The Scarlet Plague
| The Scarlet Plague | |
|---|---|
 1st edition cover |
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| Author(s) | Jack London |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Macmillan |
| Publication date | 1912 |
| Media type | |
| ISBN | ISBN 9781406823578 (Echo Library edition, paperback) |
The Scarlet Plague is a post-apocalyptic fiction novel written by Jack London and originally published in London Magazine in 1912.
The story takes place in 2073, sixty years after an uncontrollable epidemic, the Red Death,[1] has depopulated the planet. James Howard Smith is one of the few survivors of the pre-plague era left alive in the San Francisco area, and as he realizes his time grows short, he tries to impart the value of knowledge and wisdom to his grandsons.
[edit] World of Scarlet Plague
The world of the Scarlet Plague before the epidemic broke out was quite a civilized and advanced one, at least from the vantage point of the year 1912. It is an oligarchy where the upper class thrive and the working class are often treated little better than slaves. The theme is similar to London's The Iron Heel (1908).
[edit] References
- ^ Evening Standard; Back to the future again; 10 November 2008
[edit] External links
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Wikisource has original text related to this article: |
- Complete text from Project Gutenberg
- Unabridged audiobook at LibriVox
- The Science Fiction Century, David G. Hartwell. Discusses "Last man on Earth" subgenre.
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