plane around like a leaf, afterwards there are no injuries but many broken things. Maise, Jane's secretary seems quite calm. Jane and Sir Richards are told by the pilot Fenemore about the strange thing no response SOS and the fact there are no lights, no stations, other planes or communications. Jane has a dream she is trapped in beautiful garden. Fenemore only has 2 hours of fuel left and finally they see land and a river which the engineer says it is Clyde River, some place in Scotland. The plane lands but the airport is empty. The plane lands and the emptiness is strange, Jane and Maisie are trying to find a taxi with the Miss Hervey sisters but instead it is Sir Richard telling them to get in quick and Bunce, his man drives to Glasgow. The roads are empty of people but empty vehicles, some turned over and nobody in the city. The sisters want to see their nephew but his home is shut up and been empty for a week. They eat at an empty restaurant and find a hotel to sleep the night. The electricity and cars are functioning. Sir Richard and Jane go to the library to find out if there is any news about what is happening find out about Boddington, whose prediction of a comet's tail hitting the earth and upsetting the electrical current where all human life turns to dust. Richard propose to Jane and suggest the six of them keep house together and not return to the others. Jane feels that Richard being a leader should go back but he feels too tired to lead and wants Jane to decide about the others which she choses to go back because it would not be fair to Maisie to be paired with Bunce and not having a choice and other reasons. Richard sighs and decides to drive to see what is happening at the airport, Jane insist on coming too and they find Bunce and Maisie quite comfortable together before they leave. Jane and Richard arrive at the airport mess hall and are greeted with a gun by Pilot Day, who apologises but tells them about the angry men. Fenemore shows them the passenger list and about 4 men of the crew that were to be fired. The movie actress Iris Bright and her maid, Miss O'Connell return after they find out that there is nobody around and her manager is of a bad lot, started to drink and the girls fled. Then Brown and Bolton come and tell the group they intend to have fun and demand 2 young women but Sir Richard tells them the women can decide and they want to stay with the groups. The rogue men leave but say they will get what they want. Still Jane thinks things are not serious!!! Richard is told that he is the leader, something he did not want to do but he plans for the group to separate and meet at his estate in Bardsholme. Jane wants to come with him but he as her go with Fenemore. Jane saves Fenemore's life by saying she wants to stay with the rogue group, and showing it, Fenemore says he will not leave without her, she knows they will kill him, if he does not leave, he finally believes her and leaves. It has been a week and the men are fighting afraid of each other taking Jane away, finally when they are having a meeting about what to do, she makes her escape and drives away. After Jane escapes she drives afraid of everything ahead, she has to push several cars off the road. It is dark and she sees headlights approaching, not thinking too much she leaves the car and climbs a nearby tree. She soon sees the road block and stop, the men get out of the car, they search the woods and soon see that she must have taken the other road but Thomas leaning against the car she was driving feeling the heat starts looking when the others drove away. After he gives up searching and starts walking, Jane climbs down and finds a car to drive, Thomas soon sees her and tries to stop her, and is hit falling into the curb. While driving Jane crashes into several large vehicles which starts a blaze, Jane escapes with bruises and a swollen knee, finding a house to refresh herself before she continues her journey. Finally she arrives at Bardsholme but there is no sign of life. Fenemore arrives at Bardshome without Jane, he says she wanted to stay but Maule says that she had a plan and wanted them to leave because they would have killed Fenemore. Richard is happy at home but is missing Jane and must wait. Fenemore is getting restless and wants the group to move closer to London to be near food stores but Richard and others want to wait for Jane. Fenemore frustrated decides to take the plane with Day and look around, see if his fiance is alive, Miss O'Connell wants to come also. Iris Bright tells her to stay because she is her maid, Richard says that all people are free, so she goes on the trip. He is surprised when Farquhar wants to marry Maisie, he thought her and Bunce would. Farquhar wants to be the gardener and live in the cottage. After the ceremony in the village, they return to a