After a nuclear exchange incinerates the United States, a handful of survivors struggle against the radioactive winter and a spreading skin mutation known as the Job's Mask. The narrative tracks three disparate groups: an ex-wrestler named Josh protecting a young girl named Swan who possesses the supernatural ability to manipulate plant life; a teenager named Roland who descends into psychopathic militarism under the guidance of a malevolent survivalist; and a homeless woman known as Sister Creep. These factions eventually converge in a struggle against the Man with the Scarlet Eye, a shapeshifting entity seeking to extinguish the last remnants of humanity.
Readers of epic horror and post-apocalyptic fiction turn to this book for its visceral depiction of societal collapse and the moral divide between pacifism and authoritarianism. It attracts those interested in the logistical reality of nuclear fallout mixed with dark fantasy elements. The reader leaves with a detailed understanding of the physical toll of environmental ruin and a specific vision of how human cooperation functions when all technological infrastructure is permanently destroyed. The story provides a stark contrast between the corruption of power and the biological resilience of the natural world.
Escapist; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Escapist Adventurer. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1987
- Language
- EN
