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Theodore Savage
When war breaks out in Europe — modern, aerial war whose tactics include displacing entire populations — British civilization collapses overnight. The ironically named Theodore Savage, an educated and idle civil servant, must learn to survive by his wits in a new Britain… one where science and technology swiftly come to be regarded with superstitious awe and terror.
The book — by a women’s rights activist often remembered today for her polemical plays, tracts and treatises — was first published in 1922.
The book — by a women’s rights activist often remembered today for her polemical plays, tracts and treatises — was first published in 1922.
248 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1922
3 people are currently reading
1821 people want to read
About the author
Cicely Mary Hamilton
30 books19 followersCicely Mary Hamilton (born Hammill), was an English author and co-founder of the Women Writers' Suffrage League.
She is best remembered for her plays which often included feminist themes. Hamilton's World War I novel "William - An Englishman" was reprinted by Persephone Books in 1999.
She was a friend of EM Delafield and was portrayed as Emma Hay in "A Provincial Lady Goes Further."
She is best remembered for her plays which often included feminist themes. Hamilton's World War I novel "William - An Englishman" was reprinted by Persephone Books in 1999.
She was a friend of EM Delafield and was portrayed as Emma Hay in "A Provincial Lady Goes Further."
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
July 13, 2021
By the time WW1 ended in 1918, London-born Cicely Hamilton had already earned a name for herself as an advocate for both women's rights and marriage equality. As one of Britain's most vocal suffragettes, she'd campaigned for the right of women to vote; as a renowned playwright, she'd written socially biting works for the stage, and indeed, her suffrage dramas "How the Vote Was Won" (1909) and "A Pageant of Great Women" (1910) were both highly successful. But during the Great War, Hamilton also served in France, both in a nursing unit and in a revue for the entertainment of the troops, and her wartime experiences soon resulted in her penning her one and only science fiction novel, entitled "Theodore Savage."
A wonderfully well written and emotionally affecting work that falls squarely in the post-apocalyptic subgenre, the novel was originally released in 1922, when Hamilton was 50, as a hardcover book from England's Leonard Parsons publishing company, and bearing the subtitle "A Story of the Past or the Future." Six years later, it was rereleased as a Jonathan Cape hardcover, with its name changed to "Lest Ye Die," and, that same year, as a Scribners hardcover, with its name changed to "Lest Ye Die: A Story From the Past or of the Future." (Why all the name changes? Don't ask me!) The book would then sadly go OOPs (out of prints) for a full 85 years, until the wonderful folks at HiLo Books chose to resurrect it, in 2013, as part of their Radium Age Science Fiction Series. (I have previously written here of a few other books from this important series, namely Edward Shanks' postapocalyptic novel from 1920, "The People of the Ruins," as well as E.V. Odle's whimsical work of 1923, "The Clockwork Man.") Yes, it was this HiLo edition that I was fortunate enough to lay my hands on, and wow, am I ever glad I did! Simply put, this is a stunningly superb novel that will surely make any reader feel regret for the fact that Hamilton never tried her hand in a similar vein again. Rather, after the book's release, she went on to become a journalist, writing articles on such matters as birth control and other women's issues, until her passing in 1952, at age 80. And so, "Theodore Savage" remains her only work in the sci-fi arena, but what a contribution it is!
The book introduces us to the titular character, a 30-ish office clerk in London's Distribution Office; a government worker of no particular smarts or ambitions. An easygoing everyman, Savage, when we first encounter him, seems to have nothing more on his mind than collecting art prints and courting his boss' daughter, Phillida Rathbone, a stylish young woman who soon consents to be his fiancée. Not even the vague rumors of war looming on the horizon are sufficient to disturb the placidity of Theodore's existence. But sadly enough, those rumors do indeed prove to be borne out, and England and all of Europe are soon plunged into yet another conflict. The happy couple is separated when Theodore is sent up north to York, and it is in that ancient city that Theodore first sees the war come to his native land. As the bombings commence upon British soil, whole populations are displaced, food supplies grow short, communications are broken, and the people are quickly stripped of their civilized veneer. Theodore is detailed to an army unit guarding a precious food supply; a unit that is quickly overrun by the starving desperate hordes, leaving Savage beaten, battered and alone, but still somehow alive. And so, his years as a wanderer begin, as the world as we know it quickly devolves to an almost prehistoric level of barbarism.
