SOJALS rating:

Very good (4/5)

I first read this on the 4th January 2006.

On Tuesday, March 17th 1998, some sort of fundamental change in the laws of our physical universe occurs. No one knows what has caused it, but the effects are quite catastrophically clear

• gasoline no longer burns strongly enough to power an engine
• gunpowder fails to explode
• electrical and electronic items no longer function

There are the immediate disasters of course. The trains, the planes, the coaches and the cars that - suddenly without power - crash. There's the short term disasters: those living in cities with no food, and those living in the country with too little food to share. Then of course there is the long term disaster: the collapse of civilisation across the world. In America, With the government unable to function, America slips into a medieval, survivalist chaos.

We follow ex-pilot Michael Havel as he makes his way in this flightless world, determined to finish his mission, and to take care of those entrusted to his care.

Juniper McKenzie, folk singer, and her good friend Dennis will also struggle to find a place for themselves and their friends.

Let's hope they can help each other a little, so that not every modern skill and art is lost, and not everyone dies,

It's a classic post disaster novel, and it's brilliantly done. However, it's more fantasy than SF and there is an awful lot of armour and swords and outdoor stuff and Idaho. I did thoroughly enjoy it though.