# EARTH ABIDES: A lost classic **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 5, 2001, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth-abides-a-lost-classic/96959 "2001-12-05T03:06:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2001, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth-abides-a-lost-classic/96959/21 "2001-12-05T20:32:32Z")
As I remarked in another thread, I read **Earth Abides** many years ago in hardcover, before it came out in paperback. It’s alwaysbeen an obscure book. Afterwards, I went to our library and looked up George R. Stewart’s other works. He was a prolific writer of disaster books ( **Fire** and **Storm** ), well before Irwin Allen at al. made their series of disasater movies. I don’t think he wrote any more SF. ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2001, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth-abides-a-lost-classic/96959/22 "2001-12-05T20:56:38Z")
[This thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=97689) has a bunch of other SF books for you to read. I really liked Earth Abides, but I haven’t read it since high school. My wife thought Ish was an unreasonable ass. I suppose he was at times, but dammit, he was trying to preserve the American Way[sup]tm[/sup]. ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2001, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth-abides-a-lost-classic/96959/23 "2001-12-05T23:45:24Z")
Did anyone notice any technical problems in the book? ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2001, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth-abides-a-lost-classic/96959/24 "2001-12-06T00:20:56Z")
I read _Earth Abides_ when I was only ten years old, and had no idea what I was in for. It really affected me greatly. I truly believe the book influenced my psyche and who am today.\* My parents had just divorced and I was with my father for the summer. I ran out of reading material and found the book (an old paperback) buried in a bookshelf. I hadn’t gotten into science fiction yet (I discovered Asimov and Heinlein two years later), and didn’t really know what to make of the book. I found the book very believable, and the ending very realistic. I read the book again in my twenties, and thought it still held up quite well, considering that it was published in **1949**. \*[sub]For example, I decided long ago that I would do everything I could to be a survivor. Yes, I was one of those who prepared for Y2K.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2001, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth-abides-a-lost-classic/96959/25 "2001-12-06T03:00:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by robby \* > \*_I read Earth Abides when I was only ten years old, and had no idea what I was in for. It really affected me greatly. I truly believe the book influenced my psyche and who am today._ > > My parents had just divorced and I was with my father for the summer. I ran out of reading material and found the book (an old paperback) buried in a bookshelf. I hadn’t gotten into science fiction yet (I discovered Asimov and Heinlein two years later), and didn’t really know what to make of the book. > > I found the book very believable, and the ending very realistic. > > I read the book again in my twenties, and thought it still held up quite well, considering that it was published in **1949**. > > \*[sub]For example, I decided long ago that I would do everything I could to be a survivor. Yes, I was one of those who prepared for Y2K.[/sub] \*\* ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2001, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth-abides-a-lost-classic/96959/26 "2001-12-06T03:09:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by robby \* > \*\*I read _Earth Abides_ > I read the book again in my twenties, and thought it still held up quite well, considering that it was published in **1949**. I was amazed on how modern it seemed, I read it in 1985 and I didn’t think to look at the title page until almost halfway through. I thought it was written in the mid 80’s for some reason. (sorry about the quote mess up above) ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2001, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth-abides-a-lost-classic/96959/27 "2001-12-06T04:10:14Z")
**Eonwe** , I believe the book you are referring to is “I Will Fear No Evil”. Which I quite liked, by the way. “Number of the Beast” was pretty good, too, but I didn’t always follow the way it jumped around. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth-abides-a-lost-classic/96959.md?page=1)