One

"One" is my first exposure to Conrad Williams. It is a brutally disturbing story, unflinching in its depiction of the collapse of civilization and the struggle of humans to survive when everything has been stripped away. I am an avid post-apocalyptic fan...rehearsing the end of the world from my reading chair is one of my favorite things to do (yeh, I am a sick puppy). Williams story here is a brilliant one, no doubt. The only clue to what actually causes the world's end is in the "introduction", where he thanks a scientist for helping him understand the effects of a gamma ray burst. The story begins with something causing massive death from what looks like microwaves cooking humanity from the inside out. Nothing works, the sky is blasted, corpses litter the landscape...and it seems as if Richard Jane, the story's protagonist, may be the only survivor. I like the fact that Williams never attempts to explain what destroyed the planet, or even if it is a global or localized phenomenon. What he deals with is the raw human emotions of loss, fear, rage, and bitter confusion. And hope, as Jane searches for his son and joins with other survivors who are just looking for a way to survive. The story takes an odd twist just beyond the midway point, when a dust that has settled over the bodies of the dead turns out to be something other than dust. A strange new take on the zombie story results, and it is graphic, disturbing and shocking. The story moves inexorably to an ending which really resolves nothing, but is literate in the way it communicates how one man finds hope in the midst of hopelessness. It is brilliantly conceived story, and has strong emotional impact. Williams is a master of portraying both external and internal landscapes, of getting into people's hearts and heads, and in making you squirm with disgust at the horror of a nightmare existence. My only problem with the book is that the language is dense; it seems as if Williams is trying to make his mark as a literate horror writer. I possess a Master of Arts degree, and am working towards a Ph.D. I have written and published before. However, I stumbled over his wording, his use of descriptive language and his phrasing. His paragraphs were not structured well (in my humble opinion) and I often found myself having to re-read a page or two to follow the narrative. It may be an editing problem, but I suspect he was trying to come off as a poetic writer...it just got confusing and obtuse, at times. Not always, though...and that is why I rate this a 4.5. It ranks as one of the best post-apocalyptics I have read...and I do appreciate a more literary (and brutalizing) approach to story telling...something that does not flinch from the horror of the story. Highly recommended...and I have already ordered two more of Williams books.

it's refreshing to find a novel in the post-apocalyptic survival genre that's so well-written, this book really stands head and shoulders above the pack. Be prepared for a harrowing vision of the end of times, where survival seems like a near total impossibility. The main character is complex and well conceived, and his lucid narration will draw you in and carry you through the grim, unfolding story. There is a bit towards the end that seems to trip over itself, but that's a minor hiccup in an otherwise solid piece of work. It's also very anglo-centric, the majority of the story takes place in and around London and there are many references and catch phrases that might be lost on the average (non British) reader. Overall a great read, I'll definitely be looking into this author's other works.

This story stays with you long after it is finished. The story is a take on "The Road" but extended into a more character driven book.

A flawless entry in the "End-of-the-World" genre, ONE starts with a bang and then just keeps ratcheting up the tension. Richard Jane, a deep-sea saturation diver, returns to the surface to find that the world has ended. Williams doesn't explain how, but we're given various clues as Jane crosses the country, collecting and discarding other survivors as he searches for his five year-old son, hoping against hope that he has somehow survived. The first half of the book, dealing with the harsh realities of finding nearly everyone in the country dead, is an unflinching and brutal 200 pages of incredible turn-of-phrase and metaphor. Williams is a poet, although his words rarely deal with romance or love - even Jane's unending quest for his son leans more towards insanity than true devotion, and would be a little hard to believe in the hands of a lesser writer. Williams masterfully keeps Jane sympathetic, and the last half of the book takes place several years later as the survivors of the Event deal with infected, zombie-like humans, rats and even a mutated tiger. Conrad Williams knows that the stakes must be continually raised, and he does not disappoint. But unlike so many of his contemporaries, (Keene, Kenyon, Moore) he knows that characters must be fleshed out and made believable. Why do we blindly trust Williams to get us through this rich and complex new world he's created? Because Richard Jane reacts in a way that we can believe and identify with. Probably the best book I've read all year.