Ecological disaster has left the English countryside a wasteland. Humanity faces extinction, unless Greybeard and his wife Martha are successful in their quest for the scarcest and most precious of resources: human children.
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Review
'Greybeard is one of those hidden gems, a rare find that makes you kick yourself for not discovering it sooner, a masterful piece of literary science fiction and a poignant tale of human mortality.' (5/5 stars) (SFBOOK )
'brilliant and highly recommended' (SFFWORLD.COM )
'brilliant and highly recommended' (SFFWORLD.COM )
About the Author
Brian Aldiss is an SF/fantasy author who has achieved the rare success of acceptance as a writer of real significance by the literary establishment in his lifetime. He lives near Oxford.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
One man's search for meaning in a dysfunctional world... it's a common theme for Brian Aldiss to take up. This book, however, is perhaps a little more accessible than titles like Hothouse or Non-Stop, which also explore this theme. This is largely because Greybeard is set in the still recognisable world of Oxfordshire, England, albeit set in the near future in a world seemingly devoid of children. The novel has a very haunting and melancholic quality to it but ends on an inspired note. Recommended reading... and you don't have to be a fan of science fiction to enjoy this.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A nuclear accident unleashes radioactivity on the earth rendering the population sterile. As the population ages the earth decays to the dark ages frantically grasping for the myth of children still being born.
An interesting idea, well developed with good character generation. Unfortunately just lacked that special something which renders a good book a classic!
An interesting idea, well developed with good character generation. Unfortunately just lacked that special something which renders a good book a classic!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By W. Robinson
Format:Paperback
A couple of weeks ago I was in the Oxfam shop, looking for a science fiction item to buy. I plumped for this one, and I've just finished it.
On the good side, it's a well-written book, with good characters. What happens is that the testing of WMDs (weapons of mass destruction) in space have affected the Van Allen radiation belts around the earth, rendering the human race (and most higher animals) sterile.
So, without children, civilization slowly and inexorably crumbles. England is run, not by a national government, but by regional warlords. A group of old people have established themselves in the village of Sparcot, growing enough food to get by, and avoiding the plague which has decimated the population of the cities. One man, Greybeard, growing tired of the same old way of life, decides he has to leave, to seek his fortune. So off he goes, with this wife, rowing down the Thames.... The book meanders along for a while, telling us what Greybeard does and has done.
Suddenly, about halfway through the book, there is a major gear change, and we find ourselves in the USA, and a completely different storyline ensues. I found this big change rather difficult to swallow, as it's a bit like reading a completely different book!
Eventually the story moves back to England, with the old fogeys and has-beens trying to make the best of things. I found it quite difficult to get into this book, despite it being well-written. It's a bit like watching a mediocre play - not bad, but you are quite relieved when it comes to an end. It's just a bit dull, and I cannot honestly recommend it.
On the good side, it's a well-written book, with good characters. What happens is that the testing of WMDs (weapons of mass destruction) in space have affected the Van Allen radiation belts around the earth, rendering the human race (and most higher animals) sterile.
So, without children, civilization slowly and inexorably crumbles. England is run, not by a national government, but by regional warlords. A group of old people have established themselves in the village of Sparcot, growing enough food to get by, and avoiding the plague which has decimated the population of the cities. One man, Greybeard, growing tired of the same old way of life, decides he has to leave, to seek his fortune. So off he goes, with this wife, rowing down the Thames.... The book meanders along for a while, telling us what Greybeard does and has done.
Suddenly, about halfway through the book, there is a major gear change, and we find ourselves in the USA, and a completely different storyline ensues. I found this big change rather difficult to swallow, as it's a bit like reading a completely different book!
Eventually the story moves back to England, with the old fogeys and has-beens trying to make the best of things. I found it quite difficult to get into this book, despite it being well-written. It's a bit like watching a mediocre play - not bad, but you are quite relieved when it comes to an end. It's just a bit dull, and I cannot honestly recommend it.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating but lacks some depth
I enjoyed this book but I don't think it really lived up to its potential. The first few pages got me hooked right in, very cinematic descriptions, I could visualise how the first... Read more
Published on 7 Aug 2009 by Alison
5.0 out of 5 stars
OAP-ocalypse
The story follows two of the youngest people in a world full of OAPs following an accident that leaves the human population of the Earth sterile and unable to have children, along... Read more
Published on 2 July 2008 by Dr. Andrew Phillips
5.0 out of 5 stars
Original, subtle, moving - a classic of the genre
Atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons has rendered the population sterile. Decades later, in Oxford, a group of very elderly people eke out a meagre existence as nature reclaims... Read more
Published on 20 April 2003 by Justin Williams
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