"Diary: Alone on Earth" - A Book Review

JD Weldy's novel entitled “Diary: Alone on Earth” is an extraordinary work of science-fiction, which glamors through what it lacks as much as by what it contains. Dialog and interactions with people clearly aren't possible in a world without any people in it.

David is the main character, very much so. In fact, he is the only character we come across, since at the onset of the book he awakes to the harsh reality that everyone in his vicinity has vanished. With a media blackout, he can only speculate about the extent of the disaster – his southern US state, the entire United States, or the whole world?

That David is a fighter quickly becomes clear when he starts venturing outside his home in search of food, basic utilities, and – hopefully – other survivors. During the first several days, he takes trips in the local area, which may be challenging enough given the bizarre circumstances: no electricity, fuel hard to come by, and obviously no one to provide basic services and products. Eventually, he realizes that he must go on a more daring trip, one that will bring him to view up-close the scale and scope of destruction. As the novel progresses, David encounters many strange things and threats, as he slowly gets a sense of what kind of supernatural forces he may be up against.

Appraisal

This novel is an extraordinary literary achievement, both conceptually and as far as its execution. It is conservatively written in a brief, concise, and very steady narrative – all written in the form of diary entries. David is observant, and the author has captured his thoughts, emotions, and experiences very well. The barren landscapes of the post-disaster period are still clear and vivid in my mind many weeks after I first read the book.

Interestingly, the novel has a peculiar sense of humor. While David may not have much fun in his solitude, he does manage to create some surrogate "fun" here and there. The monuments of capitalism – WalMart, for example – take on a grotesque quality once they stand empty and vacated. Ditto the banks, which are suddenly a free-for-all – “all” being David.

What impressed me the most about the book was that it is suspenseful. That is a real accomplishment, and the subtle darkness it left inside my mind is a place I'd happily visit again.

My only critique point, as I discussed with the author, was its epilogue, which took me by surprise. But hey, “Diary: Alone on Earth” is a major literary accomplishment, so who am I to complain?

"Diary: Alone on Earth," written by JD Weldy, is available in various e-book formats from Amazon.com and ebookit.com.