horn blowing and they use caution, to who it could be. Jane tells her story but only tells Richard about the lottery the rogue men had for her. Richard tells her about the book he is writing, about what happened and that the leader should have it. He feels Jane should be the leader when he dies but does not tell her. Richard tells her he is feeling sick. Iris wants to be friends with Jane, her life as an orphan from London, Iris wonders what male that she wants because she would like Bunce, though he wanted the married Maisie. She thinks Jane might like Richard. Alice, Tom and David are traveling finding the same things, emptiness and no birds or insects. Alice awakens to a dream of being alone and wants to go back. She sees a painting in a museum that she loves and David tells her to take it. They return and see Jane but David is still angry but starts to hear her story until she mentions a blackbird, he tells her that she is lying. Miss May watches the younger ones and wonders who will marry who next, she feels like the mother of the family.
They were enjoying the music evening when Brown and Haviland with guns were asking for Jane and Iris, while Haviland takes the girls and Brown has the gun on Maisie, Thomas is able to get the gun away and David and Maule look for the girls. Farquhar shots Brown in the head. Meanwhile Jane is able to get the gun from Haviland who is able to get away with Iris but run into David. Iris is set loose and Haviland escapes. Being dark Thomas shots David by accident in the arm. The others try to find Haviland. Farquhar hears someone outside his cottage and the men find Grosse, who is in a kind of shell shock, not knowing anything. Richard is ill and has appendicitis, David who studied medicine but did not finish, may have to operate. Jane and David make up. Alice and Tom are caught and the 3 men talk about living with he others and behaving, they are so lonely. They ask to come back, Alice and Tom finally agree knowing full well that they are bad. They are to take 2 cars, in hope to escape again. Alice and Tom pretend to go over the cliff with the car and then the three bad bunch think they are dead but Bolton wants to check but first they go to get drunk. Alice and Tom get back home and tell what happened, & announce their engagement. Iris is worried that and hopes Bunce will want to marry her. At the bar a fight has Bolton shot Greig dead. He decides that they must see the car, maybe some clues, Ackrington comes with him, the tide is coming but they find Richard's address. Drunk and the tide rising, still thinking Tom and Alice are dead, it is harder to climb and Ackrington falls to the rocks. Absolutely alone Bolton thinks he sees ghosts and falls to his death. David and Jane find the bluebird house and then David professes his love for Jane; she says she will marry him and that she thinks she loves him from before she had him leave. They are told to come peacefully to talk to Boddington by his guard. They are brought to see Professor Boddington who though brilliant is a piece of work. He has only the best specimens of everything and after listening to Jane's story wants her for one of his men but she says she is married to David. He might keep them there and will decide. He could care less about Richard and getting a doctor for him. Jane tells the Glovers that they are not married yet, they tell her not to tell the professor who is quite mad. The lack of freedom especially children must follow their father's careers and like 1984; big professor is listening. The disappearances were planned or kidnapped for Boddington's whims. Mrs. Glover feels trapped by the police state and asks Jane if she would like to live there but see that Jane is not interested. David is told that they have no choice and can not go. The community is in an uproar about being told who to marry. Dr. Willis who was kidnapped and lost his family because of the mad Boddington, is finally waking up to the injustice thanks to David. Jane heard that Elise, David's fiance that was supposed to be dead. Jane feels the pain but she must tell him. An uprising of men went to Boddington's house and the guard outside put up a half hearty fight, David and Sir Arthur enter the home and find out Major Keen is dead, shot by his own men and the men look to leave the compound. The scientists so find they are powerless. Sir Arthur comes goes to Bardsholme to operate on his friend Sir Richard, with David assisting. Arthur sees the happy home and wants to stay there, not being too far from Shallowdale. Iris hearing of the other place will go there to see what men are there instead of Bunce. Finally Jane tells David about Elise who already knows and she is marrying someone else. David tells Jane he loves her and dies not want anyone else.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