After months of solo wandering and grubbing for food in a half-starved state, Theodore gains a companion on the road, an empty-headed ex-factory worker named Ada Cartwright, aged 23. Desperate to avoid the bands of starving marauders who are now ubiquitous, the two set up a camp in a secluded valley in what may or may not be Wales. Their platonic relationship eventually becomes a sexual one, even though Theodore eventually resorts to beating the lazy, vacuous, clingy woman as a means of getting her to be more helpful around the camp. When Ada inevitably becomes pregnant, Theodore is compelled to explore the countryside in search of a doctor or midwife (he being no, uh, Doc Savage himself), and is soon taken captive by the men of a nearby village. These villagers, after ascertaining that Savage has no knowledge of the technical and mechanical sciences that have now become taboo, allow the pregnant couple to erect a hut in their vicinity, and so, Theodore's next chapter begins. He takes an oath before he is allowed to join this village, swearing his fidelity to them and, most importantly, that he will never speak or even think of the "hidden mysteries" that had led mankind to its destruction. But as the years go by, and Savage grows increasingly savage, he cannot forbear to dwell upon the olden days, and all the wonders that have been lost, and to search the horizons for the sight of a plane, or a hint of salvation....
Now, unlike the pre-Industrial society that England has reverted to by the year 2174, in the Shanks novel, following a long period of war, the society that Hamilton presents to us has practically reverted to the level of the Dark Ages. In Shanks' novel, the Englishmen whom we encounter are making attempts to keep their dilapidated trains going, although they have forgotten most of the scientific background requisite for keeping their gadgetry functional. In Hamilton's book, the slipping away of science-based knowledge is deliberate and intentional, as an extreme method of averting future conflicts. As Theodore's scientist friend Markham had observed early in the story, "You can't combine the practice of science and the art of war; in the end it's one or the other." And Hamilton does a wonderfully convincing job of depicting this primitive and willfully ignorant society, as Theodore and Ada try valiantly to adapt to it.
Ultimately, after a passage of many decades, Savage is looked upon with awe by his grandsons and fellow tribesmen; a person who actually remembers what life was like before the time of the "Ruin." As he lets slip the occasional reference to seemingly impossible wonders of his early manhood, his fellows can only gaze at him with confusion and wonder, bringing to mind the character of the 87-year-old John Howard Smith, telling tales to his semibarbaric grandsons in the wasteland of 2073, in Jack London's "The Scarlet Plague" (1912), as well as Isherwood Williams in the postapocalyptic masterpiece by George R. Stewart, "Earth Abides" (1949). Similar to those other characters, Savage can’t help dwelling on the past, and finds it impossible to convey his thoughts and feelings to his illiterate kin. And Hamilton, again, does a terrific job at making us feel his frustration and sense of loss.
Hers is a book filled with intelligent speculation and food for thought. In one section, Theodore realizes that the society in which he was born may one day become a thing of myth, and wonders if such things as the Devil and the ancient mythologies might also have had a basis in reality. He later reflects on whether there might possibly be, somewhere in the world, a group of people who are preserving our scientific attainments, and whether these scientists might eventually need to be set aside in their own exclusive caste, a la the priests in ancient Egypt. He wonders if the new savage gods that have evolved amongst the modern-day barbarians might eventually be replaced with a more benevolent deity, as mankind adapts to its new world. It is all wonderfully fascinating stuff, set out clearly and reasonably by Ms. Hamilton.
