Earth Abides

Written by George R. Stewart

Narrated by Timothy Andrés Pabon

Soon to be an exciting series on MGM+!

The award-winning Earth Abides is one of the most influential science fiction novels of all time, a mix of dystopian horror and a literary exploration of loneliness. It remains a fresh, provocative--and all too relevant--story of apocalyptic pandemic, societal collapse, and rebirth. Includes an introduction by Kim Stanley Robinson!

“This is a book, mind you, that I'd place not only among the greatest science fiction but among our very best novels” – Boston Globe

For Isherwood Williams, his cabin has always been a haven from the demands of society. But one day while hiking, Ish is bitten by a rattlesnake, and the solitude he had so desired takes on dire new significance. Because not long after, the coughing begins. Then the chills and fever and a measles-like rash. He thinks it’s a reaction to the bite. What he doesn’t know that the venom might be the only thing that kept him alive.

For when Ish heads home the world is not as he left it. No cars pass, the gas station not far from his cabin looks abandoned, there’s nothing on the radio, and he is shocked to see the body of a man on the roadside near a small town. He has missed humanity’s abrupt demise, only to find himself at the center of society’s rebirth. This is a chance to start over, and as Ish gathers survivors to him, he discovers just how wondrous and terrible that proposition is.

And when, decades later, he looks back on his legacy, he is only starting to understand the challenge between enlightenment and practicality. He had left one world, rejoined another, and now leaves—hopefully—an even different world behind. Because, reluctantly or no, his words and actions carry weight for the next generation, and Ish’s vision of the future may be one of prophecy…or doom.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Oct 13, 2020
• ISBN: 9780358447894

George R. Stewart

George R. Stewart (1895–1980) is the author of Pickett’s Charge, Names on the Land, and the International Fantasy Award–winner Earth Abides, as well as numerous other books of history, biography, and fiction. He taught for more than fifty years at the University of California, Berkeley. 

Reviews for Earth Abides

[Stormy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great book. Read this when I was in eighth grade. And I loved it. I’ve never forgot it that’s what got me started on all my apocalypse story reading I do today.

I only rated it with four stars, because the narrator left a lot to be desired. Miss pronouncing the word, “coupe” the “San Joaquin” valley “Tehachapi pass” and various words like that really bugged me.

[davemiles_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An outstanding book, probably one of the best I've ever read. This one will be added to that core group of books I'll never, ever get rid off and will periodically return to read again. It's a thought-provoking story of the end of the world, written in 1949 but incredibly pertinent. It's a little dated when discussing social issues (women, coloured people) but other than that it stands the test of time extremely well.What I loved about it is how Stewart discusses the effects of time and the lack of human involvement upon the natural world. Other end-of-the-world stories I've read focus on what would happen to the people, but very little on the way the world itself would adjust to the absence of humanity. This aspect makes it an even more pertinent book to be read in the present day.Get it, read it, fall in love with it. A great book

[Marcus Ranum · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is a classic. It's not quite sci-fi; it's more of a thoughtful exploration of "what is valuable in civilization?" I think it's the first grown-up book I read, 50 years ago, and it was still familiar and fascinating after all those years. It stays with you.

[toddtyrtle · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Well written and compelling story. Though it was written in 1949, there is little to give that fact away.

[infjsarah · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This wasn't at all what I expected. A post virus world where nearly everyone is wiped out. Not enough people to form an army (looking at you Swan Song!) but barely enough for humanity to survive at all. It's quite a cosy catastrophe really - I kept expecting the ravening motorcycle gangs etc but nothing like that ever happens. Because there are just not enough survivors.It's also an environmental book before that was a thing. Lots of sections about world changing, animals breeding and dying as the effect of man wanes. (the section about the rats gave me the habdabs!). Ish is an introverted academic and often thinks deeply about things and what the future holds. I liked it a lot but it is a slow contemplative book - don't expect the motorbike gangs - they aren't here.

