IN THE DAYS OF THE COMET
Book Description
The story revolves around William Leadford, an unemployed student living in the industrial town of Clayton in Britain. He is strongly Socialist and strives for a change in power from upper-class, caused by the squalid living conditions caused by industrial development in the town and country. Although dates are never specified, the era is supposed to be shortly preceding a war to that effect where...
MoreThe story revolves around William Leadford, an unemployed student living in the industrial town of Clayton in Britain. He is strongly Socialist and strives for a change in power from upper-class, caused by the squalid living conditions caused by industrial development in the town and country. Although dates are never specified, the era is supposed to be shortly preceding a war to that effect where about half-way through the book (in the Chapter titled "WAR") Britain declares war on Germany. For the most part of the first half of the book, it is a retrospective description by William in first-person describing the grit and vile impudence that the lower-class resides in, and develops the love story between Willie and a middle-class girl named Nettie, living in another town named Checkshill. Nettie is discovered one day to have eloped with an upper-class man by the name of Verral. William resolves to buy a revolver and kill them both to resolve both his disarray of mind in the chaos of his lower-class existence, and the betrayal of Nettie's love. All through, there is a recurrent description of the nocturnal presence of a large comet in the sky, which emits a bright green glow, brighter than the Moon, so that people begin to neglect to light street lamps.
After making thorough plans to find and kill the two lovers, he follows them to another village along the coast. Finding them bathing in the sea at night under the comet's green light, he begins his final contemplations on the acts he is going to commit: two murders followed by his suicide. Before he can carry out his plan, two battleships appear on the horizon and begin shelling the coastal town. Amongst the chaos of the shelling and panicked people fleeing, William almost loses Nettie and Verral as he decides to try and shoot them amongst the distressed crowd. The comet begins to melt as it enters the atmosphere, releasing a mysterious green gaseous fog that quickly envelops most everywhere. At this point the fleeing people are not running from the shelling but from the foreboding fog. William is swallowed by the fog and subsequently falls asleep.
He awakes with a great clarity of mind, feeling rejuvenated in almost every way, and curiously remarks on the short-sighted and ill-conceived notion that he deliberately tried to kill his only love. Finding other people who are waking themselves, it is realized that the green gas has changed the air somehow, and brought simplicity and understanding to humankind. It is noted that among this Great Change, while everyone on Earth slept for 3 hours because of the fog, many were killed after drivers, engineers, and captains fell asleep, and their respective vehicles continued until being stopped by whatever obstacles they hit: trees, people, buildings, beaches, or parked locomotives. It is also noted that there must have been an inexplicable change for the crew of a submarine which was submerged at the time of the green fog, and when it surfaced, the crew was immediately changed by the air, not having awakened to it, but noticing the change awake and fully alert.
William describes in the final chapters how mankind embarks on a greater understanding of itself, and eliminates "petty titles" such as ranks, ownership, borders and military forces. Immediately the war between Germany and Britain is ended, and the gritty vile industries polluting the town of Four-Corners are shut down. After much level-headed and rational debate, Verrall, William and Nettie realize that William cannot live with Verral, and that Nettie, although loving them both equally, must go off with Verrall. At this the retrospective ends, revealing that William is now 72 years of age, one of the last people who can remember the "Old World" first hand. (non illustrated)
Publisher | |
Binding | Kindle Edition (88 editions) |
Reading Level | Uncategorized
|
# of Pages | N/A |
ISBN-10 | B004FV5BN6 |
Publication Date | 12/10/2010 |
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