And oh, what a terrific prose stylist she turns out to be here, giving the reader any number of beautifully written scenes and set pieces. The countdown to the beginning of war, as Theodore huddles with the crowd near Big Ben, and later sits in Markham's flat ("Do you know where we are now--you and I and all of us? On the crest of the centuries. They've carried us a long roll upwards and now here we are--on top! In five more minutes--three hundred little seconds--we shall hear the crest curl over," Markham movingly reflects); the initial bombardment of York and the subsequent scenes of mass panic; Theodore's months of solo wandering; his initiation into the tribe...all are sequences of remarkably solid and haunting impact. In one marvelous scene, Savage explores a riverside town not too far from his newly adopted village and observes the wasting and submersion that are rapidly threatening to obliterate it completely. It is almost reminiscent of the submerged landscape depicted in J.G. Ballard's 1962 masterwork "The Drowned World," without Ballard's hallucinatory quality. As Hamilton notes, "The rigid important little streets had been no more than an episode in the ceaseless life of the wilderness; an episode ending in failure, to be decently buried and forgotten...."
Ultimately, "Theodore Savage" reveals itself to be a heartfelt plea for sanity, as well as a warning to the world regarding what another world war might bring about. Of course, before her passing in 1952, Hamilton would witness yet another terrible worldwide conflict, and even though it did not result in a general backsliding of civilization into a new Dark Age, it was indeed quite terrible enough. Sadly, cautionary tales about the evils of war never seem to be out of date, and this is one of the best that I've yet experienced. I've been reading a lot of pulp fiction recently, as you might have noticed, and fun and entertaining as those works can be, nobody would ever confuse them with high art. But Ms. Hamilton's "Theodore Savage' does indeed elevate science fiction to the realm of great literature, and it thus gets my very highest recommendation. An important, thoughtful, impassioned, exciting, at times haunting, and marvelously detailed work, it is one that you will not soon forget....
(By the way, this review originally appeared on the FanLit website at http://www.fantasyliterature.com/ ... a most ideal destination for all fans of postapocalyptic fare such as this....)
A wonderfully well written and emotionally affecting work that falls squarely in the post-apocalyptic subgenre, the novel was originally released in 1922, when Hamilton was 50, as a hardcover book from England's Leonard Parsons publishing company, and bearing the subtitle "A Story of the Past or the Future." Six years later, it was rereleased as a Jonathan Cape hardcover, with its name changed to "Lest Ye Die," and, that same year, as a Scribners hardcover, with its name changed to "Lest Ye Die: A Story From the Past or of the Future." (Why all the name changes? Don't ask me!) The book would then sadly go OOPs (out of prints) for a full 85 years, until the wonderful folks at HiLo Books chose to resurrect it, in 2013, as part of their Radium Age Science Fiction Series. (I have previously written here of a few other books from this important series, namely Edward Shanks' postapocalyptic novel from 1920, "The People of the Ruins," as well as E.V. Odle's whimsical work of 1923, "The Clockwork Man.") Yes, it was this HiLo edition that I was fortunate enough to lay my hands on, and wow, am I ever glad I did! Simply put, this is a stunningly superb novel that will surely make any reader feel regret for the fact that Hamilton never tried her hand in a similar vein again. Rather, after the book's release, she went on to become a journalist, writing articles on such matters as birth control and other women's issues, until her passing in 1952, at age 80. And so, "Theodore Savage" remains her only work in the sci-fi arena, but what a contribution it is!
The book introduces us to the titular character, a 30-ish office clerk in London's Distribution Office; a government worker of no particular smarts or ambitions. An easygoing everyman, Savage, when we first encounter him, seems to have nothing more on his mind than collecting art prints and courting his boss' daughter, Phillida Rathbone, a stylish young woman who soon consents to be his fiancée. Not even the vague rumors of war looming on the horizon are sufficient to disturb the placidity of Theodore's existence. But sadly enough, those rumors do indeed prove to be borne out, and England and all of Europe are soon plunged into yet another conflict. The happy couple is separated when Theodore is sent up north to York, and it is in that ancient city that Theodore first sees the war come to his native land. As the bombings commence upon British soil, whole populations are displaced, food supplies grow short, communications are broken, and the people are quickly stripped of their civilized veneer. Theodore is detailed to an army unit guarding a precious food supply; a unit that is quickly overrun by the starving desperate hordes, leaving Savage beaten, battered and alone, but still somehow alive. And so, his years as a wanderer begin, as the world as we know it quickly devolves to an almost prehistoric level of barbarism.