[stroudley-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What actually happens at a practical level when the majority of the human race is suddenly removed? How long do buildings stand, or the lights stay on, or water continue to flow? Some of these questions are addressed in this story, which grounds it, and stops it becoming just fantasy. Although the book was written in 1949, it has not aged that much, particularly in the light of COVID, and lockdowns. The passage of time accelerates somewhat in two bridge-like chapters, but this seems to work. There are times when the opposite happens, and there is a long period of philosophical reflection, which drags a little. The concern of the main character that the new community should be more creative rather than relying on stores of food and other necessities still available in shops, and the lack of response to the challenge of this idea is interesting. As is the rise of a new generation that has known nothing about how the world used to be pre-disaster. Recommended.

[azbob1951 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Even sixty years ago the Earth Firster's were crying out how Man is destroying the planet

[dinadansfriend · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

this is a version of a post apocalyptic USA that is done without an Atomic War. That radiation problem is a real trial for the Science Fiction writers of the 1950's. Deep in the American psyche is the pioneer frame of mind, and Stewart creates a reasonable setting for the meme. It was readable. I like Sterling's new medievalism better.

[3argonauta · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I stopped reading at the halfway mark. The plot was too familiar and the story felt soulless. Meh.

[spiceca_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If this was a movie - it would be a slow burn burn. Its more about the characters than the events. A solid classic that tells the tale of why knowledge should be passed down and also that the worthy don't always survive- however, the earth will adjust. Should be read by anyone who enjoys the dystopian or post-apocalyptical.

[aegiswiz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Earth AbidesThe reader will have to decide if this is a utopian or a dystopian novel, but it is a novel about the destruction of humanity, or rather most of it. There's little mention of how humanity is exterminated. We start with the main character, Ishwood, who is bitten by a rattlesnake while in the wilderness and his struggle to survive, alone, without anti-venom.As the only character so far the reader grows close to the character, hoping for his survival.From there until the end of the novel you're treated to Ishwood and his life in a world where very few humans have survived The Great Disaster that evidently took place while he was trying to recover from the rattlesnake bite.This is the second time I've read this novel, the first time when I was rather young. While I can't say I was exceptionally excited about the book I did find it hard to put down, both times I read it. The reason I read it a second time is because of all the fantastic fiction I've read over the years I've always remembered this novel.

[jigarpatel-6 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A post-apocalyptic gem. An academic awakes from delirium to find a disease has driven away or killed all except a few who are immune. The following story is more than a tale of survival. It's a thoughtful study of society, environment, and the human condition. What thoughts and urges pass through the survivors? How do their outlooks differ? Do the stragglers work together and, if so, do they form a new civilisation? What tenets or mores do newly founded societies hold? How does the animal extinct to preserve its species manifest itself? These are universal, ageless questions; and the fact Stewart addresses them is why at no point does the novel feel dated.Earth Abides inspired Stephen King's post-apocalyptic The Stand.

[bness2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A fascinating post-apocalyptic novel that takes place primarily in Northern California.

[nx74defiant · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Classic Post-Apocalyptic Fiction.I really enjoyed it. It holds up really well.I liked the parts that talk about what is happening in nature, to the dogs, the cats, the cities. It reminded me of the world with out man video I saw.

[unclebob53703 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Starts out with a fairly ordinary guy and follows him through the end of the world via a disease that's wiped out most humans. The changes are incremental over the years, but by the end the society around him is unrecognizable . He broods quite a bit about what he didn't do and should have done, but day to day life overtakes him, as it does everyone. I've read quite a few of these books, and the beginning seemed familiar, but the story builds on itself and I found the end profoundly unsettling and very moving. First rate storytelling.

[rondoctor · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Excellent post-apocalypse story that should have had a sequel. Originally published in 1949, but I somehow missed it. I'm glad I discovered it now. Highly recommended.

[sunnydrk · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I had such high expectations for this book - yet another post-apocolyptic story. Isherwood is enjoying time alone in the mountains. When he ventures into town, he discovers that the world as he knew it is gone. From there Isherwood attempts to build a life in the new world, while maintaining the old ways. I found that the book jumped around a lot and that Mr. Steward didn't give enough description or detail for me to get a true sense of anything. Could be that was the writing style of the time but, when I was done with the book, I really didn't feel as though I had been a part of Isherwood's world (as I feel with most books I read).

