Published in 1977,  John Christopher’s scifi novel Empty World describes a world decimated by the Calcutta Plague, a deadly virus that causes rapid aging, quickly followed by death. The scenes of rapid aging in the beginning of Empty World make for an interesting pair with another retro scifi novel John Wyndham’s Trouble With Lichen, about a mysterious lichen from China that slows aging and what kind of world could be created with long, youthful, healthy lives.

The Calcutta Plague first only affects people in far-off countries, and when it does arrive in England, it strikes the elderly first, but it quickly becomes clear that no one is immune to this virus. The quiet English village where teenage Neil lived with his grandparents is decimated, first the oldest residents but finally Neil’s classmates. (Do you remember hearing that covid was just a danger to the elderly and everyone else would be fine? Because some of that description felt a bit familiar.)

I’ve mentioned this theme before, in other apocalyptic fiction, and I was once again struck by a fairly minor character in Empty World‘s before times, a science teacher who is infected by the virus early on. He continues going to class and teaching his students, even as he ages years overnight. It’s clear to everyone that end-of-term exams aren’t coming and good grades are meaningless in the apocalypse, but he’s still there.  There’s a teacher in Rory Power’s Wilder Girls who continues carrying her classroom keys, long after the school has fallen to the plague and her days are about picking up supply drops, not classroom teaching. There’s also a reference to teachers at a boy’s school in another John Christopher scifi novel, No Blade of Grass, who continue to give lessons and enforce (British public school) behavior, even as the threat of starvation looms. I find this theme wildly relatable, personally, but I don’t think readers must have also taught grammar and vocab through the plague times to see this as an expression of human determination.

Our teenage protag, Neil, is struck with the virus but somehow recovers. There’s not a lot of explanation why or how, since there’s no doctor or scientist left to explain it to Neil, but after a bout with fever, Neil recovers. It’s believable because of course our protag has immunity, but also, with covid or even childhood chicken pox, there are so many times a whole class or a whole family got very sick, and one person was randomly completely fine. It’s even more relatable in covid times, where some people get a fever and recover just fine, like our Neil does here.

There are some very dark moments in Empty World, since the body count is literally all of England, and probably the planet. The book is never gross about it, but it’s clear why there are so many rats swarming.

Eventually, Neil sets out to explore the deserted world, by hopping into abandoned cars and driving until they run out of petrol.These scenes are almost enjoyable daydream adventures, as he wanders into deserted stores to help himself to canned food. There’s a cool survival theme here, and it’s one of the most enjoyable parts of the book.

Neil has a couple encounters other humans, beginning with a boy around his own age. Clive claims to be titled aristocracy, and has a collection of priceless treasures and fine wines from his family manor, but Neil suspects pretty early on that Clive’s just a magpie looter.  It’s clear that each of the characters Neil meets here represents a viewpoint on the post-apocalyptic world, more than an actual person.  At first, I thought this character was about snarky British classism. Clive’s pretending to have a title and wealthy background, when there’s basically no one to show off for.  Slightly depressing to think about but this is about 3% as depressing as the survivors in No Blade of Grass. But Clive, alone with all the treasures he can carry, also makes a counterpoint to Neil’s desire to meet another human and interact with literally anyone.

Niel eventually finds evidence of another survivor, and imagines not just a girl, but a beautiful girl. (Ugh.) When he finally meets the girl, Billie, she’s not very pretty and she wants nothing to do with him.  She even tries to escape him, in a scene where the book very much sympathizes with Neil’s desire to make contact with literally any other humans, but I still couldn’t help sympathizing with Billie’s desire to be left alone. Seriously, Neil, when a person prefers post-apocalyptic isolation to your company, geez, take a hint!

But he doesn’t take a hint, Neil follows Billie back to her place, where she’s been living with the beautiful and domestic Lucy. This feels a bit heavy-handed, even though it’s clear that these are more symbols than real people. Basically the only guy on earth, Neil, meeting an angry uggo feels just as weird as him meeting a beautiful woman who just wants to cook and clean, and they’re roommates. The two girls are fairly flat characters, which was disappointing, but it’s not the worst case of retro scifi-itis since they’re not any flatter than the other male survivors. Each person Neil meets shows a different reaction to the plague and to surviving in an empty world, so it’s more of an interesting look at various reactions than complex relationships or multifaceted personalities.

Imagine you survived the plague to live in peace with your nice housewife-roomie, until a random dude shows up and ruins it all? Every one in the entire world is dead, except one guy who thinks you’re ugly and annoying, but still moves into your house? Billie’s choices are endless post-apocalyptic isolation or putting up with Neil forever, and Billie tries to find a third choice.  Eventually, Billie stabs Neil in the back. No, I mean she literally tries to kill him.

Using his protagonist powers, Neil manages to escape the stabbing, and get back to the house where they’ve been living. He and Lucy are preparing to leave for the countryside, where they plan to try gardening.  (Sidenote: I would absolutely read a post-apocalyptic novel about a few random, unskilled survivors trying to start a farm) But Billie swears she’ll never try anything like that again, and pleads with Lucy and Neil to let her back in. Let’s be real, she’s pleading with Neil, since the pretty dishwasher Lucy accepts whatever she’s told by either of them. His choices are sending her to endless isolation or putting up with Billie forever, and in the last scene, he goes to let her back in. 

Empty World has an thoughtful and thrilling concept, and this shines in the scenes of Neil’s survival. Since I’d read other John Christopher novels,  and know he’s perfectly fine with killing and brutalizing major characters, I felt tension here, even though Neil showed protagonist survival powers. Also, on one level readers will know that the novel isn’t going to be about surviving the plague to get botulism or tetanus or whatever, but will still  be invested in the survival scenes. Empty World a thoughtful look at what happens to the world without people, and what happens to a few survivors without human society around then, and an exciting teen adventure story.