After months of solo wandering and grubbing for food in a half-starved state, Theodore gains a companion on the road, an empty-headed ex-factory worker named Ada Cartwright, aged 23. Desperate to avoid the bands of starving marauders who are now ubiquitous, the two set up a camp in a secluded valley in what may or may not be Wales. Their platonic relationship eventually becomes a sexual one, even though Theodore eventually resorts to beating the lazy, vacuous, clingy woman as a means of getting her to be more helpful around the camp. When Ada inevitably becomes pregnant, Theodore is compelled to explore the countryside in search of a doctor or midwife (he being no, uh, Doc Savage himself), and is soon taken captive by the men of a nearby village. These villagers, after ascertaining that Savage has no knowledge of the technical and mechanical sciences that have now become taboo, allow the pregnant couple to erect a hut in their vicinity, and so, Theodore's next chapter begins. He takes an oath before he is allowed to join this village, swearing his fidelity to them and, most importantly, that he will never speak or even think of the "hidden mysteries" that had led mankind to its destruction. But as the years go by, and Savage grows increasingly savage, he cannot forbear to dwell upon the olden days, and all the wonders that have been lost, and to search the horizons for the sight of a plane, or a hint of salvation....
Now, unlike the pre-Industrial society that England has reverted to by the year 2174, in the Shanks novel, following a long period of war, the society that Hamilton presents to us has practically reverted to the level of the Dark Ages. In Shanks' novel, the Englishmen whom we encounter are making attempts to keep their dilapidated trains going, although they have forgotten most of the scientific background requisite for keeping their gadgetry functional. In Hamilton's book, the slipping away of science-based knowledge is deliberate and intentional, as an extreme method of averting future conflicts. As Theodore's scientist friend Markham had observed early in the story, "You can't combine the practice of science and the art of war; in the end it's one or the other." And Hamilton does a wonderfully convincing job of depicting this primitive and willfully ignorant society, as Theodore and Ada try valiantly to adapt to it.
Ultimately, after a passage of many decades, Savage is looked upon with awe by his grandsons and fellow tribesmen; a person who actually remembers what life was like before the time of the "Ruin." As he lets slip the occasional reference to seemingly impossible wonders of his early manhood, his fellows can only gaze at him with confusion and wonder, bringing to mind the character of the 87-year-old John Howard Smith, telling tales to his semibarbaric grandsons in the wasteland of 2073, in Jack London's "The Scarlet Plague" (1912), as well as Isherwood Williams in the postapocalyptic masterpiece by George R. Stewart, "Earth Abides" (1949). Similar to those other characters, Savage can’t help dwelling on the past, and finds it impossible to convey his thoughts and feelings to his illiterate kin. And Hamilton, again, does a terrific job at making us feel his frustration and sense of loss.
Hers is a book filled with intelligent speculation and food for thought. In one section, Theodore realizes that the society in which he was born may one day become a thing of myth, and wonders if such things as the Devil and the ancient mythologies might also have had a basis in reality. He later reflects on whether there might possibly be, somewhere in the world, a group of people who are preserving our scientific attainments, and whether these scientists might eventually need to be set aside in their own exclusive caste, a la the priests in ancient Egypt. He wonders if the new savage gods that have evolved amongst the modern-day barbarians might eventually be replaced with a more benevolent deity, as mankind adapts to its new world. It is all wonderfully fascinating stuff, set out clearly and reasonably by Ms. Hamilton.