According to the cover, D. E. Stevenson is “mistress of the light novel.” Not, I note, “mistress of the post-apocalyptic thriller” - which, inexplicably, this seems to be. This is unlike anything else I’ve ever read by Stevenson, and so poorly written, I kept wondering if it was juvenilia. But it’s published after some of her most successful novels. So just a misguided experiment, I guess.

While the book is fairly dreadful, I was entertained by Stevenson’s attempts to imagine the world of the 1970s from the vantage point of the mid-1930s. Some details feel plausible (smoking was probably almost as prevalent in the 70s as the 30s, at least compared to today), but others are more jarring: an airplane with private passenger cabins, a hot air balloon / dirigible that travels into space, and a character reminiscing about the blackout during The Great War (not WW2). Less amusing are forays into eugenic theory - discredited as impractical but not (alas) immoral. And some very unfortunate racial slurs, common in the 30s, but surely less so by the 70s.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Empty World by D. E. Stevenson was an early end-of-the-world novel that follows a handful of survivors. A comet comes close to the Earth and causes an electrical buildup that disappears all animal life except for the crew and passengers of one lone transcontinental flight. This 1939 novel imagines the future of 1973. D. E. Stevenson or Dorothy Emily Stevenson was a Scottish writer of light romances. I have no idea why she decided to write a science fiction novel but it's not bad. The prose is meant for shop girls but the plot and ideas aren't bad.

If you love books about the last people on Earth, this one is not a great example like Earth Abides by George R. Stewart or The Hopkins Manuscript by R. C. Sherriff but it was fun enough to read. I love this odd little sub-genre and enjoy seeing how another writer works out the idea.

[Tuesdayschild · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lite dystopian read from one of my liked vintage-era writers. I was keen to find out what happened to each of the women, and how Stevenson was going to sort out the bad guys. Clean read, kissing mentioned. Some Christian content, which I appreciated, and, LOTS of smoking, which is always rather disconcerting in vintage reads until I remember the era these writers lived in.
A significant detractor for me was the inclusion of a song using the ‘n’ word which features in a drunken shooting scene amongst the bad ‘guys’.
In true D.E. Stevenson, she gives us another abrupt ending to a story.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, although I will warn future readers it can get a little slow in parts. But for those who enjoy the original 1950s Twilight Zone, give this story a chance.

[Cera]

A really strange, fairly depressing science fiction disaster novel by an author who mostly wrote middlebrow women's romances.

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a departure from D.E. Stevenson's usual fare and I loved it! Though per usual for Stevenson, the ending was abrupt and left me hanging. Still, I really enjoyed this sci-fi novel!

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting! I was in goblin mode not wanting to put the book down until the end. However, I also did not want the book to end. Such a different genre for Stevenson!

[Pete F · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of DE Stevenson since discovering her books on Kindle a few months ago, notwithstanding the casual racism which would have been quite common at the time she was at her peak as an author. The N-word often appears in her books, but in other ways, she is quite enlightened for the times in which she lived. The latest book of hers which I've just finished reading is The Empty World.

This is not like her usual novels which are basically romances. It's a science fiction dystopia, which I enjoyed but left me with some questions about its inconsistencies.  The protaganist is an author called Jane Forrest, who is flying back to England after promoting her latest book in America.  At least, England is the intention, but the plane doesn't make it. In the world below, an apocalypse has taken place, and as the plane has been flying extra high to avoid a severe storm, its passengers are saved from the fate of those on earth.

However, when the plane lands in Glasgow,  there are no lights, no vehicles to collect their baggage, no people.  Everyone has died, apparently, leaving no trace. Vehicles have been left abandoned on roads, shops have been left open, and there are no animals, either. 

The rest of the novel tells the story of what happens to this small band of survivors, how they cope, what caused the apocalypse and why there are other survivors near to where they settle. 

For a writer who was used to penning romantic novels, this is surprisingly good.  It was first published in 1936, but is set in the future, in 1973.  At a time when Hitler had come to power three years before, Professor Boddington could be seen as a milder version of Hitler, as he wants to build a utopia with only useful people and no disabled people, akin to the Nazis' eugenics programme. But he is overthrown by the people living in his dystopia community. 

This was Stevenson's only sci-fi novel.  But it does have quite a lot of romance in it as some of the survivors pair off in order to bring new people into an empty world.

[Miriam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a difficult book to assign stars to because it is so unlike Stevenson's other books, and because I thought it was well-written but didn't really enjoy reading it. I don't feel that the true implications of the massive tragedy that happened in the book were ever really dealt with. It was an intriguing plot, though, and I thought the author did a good job of implying the sort of things that would happen as social mores broke down without stating them in a way that would make the book inappropriate for her usual audience. It was also interesting to see the sort of world Stevenson predicted for 1973, nearly 40 years after she wrote this book. In some ways it is more advanced than it really was (the "television" she describes seems more like the Internet in some ways), while in others it is less advanced (a transatlantic NY-London flight takes 12 hours instead of 6-7). It is a very sad book, but it is definitely worth a read for fans of D. E. Stevenson.

