The Day after Judgement [Hardcover]

James. Blish (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Doubleday; First edition. edition (1971)
• ASIN: B000WJICX6
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Can the world end?, December 9, 2005

By 

David Hood (Wesley Chapel, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Day After Judgement (Mass Market Paperback)

Similar to the earlier Black Easter, this is a slow-paced book where most of the action is left offstage in favor of allowing us to see how the main characters react when they are removed from the action.

There is one good bit of action, the failed attack on Dis by the U.S. Military is described in detail. Despite plot summaries, what this book really is is a question. The question being what happens if/when God is removed, can the vacuum stay, or must something else take the place and fill the vacuum?

This is more Paradise Lost and less end of the world thriller. Reading it knowing that will allow you to enjoy it more than if you were expecting an action filled apocalypse.

As in the first novel, Blish crafts this one well. It is tightly written, though again there is really no tension that builds. Very clinical, very removed observation of catastrophe and the characters. It was an interesting choice he made to do it that way, maybe not the most appealing, but viable and interesting.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars What Stale Hell is This?, April 14, 2004

By 

Ashley Lambert-Maberly (Vancouver, British Columbia Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Day After Judgement (Mass Market Paperback)

This sequel to Black Easter (or second-half of a single work, if you prefer to look at it that way) is especially disappointing. The first volume was brief, and ended just as things were about to get interesting ... which in this volume, they rather failed to do.

Here's the premise: God is dead, and Satan has taken over the earth. The plot then consists of army officers in an underground bunker plotting an ineffective attack, alternating with scenes of Black Easter's protragonists discussing matters, then eventually travelling to Satan's stronghold without incident.

It seems almost incredible to me that given the plot outline (Satan takes over the world, magicians travel to his stronghold) nothing interesting happens--this must be intentional on the part of Blish, it's clearly a choice--so for anyone in the mood for a less lethargic novel, this will likely not satisfy. It's Hell on Earth meets My Dinner with Andre, with duller conversations.

Note: a 3 star ranking from me is actually fairly good; I reserve 4 stars for tremendously good works, and 5 only for the rare few that are or ought to be classic; unfortunately most books published are 2 or less.