Helpful Score: 3
This book is not your typical PA book... but I still really enjoyed it. The story occurs years after a plague has swept the world... leaving a fraction of the people alive. Those that are still around are immune and trying to make a new life... but obviously many things have broken down (federal and state govt are gone in favor of city law... mass transportation has reached a standstill as infrastructure broke down and now there are too few people to make it work).
A militaristic leader in a small town has grand plans to exand his 'empire'... and start pushing towards San Francisco--land of many resources (food, medicine, etc) that are still left from pre-plague days. San Fran now is inhabited by artists and poets.... and has taken on a 'mystical' feel--with the inhabitants saying the city 'has a life of its own'...
While I'm not a fan of 'mystical' elements like that--this book was great none the less. Great character development, interesting story line and great story telling (and of course a topic I really like). Once the story gets rolling (when they try and invade SF) its really good... and the mystical parts add (not detract) from it.
A militaristic leader in a small town has grand plans to exand his 'empire'... and start pushing towards San Francisco--land of many resources (food, medicine, etc) that are still left from pre-plague days. San Fran now is inhabited by artists and poets.... and has taken on a 'mystical' feel--with the inhabitants saying the city 'has a life of its own'...
While I'm not a fan of 'mystical' elements like that--this book was great none the less. Great character development, interesting story line and great story telling (and of course a topic I really like). Once the story gets rolling (when they try and invade SF) its really good... and the mystical parts add (not detract) from it.
Helpful Score: 1
I really enjoyed reading this book - the tone and concepts were just beautiful. It's a post-apocalyptic scenario infused with magical realism. After a plague spread (accidentally?) by peace-activist Buddhists, only a few survivors live amongst ruins. San Francisco has become a haven of artists, but a military cult based in Sacramento is set on forcefully establishing a new American empire. Pacifism faces down a philosophy of violent force... but primarily, this is the story of the orphaned Danny-boy and the wild girl Jax... and of the city itself, suffused with dreams and nightmares.
My only criticism is that while it's beautiful and poetic, the book paints both sides of the conflict with a broad brush, and avoids engaging some of the obvious questions (is there absolutely no crime or major conflict amongst the happy artists of San Francisco?).
Still, even though it may have limitations, it's still a lovely book.
My only criticism is that while it's beautiful and poetic, the book paints both sides of the conflict with a broad brush, and avoids engaging some of the obvious questions (is there absolutely no crime or major conflict amongst the happy artists of San Francisco?).
Still, even though it may have limitations, it's still a lovely book.
This is not at all your usual post-apocalyptic (survival) fare (which I really like), and it contains elements of magic realism (which I generally dislike), and yet I really enjoyed this book for the unique characters, their worldview, and the wonderful, thought-provoking theme(s). The tone has a thoughtful, peaceful quality that somehow reminds me of 'Let the Great World Spin' and 'The Girl with Glass Feet.' Also, unlike many other novels set in a post-apocalyptic future, this novel is timeless: in spite of many changes (especially in technology) since the book was published in 1989, the story is still completely relevant and not at all dated; this could be any future. Murphy's San Francisco is something of a character in its own right, and the author clearly appreciates this one-of-a-kind city. This book was a great, surprising find! If you're looking for something a little different, give this one a try.
Not a bad post-apocalyptic book. The basic premise is that San Francisco is home to artists in this Cozy Catastrophe, and they choose non-lethal methods to repel an invading army, turning their artistic skills into ways to demonstrate they *could* kill if they wanted, but choose not to to demoralize the army. This would be an amazing story -- but it relies far too heavily on supernatural events and magic -- for no reason, and no good justification. The book would read far better if the flimsy supernatural subtext was removed.
This is not at all your usual post-apocalyptic (survival) fare (which I really like), and it contains elements of magic realism (which I generally dislike), and yet I really enjoyed this book for the unique characters, their worldview, and the wonderful, thought-provoking theme(s). The tone has a thoughtful, peaceful quality that somehow reminds me of 'Let the Great World Spin' and 'The Girl with Glass Feet.' Also, unlike many other novels set in a post-apocalyptic future, this novel is timeless: in spite of many changes (especially in technology) since the book was published in 1989, the story is still completely relevant and not at all dated; this could be any future. Murphy's San Francisco is something of a character in its own right, and the author clearly appreciates this one-of-a-kind city. This book was a great, surprising find! If you're looking for something a little different, give this one a try.
This is not at all your usual post-apocalyptic (survival) fare (which I really like), and it contains elements of magic realism (which I generally dislike), and yet I really enjoyed this book for the unique characters, their worldview, and the wonderful, thought-provoking theme(s). The tone has a thoughtful, peaceful quality that somehow reminds me of 'Let the Great World Spin' and 'The Girl with Glass Feet.' Also, unlike many other novels set in a post-apocalyptic future, this novel is timeless: in spite of many changes (especially in technology) since the book was published in 1989, the story is still completely relevant and not at all dated; this could be any future. Murphy's San Francisco is something of a character in its own right, and the author clearly appreciates this one-of-a-kind city. This book was a great, surprising find! If you're looking for something a little different, give this one a try.
