[PY4]≡ Download The Witch of Hebron A World Made by Hand Novel James Howard Kunstler 9780802119612 Books

The Witch of Hebron A World Made by Hand Novel James Howard Kunstler 9780802119612 Books

Download As PDF : The Witch of Hebron A World Made by Hand Novel James Howard Kunstler 9780802119612 Books

The Witch of Hebron A World Made by Hand Novel James Howard Kunstler 9780802119612 Books

I was swept up in Kunstler's vision of a post-apocalyptic America in World Made by Hand: A Novel, and while its been awhile since I read it, I was excited to revisit the story line with _The Witch of Hebron_. While several of the characters from the first novel are part of this story, the focus is primarily on Jerry Copeland's son and his his (mis)adventures. In some respects it is reminiscent of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (a young pre-adolescent boy leaving home and very quickly getting in way over his head in the wide, wold world) - but in this case there is sinister and dangerous aspect to young Jasper Copeland's odyssey.

Kunstler also provides some backstory to how the modern world ended and gives depth and complexity to the "new comers" of the New Faith organization. Kunstler's world isn't quite Coramc McCarthy's The Road, but it is a complex and potentially lethal place as well. What I enjoyed - and what keeps me coming back to his storytelling - is the minutae and detail he provides: the way in which life has slowed down with the absence of modern distractions, his eye for ecological detail as nature in all its forms reasserts itself and they generational differences between those who knew the way the world was before things changed so dramatically and those (like young Jasper) who have never known anything different.

The epynonomous Witch of Hebron, like the New Fiath sect, also lend an air of the mystical and magical that had been forgotten (or was squeezed to the margins) in the modern age, but like the wild things of the forest and streams is returning as technology has recessed. Young Jasper's journey widens the universe of the first book, but the role of the "Witch" - who she was, who she is and what she does resonated with me as much as Kunstler's vision of the slower and more deliberate way of life that is central to his storytelling. While the conclusion of Japser's story was satisfying, I couldn't help but also see echoes of Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in the way the story of the Witch of Hebron was concluded.

I tremendously enjoyed the book, which is perfect fall reading as the days grow short and the weather turns cooler. A recommended read.


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The Witch of Hebron A World Made by Hand Novel James Howard Kunstler 9780802119612 Books Reviews

After reading and enjoying "World Made By Hand" I almost immediately moved on to this sequel (2nd in the series). I enjoyed it just as much as the first one, hence the five stars. I can already sense that the author is beginning to flesh out his future vision more substantially here. Is it a perfectly-constructed vision of a post-oil future? Probably not, but the occasional minor improbabilities that did pop up were not big enough to distract from my enjoyment of the story.

As with the first novel, the story takes place in rural upstate New York, with the main characters living near Union Grove. At least a few of the residents seem to be shaking off some of that apathy that seemed so prevalent in the first novel, learning to be grateful for what they have and starting to think about how they can make it better.

I'm not quite sure why the author chose to title his book after "The Witch" since looking back from the end of the book, I did not see her as the most central character of this story. I think I'd have to award that honor to Jasper Copeland, the 11-year-old son of the Union Grove doctor. I found most of the characters interesting, and liked the way that all of the separate threads were woven together in the end. A part of Jasper's dilemma put me in mind of something from "Lonesome Dove" involving former Texas Ranger Jake Spoon and the characters he got mixed up with.

As far as other reviewer comments about the state of technology are concerned, I agree that after serious depopulation and the leavings of an entire Industrial civilization to pick through, I can think of a few things not mentioned that should still be lying around and capable of being put to use, at least at the point in time at which this story takes place (not SO many years after the collapse). One does need to remember that large objects need to be hauled by animal or muscle power to the place they will be used, however, which is not likely to be a trivial undertaking, especially in mountainous terrain.

A little more mysticism was introduced this time around with The Witch, but even the previous story left the reader wondering exactly what powers Brother Jobe, the leader of the New Faith sect, might have at his disposal.

Down in the 1-star and 2-star reviews I saw more of the now-standard complaints about the lack of strong female characters in this novel, and the fact that those people found this a weak and unbelievable tale on that account. While it true that the women of this world aren't central to the story (perhaps The Witch excepted), I would respond with a few observations. The first of these is that for the greater part of pre-Industrial history, women most often had just such invisible roles, and it is certainly not outside the realm of possibility to consider that things might revert to that again on the backside of the Age of Oil. It actually seems a little silly to assert that the most implausible thing one finds in this post-Apocalyptic novel is not the collapse of technological civilization itself, but the reversion of women's roles to something more in line with historical precedent.

There are thousands of post-apocalyptic novels out there, embodying countless visions of the future. Most of them won't agree in every particular with one's personal vision, personal preferences, or politics. I have read a number of these that I found unpleasant to contemplate and unlikely to occur (for example, "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy), but were to me fascinating visions nonetheless. It's silly to let your politics spoil a good read, and if you need a fantasy that matches your own dream of the way the post-Apocalyptic world should be, there are still plenty of others to choose from.
I was swept up in Kunstler's vision of a post-apocalyptic America in World Made by Hand A Novel, and while its been awhile since I read it, I was excited to revisit the story line with _The Witch of Hebron_. While several of the characters from the first novel are part of this story, the focus is primarily on Jerry Copeland's son and his his (mis)adventures. In some respects it is reminiscent of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (a young pre-adolescent boy leaving home and very quickly getting in way over his head in the wide, wold world) - but in this case there is sinister and dangerous aspect to young Jasper Copeland's odyssey.

Kunstler also provides some backstory to how the modern world ended and gives depth and complexity to the "new comers" of the New Faith organization. Kunstler's world isn't quite Coramc McCarthy's The Road, but it is a complex and potentially lethal place as well. What I enjoyed - and what keeps me coming back to his storytelling - is the minutae and detail he provides the way in which life has slowed down with the absence of modern distractions, his eye for ecological detail as nature in all its forms reasserts itself and they generational differences between those who knew the way the world was before things changed so dramatically and those (like young Jasper) who have never known anything different.

The epynonomous Witch of Hebron, like the New Fiath sect, also lend an air of the mystical and magical that had been forgotten (or was squeezed to the margins) in the modern age, but like the wild things of the forest and streams is returning as technology has recessed. Young Jasper's journey widens the universe of the first book, but the role of the "Witch" - who she was, who she is and what she does resonated with me as much as Kunstler's vision of the slower and more deliberate way of life that is central to his storytelling. While the conclusion of Japser's story was satisfying, I couldn't help but also see echoes of Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in the way the story of the Witch of Hebron was concluded.

I tremendously enjoyed the book, which is perfect fall reading as the days grow short and the weather turns cooler. A recommended read.