And oh, what a terrific prose stylist she turns out to be here, giving the reader any number of beautifully written scenes and set pieces. The countdown to the beginning of war, as Theodore huddles with the crowd near Big Ben, and later sits in Markham's flat ("Do you know where we are now--you and I and all of us? On the crest of the centuries. They've carried us a long roll upwards and now here we are--on top! In five more minutes--three hundred little seconds--we shall hear the crest curl over," Markham movingly reflects); the initial bombardment of York and the subsequent scenes of mass panic; Theodore's months of solo wandering; his initiation into the tribe...all are sequences of remarkably solid and haunting impact. In one marvelous scene, Savage explores a riverside town not too far from his newly adopted village and observes the wasting and submersion that are rapidly threatening to obliterate it completely. It is almost reminiscent of the submerged landscape depicted in J.G. Ballard's 1962 masterwork "The Drowned World," without Ballard's hallucinatory quality. As Hamilton notes, "The rigid important little streets had been no more than an episode in the ceaseless life of the wilderness; an episode ending in failure, to be decently buried and forgotten...."
Ultimately, "Theodore Savage" reveals itself to be a heartfelt plea for sanity, as well as a warning to the world regarding what another world war might bring about. Of course, before her passing in 1952, Hamilton would witness yet another terrible worldwide conflict, and even though it did not result in a general backsliding of civilization into a new Dark Age, it was indeed quite terrible enough. Sadly, cautionary tales about the evils of war never seem to be out of date, and this is one of the best that I've yet experienced. I've been reading a lot of pulp fiction recently, as you might have noticed, and fun and entertaining as those works can be, nobody would ever confuse them with high art. But Ms. Hamilton's "Theodore Savage' does indeed elevate science fiction to the realm of great literature, and it thus gets my very highest recommendation. An important, thoughtful, impassioned, exciting, at times haunting, and marvelously detailed work, it is one that you will not soon forget....
(By the way, this review originally appeared on the FanLit website at http://www.fantasyliterature.com/ ... a most ideal destination for all fans of postapocalyptic fare such as this....)
August 2, 2021
I always get a little sad, in books like this, when the "next generation" is born. That is, when survivors of world's end - those who knew the cities and civilization, and then saw it all blown away - produce the first children...the new people who won't know any other life than some kind of wilderness, that is encroaching on the stone and metal ruins. But their parents will tell them stories, which will become myths.
Theodore Savage, not too ambitious clerk with the prospect of marriage to a fine, cultured lady before him, lives in England when England's days are numbered. In fact, it's the world that leaps to a final war, but Cicely Hamilton's novel never does roam far; Theodore can only surmise what has happened beyond his now-shrunken environment - burned beyond fertility, or gassed free of its population, in many spots - as news from beyond dries up. He does look to the skies, over much of his changed existence, for sign of just one aeroplane, and he does hope, when foraging a little farther than may be safe (as night approaches) that beyond the next dead village there could be some small community that has held on to some science and technology that makes life more bearable, like it was...
As a fan of Alas, Babylon, The Death of Grass, Fahrenheit 451, The Long Tomorrow, and even The Day of the Triffids, I was pleased to discover this neglected novel from 1922 - and thrilled to find it worth reading, as well as somewhat moving. I've read something "back to nature-y" that precedes it, After London: Wild England by Richard Jefferies, so as I read Radium Age SF to fill in the 1904-1933 gap in my bookworm experiences, I still tip the hat to what came even earlier - but this is a fun, neglected period of SF to discover, and Theodore Savage is easy to recommend.
Theodore Savage, not too ambitious clerk with the prospect of marriage to a fine, cultured lady before him, lives in England when England's days are numbered. In fact, it's the world that leaps to a final war, but Cicely Hamilton's novel never does roam far; Theodore can only surmise what has happened beyond his now-shrunken environment - burned beyond fertility, or gassed free of its population, in many spots - as news from beyond dries up. He does look to the skies, over much of his changed existence, for sign of just one aeroplane, and he does hope, when foraging a little farther than may be safe (as night approaches) that beyond the next dead village there could be some small community that has held on to some science and technology that makes life more bearable, like it was...
