John Christopher’s “The Death of Grass” holds a special place as likely my first foray into dystopian literature, a reading experience from over 25 years ago. Having lost my original copy, I was delighted to stumble upon the very same edition in a secondhand bookstore in Portugal a couple of years ago, and had to immediately reread it.

The novel explores the swift and brutal unraveling of society in the face of a global famine brought on by the Chinese-originated Chung-Li virus, which has devastated crucial crops like wheat and rice. The narrative follows John Custance and his family’s desperate journey from London to his brother’s remote farm, hoping to find refuge and food. Christopher forgoes detailed scientific explanations and extensive world-building, instead focusing on the immediate and disastrous impact of the crisis on ordinary people: societal structures crumble relentlessly, the government resorts to extreme measures, and basic human kindness is eroded under the immense pressure to survive.

John Custance, the protagonist, is not a heroic figure but an ordinary man driven to extreme actions to protect his family. The supporting characters, including his wife, brother, and friends, also undergo significant changes as they contend with the moral dilemmas of survival. 

A debatable aspect of the novel is the speed of societal breakdown after the virus’s well-paced spread. John Custance’s rapid transformation from a relatively passive observer to a ruthless pragmatist is a key illustration of this, potentially affecting the story’s believability for some. On the other hand, this pacing choice could be viewed as Christopher’s way of underscoring the fragility of civilization and the surprising speed with which it can crumble under extreme pressure.

Rereading this novel a quarter of a century after my first experience, and mindful of its 1956 publication, I anticipated a dated feel, which was indeed the case. The prose is straightforward and functional, lacking the stylistic resources of modern fiction, and some of the dialogue can seem stilted. However, these very elements contribute to the novel’s atmosphere and firmly place it within its historical context, so I don’t consider it a negative.

Overall, “The Death of Grass” is a really interesting novel that looks at the darkest parts of human nature when things go bad. The book’s main message about how fragile society is and how hard people will fight to survive is still very relevant today. It’s a classic post-apocalyptic story that’s worth reading and talking about. I’m giving it a 7.

– S –

Note: The Portuguese title for this book is “A Última Fome” (The Last Hunger). I have a 1982 edition.