The Genocides
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 Cover of first edition (paperback) | |
| Author | Thomas M. Disch |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Richard M. Powers |
| Language | English |
| Genre | science fiction |
| Publisher | Berkley Books |
Publication date | 1965 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (paperback) |
| Pages | 143 |
| OCLC | 8580677 |
The Genocides is a 1965 science fiction novel by Thomas M. Disch, first published by Berkley Books as a Berkley Medallion paperback. It was Disch's first novel and was nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel for 1965.
Set on an Earth overrun by enormous alien plants, the novel depicts the collapse of human civilization in the face of an ecological transformation that renders humanity largely irrelevant. Later critics have described it as a bleak environmental apocalypse and an apocalyptic black comedy, and have noted its unusual treatment of alien invasion, in which the invaders remain indifferent to humanity rather than engaging with it directly.
The novel received contemporary praise from Judith Merril and has since been regarded as one of Disch's most important early works. It was later included in Stephen E. Andrews and Nick Rennison's 100 Must-Read Science Fiction Novels.
The novel was published by Berkley in 1965 as a Berkley Medallion paperback.[1] According to The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, it was Disch's first novel, and the first paperback edition carried cover art by Richard M. Powers.[2]
In a 2001 interview, Disch said that he was reading Anna Karenina while writing the novel, named Leo Tolstoy as a major influence, and recalled taking the manuscript to Mexico during composition.[3] A Gregg Press hardcover reissue followed in 1978, with a new introduction by David G. Hartwell.[4]
Plot
In a near-future Earth, gigantic alien plants have spread across the planet, crowding out native vegetation and destroying human civilization. Their growth reshapes the environment so completely that only scattered groups of survivors remain, living by scavenging for food and shelter beneath the alien growth.
The novel follows a small farming community in the upper Midwest dominated by Anderson, a brutal patriarch who rules his family and the other survivors through intimidation, violence, and rigid discipline. His household includes his wife Bates and their children Neil, Buddy, and Blossom. Although the settlement is constantly threatened by hunger, exposure, and the encroaching alien environment, Anderson insists on preserving both his authority and the remnants of his farm.
A group of wandering refugees arrives near the settlement. Anderson treats them as intruders and orders an attack in which most of them are killed. Two survivors are spared: Jeremiah Orville, a mining engineer, and Alice Nemerov, a nurse. Jeremiah remains with Anderson's group despite having no loyalty to him, while Alice becomes part of the settlement's daily life.
As conditions worsen, Anderson forces the community to keep working even as food grows scarce and the alien plants press closer. Strange machines connected to the alien vegetation move through the landscape, destroying human settlements in their path. Within the household, tensions rise. Neil becomes increasingly unstable and resentful, Buddy remains quiet and observant, and Jeremiah proves useful because of his technical knowledge and practical judgment.
Eventually the alien machinery reaches Anderson's settlement. The house and surrounding land are destroyed or rendered uninhabitable, forcing the survivors to flee underground through tunnels and root passages beneath the alien plants. There they discover an edible pulp produced within the root system, which becomes their main source of food and allows them to survive for a time.
Life underground intensifies the group's conflicts. Anderson tries to maintain control, but his authority weakens after he is bitten by a rat and becomes seriously ill. Jeremiah grows more important as he helps the group navigate the tunnels and adapt to their new conditions. Recognizing his own decline, Anderson arranges for Jeremiah to marry Blossom, tying him more closely to the family.
Neil resents both Jeremiah and Anderson's decision. The tension culminates when Neil murders Anderson, ending his father's rule. After Anderson's death, the group's fragile order collapses. Neil becomes more openly violent, and in the ensuing chaos he also kills Alice.
Jeremiah, Blossom, and Buddy continue through the underground passages while Neil remains a danger to them. The tunnels become increasingly unstable, and the food supply fails as the edible pulp disappears. Flooding then makes the underground refuge untenable, forcing the survivors back to the surface.
When they emerge, they find that the alien plants have advanced to another stage of their growth and harvest cycle. The world has been transformed again, and the survivors have no means of resisting the process. By the end of the novel, the group has been reduced to a handful. Jeremiah and Blossom continue together, while Buddy separates from them. Anderson's settlement has been destroyed, his family has been broken apart, and no human recovery is in sight. The novel ends with the survivors still moving through a world dominated by the alien plants.
