Earth Abides

Earth Abides was published in 1949 and presumably was supposed to have taken place in the future. I think (but I'm not certain) that I remember the year 1983 being mentioned early in the book, but there were references to things that dated the book, such as setting the choke and pressing a foot on the starter button of a car, Charley McCarthy, dimes having a picture of a lady with wings on her head and nickles having a picture of a humpbacked bull, quinine powder as being the catch-all wonder drug, and so on. But those things really didn't detract from the book as a whole.

The only part of the book that I had trouble with, really, was the execution of Charlie. The justification simply wasn't there and I think the author glossed it over, just as the characters in the story wanted to do.

I've seen Earth Abides mentioned in the same breath as The Stand, Lucifer's Hammer, and On the Beach. It is surely in the same genre, but it follows a unique track. The story fits in the post-apocalyptic, end-of-civilization-as-we-know-it genre, but really, it's about the beginning of a civilization.

The writing is quite readable and engaging, but somewhat uneven, shifting styles from time to time. All in all, a worthwhile read.