Earth Abides

I read the original novel many times when I was a teenager, decades ago. It's a great story with lots of effective imagery, highly recommended, though a bit dated - published 1949, seventy-five years ago.

Though I had often wondered over the years whether it would ever become a film, I was not expecting this limited-series adaptation, so I was very surprised when it popped up. Also very worried, as it remains one of favorite-ever reads. "Men go and come, but earth abides" is a often-used quote for me. With some anxiety, I watched the first episode.

I ended it saying: "Wow! That was really good!" Seeing Ish stare at the smoke from Em's house brought the book's imagery to life.

Of course, by necessity it's been modernized in many ways, but important aspects of the plot remain effectively unchanged. The rattlesnake bite, finding Lucky the dog (Princess in the book), Milt and Ann. Other changes, like limiting Ish's journey to simply Las Vegas rather than Atlantic City, make sense, and are not important to the character interactions. Also, the way the book is structured makes a limited series a great production choice.

I am definitely looking forward to the rest of this series. "World without end!"

As someone who read Earth Abides 20-25 years ago, and remember the book fondly, I was pleasantly surprised to see a show being made.

There's always a bit of trepidation when this happens, as you hope they stay true to the book and meet your visual expectations, aware that it's hard for a movie or show to match what you have imagined when reading.

-With that in mind, I'm watching the first episode with a bit of bias, but trying to see this both as a "new" story as well as a welcome reminder of one of my favourite books in the "Dystopian/Post Apocalyptic" genre.

The book was written and set in the 1940s while the show is a modern take so the technology and general "feel" of the environment is different from the book. After Covid there's a place for a good pandemic narrative

Pacing is naturally brisk and notably rushed to fit character development and main plot into the first episode of a mini-series.

Episode 1 successfully sets up an engaging story that looks to honor Stewart's themes. It invites both fans of the book and new viewers to contemplate humanity's place in a changed world. The acting so far is good, production and effects look decent, maybe a bit on the sparse side (You'd expect pile-up of cars etc.).

Looking forward to the rest.

I'm at the end of episode 6 and realized, oh, this is it?

This could've been really great with, at least, six more episodes. They give you just a little bit of what was probably a whole lot more, in the book, I imagine. Why make a show that gives you only just a little, from the book?

Right when something new happens, it's so short and vague. Then, years to by and something else happens, which is short and vague. I mean, did they want to sell more copies of the book? It's like they made a show from the cliff notes. But, if you want to know the whole story and elaborate on those short, vague happenings, then we have to read the book?

Was this a small filler series? It could've been great, but it fell wantingly short.

I actually like this show. It has small plotholes, but it holds together and I want more!

Sure, the behavior of some people at the outset of this is strange, but nonetheless they all do stuff that I could imagine some would.

The pain and loneliness of the main character is interesting and believable. Where he is coming from is also plausible.

My mind is full of questions, and the anticipation of what will happen is still strong enough. What will he do? What will anyone do?

It is good that it hasn't too much of over the top CGI backdrops and I like the overall feel of it.

It's also refreshing that this is NOT another zombie outbreak. We don't need every survival drama to be about that. The suspension is alive and kicking here, so keep it up!

I just hope all the childish and negative reviews doesn't kill this series. It has my support!

Looking forward to the next episode!

I'll give kudos to the producers who generally kept to the original characters and storyline from George R Stewart's novel. However, as great as the novel was with building the characters and telling a gripping story, this mini-series felt extremely shallow and bland. The actors seemed either empty or over-done, and a lot of things just seemed be contrived and glossed over. Perhaps it's too much to ask for some basic technical accuracy to be used, but too many things were just used as plot devices and the watcher is expected to just think that's how things work. I understand the desire to set the story in modern times with modern technology, events, etc, but even with hours of TV time to burn, the story just falls flat. In 1950, one year after the book was published, the novel was adapted for a one-hour radio program that did more in sixty minutes to capture the spirit of the novel than the hours and hours of the 2024 adaptation.