Castaway (1934) by James Gould Cozzens.
One of the first "last man" novels, to my knowledge. Other early contenders being M.P. Shiel's The Purple Cloud (1930) and Richard Mattheson's twice adapted "I Am Legend" (1954).
Cozzens' take on this premise might be the most efficient I've read so far. It's economy of style and clear storytelling is hard to match. His prose is engrossing without seeming long winded. That said, I think contemporary audiences will be most struck at the enduring relevance of Cozzens' social commentary. Major themes include consumerism as lifestyle, disposability, isolation, alienation, depression, distraction, ennui, etc.
Cozzens' prose is superb. The action is sparse. Mr. Lecky's psychological reactions to his predicament are the focus here. A quiet, thoughtful take on the end of the modern world.
-andy
One of the first "last man" novels, to my knowledge. Other early contenders being M.P. Shiel's The Purple Cloud (1930) and Richard Mattheson's twice adapted "I Am Legend" (1954).
Cozzens' take on this premise might be the most efficient I've read so far. It's economy of style and clear storytelling is hard to match. His prose is engrossing without seeming long winded. That said, I think contemporary audiences will be most struck at the enduring relevance of Cozzens' social commentary. Major themes include consumerism as lifestyle, disposability, isolation, alienation, depression, distraction, ennui, etc.
Cozzens' prose is superb. The action is sparse. Mr. Lecky's psychological reactions to his predicament are the focus here. A quiet, thoughtful take on the end of the modern world.
-andy
The entire concept was simply great. An unspecified catastrophe strikes New York and Mr. Lecky finds himself as the only survivor. He is stranded in the only remaining structure - a department store. This is the story of his dealing with survival - both physically and mentally. There were so many different ways all the components of this book could go that nothing was predictable. It was a quick and easy read.
