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2006-12-24 Home Front: Culture Wars

Steyn: Biggest story of our time: our self-extinction

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Posted by .com 2006-12-24 08:38|| || Front Page|| [2 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Yes.

Posted by anonymous5089 2006-12-24 11:41|| 2006-12-24 11:41|| Front Page Top

#2 Zacharias is surprised to discover his impending fatherhood -- "for I am an old man and stricken in years."

I have aboslutely no difficulty believing this.

Posted by Besoeker 2006-12-24 11:52|| 2006-12-24 11:52|| Front Page Top

#3 Read the book. Here's my Amazon review (2-star):

Author P.D. James starts with an interesting thesis in this dystopian novel: due to an unexplained, worldwide infertility crisis, there have been no children born for a generation. Society begins to unravel as it ages, and in the Britain of the near future democracy has been abandoned in favor of a 'Warden', Xan, who will keep the lights on, evacuate the outlying lands and allow civilization to come to a quiet end. Sex has become meaningless and people spend their remaining time in pointless pursuits. Against this, the protagonist Theo Faron, a frustrated academic, becomes involved in a plot over a rumor that there might be a fertile woman left in the world.

Unfortunately there are substantial problems with the characters. The biggest one: Theo Faron is a most unsympathetic protagonist. He's completely selfish and unlikable, and in the second half of the book it becomes clear that what motivates him in the end, similar to Xan, is possession of the woman. He's nothing more than an over-educated, pessimistic, nihilistic Neanderthal. The smaller characters in the conspiracy likewise are dull, dimwitted fools. I had much more sympathy for the Warden who was actually trying to manage an orderly implosion of the society that had been given to him.

Author James is an excellent technical writer -- the descriptions of people and places sing. The pace, though moderate, never drags. At the end though you're left with wondering, "it was all about ... THIS?"

Posted by Steve White">Steve White 2006-12-24 13:02|| 2006-12-24 13:02|| Front Page Top

#4 Sounds about as cheerful and uplifting as Nevil Chute's "On the Beach". Same ending, too.

Posted by Zenster">Zenster 2006-12-24 19:55|| 2006-12-24 19:55|| Front Page Top

#5 Try The Bright Companion
by Edward Llewellyn

Posted by gromgoru 2006-12-24 20:52|| 2006-12-24 20:52|| Front Page Top

23:54 Zenster
23:47 ed
23:43 Zenster
23:40 ed
23:35 Mike
23:35 trailing wife
23:33 Zenster
23:22 CrazyFool
23:20 CrazyFool
23:16 Jesing Ebbease3087
23:04 Grunter
23:02 Anguper Hupomosing9418
22:55 Anguper Hupomosing9418
22:51 Fred
22:41 Zenster
22:24 Ptah
22:11 RWV
21:50 .com
21:45 Zenster
21:40 Zenster
21:36 Eric Jablow
21:34 Zenster
21:21 Grunter
21:17 exJAG