As a fan of Alas, Babylon, The Death of Grass, Fahrenheit 451, The Long Tomorrow, and even The Day of the Triffids, I was pleased to discover this neglected novel from 1922 - and thrilled to find it worth reading, as well as somewhat moving. I've read something "back to nature-y" that precedes it, After London: Wild England by Richard Jefferies, so as I read Radium Age SF to fill in the 1904-1933 gap in my bookworm experiences, I still tip the hat to what came even earlier - but this is a fun, neglected period of SF to discover, and Theodore Savage is easy to recommend.
October 3, 2014
Wow. Cheesy edition but an important rediscovery in early-twentieth century war fiction. Its dystopian speculative fiction if you want to place it in a genre but it is based on Hamilton's experiences as an actress with the YMCA performing near the front lines of WWI. An indictment of modernity, of "savage"-ery, and of apathy. Considering everything happening in the world today, it's themes and condemnation remain as important today as they were in 1922. More people need to read and talk about this novel.
November 20, 2013
A short engaging read from the newly minted "Radium Age" of science fiction, Theodore Savage is packed with ideas and visibly wears its scars from the recently completed Great War. As a future post-apocalypse imagined in the 1920s, The book is both a mirror and a window - reflecting the author's disgust with the recently introduced technological horrors of WWI and offering a glimpse into their devastating use against civilian populations in future conflicts. In a future world war, weapons of mass destruction are used not so much against other armies but directly against civilian populations and infrastructure with the goal of destroying a country's ability to fight but with a byproduct of destroying society itself - it definitely echos recent and current conflicts. The story also hints at the Cold War concept of mutually assured destruction, and of Gaia theory as Hamilton speculates about the earth seeking balance.
The protagonist, an upper middle-class clerk, is gradually forced (or enabled?) to take on characteristics of his name-sake as society breaks down and the remaining population is forced to scavenge, fight, and live off a charred landscape. The novel (and the author?) seems to be questioning the ability of human beings to be able to morally handle the extreme destructive possibilities then being opened up by science. The solution the survivors take is to start a religion that prizes ignorance and actively discourages scientific advancement - though in the longish denouement, the author also considers other possible courses. On the whole, I thought Theodore Savage was engaging and thought-provoking and enjoyed speculating, along with the author across the years, on how and why a society forms or falls apart and whether the process just endlessly repeats with minor variations.
The protagonist, an upper middle-class clerk, is gradually forced (or enabled?) to take on characteristics of his name-sake as society breaks down and the remaining population is forced to scavenge, fight, and live off a charred landscape. The novel (and the author?) seems to be questioning the ability of human beings to be able to morally handle the extreme destructive possibilities then being opened up by science. The solution the survivors take is to start a religion that prizes ignorance and actively discourages scientific advancement - though in the longish denouement, the author also considers other possible courses. On the whole, I thought Theodore Savage was engaging and thought-provoking and enjoyed speculating, along with the author across the years, on how and why a society forms or falls apart and whether the process just endlessly repeats with minor variations.
July 19, 2017
Very interesting novel. Can't really judge it as a work of literature and not as historical artifact. It's nice to read a book about an alternative, apocalyptic ending to WWI, written by someone who actually lived in WWI, with the same ideas, education and values of the world of WWI. The book put me in mind of Hobbes's "Leviathan" in the way it describes the rise of (primitive) human society out of the basic needs, desires and fears of the lone savage. And how close we are to the primitive state.
June 29, 2023
It hold no punches when discussing a veiw of humanity living in complete famine and destruction. I loved this book because I will be thinking about it for years. I cant say anything but it is just brutal without being grotesque.
