Book Review: Some Will Not Die by Algis Budrys

Some Will Not Die by Algis Budrys
Genre: Post Apocalyptic Fiction
Bob's Thoughts "A Must read for hardcore Post Apocalyptic Fans like myself, for everyone else, well, expect a flawed, uneven read."
Grade: B+ for PA fans, C for everyone else.
Out of Print (Check Abebooks for used copies.)
100 Books 100 Posts #3





"Some Will Not Die" is an extended and revised version of Algis Budrys first novel "False Night, a familiar story about the aftermath of a plague that kills off 90% of the countries population.

I am going to have a hard time reviewing this book. For me, I loved every moment of it. It is the classic, old school post apocalyptic tale that I love so much. The story in a nutshell goes like, there's a lone man in a decimated, he meets a women, they start a family, they meet another family, starting a group of friends, they meet other groups of friends starting a community, they join up with other communities and start a city, which join up with other cities to start a country, henceforth, society has begun again.

Of course, this is an oversimplification of the story. There are wars, politics, backstabbing, which builds up to a society formed on the carcus of the old, and yet just as corrupt. Told as interconnected short stories, Buldrys gives us a look not only at the immediate aftermath, but the society that forms a few generations past. All in all it is a grim look at humankind.

I was very happy to find the Kelly Frea version of this book. Kelly Freas is one of my favorite genre illustrators. I love the artwork in this book. I miss the days of illustrations in science fiction and fantasy books, and the modern covers that are understated. I always think science fiction and fantasy covers should be gawdy and unapologetically hokey. I includes some scans of the artwork, inside, and scans of the front cover. The quality isn't great, but, I think you get the picture.

Click on the Thumbnails for larger images.