Earth Abides: Earth Abides Books Included

March 7, 2025 12:31 AM - Season 1 (Full Season)

After months of isolation, Isherwood "Ish" Williams, learns that most of the world has fallen to a mysterious illness. Yet, despite his instincts to further isolate, Ish explores a depleted world.

Based on the novel Earth Abides (1949).

Very loosely based. Carried similar overarching themes and tried adding some more contemporary ones into the mix. Lots of bending including plot, gender, and phenotype.

posted by porpoise (2 comments total)

For a post-apocalyptic story, it's the coziest version of it I've encountered for a good long while!

There are definitely [no, this wouldn't actually (still) work]) (electricity, water, etc.) (waste? septic tanks after x years... =) ... issues.

Lots of homages to the novel. The hammer looks pretty badasss.

I do miss the epilogue in the novel where, like, different coins made for raw materials for different weight arrowheads and a superstition arose from that.

Also missing, iirc, was a descendant finding the (decaying) library and the conflict/ ambiguity with the other branch of descendants who revert to something closer to the Lord of the Flies, or like the legislature of the USA circa Q1 2025.

There is some gore, but it is inflicted by a normal wild animal, and the subject survives. An animal (pet) dies offs-screen a thunderstorm and is found afterwards.

Otherwise, pretty "family" oriented without being ideological other than assholes suck (and it's hard to get rid of them)..
posted by porpoise at 12:45 AM on March 7

This was one of my favorite books for a while after I first read it (as an adolescent/early teen? I don't remember now). I haven't re-read it in several decades, though I still have a copy (I think it's my original childhood copy!) and consider it occasionally. I'll be interested in seeing what everyone says about this show -- I have a vague recollection of hearing that it was being made, but then didn't hear anything else and forgot about it.
posted by Pedantzilla at 4:29 PM on March 7 [1 favorite]