February 20, 2023
The MIT Press's 'Radium Age' series is based on the premise that between the scientific romances of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century and the 'golden age' of science fiction starting in the mid-thirties, there was an intermediate period of proto-science fiction that has been largely ignored. I'm not convinced this is a meaningful split - something like H. G. Wells's The War of the Worlds may have been labelled as scientific romance because the SF term hadn't been devised yet, but it is pure science fiction already - and still very readable today.
The Radium Age books to date have either been interesting as novels or, if not, notable for doing something special that gives them a place in science fiction history. So even though, for instance, Wells's novel The World Set Free from 1914 is hard going, it is nonetheless interesting because of its introduction of the concept of atomic bombs. Unfortunately, Cicely Hamilton's 1922 novel Theodore Savage is both deadly dull and not particularly innovative - nor has it even got much science fiction content.
It's notable that in Hamilton's Wikipedia entry (her surname was actually Hammill - Hamilton was a pseudonym) this book only gets a passing mention: her main claim to fame was as a writer of dramas with a women's suffrage theme. The only science fiction-like aspect of this book is that it is set in the future, though it's a very unimaginative future that hardly differs from 1922, apart from a couple of vaguely described weapons. Written just after the First World War, it features a subsequent war that destroys civilisation.
Hamilton portrays a miserable future, but probably one she felt was appropriate as she seems to consider the human race inherently evil and incapable of altruism. Very quickly after Britain becomes involved in this new world war, it is totally devastated. It appears that Hamilton had little idea of the scale of a country compared with an attack by air - the whole of civilisation disappears in days. Within a couple of years, no one is living in houses anymore: somehow, the buildings, even in country areas are already falling apart. Before long, any suggestion of science and technology is regarded as evil in a kind introverted equivalent to Walter M. Miller's wonderful 1959 novel A Canticle for Leibowitz, where the remnants of technology are venerated though not understood.
It has been suggested that the women in the book represent Hamilton's views of the way women were suppressed in her era - possibly, though it certainly wouldn't pass the Bechdel test, as all female characters are portrayed through their relationship with men. What comes through far more strongly is the author's distaste for the lower classes, typical of Hamilton's upper middle class at this time - particularly in the portrayal of Ada, whose strangulated cockney rendering of English is worthy of Dick van Dyke's in Mary Poppins, and whose selfish, brainless attitude is in contrast to the titular Theodore Savage's gradually decaying middle class demeanour.
Occasionally the book livens up, but a lot of the time it is dire. It might be true that 'show, don't tell' is a commandment that needs to be broken sometimes - but there is far too much descriptive and ponderous text, with page after page dedicated to characters' thoughts and to working through moral and spiritual considerations. The only possible reason this book might be considered worthy of inclusion in such a series is because it was one of the first novels after the First World War where the author believed that conflict was a precursor to the end of civilisation - but surely there were more worthy books than this.
The Radium Age books to date have either been interesting as novels or, if not, notable for doing something special that gives them a place in science fiction history. So even though, for instance, Wells's novel The World Set Free from 1914 is hard going, it is nonetheless interesting because of its introduction of the concept of atomic bombs. Unfortunately, Cicely Hamilton's 1922 novel Theodore Savage is both deadly dull and not particularly innovative - nor has it even got much science fiction content.
It's notable that in Hamilton's Wikipedia entry (her surname was actually Hammill - Hamilton was a pseudonym) this book only gets a passing mention: her main claim to fame was as a writer of dramas with a women's suffrage theme. The only science fiction-like aspect of this book is that it is set in the future, though it's a very unimaginative future that hardly differs from 1922, apart from a couple of vaguely described weapons. Written just after the First World War, it features a subsequent war that destroys civilisation.
Hamilton portrays a miserable future, but probably one she felt was appropriate as she seems to consider the human race inherently evil and incapable of altruism. Very quickly after Britain becomes involved in this new world war, it is totally devastated. It appears that Hamilton had little idea of the scale of a country compared with an attack by air - the whole of civilisation disappears in days. Within a couple of years, no one is living in houses anymore: somehow, the buildings, even in country areas are already falling apart. Before long, any suggestion of science and technology is regarded as evil in a kind introverted equivalent to Walter M. Miller's wonderful 1959 novel A Canticle for Leibowitz, where the remnants of technology are venerated though not understood.
