John Christopher

The Death of Grass

At first the virus wiping out grass and crops is of little concern to John Custance. It has decimated Asia, causing mass starvation and riots, but Europe is safe and a counter-virus is expected any day. Except, it turns out, the governments have been lying to their people. When the deadly disease hits Britain they are left alone, and society starts to descend into barbarism. As John and his family try to make it across country to the safety of his brother�s farm in a hidden valley, their humanity is tested to its very limits.

Sade A

At first this book was amusing, then it quickly descended into absolute filth. 
If you have a list of classics aging badly, this book should take the crown. What was the point?

John Christopher: Humans are morally reprehensible creatures. Not giving Mother Nature her due

Reader: Well Yes but...

JC: TERRIBLE TERRIBLE I SAY!! Hmm should write a book about this.

Reader: John your characters seem to have no nuance. Everyone is just terrible for the sake of being terrible

JC: HUMANS ARE DESPICABLE CREATURES. SEE MY BOOK EXPLAINS IT.

Reader: But why are they...

JC: HUMANS ARE TERRIBLE...KILL KILL KILL. RAPE THE WOMEN.

Reader: I don't think...

JC: Ok ok i'll add some thought provoking quotes to make everything more palatable. *clears throat*

  Pity was always a luxury. It's all right if the tragedy's a comfortable distance away. If you can watch it from the seat in a cinema. It's different when you find it on your doorstep- on every doorstep. 


Reader: 😐😐😐😐😐😐

JC: No? okay okay hear me out *clears throat*

  
    "Nature was wiping a cloth across the slate of human history, leaving it empty for the pathetic scrawls of those few who here and there over the face of the globe, would survive."
  


Reader: 😐😐😐😐😐😐 I don't....

JC: HUMANS ARE TERRIBLE!!!!

 
  My gripe with this book is that from the go, it felt like the author had decided humans were morally reprehensible and without any redeeming factor. We've seen that to be false in reality anyways, people step up even when they have nothing to gain from it. So obviously bull shit on whatever this author is spinning here. I mean the characters are presented with a moral issue and they don't even try to do the right thing, instead we're given given trite quotable platitudes that ask you to believe that these horrible despicable decisions after horrible despicable decisions are justifiable and for what? shock value? 


Anyways,

Ewan

Entertaining "read in a day". Almost akin to a mid 20th centruy English version of the road (they do stop to have tea).

Sadly it does rush itself occasionally

The Death of Grass

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