jbronderbookreviews

A History of the Future (World Make by Hand – 3) by James Howard Kunstler

(Excerpt from Goodreads) A History of the Future is the third thrilling novel in Kunstler’s “World Made By Hand” series, an exploration of family and morality as played out in the small town of Union Grove.

Following the catastrophes of the twenty-first century—the pandemics, the environmental disaster, the end of oil, the ensuing chaos—people are doing whatever they can to get by and pursuing a simpler and sometimes happier existence. In little Union Grove in upstate New York, the townspeople are preparing for Christmas. Without the consumerist shopping frenzy that dogged the holidays of the previous age, the season has become a time to focus on family and loved ones. It is a stormy Christmas Eve when Robert Earle’s son Daniel arrives back from his two years of sojourning throughout what is left of the United States. He collapses from exhaustion and illness, but as he recovers tells the story of the break-up of the nation into three uneasy independent regions and his journey into the dark heart of the New Foxfire Republic centered in Tennesee and led by the female evangelical despot, Loving Morrow. In the background, Union Grove has been shocked by the Christmas Eve double murder by a young mother, in the throes of illness, of her husband and infant son. Town magistrate Stephen Bullock is in a hanging mood.

My Review

5 stars

Since the fall of the country as we know it, people are doing whatever they can to survive without electricity and other advantages of pre-collapse. This story takes a look at the world and how they have survived after the collapse. It is around Christmas time and everyone is getting ready for the holiday when tragedy strikes. A young mother kills bother her husband and her son. Union Grove is going to have to find a place to lock her up. They also need to create some form of justice system to punish her for her deeds. At the same time, Robert’s son Daniel has returned after traveling around the country. He tells about the different people, territories, and events that are happening.

I love apocalyptic stories and this is right along my line. I really like how the community has revived after the loss of modern conveniences. Of course with the double murder it brings another problem to light. What are they going to do with her? What kind of legal proceeding will they have? I really liked the descriptions of the rest of the country and what other areas were doing.

I have not read the other books in this series but I will be adding them to my purchase list. I think this is a great view of what could happen and what some people would do to survive. This is a great book and I recommend people to check it out.

To purchase A History of the Future make sure to check out Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, and James Howard Kunstler’s website.

I received A History of the Future for free a long time ago in exchange for an honest review.