The Scarlet PlagueAn old man walks along deserted railway tracks, long since unused and overgrown; beside him a young, feral boy helps him along. It has been 60 years since the great Red Death wiped out mankind, and the handful of survivors from all walks of life have established their own civilization and their own hierarchy in a savage world. Art, science, and all learning has been lost, and the young descendants of the healthy know nothing of the world that was—nothing but myths and make-believe. The old man is the only one who can convey the wonders of that bygone age, and the horrors of the plague that brought about its end. What future lies in store for the remnants of mankind can only be surmised—their ignorance, barbarity, and ruthlessness the only hopes they have. This cataclysmic tale remains a terrifying prophecy of the perils of globalization, which are all too pertinent today. |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
ain't airships babbled bacteriologists began body boys brute burning called camp campus caught Chemistry Building civilization crab shell dead death-stick deserted destroyed died disease dogs Doris Lessing Edwin everywhere eyes face feet fell fight fingers fire fled forest Franz Kafka gabble goats grain of sand grandsons Granser hand Hare-Lip head heard HESPERUS PRESS Hoo-Hoo horse human hundred Jack London Katherine Mansfield killed kinds of germs knew Lake Temescal lived Livermore Valley looked man's Mikhail Bulgakov millions motor car mountain lions mussel never night pistol plague germs planet pony Professor Fairmead Professor Smith prowlers Red Death San Francisco Santa Rosans savage Scarlet Death Scarlet Plague Scott Fitzgerald screamed servant shot sick sixty smoke survivor talk teeth tell things thousand tinned provisions told Tony Robinson valley Vesta Van Warden walk wife wild woman women wonderful words young