Published by: Penguin Classics
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Second story is "Lot" by Ward Moore, a modern - or at least modern when it was written in 1953 - telling of the biblical story of Lot with American cities under nuclear attack standing in for Sodom and the main character David Jimmon takes the part of Lot.Jimmon is quite frankly an arse, though well prepared for the reality of a world after nuclear war. He already has an emergency plan which is underway as the story begins with Jimmon, his wife, his two sons and his daughter readying to leave in their well provisioned car and make their way to the wilds for some post-apocalyptic fun and games. He pretty much despises his wife and holds a very low opinion of her and his two sons, only finding any intelligence to match his own in his daughter.
It's the story of a man making decisions in order to survive, decisions which I didn't find entirely credible but then I'm not a complete arse and the bombs haven't started dropping so who knows how things would turn out. I enjoyed the tale, and I'll be seeking out "Lot's Daughter" by the author which continues the story.
Sounds a bit like Farnham's Freehold by Heinlein. I read that about three months ago and it's just wrong on so many layers. I didn't think Heinlein got bonkers until the 70s.
ReplyDeleteI've have mixed reactions to Heinlein's work. I think I need to try him again.
ReplyDeleteAnything of his you would particularly recommend?
Farnham's was the first Heinlein I'd read for years. The last before that was a re-reading of Starship Troopers, which is a must. I did most of my Heinlein reading in my teens, many years ago. I re-read Starship Troopers after reading Scalzi's Old Man's War, and going on a classic MilSF spree that included the Forever War and John Steakley's Armor.
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