The Road in Oly Reads

Sep 23, 2008 Jackie "the Librarian" rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: adultfiction, sciencefiction

This is a bleak, spare story, with a love story at its heart - the love of a father for his child. Traveling together through what I'm guessing is nuclear winter, they scrounge for survival.
The plants are all dead, crumbling to ashes. The animals are all, save possibly for a dog, dead and gone. The only living things they see are other people, who are seen only as danger to the man. The boy still is hopeful of finding other "good guys".
The book is a harrowing glimpse of a possible future, yet ...more

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Apr 13, 2010 Leonardo Etcheto rated it liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I like the way you don't get a whole blurb on getting you up to speed on the story. It comes out little by little through the dreams and thoughts of the characters. No chapters, just meandering paragraphs.
Overall the book was depressing and disturbing. The fact that no plants can grow pretty much means that the best you can hope for is to survive, but not to thrive. You are only consuming the stored food and can not grow new. It is a zero-sum game which ofcourse brings out the worst in the surv I like the way you don't get a whole blurb on getting you up to speed on the story. It comes out little by little through the dreams and thoughts of the characters. No chapters, just meandering paragraphs.
Overall the book was depressing and disturbing. The fact that no plants can grow pretty much means that the best you can hope for is to survive, but not to thrive. You are only consuming the stored food and can not grow new. It is a zero-sum game which ofcourse brings out the worst in the survivors. I do think the man's strategy was screwed. It is to me significant that all human interaction while he was still alive and on the road was of the bad variety:
1. Guy hit by lighting, left him to die on the road
2. Diesel van and crew, killed a slave taker. Ran like hell.
3. Organized roaming war party. Hid in the bushes.
4. Ambushers of traveler's, victims kept in cellar and eaten, ran like hell.
5. Old dude that was destitute, helped a little, left to die.
6. Robber by the beach, whom they left naked in the middle of nothing.
7. Wandering band of baby eaters, kid left on a spike by the fire.
8. Ambushed by bowman, burned the shooter.
9. Various toughs and robbers in the entrances of towns.

Final: some kind of commune with kids who take in the kid. The rescuers advice - stay off the road. Seems like good advice to me. When you find a place that is set up for clean water like the house with the cistern, or the bomb shelter, you have to think of just what are you searching for. Food, shelter, clothing. Find a decent shelter and scavenge around, prepare defenses. Main thing is stay out of sight.
The overall strategy seemed to be to head south for warmer climates, but they never laid up store for a winter bivouac or seek the company of "good guys". Even when his wife was alive it seems all they did was stay in a constant state of movement and non-association with fellow humans, it became a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Must say I have zero interest in seeing the movie after reading the book. If it is at all true to the book it will be just dreary and potentially have some very barbaric scenes whose imagery I have no wish to have in my head.
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Oct 31, 2009 UberApril rated it it was amazing

LOVED IT!!! I'm still have chills ...more

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Oct 29, 2007 Emjaro rated it really liked it

What i learned from this book is that when the world comes to an end, i'll be woefully unequipped to survive. I really loved this book, super sad but very compelling. ...more

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