
In a sun‑scorched wasteland where war and a relentless plague have shattered civilization, Johnny Hope wanders a desperate village haunted by the memory of his parents. The community, ruled by a stern mayor, treats the dead as dangerous contagion, demanding that Johnny abandon his wish to give them a proper burial. As tensions rise, Johnny’s quiet defiance forces him to choose between obedience and the promise his father left him.
Amid the hostility, whispers spread that the very robot armies once built to serve humanity might hold the key to ending the disease. Johnny, driven by his father’s dying counsel, sets out to uncover whether any machines still roam the ruined cities, hoping they could bring a cure. His journey begins with a single, daring step beyond the village’s fearful borders, where the fate of the surviving few hangs in the balance.
Language
en
Duration
~2 hours (138K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2021-09-20
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1928–2008
Best known for the globe-trotting private eye Chester Drum, this prolific American novelist also ranged far beyond crime fiction. He wrote science fiction, suspense, and vivid fictional lives of historical figures, building a career that stretched across several decades.
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