Synopsis
X is a person at the end of the world. The earth is a bleak poisonous wasteland. He lives in the Warren and has a computer managing his environment. He meets a man called Horak.
History
First publication: Tor.com, September 20, 2016
Review
The Warren is a novella that follows the tradition of stories like The Time Machine by Wells and “Night” by John W. Campbell, or even of The House on the Borderland. This is a vision of the Earth at the end. The surface has been destroyed by war or by pollution and is unlivable. X is the last of a line of people who have been created to keep life going. The story gives us a vision without providing all the answers, leaving this world wrapped in mystery. Where did X come from? How has Horak survived? What happened to everyone else? What is the machinery X discovers outside for? Some people might not like leaving these unanswered, but it is what creates the sense of wonder about this future—all the things left unsaid and mysterious. That is what the other stories like this do. Like the creatures at the end of The Time Machine—how did they come about and did they evolve from us? Wells doesn’t give you those answers. You only get this mysterious glimpse.
I love this type of science fiction! Speculating far into the future and presenting situations and technologies that are likely beyond our understanding. It makes the earth seem alien and makes clear that our world will change in ways we cannot imagine. Evenson probably could have made this into a full novel and I’m sure a story like this could be made into a series of really long books like people today seem to want. But I like that he ended it as he did. It makes it less than a blockbuster, but it is just enough to get your imagination going and fire that sense of wonder. This is an excellent story and I recommend it.
Videos
We have the story in these editions:
The Warren, paperback, Tor.com, 2016-09-20
