Post Apocalypse, Roads and the Writer's Writer.

I love post-apocalyptic novels.

And movies, I love the movies, although the bits I like are mostly the myriad of ways the world can implode, as what happens after is usually dull and predictable. Macho man and pretty lady gather a group of reasurringly enthically diverse people to start a new world. Yay.

Novels are better, because novels are longer. A novel can spand several generations and show how things move slowly onwards. But with all but one exception, all the post-apocalytpic novels I've read have had happy endings (even the first one I read, 'Brother in the Land', was re-written to give it a happy ending).

It's ironic, that the best one I ever read (debatably the best book I've ever read) was the only one without a happy ending.

Enter Cormac McCarthy's 'The Road'.

I heard about the book when my father raved about it to me. It apparently was the first book he'd ever seen get the full six stars in the 'Time Out' magazine, which is very discriminating normally. He's a huge fan of Cormac McCarthy, and I, like most people would when confronted by a book their parent loves, immediately thought 'right, another dull culture and mystery book that will go completely over my head'.
Then I actually read the review and, wow. Post-apocalyptic novel! My favourite! My father rather reluctantly lent me his copy, it was a first edition, and I'm not exactly famous for my good treatment of books.

I can all but imagine his surprise the next day when he found the novel, still neat and safe, on his kitchen table, and me gone. He called me up and asked why had I not taken the book with me. I said I didn't need it. I'd stayed up until 3am and finished it, and anyway needed to get my own copy.

( The Road )

Post Apocalypse, Roads and the Writer's Writer.

I love post-apocalyptic novels.

And movies, I love the movies, although the bits I like are mostly the myriad of ways the world can implode, as what happens after is usually dull and predictable. Macho man and pretty lady gather a group of reasurringly enthically diverse people to start a new world. Yay.

Novels are better, because novels are longer. A novel can spand several generations and show how things move slowly onwards. But with all but one exception, all the post-apocalytpic novels I've read have had happy endings (even the first one I read, 'Brother in the Land', was re-written to give it a happy ending).

It's ironic, that the best one I ever read (debatably the best book I've ever read) was the only one without a happy ending.

Enter Cormac McCarthy's 'The Road'.

I heard about the book when my father raved about it to me. It apparently was the first book he'd ever seen get the full six stars in the 'Time Out' magazine, which is very discriminating normally. He's a huge fan of Cormac McCarthy, and I, like most people would when confronted by a book their parent loves, immediately thought 'right, another dull culture and mystery book that will go completely over my head'.
Then I actually read the review and, wow. Post-apocalyptic novel! My favourite! My father rather reluctantly lent me his copy, it was a first edition, and I'm not exactly famous for my good treatment of books.

I can all but imagine his surprise the next day when he found the novel, still neat and safe, on his kitchen table, and me gone. He called me up and asked why had I not taken the book with me. I said I didn't need it. I'd stayed up until 3am and finished it, and anyway needed to get my own copy.

( The Road )