So this follows the life of a man from birth to his end. If you like Job, which I did, then this makes for a compelling read. The world building is perhaps the best dystopian can offer. The world feels chillingly real and possible to me. The situations are not generic but layered and nuanced and help you to see the man Job will become. There is much to like about this book. The situations he gets into are never of his own making but he deals with them and comes out the winner or at least the best loser.The end totally tanks the book for me Literally the last few pages are not the "saving the world" that you expect and the shock is not a pleasant on but rather anti-climatic. People are constantly talking about population explosion but modern people are too selfish for that to ever really be a problem. There are only really a couple countries today that even have a population that maintains itself let alone is actually increasing. Even China is worried about not having enough workers. Even in 1992 I feel like this is a tired idea even from Charles Sheffield who writes truly superior sci-fi. That being said he knows the inside of a human male and how to put him on the page. Job is stellar. You want him to suceed and find a situation where he can not only survive but be happy. All the side character from Mr. Bones to Skip to even the villains of the piece snapping off the page. You don't forget one of them and they aree come together to tell Job's story. I felt like the plot was superior as well and I was truly sucked into the story. The twists really are unexpected even as you think you know where the story is going, it snaps you like a rubber band. BOTTOM LINE: A goodread ruined by an ending.
A worthy award winner (1993 John Campbell Memorial). The story follows the life of Job Napoleon Salk - from his near stillbirth, through his early years in an orphange, his childhood on the streets of a post-crash Washington DC, to his time on a TANDI (Toxic and Nuclear Disposal Installation) in Nebraska. Saddled with significant physical deformities and living a life that is often dictated by outside forces, Job makes use of his two assets - a talent for learning languages and a strong survival instinct - to try and stay alive in this dystopian setting.Sheffield excels here with his description of the setting, his development of Job, and with the cameos of all the minor characters that intersect Job's tale. The pacing of the story is also good - I found it hard to put the book down, finishing the 260 page book in 3 sittings over 3 days.
What do You think about Brother To Dragons (1992)?
I'm writing this without benefit of a copy of the book in hand. It's a post-apocalyptic tale of society hanging together by a thread after (imagine my surprise) a world-wide economic collapse. The central character, Job, is a seemingly hapless individual with many handicaps. He undergoes a series of horrific misadventures, but ultimately plays a key role in the reshaping of the world.Pardon the play on words, but I would call this tale one which is possessed of biblical proportions. Each chapter is preceded by a biblical reference. And there are obvious parallels with the book of Job. Despite the grim nature of the happenings in the story, however, the ultimate perspective is a positive one.The reason I don't have a copy of the book: I gave it to my former pastor who tells me she really enjoyed it.
—Jim Mcclanahan