It has been suggested that the women in the book represent Hamilton's views of the way women were suppressed in her era - possibly, though it certainly wouldn't pass the Bechdel test, as all female characters are portrayed through their relationship with men. What comes through far more strongly is the author's distaste for the lower classes, typical of Hamilton's upper middle class at this time - particularly in the portrayal of Ada, whose strangulated cockney rendering of English is worthy of Dick van Dyke's in Mary Poppins, and whose selfish, brainless attitude is in contrast to the titular Theodore Savage's gradually decaying middle class demeanour.
Occasionally the book livens up, but a lot of the time it is dire. It might be true that 'show, don't tell' is a commandment that needs to be broken sometimes - but there is far too much descriptive and ponderous text, with page after page dedicated to characters' thoughts and to working through moral and spiritual considerations. The only possible reason this book might be considered worthy of inclusion in such a series is because it was one of the first novels after the First World War where the author believed that conflict was a precursor to the end of civilisation - but surely there were more worthy books than this.
December 23, 2019
The introduction to my copy (HiLo Books) finishes with an almost contemptuous reference to Wyndham's Day of the Triffids, which I can't help but feel rather misses the point - the downfall in Wyndham's novel might have been anthropogenic, but the closest parallel is oil, not the machinery of war - the terror in Theodore Savage is the never-ending cycle of civilisation's rise and fall - ruin - a renunciation of even the idea that a war that would ever end all wars...
A timely read, this one - as increasingly the post-war (WWII) institutions of the West and Europe in particular look to be breaking apart under the strain; I read this in the midst of a podcast for using on existential threats, with the premise that our ability with technology currently outstrips our maturity to use it to safeguard ourselves - this all hit a little too close to home. "Displacement of population" - that, too, has more parallels to our current geopolitical situation than I'm comfortable with.
Four stars for the claustrophobic feel that pervaded two thirds of book; the last third was more clinical - engaging, but less gripping for it, and at times it all felt rather rushed and detached, which was a shame. Let's hope Hamilton's vision failed her when it came to the part of renunciation - I think.
A timely read, this one - as increasingly the post-war (WWII) institutions of the West and Europe in particular look to be breaking apart under the strain; I read this in the midst of a podcast for using on existential threats, with the premise that our ability with technology currently outstrips our maturity to use it to safeguard ourselves - this all hit a little too close to home. "Displacement of population" - that, too, has more parallels to our current geopolitical situation than I'm comfortable with.
Four stars for the claustrophobic feel that pervaded two thirds of book; the last third was more clinical - engaging, but less gripping for it, and at times it all felt rather rushed and detached, which was a shame. Let's hope Hamilton's vision failed her when it came to the part of renunciation - I think.
February 1, 2019
3.5 stars. This book is an early dystopian work that reflects the psychic trauma that was a part of life after WWI. The eponymous protagonist is a former civil servant who must learn to adapt to a more primitive life after the "Ruin" decimates England. You can sense hints of future works like 28 Days Later, Children of Men, The Road, and even The Handmaid's Tale in this book and though it reads like a sociology lecture at times, it is a worthwhile read for those interested in early science fiction.
July 14, 2025
An excellent rendition of the downfall of civilization and devolution of society in the aftermath. Reminds me of a cultural anthropologist embedded in a primitive society, only this man is watching as humanity intentionally abandons its past and sinks to an existence only slightly better than the animals.
dont-actually-want-to-read
December 6, 2021Per SFE, Lest Ye Die is a revised version of this with a more "save" Theodore Savage".
July 13, 2023
An interesting cross between HG Wells and post-apocalypse books.
Is this the source of DC Vandal Savage?
Is this the source of DC Vandal Savage?
July 3, 2024
Uncomfortably relevant to today.
March 29, 2025
No love at the end of the world.
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