Robinson appoints Drummond as the one-man census bureau. (For the characters, see here.)
A map of the US shows uninhabitable regions in red and blue X's for the sparse army posts scattered near population centers. Bandits, enemy troops and refugees skulk, raid and spread plague. There are not even enough soldiers left to start a feudal system! (Anderson's characters can usually fall back on feudalism.)
Drummond must find out how many survived the war and what supplied they have. The contents of shops, laboratories and libraries must be rescued from looters and the weather. Doctors, engineers and other professionals must be located and put to work and outlaws apprehended.
Census information will enable redistribution of population, reestablishment of civil authority and reopening of transport and communication. Expansion will supersede mere survival. More importantly, Drummond says:
"'Robinson, we can't go back to the old ways. We've got to start on a new track - a track of sanity.'" (p. 16)
What would be the point of rebuilding civilization if that led straight to World War IV?
5 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
A bad sign, indeed, if there was not even enough people left for society to fall back on de facto feudalism!
I agree, in principle, that not all the old ways will be good, that some new tracks need to be tried. MY view, of course, is that the real flaw lies INSIDE imperfect, all too prone to folly human beings. So I'm wary about pinning our homes in mere socio-political arrangements.
Sean
I had that edition of TWILIGHT WORLD as a kid in Nairobi!
Nostalgia ain't what it used to be!
The images saved on my computer include several of book covers. Many, just because they were attractively or very cleverly done — but there are a few I saved to memorialize that the first time I read that particular book, it was in an edition with that cover art. Just for nostalgia's sake.
By the way, nothing is what it used to be ... and it never was.
Gentlemen,
My copy of TWILIGHT WORLD is also the 1961 Torquil edition. Alas, the cool jacket cover had disappeared when I purchased it. And I've heard of how some people do horrible things like throwing away the jacket covers of the books they buy! (Shudders)
Sean
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