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scrooge3's review against another edition
3.0
Published in 1885, this is an early, post-apocalyptic novel. A long essay begins the novel, describing the world in great detail, from biology to politics. A sudden and unspecified catastrophe has depopulated England, the countryside reverts to nature, and the few survivors revert to a quasi-medieval way of life.
The second part of the book is largely a straightforward adventure set in the wild landscape and society. Felix Aquila, the eldest of the three sons of a powerful Baron, sets out on a quest to prove himself worthy of the love of Aurora Thyma. Along the way he encounters various tribes of people, eventually rising to a leadership position among one set of natives. Three of the latter chapters give a disturbing and surreal description of the site of the fallen city of London.
The society that Jefferies depicts after the fall of London is an unpleasant one, with oppressive petty tyrants at war with each other, and insecurity and injustice for the poor. The book has lots of loose ends, which unfortunately Jefferies never tied up. Nevertheless, the book gives a satisfying conclusion, and is an important novel in the history of science fiction.
The second part of the book is largely a straightforward adventure set in the wild landscape and society. Felix Aquila, the eldest of the three sons of a powerful Baron, sets out on a quest to prove himself worthy of the love of Aurora Thyma. Along the way he encounters various tribes of people, eventually rising to a leadership position among one set of natives. Three of the latter chapters give a disturbing and surreal description of the site of the fallen city of London.
The society that Jefferies depicts after the fall of London is an unpleasant one, with oppressive petty tyrants at war with each other, and insecurity and injustice for the poor. The book has lots of loose ends, which unfortunately Jefferies never tied up. Nevertheless, the book gives a satisfying conclusion, and is an important novel in the history of science fiction.
juliannareads_'s review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.25
HATED THIS!!!!! DO NOT READ!!!!!
midnightbagel's review against another edition
2.0
This is one of those books that has some super interesting concepts being explored throughout and is important to literary history, especially that of genre fiction and speculative fiction, but isn't actually the most well written novel overall. Read for the ideas and the themes, not for the writing, plot, or characters.
andytinkham's review against another edition
4.0
This book was a surprise to me. I'd never heard of it before, or even heard of the author. If not for Standard Ebooks, I may have never learned of this book. I really enjoyed it though. It's not high octane action, and there are turning points in the story where I wanted the author to go a different direction, but it was a really interesting, well done novel. Really glad I read this.
lisa_nog's review against another edition
3.0
This is such an odd book. I really enjoyed it though. A very old stab at the post apocalyptic novel, it revolves around what’s become of the UK after some civilization ending event. Society has reverted back to largely feudal traditions and the main character is a very angsty nerd. Not even joking. He’s not a good knight, but he knows how to make contraptions no one can fathom and no one will give him the time of day. So he resolves to make his own way in the world.
diomuller's review against another edition
3.0
This is an interesting book. It's a very, very early post-apocalyptic sci-fi book. In it, the world reverts back to the medieval times, thanks to an unexplained phenomenom. The world created by the author is creative and interesting. The fact that this book was written more than 100 years ago also makes it even more interesting - some of the science may be wrong, but most of the things described by the author sound plausible!
However, not everything is perfect. The plot has a few interesting moments, but it also has big boring segments. Some parts of the book were a chore to read - even if the ideas are good, the way they are presented is a bit boring. The main character is boring, and the pacing is a bit uneven. However, some parts of the book are engaging, and those are kiiinda worth the chore.
Still, I'd recommend it only if you are curious about early sci-fi. It's not the best I've read, but it's also far from the worst.
However, not everything is perfect. The plot has a few interesting moments, but it also has big boring segments. Some parts of the book were a chore to read - even if the ideas are good, the way they are presented is a bit boring. The main character is boring, and the pacing is a bit uneven. However, some parts of the book are engaging, and those are kiiinda worth the chore.
Still, I'd recommend it only if you are curious about early sci-fi. It's not the best I've read, but it's also far from the worst.
mysteriousnorse's review against another edition
2.0
http://apolloreborn.blogspot.com/2012/12/after-london-or-wild-england.html
adent92's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
tregina's review against another edition
3.0
It's really interesting comparing this to modern post-apocalyptic literature, particularly in the depiction of the post-apocalyptic world and in the things it things it concerns itself with. It's idyllic in a way, an England returned to its natural state—for the most part there is nothing to 'clean up' where in most of what I consider to be post-apocalyptic literature the world itself is destroyed and the survivors are shown dealing with that. This book concerns itself largely with the loss of knowledge, particularly as it concerns politics and warfare, alongside the little things, like fifty years without tea.
The darkest part was also my favourite: the journey into the heart of ravaged London, still toxic and completely unrecognisable. I liked the book (aside from the inevitable sexism and other prejudices of the time) and there were some particularly lovely insights and descriptions, but it would have been more to my taste if there had been more of that.
The darkest part was also my favourite: the journey into the heart of ravaged London, still toxic and completely unrecognisable. I liked the book (aside from the inevitable sexism and other prejudices of the time) and there were some particularly lovely insights and descriptions, but it would have been more to my taste if there had been more of that.
sfinn95's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5