[lente_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very touching story. One to make you think.

[tlockney_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fantastic book, though a bit dated in tone. This is not the post-apocalyptic book you might think it would be, considering the route so many take with the scenario proposed by the author. Read it if you want to be led on a speculative, imaginative investigation of how life might really go on following a great tragedy.

[tsoys · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

More than speculative disaster fiction, Earth Abides is a post-apocalyptic novel about human civilization after a planet wide cataclysm. As revelatory narrative, it is not only sweeping and thoughtful, but also elemental and philosophical enough to show how futile were the backyard fallout shelters of the1950’s, and also the gasoline hoarding, food-stuffed lairs of 21st century doomsday preppers now. Author George R. Stewart travels beyond such temporary human stopgaps to illuminate the depth and breadth of a calamity affecting generations of humans.Set in the San Francisco East Bay Area, not only does his novel introduce and follow individual men and women characters who grow, develop, and decay across their life spans; but also he makes Nature (weather, climate, season, fire, water, birth, growth, regression and succession, population collapse, death, and pandemic) and the Planet Earth brilliant primary characters that drive this tale. Stewart wrote about what he knew: including great 20th century Bay Area icons---the Golden Gate and Bay Bridge, and the colossal Doe Library (built 1910) at the University of California, Berkeley. All play roles as physical links to possibility, connection, and knowledge in Earth Abides, as Stewart attempts to discover what is essential, and what of civilization will or will not atrophy or survive. All three were very familiar to Stewart, who was a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Words like “staggering” and “heroic” describe the progress of this work. The result is amazing, considering Stewart’s novel was published in1949, before personal computers, satellites, and spacecraft. In this book he recreates the sympathetic and sobering tone of the prayer, “earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust” from the Book of Common Prayer, itself derived from Genesis 3:19, and combines it with the poetic perspective of Ecclesiastes. In fact Earth Abides owes much of its point-of-view, including its title, to the voice of the “teacher” Koheleth at the heart of Ecclesiastes, who investigates and ponders the gravity, moral purpose, and meaning of human life. But, this novel is no religious tract. Instead it develops a logical and spiritual consideration of what a devastated humanity set into a fragile landscape, can be or become. Both yesterday’s earthbound, and today’s orbiting, see-all humans can empathize with the hope and sorrow inherent in such an enterprise. As always Mankind’s character must bear the result, whether joy or blame in the end. Either way, no reader of Earth Abides will fail to be moved by the journey.___Val Morehouse, Reviewer.

[debnance_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Instead of a real review, I’ve decided to post random comments from and about the story.Economics professor: “The trouble you are expecting never happens; it’s always something that sneaks up the other way.”Coyote loping along the highway in daylight: “Strange how soon it had known the world had changed, and that it could take new freedoms.”“Drink-blackness. Drink-blackness.” New will to live. To observe.People who are left: alcoholic, running teenage girl, territorial man with woman“His weakness had become his strength.” Not social. Able to endure lack of conversation.Dog. “Found himself building a wall against more attachments which must end only with death.”National Monument Cliff Dwellers Superintendent’s home already starting to deteriorate - eventually like cliff dwellers’ homes“Men come and go, but earth abides.”

