This was one wild story, and waaaaay outside DE Stevenson’s normal milieu.
If you think you’d like to read a book written in the 30’s but set in the futuristic 70’s and that begins with a freakish apocalypse, then, yeah, give this book a try. Do like I did and don’t read the synopsis. It’s more compelling when you go in blind. That’s why I’m not going to give any other plot points.

I actually would have given it 4 stars but I got annoyed in the last few chapters and just wanted to see it wrap up. But it was surprisingly fascinating overall and if you like DE Stevenson but you also like also weird stuff, you might appreciate it. ( )

This book is D. E. Stevenson's only science fiction work. It is a good old-fashioned end-of-the-world book, written in 1936, taking place in 1973. I wasn't sure how it would go, since science fiction is one of the last genres one would link with Stevenson. I do, however, have a penchant for apocalyptic fiction, so I was optimistic. Surprisingly, I was able to obtain a copy through interlibrary loan. I really enjoyed it. While not one of her best books, it is definitely something I would read again. The nice people were nice (and oh, so very civilized), the bad people were bad, and there was never any doubt which were which. The technology was dated, of course--her vision of transatlantic flight was considerably different from the reality of 1973. The romance aspect was not as well done as in most of her books, but I liked the main female character, who is smart, competent, and usually confident. Of all of Stevenson's books that I've read, the one that is closest in style is Crooked Adam, which is an adventure/thriller--also a departure for her. There were some parts that reminded me strongly of The Day of the Triffids, which I reread just a few weeks ago. I will be looking for my own copy of The Empty World. Apocalyptic fiction by D. E. Stevenson. What more could I ask? ( )