The author’s death prompted me to read this modern classic. Of a similar “dystopian future” era/genre to I am Legend, 1984 and The Man in the High Castle, it’s clearly the fruit of post-war, atomic age fear – a place where the threat of totalitarianism was real and the paranoid witch hunts of McCarthy were in full anger. What a damaging and damaged time that was.
One thought – it could almost be the prequel to one of my favourite books, Ridley Walker by Russell Hoban. But I won’t spoil either by making the connection.
But this is not a misery fest. Nor does it feel like science fiction – it’s just a great novel. File under “why hadn’t I read this before?” I shall read more Ray Bradbury.