[baswood · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This novel is listed in Abe's 50 essential science fiction novels as well as Pringle's 100 best science fiction novels, it is also published in the SF masterwork series. It has many excellent reviews on LT and so my expectations were high. I was not disappointed. Published in 1949 it has claim to be one of the first dystopia novels and if not the first it is certainly one of the best that I have read. This is the sort of science fiction novel that if you chanced upon it in the 1960's it would probably make you a science fiction fan for a long time to come and it still reads well today; as long as you allow yourself to view things from a 1940's perspective. This is particularly important for this novel because civilization is basically halted in its tracks when a mysterious plague wipes out most of the human race in little over a week. There are only very few people that survive and the story is told from the POV of one of the survivors: Isherwood Williams (Ish for short)The 1940's were in some respects more gentle times than today and this is reflected in Stewarts view of a world where survival is the key to existence, but there are no gangs of motorcycle warlords roaming the streets as you might find in a Mad Max film, people are more inclined to help each other than shoot each other on sight or torture each other to death. Ish is an academic with a few practical skills, who at times prefers his own company and feels uncomfortable in certain social situations, but he has a good heart and a will to keep going when faced with a devastating situation. He had been up country in a log cabin when he had suffered a rattlesnake bite, he survived but was laid up for a week, when he came back down to civilization he found he was possibly the only person left alive following a great plague. Stewart grips the reader from the start with Ish's predicament and his search for fellow survivors, there are very few of these and most of them have been driven insane or just given up at the prospect of being alone in the world, however Ish does find a few individuals and they band together realising it is their best chance to survive. Ish's story is the story of this small community, who get around to calling themselves the Tribe when babies start to be produced.Stewarts master stroke is to make this group a very ordinary collection of individuals, there are no obvious leaders of men, no one has more than the most everyday practical skills and no one is a scientific genius, their time is spent trying to adapt to their new situation, certain rituals are established, although religion is largely avoided. Stewarts big theme is the how quickly civilization would disappear for a group like this, who do not have the man power or the skills to keep even the electricity supply functioning. When the lights go out the group resort to gas lamps and candles only dimly aware that when these run out they cannot be replaced. Ish is the only one of the group who thinks about the future and attempts to halt the groups slide into ignorance and perhaps barbarity as they soon become little more than hunter gatherers. There is however an underlying humanity in the Tribe and this is what makes the reader care about them and about Ish.Stewart intersperses his narrative with some ideas of how the natural world would adapt following the near demise of man, this is evident within the story itself as machinery no longer works, vegetation re-establishes itself everywhere and concrete and steel deteriorate, but the little asides are fascinating and are brief enough not to get in the way of the narrative. For the most part the book is well written although there is some annoying repetition when Stewart forces his point across, and I wanted to say to him that his readers may not be as dumb as many of the people in the Tribe.I did not have to suspend belief in this story and could well imagine a similar situation for a group of individuals who survive a plague in the 21st century, for example what would they do when their cell phones stopped working. Great science fiction and a very good novel which I would rate at 4.5 stars.

[jimmaclachlan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I thought about giving this 5 stars as it is one of the best & earliest of the modern, serious apocalyptic SF novels. Written in 1949, it is a bit dated in some ways (the use of chemicals, lack of panic, & some equipment) but overall, it held up very well over the years. I don't agree with some of the specifics, but the story is not so much about specific technology, but about humanity & I think he presented a very interesting set of ideas.

If you're looking for action & adventure, this book isn't for you. It is more thoughtful, posing interesting questions about the human condition. It does this by following one man who survives the end of our civilization & sees what happens to several generations of his descendents. How the rest of the world fares is briefly addressed, sometimes quite personally, but always in a perfunctory manner. I don't think this harmed the story at all, though. Any more detail would have bogged it down & not helped the central themes.

I'm not sure if I read this before, but parts seemed familiar, especially the end. Does anyone know if there was ever a short story done of this or did part of it appear as a novella or something?

Our civilization dies quickly & quietly due a plague that kills off all but a handful of people in weeks. To give an idea of numbers, in an entire city, he might find traces of less than a dozen. Stewart presumes that very little of the infrastructure is disturbed. Electricity runs for months, city water for years. The roads aren't jammed with cars. So what happens to the survivors & their descendents?

Stewart supposes that they become scavengers & revert to barbarism. There are plenty of canned goods, guns, bullets, gas & housing for everyone to live comfortably for decades. There are no other people around to cause many problems, so there is no reason for the survivors to strive for anything. The original survivors give birth to a completely separate generation that grows up scavenging amongst a treasure trove. They have no reason to learn to read or any of the old technology.

