Customer Reviews

Survivors

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I own the entire 38 episodes of the BBC TV series Survivors and recently read the book upon which it was based. A foreboding tale, with a prescient quality regarding the fragility of humankind and the social edifices we have constructed; I must confess to preferring the TV series somewhat more. The reader is subliminally enjoined to be one of the Survivors, after an apparent biotechnology accident wipes out virtually the entire human race. Pared back to basics, with only the remnants of technology and our modern way of life to cling to, the monumental task of those who have not been killed by the sickness, is simply to go on living. Terry Nation cleverly helps us imagine the mechanics of a back to zero world and the tenuous human interactions therein. 'Survivors' is compelling and daunting, with a definite feel of future reality to it. Though not in my opinion as phenomenal a work as the TV series, it receives 5 stars from me as an adjunct and outline to a simply masterful piece of story telling by Terry Nation. NOTE: A sequel exists written by John Eyers called "Survivors Genesis of a Hero," a surprisingly convincing continuation of the Survivors saga.

Survivors - Terry Nation, the creator of Dr Who and Blake's Seven.

Recent apocalyptic stories have been of the "asteroid hits earth, tidal waves and earthquakes everywhere" variety. But this is a more traditional "virus destroys 99.99% of the population" type, and is as a result far more interesting and satisfying. After all, everything is left standing, all the machines and cities, but there are too few people to make anything work.

A new strain of influenza spreads by means of air travel. One person infects ten, they each infect more, soon the virus has spread throughout the world, travelling by jet. Just a 'flu at first, but the mortality rate is almost total. Within a month, almost everyone on earth is infected and dying. Everything stops, as everyone is sick or dead. No transport, no electricity, no hospitals, no government, nothing.

In our society, everyone is just a small part of a larger process, everyone is specialised. Imagine waking up to a world where all of the knowledge, ability and expertise had just died along with the vast bulk of the population - you and I probably know less than a stone age man as far as living in a world like that is concerned! And that's what this book is all about - the struggle to survive when you have no idea what to do, and no-one is going to come and help you.

The heroine of the story is Abby, who gets sick, but lives. As she recovers, the world is suddenly an empty and lonely place. She looks for others, and eventually joins a small community trying to rediscover how to farm, build and live with diminishing technology. Resources are scarce and getting scarcer - petrol is more valuable than useless gold - but some bands of survivors are happier to steal from others than to work to rebuild the world. Abby is our eyes and ears in this harsh world, as we follow her in her search for her son whom she hopes also survived. Abby eventually has to make a hard choice whether to keep her search alive, leading to a tragic finale.

When I read this book as a teenager, I was amazed at the incredible detail of the story, how Terry Nation portrayed all of the consequences, big and small, of a world so devastated by disease, as well as the scope of the disaster that befell the world. In this story ALL of civilisation come to an end in the matter of a month or two, and the plausibility of the story is frightening! But in addition to a fabulous story, well told, there is the human drama, played out against a backdrop of hardship and desperation.

This is a great book, one you won't forget.

Survivors - Terry Nation, the creator of Dr Who and Blake's Seven.

Recent apocalyptic stories have been of the "asteroid hits earth, tidal waves and earthquakes everywhere" variety. But this is a more traditional "virus destroys 99.99% of the population" type, and is as a result far more interesting and satisfying. After all, everything is left standing, all the machines and cities, but there are too few people to make anything work.

A new strain of influenza spreads by means of air travel. One person infects ten, they each infect more, soon the virus has spread throughout the world, travelling by jet. Just a 'flu at first, but the mortality rate is almost total. Within a month, almost everyone on earth is infected and dying. Everything stops, as everyone is sick or dead. No transport, no electricity, no hospitals, no government, nothing.

In our society, everyone is just a small part of a larger process, everyone is specialised. Imagine waking up to a world where all of the knowledge, ability and expertise had just died along with the vast bulk of the population - you and I probably know less than a stone age man as far as living in a world like that is concerned! And that's what this book is all about - the struggle to survive when you have no idea what to do, and no-one is going to come and help you.

The heroine of the story is Abby, who gets sick, but lives. As she recovers, the world is suddenly an empty and lonely place. She looks for others, and eventually joins a small community trying to rediscover how to farm, build and live with diminishing technology. Resources are scarce and getting scarcer - petrol is more valuable than useless gold - but some bands of survivors are happier to steal from others than to work to rebuild the world. Abby is our eyes and ears in this harsh world, as we follow her in her search for her son whom she hopes also survived. Abby eventually has to make a hard choice whether to keep her search alive, leading to a tragic finale.

When I read this book as a teenager, I was amazed at the incredible detail of the story, how Terry Nation portrayed all of the consequences, big and small, of a world so devastated by disease, as well as the scope of the disaster that befell the world. In this story ALL of civilisation come to an end in the matter of a month or two, and the plausibility of the story is frightening! But in addition to a fabulous story, well told, there is the human drama, played out against a backdrop of hardship and desperation.

