Greybeard reads like a sad but gentle, almost pastoral, requiem for humanity. It is a simple but effective post-apocalyptic tale, one in which Armageddon has come not with fire and brimstone but with the slow expiration of humanity made sterile by incautious scientific experimentation. The story is told in two alternating storylines: Greybeard and a small group of aging companions make a journey down the Thames from a dieing neo-feudal village towards the sea; between stops we are given flashbacks to a series of episodes much earlier in the post-fertility era.

This is science fiction not about blowing things up and dazzling readers with the author’s fecund imagination, but about what happens to ordinary people, both as individuals and in society, in extraordinary circumstance. Our protagonist Algernon Timberlane (aka “Greybeard”) is one of the youngest of the last generation of man. Algy is a complicated character, one who makes mistakes and is shaken by doubts, yet aspires to something more than the mindless plodding towards extinction that surrounds him. His relationship with his strong and supporting wife Margaret is surprisingly nuanced. There is less violence than you might expect (even in a lawless world, people eventually get too old to be very effective at raping and pillaging). We are constantly shown that nature has hardly blinked at the impending death of man (and the other high mammals we’re taking with us).

Greybeard has the feeling of a quest book, and while the characters may not exactly know what they are seeking, the reader eventually gets the sense that it is some slight ray of optimism about the future of mankind. I might quibble with the ending a bit, but overall I liked this book a lot. ( )

Post-apocalyptic novel set in a world where the population are infertile and ageing.

There is a theory that states SF is essentially cowboys in space but this is closer to the SF novel as medieval pastiche - in a world not only peopled by pensioners but also underpopulated technology has more-or-less failed and society has regressed to a pre-technological age. Greybeard*, the eponymous hero, and his wife, and a few friends decide to leave the relative safety of their village to take one last trip through the landscape of southern England - in search of hope? a better place to die? Also told in flashback is how the world reached this situation, through a mixture of war and mistakes.

The society they travel through is one of feudalism, carnivals, brigands, tricksters, etc. The primary aim is to survive, the primary hope is for children. Throughout the novel old women have false pregnancies, tricksters try to convince people they can bring about pregnancy, and rumours circulate about healthy children.

British SF has always been noted for being more pessimistic than the American variety but Aldiss threads a sense of hope through his narrative. Unfortunately, this thread of hope has the negative effect of negating much of the poignancy that Greybeard finds himself in.

Solidly written, enjoyable but just failing to hit the mark.

* why do post-apocalyptic societies all feel the urge to dispense with everyday names? ( )

This is about a world where women can no longer have children. What would the world be like in 30 or 40 years. ( )