balduz's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
that_little_drop_of_poison's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
sara_g_2655's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mike_word's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
and_camp_89's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
vhernandez57's review against another edition
2.0
"A new Aryan drift around the world..."
Yikes, where to begin?
Written and published in the 1910s, this depicts a plague that spread rapidly and ravaged civilization. It's interesting because it was written during a time when travel wasn't as easy and widespread as it is now. The author did a good job looking into a future where it was possible for a plague to cause such apocalyptic destruction as the one described in the book. The scarlet plague is a lot like the black plague in its symptoms only that it wiped out most of humanity and sent everyone into a post-civilized stone age. My problem isn't so much with the story and the theme of humans reverting back to savagery when thrown into an epic and dire situation, but it was more with the narrator being a self-aggrandizing and classist person. He tells his story of the times during the plague to a group of young boys. He describes the terrible people he came across and the lack of women among men. The only woman he talks about in great detail is a young woman that was the daughter of one of the 7 great men in charge of the world and how she was too perfect for the brute man, that was once her chauffeur, who captured her and turned her into his slave. The narrator talks about the once chauffeur degrading and beating her as a way to revenge himself for being lesser than her in society. We don't hear this woman speak and she is only seen doing chores for her captor and being beaten by him. The narrator talks about how he loved her and we see him romanticize her solely by her appearance. I don't think he even spoke to her once before the plague, but she was so perfect and beautiful that he wanted her to be his wife had not the brute who claimed her as his own made it impossible for the narrator to do so. He eventually gives up on the situation and leaves to be on his own for the next 3 years. After that, he longs for human companionship and looks for people in the aftermath of the plague.
He finds a small group of people where the women are also outnumbered by the men in the group. He's attracted to one in particular, but she already has an incestuous husband, so the narrator almost begrudgingly pairs up with the only woman who was free in the group. The story wraps up with this old man bemoaning to the children that humanity has lost most of its knowledge, but will eventually albeit slowly relearn everything. It doesn't help that the narrator isn't overtly helpful in this new stone age other than writing down the alphabet and leaving some texts behind for people. I would think during this time he would learn a new skill to help his "tribe" by learning from the last craftsman before he died a natural death. Unfortunately, the narrator describes himself as not an "engineer," but a scholar. *Eyeroll* Whatever my guy. It doesn't take long to write down the alphabet. He didn't even teach the children in his "tribe" how to read. He could've learned to be more useful in the very long life he lived but chose not to.
The story left many questions unanswered. Why didn't he teach the children anything from his "vast and extensive" education? What happened to all the books in the world? It was a plague, not an earthquake or a meteor. Did not a single person think that it would be a good idea to teach the new generation anything other than selfishness and bare minimum survival needs like "you need to eat"?
The narrator was self-important, slightly misogynistic, and virtually useless in his long life. This could tie into the theme that many people will revert to arrogant and selfish savages when faced with the apocalypse. But you're saying that 60 years passed after the plague and it's certain that all the smart people in the world died and took their knowledge with them? The narrator only knows of the 4 or so "tribes" in California and stated that he heard nothing from the outer world. Telephones were invented decades before this story was written. There wasn't a single person after 2011, when the plague first hit, who was able to figure out how a telephone worked? The narrator isn't as smart as he thinks he is, but the only thing he was certain of was that humanity will continue to grow and there will be "a new Aryan drift around the world." Yikes.
Yikes, where to begin?
Written and published in the 1910s, this depicts a plague that spread rapidly and ravaged civilization. It's interesting because it was written during a time when travel wasn't as easy and widespread as it is now. The author did a good job looking into a future where it was possible for a plague to cause such apocalyptic destruction as the one described in the book. The scarlet plague is a lot like the black plague in its symptoms only that it wiped out most of humanity and sent everyone into a post-civilized stone age. My problem isn't so much with the story and the theme of humans reverting back to savagery when thrown into an epic and dire situation, but it was more with the narrator being a self-aggrandizing and classist person. He tells his story of the times during the plague to a group of young boys. He describes the terrible people he came across and the lack of women among men. The only woman he talks about in great detail is a young woman that was the daughter of one of the 7 great men in charge of the world and how she was too perfect for the brute man, that was once her chauffeur, who captured her and turned her into his slave. The narrator talks about the once chauffeur degrading and beating her as a way to revenge himself for being lesser than her in society. We don't hear this woman speak and she is only seen doing chores for her captor and being beaten by him. The narrator talks about how he loved her and we see him romanticize her solely by her appearance. I don't think he even spoke to her once before the plague, but she was so perfect and beautiful that he wanted her to be his wife had not the brute who claimed her as his own made it impossible for the narrator to do so. He eventually gives up on the situation and leaves to be on his own for the next 3 years. After that, he longs for human companionship and looks for people in the aftermath of the plague.
He finds a small group of people where the women are also outnumbered by the men in the group. He's attracted to one in particular, but she already has an incestuous husband, so the narrator almost begrudgingly pairs up with the only woman who was free in the group. The story wraps up with this old man bemoaning to the children that humanity has lost most of its knowledge, but will eventually albeit slowly relearn everything. It doesn't help that the narrator isn't overtly helpful in this new stone age other than writing down the alphabet and leaving some texts behind for people. I would think during this time he would learn a new skill to help his "tribe" by learning from the last craftsman before he died a natural death. Unfortunately, the narrator describes himself as not an "engineer," but a scholar. *Eyeroll* Whatever my guy. It doesn't take long to write down the alphabet. He didn't even teach the children in his "tribe" how to read. He could've learned to be more useful in the very long life he lived but chose not to.
The story left many questions unanswered. Why didn't he teach the children anything from his "vast and extensive" education? What happened to all the books in the world? It was a plague, not an earthquake or a meteor. Did not a single person think that it would be a good idea to teach the new generation anything other than selfishness and bare minimum survival needs like "you need to eat"?
The narrator was self-important, slightly misogynistic, and virtually useless in his long life. This could tie into the theme that many people will revert to arrogant and selfish savages when faced with the apocalypse. But you're saying that 60 years passed after the plague and it's certain that all the smart people in the world died and took their knowledge with them? The narrator only knows of the 4 or so "tribes" in California and stated that he heard nothing from the outer world. Telephones were invented decades before this story was written. There wasn't a single person after 2011, when the plague first hit, who was able to figure out how a telephone worked? The narrator isn't as smart as he thinks he is, but the only thing he was certain of was that humanity will continue to grow and there will be "a new Aryan drift around the world." Yikes.
beckylouise2904's review against another edition
4.0
A brilliant short read that resonates with current events!
yucky's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0