I first read this 50 years ago as a preteen and had remembered it as 'kid stuff', probably because I started reading Clarke and Heinlein right after it. A rereading was eye-opening in the best way; this book was remarkably solid and clear-eyed for its 1952 publication date, and rings as ridiculously influential. Really, if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, this book has been well and truly flattered.

For a YA novel written during the Cold War, even before such cautionary works as Shute's "On the Beach" or Miller's "A Canticle For Leibowitz," this book brings pretty adult pragmatism to a world 200 years removed from nuclear apocalypse. It's still a YA novel in terms of tone, scope, pacing, and action, but a good one that rises above its limitations and the few dated bits. I must admit, I am most surprised at how dated this book does NOT feel, and how actively inclusive it reads. Norton's call to rise above racial tribalism is as timely now as the threat of armageddon. This is a classic and, like Buddy Holly singles, needs to be dusted off and played for young minds. ( )

Read this book in junior high or high school. It was dense packing in a lot of action and travel for Fors in a post-apocalyptic world a couple of centuries past the atomic wars. It would have been the core of a good larger novel with more developed characters. But AN's characters are are well sketched out but lack depth. Why wouldn't they in a 191 page novel. I wonder if this was serialized before it was a book. Reading my old sci-fi on occasion is my mind stepping into a time machine. ( )

My first experience with post-apocalyptic fiction, I think. Great story. ( )

Just finished reading this old favorite to the boys. They loved it and begged for me to read at nights which is not always the case with books we choose to read out loud. This is a coming of age story as the majority of Andre Norton's are. It is post apocalyptic. This is a strong anti war sermon at its heart. There are themes of friendship, perseverance and tolerance also. A good read for the tween set if they are good with language as AN's prose can be poetic and a bit convoluted at times. Fun story to share out loud. ( )

Daybreak 2250AD by Andre Norton

Daybreak 2250AD was originally published as Starman's Son in 1952, and was one of the early published works that launched Norton’s career lasting half a century.
This is a seminal example of a story set some time after a nuclear holocaust, and is a solid and well-written piece of pulp fiction.
At the time, the Cold War terrified people with the prospect of nuclear annihilation, so the subject of this novel would certainly have been something that was on the minds of the American public.
Humans have reverted to non-technical tribal societies, and while they are hostile to each other, they also have a common enemy in the mutant Beast Things which inhabit the ruined cities.
The hero, Fors, also has certain strange physical traits and abilities (explained as the effects of radiation), and since he is not truly accepted by his own mountain people, he decides to leave for the wild world outside where he intends to fulfill his late father's ambition to find an as-yet undiscovered ruined city. Fors is fascinated by the technology which the ancestors possessed and hopes to learn more about it from the artifacts he may uncover. Like other works by Norton, the main character has a telepathic link to a feline companion.
Norton was ahead of her time in using her science fiction to address racial issues in an age before the American civil rights movement got fully underway, as well as to examine what it means to be 'normal'. The protagonist encounters a man from a dark-skinned tribe who shows himself to be at least the equal of Fors in both strength and intelligence.
Although this is in many ways a traditional tale of adventure in which many highly unlikely coincidences occur in order to keep the heroes alive, this may be part of what makes it a compelling read. The story ends on an optimistic but predictable note.



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