Riddley Walker
Book description
"A hero with Huck Finn's heart and charm, lighting by El Greco and jokes by Punch and Judy...Riddley Walker is haunting and fiercely imagined and-this matters most-intensely ponderable." -Benjamin DeMott, The New York Times Book Review "This is what literature is meant to be." -Anthony Burgess "Russell Hoban has brought…
Why read it?
2 authors picked Riddley Walker as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
There is nothing like Riddley Walker. No other book offers such a convincing and immersive portrait of another culture, another place, another time.
In this case, that place is Kent, England, but deep into the future, where a new culture and language have emerged after a long-forgotten nuclear war. Hoban asks readers to make an effort; you have to get your ear in for his expertly handled broken English, but the returns are enormous.
This novel is set a couple of millennia after the apocalyptic event in what is currently the English county of Kent. It is narrated by the title character in a form of pidgin English that’s difficult to come to grips with. It took me a few goes to get into this book, but am I glad I did.
Riddley’s narration employs phrases like ‘suching waytion’ (situation) and ‘catwl twis’ (catalyst). Neither prose nor dialogue are easy to understand at first, but the perseverant reader grows accustomed to the strangeness of the language. They find themselves so absorbed in the richness…
From Sam's list on post-apocalyptic novels that stay with you.
Want books like Riddley Walker?
Our community of 10,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Riddley Walker.
Browse books like Riddley Walker
5 book lists we think you will like!
Interested in slaves, nuclear warfare, and societal collapse?
10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about slaves, nuclear warfare, and societal collapse.