Content Warning: Multiple uses of the N-word in one of the characters quoting a song that was also the inspiration for the original title of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None.

[Cricket Muse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Known for her light romances that featured decent, everyday people, DE Stevenson takes an abrupt trek off her usual path and presents a dystopian story of surprise and intrigue.
The basics: a natural event has altered life throughout the world. Only a few people remain alive and Jane is one them. A famed writer, she and those who are with her try to create a new life for themselves. There are villainous characters and a megalomaniac that must be dealt with, yet the plot focuses on how cataclysmic circumstances affect people.
Written prior to WWII, Stevenson sets her story in the seventies. The world she creates forty years ahead is relatively acceptable and not too far-fetched. Decency and moral dilemmas, such as personal choice and personal liberty are mixed in with a survival theme. And yes, light romance prevails.
Different from her other books, but definitely a worthwhile read.

[Elzadra · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting early entry in the "cosy catastrophe" category by an author not known for this kind of work. A strange electrical wave from space kills almost everyone, including all animals and birds, leaving a randomly selected group of people who happened to be aboard an airship when it happened and were thus not affected. (The book was published in 1936, the latest year airships were still considered a viable future: the Hindenburg crashed in 1937.)

There are some good moments of suspense and some unexpected turns, but the book felt to me like it ended too soon. Stevenson created some good villains, but her mad scientist wasn't quite up to the job, and the romances were all pretty predictable.

[Misti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love Stevenson’s Miss Buncle's Book so when I saw she had written a post-apocalyptic/dystopian book, I had to try it. It was written in 1936, and the setting is a futuristic 1973 with some technology and science that isn’t quite right. And the wristwatch dials are lit by radium. (Which they were when she wrote the book and I didn’t realize how long radium was actually used to light up watches. Crazy!) I was intrigued from the start. I won’t spoil anything but I enjoyed this old-fashioned take on a post-apocalyptic world.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Empty World" by D.E. Stevenson (also known as "A World in Spell"), first published in 1936, is a significant departure from Stevenson's usual light romances, and probably one of her lesser-known books.

While there is romance in the story, it's essentially an apocalyptic/dystopian science fiction novel, set 37 years in the future in 1973 (which is actually the year in which Stevenson died). As I read, I was reminded of classic episodes of "The Twilight Zone," and maybe a little of "Lost," which I watched for part of the first season.

British author and lecturer Jane Forrest and her loyal secretary Maisie board the trans-Atlantic airliner The Black Prince in New York for the 12-hour (!) journey back to Croydon/London. In the "dining-saloon," she is enjoying a conversation over dinner with fellow passenger and wealthy newspaper proprietor Sir Richard Barton, when a sudden, violent thunderstorm sends everything tumbling and knocks the plane off course.

With no radio contact or radar to guide them, they manage to land in Renfrew, Scotland -- only to be greeted by an eerie silence. No ground crew rushes out to meet them. The aerodrome/terminal is vacant, as are the homes and shops in the towns and cities they drive through. Roads are littered with empty cars and buses. There are no birds in the air, nor animals in the fields.

The 13 passengers and 9 crew members (two pilots, two engineers, a radio expert, head waiter, assistant waiter, steward and chef)(!) are, it seems, the only survivors of an apocalyptic event -- the last people left on earth.

Or are they?

It's an interesting premise -- and there are some interesting thoughts about technology, power, human behaviour, etc. -- but I found the execution sometimes left something to be desired. While the story is ostensibly set in 1973 and contains some interesting descriptions of how Stevenson imagined life would look in the future, the sensibilities are solidly 1936. There were times when this book -- particularly the dialogue, although also the action descriptions -- read like a 1930s gangster movie script. The airplane -- with first and second-class sleeping quarters, dining rooms and lounges -- all for just 13 passengers (!) -- resembles an ocean liner or train more than any airplane I remember from 1973 (I couldn't help but think of the 1970s movie "The Hindenburg"). Stevenson imagines huge floating ocean depots where airliners could descend if anything went wrong en route. Several reviewers on Goodreads have noted the chief villain's resemblance to Adolf Hitler, with his interest in eugenics and desire to create a master race from the survivors. The survivors begin pairing off within weeks of meeting each other, which seemed a LITTLE fast to me...! Cars start easily without any mention of keys or hot-wiring. The book is also somewhat marred by classism and racism -- in particular, a song/rhyme recited by one of the villains -- that is jarring to modern sensibilities.

