Take a photo of a barcode or cover
vinpauld 's review for:
Empty World
by John Christopher
This book starts off with the main character, Neil, being orphaned when he is the only survivor of an automobile accident that kills the rest of his family. Shortly after going to live with his grandparents, they too die when a pandemic, that started in India, spreads to the United Kingdom. There is a lot of death in the first half of this young adult novel making it at times a rather brutal and sad read. There is also a disturbing suicide scene that although not graphically described, still packs a punch. The first two thirds of this novel are quite gripping and writing this review as the Covid-19 pandemic enters its second year, made some events in the book seem all too real. The plague in this book is much more devastating though than Covid-19, as this novel's plague ends up killing all adults and some children, leaving the surviving children behind in a now empty world. Reading about how Neil navigates this world and learns how to survive is the best part of the book. I would have rated this novel higher, but I felt it really fell apart in the last third when he encounters two young female survivors and ends up moving in with them. One of the female characters, Billie, turns out to be quite nasty and the whole story starts to revolve around the jealousies and conflicts between the three characters. What started out as a post-apocalyptic story turns into a young adult soap opera and turned the book into a bit of a disappointment.