Central Passage

by Lawrence Schoonover

A science fiction novel of the catastrophic climatic effects of an accidental war and the challenge of humanity's next evolutionary phase. This book is one of the first novels related to transhumanism.

Genres: Science Fiction

246 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1962

About the author

Lawrence Schoonover (1906–1980) was an American novelist.

Born in Anamosa, Iowa, Schoonover attended the University of Wisconsin, then worked in advertising before becoming a novelist.

Lawrence Schoonver had four daughters with his wife, Gertrude Hedwig Bonn: Judith Hedwig (1940), Mary Elizabeth (1942), Caroline Grace (1944–2005), and Virginia (1946).

Writing mostly historical fiction, his attention to detail and historical accuracy won him great praise by his contemporaries. Among his many well-known books are The Queen's Cross, The Burnished Blade, Gentle Infidel, The Spider King, and The Prisoner of Tordesillas.

Reviews

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was in high school, almost 50 years ago and it has stuck with me. It is the story of a French Canadian family that flees south on a fishing boat after a limited nuclear war obliterates the Panama Canal and changes the path of the the ocean currents. The world begins to grow colder and the isthmus of Panama must be rebuilt to restore order to the world's environment.

It is also the story of the human race and what comes after homo-sapiens.

I will re-read this book someday.

[Mike Orta · Rating 5 out of 5]

early sci-fi. loads of fun but asks important contemporary questions for 2020.