Afterland
| Company type | Novel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 2020 |
| Founder | Lauren Beukes |
| Products | Science fiction novel |
Afterland is a 2020 science fiction work authored by South African writer Lauren Beukes. The narrative unfolds during "Manfall," a 2020 pandemic that eradicated nearly all males globally. It centers on Cole and her twelve-year-old son, Miles, one of the few surviving boys. Their journey involves escaping the United States to return to South Africa while avoiding capture by governmental scientists and boy traffickers.
Initially released as an ebook in April 2020 in South Africa by Umuzi, a division of Penguin Random House South Africa, the novel was subsequently published in the United Kingdom (May 2020) by Penguin Books and in the United States (July 2020) through Mulholland Books. Physical copies were issued in September 2020 (UK) via Michael Joseph and August 2021 (US) by Mulholland Books. A French edition translated by Laurent Philibert-Caillat appeared from Albin Michel in January 2022. Afterland earned a nomination for the 2021 Nommo Award for Best Speculative Fiction Novel by an African.
Plot summary
In 2020, a mutated strain of the human culgoa virus triggers an aggressive prostate cancer variant, resulting in the death of 99% of the male population worldwide. This pandemic, known as "Manfall," prompts many nations to ban pregnancies and seal borders to safeguard future generations until a remedy is discovered.
Set three years later in 2023, Afterland tracks Cole and her son Miles as they endeavor to reach Florida en route to South Africa. Miles was held under quarantine alongside Cole at a US Department for the Protection of Men facility in California, where he underwent testing aimed at finding a cure. Cole’s sister Billie orchestrates their escape but plans to capitalize on Miles’ sperm through illicit markets. With both government agents and Billie pursuing them, Cole disguises Miles as a girl named Mila.
Along their path, they encounter a busload of "nuns" affiliated with the Sisters of the Church of All Sorrows cult, who believe that women’s penance will restore men to the world. Hoping for safe travel to the border, Cole and Mila join this group.
Critical reception
In The New York Times, Stephen King characterized Afterland as "a basic neo-noir, coast-to-coast chase story." He pondered whether American audiences are prepared for "a pandemic novel" but ultimately suggested they likely are, given that COVID-19 is comparatively mild next to Afterland's "manpocalypse," where boys are treated as "natural resources" and sperm trafficking is prohibited. King praised Beukes’s book as "a cleverly crafted thriller" imbued with "energy and sharp wit."
Carolyn Kellogg from The Boston Globe noted that Afterland contains numerous elements and described it as "highly entertaining," although she felt its brisk pace caused some themes to be overlooked. She pointed out that the racial relationship between Cole, a white woman, and Miles, a mixed-race boy, is insufficiently explored, and that the concept of a female-dominated world remains largely undeveloped.
A reviewer at Publishers Weekly deemed it an "engaging and timely near-future thriller." While its worldbuilding does not reach the level of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, it stands as "a valuable contribution to pandemic fiction." Kirkus Reviews labeled it a "fast-moving and timely near-future thriller," emphasizing the mother-son pair as the emotional core of this "intense story," lauding Beukes as a talented narrator who crafts a captivating vision of a fragmented male-less world.
In New Scientist, Sally Adee described Afterland as a "distinctive work" that tackles profound questions with persuasive insights. Drawing parallels with themes from Naomi Alderman's The Power, P. D. James's The Children of Men, and Ursula K. Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness, she regarded it as one of the finest speculative thought experiments within its category. Adee observed that Beukes suggests potential for a matriarchal society, though it remains elusive, akin to distant mirages on the horizon.
Works cited
External links
- Official website
- Afterland on FantasticFiction