This is a great book, one you won't forget.

This story is very interesting in light of the ever threatening bird flu pandemic. Although written in the 70's before computers and cell phones became basic gear, this story is very plausible. Here in an area of southern England survivors of a pandemic flu like plague that wipes out 99 percent of the world population try to survive day to day, season to season. Abby, the main character is a woman who is searching for her teen age son who may have survived the plague. In the course of her search she falls in with a group of people who try to survive by creating a farm and scavenging off modern societies leavings and dealing with other friendly and not so friendly groups. Many things I never thought of were brought up like learning how to farm correctly or even making candles and all the simple things us modern people have forgotten how to do. Could any of us really survive? This story ends with on a tragic note but it is sure an eye opener and ever more relevant today. A quick but great read. Makes you look at yourself and wonder, "Could I do it??"

It just seem liked another sick passager British Airway flight from Paris to London, but it was much more. But within weeks the killer disease was everywere and it killed over 99 percent of world's population and the world was dying things that were one taken for granted such as running water, power and food died with the people. But there were survivors left and they were coming togther, some to work together and some to rule over others. The fight to suvive was on.
I read Terry Nation's "Suvivros" ahead of the TV show that is coming out in a few weeks and overall I liked the book. I thought that Mr. Nation did a ready great job. While I wasn't thrilled about the ending, I would say that anyone who is a fan post-apocalyptic books will enjoy "Suvivors"

I'd never seen the TV series before I read the book, but I quickly became engrossed in the plot concerning (particularly three) survivors of a deadly virus that wipes out the majority of the world's population. It was so fascinating that I had to read it from cover to cover in one sitting. The book is written in a simple way, and there is no sci-fi jargon to get your head around. It specialises in complex characterisation of several characters, so that the reader can understand the emotional aspects of such an event through the lives of its survivors. However, it also mentions other characters so that the reader gets a sense of the rest of the newly-destroyed world. Despite the bleak subject matter, the book comes across as being more enthralling than depressing. The ending will leave you reeling for days and, beyond that, you will finish this book quietly contemplating your own existance in this comfortable world.

I loved the book and I loved the BBC series but I needed some closure. I didn't get it with the book or the series. Thanks Paula

The Survivors is a wonderful contribution to post appocalyptic literature. Though it was written in 1979 it is not dated. I found the story fresh, belivable and highly emotional. This is not a fairy tale. Be prepared for a lot of very dark moments.While there were a few loose ends, overall I enjoyed the ride.

I recently bought a used copy - it was the most I have ever paid for a book in my entire life, but worth every penny! I should mention that I veiwed the TV series many years ago and got hooked, but I never realized there was a novel that the series was based on until I was browsing through the many used books websites. If you ever are lucky enough to run across a copy, I highly recommend it! You may even want to check out your local public library. Enjoy!

Title: Survivors
Author: Terry Nation

The Plot: A mutated form of the Bubonic Plague spreads across the globe, hastened by easy air travel. In Britain, the plague brings civilization to a halt in a matter of a few weeks. In the aftermath, a handful of survivors come together and try to form a community where they can resurrect agrarian life. The small numbers of survivors and their lack of expertise makes for a very difficult first winter.

The survivors go on to try to strike a balance between scavenging from the wreckage of civilization and building a sustainable way of life. Along the way, they deal with raiders, authoritarian feudalists, and the inevitable accidents that become so much more threatening in a world lacking societal safety nets.

Eventually, they must make a decision to either accept the primitive limitations of living in a small agrarian community, join with other groups, or attempt to migrate to a warmer and easier climate.

The Writing: The writing is competent but unadorned. There are a handful of annoying editing errors. Although the plot takes place in Britain, there are few uniquely British terms, making the writing easily accessible to Americans.

Details on the Volume Reviewed: Published by Coward, McCann, and Geoghegan, Inc. 1976, first edition. Hard cover. 254 pages in a medium font.

Opinions on the Plot: I find this to be a hugely enjoyable book; a breath of fresh air in the post-apocalypse genre. Rather than focusing on weaponry and grim, pointless battles over the scraps of civilization, Survivors focuses more on the every day difficulties of becoming entirely self-sufficient. While Survivors has its share of armed conflict, this is merely one of the challenges faced by the characters.

Survivors was originally a three season BBC television series, shown only in the UK. I, like many American readers, was introduced to Survivors by this book, which was published in the US. (In fact, I did not have the good fortune to learn about the television show until almost 25 years after the publishing of the book.) The book roughly covers the first season of Survivors, although the plot takes a decidedly different (and in my opinion, more interesting) turn about three quarters through the events covered in the first television season.