In order to repopulate & protect themselves against extinction, children were encouraged to marry early, so the following generation were children raised by children. Even less knowledge of the old world was passed along & rank superstition arose. By the time Ish, our hero, dies, mankind has returned firmly to hunter/gatherers & the technology of the past is merely a curiosity.

Is this a good or bad thing? Ish isn't sure & either am I - this is the basic question that the book leaves us with. The people are happy enough. Much of what we once had, they don't - either the good or the bad.

It's an interesting question & well posed.

[talbin_3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Under-developed characters, a bit pedantic, but an interesting take on a post-apocalyptic America.

[scoutj_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not a bad read, but why were all the early scifi writers so damned pessimistic? Another calamity, this time most of humanity is wiped out by a plague. Alas, no zombies, but a really intriguing look at how one small tribe of people claw their way back to community.

[bongo_x_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have to go back and write a little something about this one because I find myself still thinking about it. That's kind of a surprise, as I wasn't completely blown away by it when I read it, but I did enjoy it.
The book comes across as a pretty simple "end of the world" story but I'm finding that it has really stuck with me. I really felt the emotional changes the main character goes through as he adapts to the new world and grows old. I read "Alas Babylon" at almost the same time, and while it was entertaining it didn't have the impact this did for me.

On a side note; Several reviewers have mentioned that they had trouble with it because things in the story were dated. I can't comprehend this line of thinking. Let me try and help;

1. The book was written in the past.
2. The story takes place in the past. (fictional, everyone on earth didn't really die in the 50's, see definition of "fiction")
3. We are not in the past, we are in the present.
4. Some things are different now (the present) than they were then (the past).
5. Some books were written in the past, yet are somehow still pretty good, even though the writers couldn't see into the future to make the setting more comfortable for you, so it doesn't hurt your brain and all.

Do these people only read books set in the now? How old is too old, is a year OK? How about in other countries? Some books actually have time periods and settings that are TOTALLY MADE UP! WTF?!? Yes, they were stupid for writing about old, boring stuff instead of cool, shiny stuff we have now. I mean, how can you read Dickens when no one in the stories even has a iPhone? How did they text? Who could read a book with a setting that's different from their own life, how weird would that be?

I'm gonna stop now before I say something mean.

[levasssp · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A true classic. While it is in the genre of "science fiction" and is based in a post-apocalyptic society, this book transcends those categories to become something much bigger. It is a philosophical story that closely examines the role of humans/society as they relate to earth. Additionally, it is told in an entertaining, relatable way. Highly recommended, even if you tend to avoid "science fiction." This book will change the way you think.***SPOILER****Some people have criticized this book because the main character does not teach his offspring to read. Such a criticism is completely unfounded and makes me think that those people did not understand this book at all. Ish spends about 3/4 of this book struggling with that exact dilemma. He wants to educate them. However, the MAIN point of the book is his internal conflict with that personal desire versus the reality that it is unnecessary. The beauty of this book is how Stewart is able to convince the reader that ultimate choice is the right one (for him). You may not agree, but the process that he takes to get there is what makes this book a classic.

[brucecoulson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A lyrical, poetic look at the aftermath of the end of the old world to a plague of Biblical proportions. This is allegory and poetry; the nuts and bolts of such a massive collapse are not in this novel, and the characters represent large aspects of humanity.

[huntersun9 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I have mixed feelings about this book. It is very well-written and introduces an interesting post-plague world. However, I was disgusted (and didn't find it plausible) that the adults did not teach the children to be literate, or anything about world history. After decades of scavenging, Ish still has trouble convincing the Tribe that they must learn to farm and sustain themselves. You would think that the Old Ones who were fortunate enough to survive such an ordeal would grab life by the reins and learn the harsh lessons of the past. I was annoyed that they seemed so lazy and incurious about the rest of the world. Even when the young men trek across the country, this part of the story falls flat, with no great result. I appreciate that this book is considered a major forerunner of post-apocalyptic writing, but I was a bit disappointed.

[mfranb_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Disappointing. Why didn't he at least read to those kids?