Tom's A-Cold

by John Collier

John Collier needs no introduction to anyone familiar with his much-loved short story collection FANCIES AND GOODNIGHTS (for which he was awarded an Edgar in 1952), but few are aware that he wrote a dystopian novel of fierce intensity in 1933. TOM'S A-COLD imagines a world, an alternate reality, where World War I did not end in peace but raged on and on until civilization was completely destroyed. Amid the ruins of England small enclaves of semi-savage people struggle to survive and “re-start” the world. The story that unfolds holds the power of a Shakespearean tragedy played out in a post-apocalyptic world. This stunning piece of speculative fiction has not been available since it was first published in 1933. Fully illustrated by Culpeo S. Fox. This new publication of TOM'S A-COLD is truly a literary event.

Genres: Science Fiction

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1933

About the author

John Collier was a British-born author and screenplay writer best known for his short stories, many of which appeared in The New Yorker from the 1930s to the 1950s. They were collected in a 1951 volume, Fancies and Goodnights, which is still in print. Individual stories are frequently anthologized in fantasy collections. John Collier's writing has been praised by authors such as Anthony Burgess, Ray Bradbury, Neil Gaiman and Paul Theroux. He was married to early silent film actress Shirley Palmer.

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

To call this a dystopian novel is a bit of stretch. Yes, it takes place in 1995 and England has devolved into kind of a barbaric feudal society but after the scene setting, the story is more about the ascension of the main character, Harry, to chief of the gang. Heck, even John Collier says in the introduction that he picked the setting into the future because readers would be able to identify with the characters more. He even says that the story has no sociological meaning whatsoever. So what follows is tale more in the Shakespearean vein (the title of the book is a pretty big hint).

Like a Shakespeare tragedy, expect to read about treachery, passion, betrayal and jealousy. There are few action packed battles. The book at times gets rather literary (to my tastes) and that caused parts to drag. The second half of the book is when things start to get going so a little patience in the beginning might make it worth it.

[Adam Stevenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tom’s A-Cold is a dystopian novel, written in 1933 but set in Wiltshire in a 1995 where the first world war simply never ended and Britain (and presumably Europe, if not the whole world) degenerated with the effort of unending war. It’s now, essentially a bronze age society, floundering in the ruins of the early twenty-first century, with city-states, groups of roaming bandits and little strong-holds and settlements.

The story takes place in one of these smaller settlements, a farmhouse that is tucked away from sight. The cockerels have their tongues cut out so they can’t crow and the people are used to organising their lives on subsistence and staying unnoticed. One of the best parts of the novel is how the three different generations act differently due to their upbringing. The oldest generation have some memory of the old world and try to keep (what they feel to be) the best parts alive. The second generation are those currently in power. They grew up during the worst times and strive to maintain what they have but aren’t ambitious about having more. The youngest generation are poised to take over the reins of power, have grown up in more peaceful times and have been brought up by the older people, with their vision of how things were. They take this vision and have ambitions of how things could be.

Harry is the obvious heir to the chiefdom, he’s strong, smart and handsome, with a commanding way to him. He wants to create a Camelot out of his little kingdom, a place where old learning is reverenced and where peace, tranquility and even art can thrive. His best friend is Crab, who has been grown up crooked by malnutrition. Crab is cleverer, wilier and darker. The two together may have a chance to create this kingdom, but they need more women.

The community decide to follow the Roman story of the rape of the Sabines, to capture women from another place, bring them back and show them the good life they want to live. For the Romans, when the Sabine men finally knocked at the gates of Rome, the women didn’t want to return. I think they hope of something similar.

The place they plan to raid is a sub-community of shepherds protected by a big, evil town. A town destroyed by the war, but filled with people living in the basements that survived. It’s a “bad town” full of “cellar rats” who are “dandified” due to the fact they have real woollen clothes and not skins. This terror of a place is… Swindon, and all the talk of big, bad Swindon made me laugh. Even more worryingly, the nearby town of Marlborough has turned itself into a fierce citadel.

What Collier does, is create this future England that holds a mythic sway, allowing him to touch on Roman legends, Arthurian ones, and Shakespearian ones in a way that feels both mythic and pathetic. There are Iagos, Macbeths, King Lears in this piece and they both feel fitting and silly at the same time. How Harry can feel a farmhouse with a ragtag of people in rabbit skins can create a new Camelot is ridiculous, but you half root for him to, just as you watch the inevitable tragedies happen. Despite their buildup, big, bad Swindon or militaristic Marlborough are never going to be the real obstacles, it’s the politicking within the farmhouse itself.