World Made by Hand

The World Made by Hand Novels, Book 1

By: James Howard Kunstler

Narrated by: Jim Meskimen

Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

In The Long Emergency, celebrated social commentator James Howard Kunstler explored how the terminal decline of oil production combined with climate change had the potential to put industrial civilization out of business. In World Made by Hand, an astonishing work of speculative fiction, Kunstler brings to life what America might be, a few decades hence, after these catastrophes converge.

The electricity has flickered out. The automobile age is over. In Union Grove, a little town in upstate New York, the future is nothing like people thought it would be. Life is hard and close to the bone. Transportation is slow and dangerous, so food is grown locally at great expense of time and energy, and the outside world is largely unknown. There may be a president, and he may be in Minneapolis now, but people aren’t sure. The townspeople’s challenges play out in a dazzling, fully realized world of abandoned highways and empty houses, horses working the fields and rivers, no longer polluted, and replenished with fish.

This is the story of Robert Earle and his fellow townspeople and what happens to them one summer in a country that has changed profoundly. A powerful tale of love, loss, violence, and desperation, World Made by Hand is also lyrical and tender, a surprising story of a new America struggling to be born - a story more relevant now than ever.

©2008 James Howard Kunstler (P)2010 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

“Richly imagined.” ( O, The Oprah Magazine)

“Far from a typical postapocalyptic novel…An impassioned and invigorating tale whose ultimate message is one of hope, not despair.” ( San Francisco Chronicle)

“Brilliant.” ( Chicago Tribune)

Good story but couldn’t finish

I thought the story was good but there was so much cussing I couldn’t keep listening. It’s too bad so many authors fall into the habit of cussing so much. I think the same of authors that I do of people who cuss so much- it’s a lazy way to communicate, shows a lack of vocabulary and imagination. It’s too bad this author fell into this trap because the story had great potential.

Mad Max meets Mad Men

Mad Max meets Mad Men… not in a good way. Unequal parts interesting, boring and creepy.

love it

a very good read or listen. love the narrator he does an outstanding job. Love the series

The Long Emergency is much better.

I love Kunstlers other book "The Long Emergency", his blog and interviews but was a bit disappointed by this novel. The story is a bit flat and predictable. The descriptions of the post collapse society was interesting, but left me wanting more detail on the characters. A very one dimensional story.

It's an OK listen one time through, but doubt I'll listen to it again.

Good story but its difficult to discern characters

What made the experience of listening to World Made by Hand the most enjoyable?

The plot was good and the story believable. It seemed short though and left a lot unexplained.

Would you be willing to try another one of Jim Meskimen’s performances?

Jim needs to add inflection to make it easier to discern characters. I found myself lost at times wondering which character was speaking or even that another character was involved in the conversation. A great example of a narrator who does this well is Will Patton in Alas, Babylon.

A good read (listen)

The pace of the book is good, and without being overly depressing, the author paints a good picture of a world that has run down, where society has had to regroup in small communities and revert to outdated technologies that don't depend on the Internet, electricity, fossil fuels, etc.

The only mildly annoying aspect is that during most dialogues, the "____ said" gets repetitive.

For a more fantastical portrayal of a world that has "moved on" I recommend Stephen King's Dark Tower series.

Loved it!

Super real completely relatable story. I want to know more and will be getting the whole series.

A different take on post apocalyptic

I am a big fan of post apocalyptic stories but and often frustrated by their fantastical nature this story is different. It is a vivid and precise account of a town after the fall of modern life. Once quaint northeast traditional foods are now the bulk of every day food. Electricity is a fleeting is gone but lights flicker once in a while. Religion, thugs and people just trying to live square off. Though I am not a writer I have thought through post apocalyptic stories and this one is one of the best for establishing what life might be when the modern world collapse. I truly hope the author plans to continue exploring the amazing world he created

Buster's class on dystopian visions

compelling story of break down via nuclear attack in heavens destroying all means of communication and common electro-magnetic power sources. perspective that of a society needing old make guard of warriors to pull us through urgencies, i.e., right wing.

Well thought out storyline and well written

For me this is an outstanding book series, and it is cleared that the author did his research and is quite skilled in the literary arts. I enjoyed how this author writes about his characters and does not show favoritism with the struggles of life. I think the most disappointing thing for me in the series was that it ended with only four books. I’ve listened it the series several times since reading it and I still enjoy my time in the story “a world made by hand”.