I debated over the rating for this one, and settled on 3 stars.

My D.E. Stevenson online group will be starting a chapter-by-chapter read & discussion of this book shortly. (This should be interesting...!) Once we're done, I'll count this book as a re-read.

*** *** ***

My D.E. Stevenson group recently completed our chapter-by-chapter reading and discussion of "The Empty World" (alternate title: "A World in Spell"), first published in 1936. I read the book on my own, in advance of our discussions, earlier in the year, and reviewed it above.

While DES is known as "the mistress of the light novel" and while there are elements of her trademark romances here, "The Empty World" is also an apocalyptic/dystopian/speculative/science fiction novel, set 37 years in the future, in 1973.

The plot: British author Jane Forrest and her secretary Maisie are en route from New York to England aboard a trans-Atlantic airliner, when a sudden, violent thunderstorm knocks the plane off course. With no radio contact or radar to guide them, they eventually land in Renfrew, Scotland, where they are greeted by complete silence. No people, no birds, no animals. Buildings are vacant and the roads are littered with empty cars and buses. The 13 passengers and 9 crew members are, it seems, the last surviving people left on earth. (Or are they?)

As I mentioned in my earlier review, it's an intriguing premise -- and there are some interesting thoughts about technology, power, human behaviour, morality, etc. -- but there are some gaping plot holes (DES obviously didn't think through all the details or implications of the world she created), and the execution sometimes leaves something to be desired. While the story is supposed to be set in 1973, there's a lot here that still seems very 1936.

Several of our group members found the initial chapters bleak and off-putting and, early on, there was some discussion about whether we should abandon the book altogether and choose another one. Some wondered whether reading it now, in a world where nuclear weapons exist and global tensions are higher than they have been since the end of the Cold War, made it an even more difficult read than it would have been in 1936. Of course, even in 1936, Hitler was already beginning to flex his muscles in Europe, so who's to say?

Anyway, I'm very glad we continued, because we sure had some interesting discussions as we worked our way through the story! It's not Stevenson's best work, but she gets points for effort and originality, and for trying something a little different, outside of her usual norm.

My original rating of 3 stars stands.

[Kalliope Ormond · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. When I was reading this, I was thinking, 'No way! D.E. Stevenson writes dystopian fiction!'
Not so amusing or light-hearted as her other works, yet still a good read. Some of the plot is rather fantastical and unlikely, but it was interesting seeing the 30s view on what the future would look like. A few points in the book were slightly clunky (A plane flight from the U.S. to Britain taking 12 hours? I don't think so.) but as this was one of her earlier novels, I overlooked all of that!

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh how I loved this book! A solid 4.5 stars.
To me, it was like watching a mix between The Twilight Zone and an Alfred Hitchcock movie. I love everything DE Stevenson writes, but this one was so different from her other novels. Could be my favorite book of the year so far!!
Cleanliness: A+
Language: A- (Two or three uses of God’s name as a curse word. One use of D-). Also, a bad guy uses the N word.

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Taking place in a "futuristic" post-apocalyptic setting, this book read like an attempt at a Twilight Zone episode, but it was interesting to read the author's imaginings in 1939 of what the world would be like in the 1970s. Definitely not up to the usual standards of D. E. Stevenson, but a thought-provoking concept nonetheless.

[Little Red Readinghood · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually enjoy her books but this one was a disappointment . It is sort of a science fiction futuristic novel. The future of the novel is 1970 and and it clearly shows the influence of the time period it was written in-between the two World Wars. This was interesting but the plot was a little ho-hum and predictable.

[Kari · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only book by DE that I didn’t adore

It is an interesting take on the end of the world, and human nature… but I had troubles following the characters and I think the numbers were off… I find it difficult to believe that so many men would have been so bad. But maybe… plus the ridiculous notion that under the circumstances women would have to choose one man.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

So different from her usual novels, it wasn't easy to read but it was compelling. I found the ending rather abrupt, as per many of her novels where she seems in a hurry to tie off loose ends or leave them to our imagination.

[Joyce Beaman · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unusual tale from a favorite writer.

Didn't know DE Stevenson wrote scifi. She could tell many a great tale. Glad to see her work in Kindle.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an unusual book. some of it didn't make sense but it was still a fascinating story.