Product Description

Australia is one of the last places where life still exists after nuclear war starts in the Northern Hemisphere. A year on, an invisible cloak of radiation has spread almost completely around the world. Darwin is a ghost town, and radiation levels at Ayres Rock are increasing. An American nuclear-powered submarine has found its way to Australia where its captain has placed the boat under the command of the Australian Navy. Commander Dwight Towers and his Australian liaison officer are sent to the coast of North America to discover whether a stray radio signal originating from near Seattle is a sign of life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #226010 in Books
• Published on: 2000-09-18
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 296 pages

About the Author
Nevil Shute Norway worked as an aeronautical engineer at Vickers before setting up his own airship company. He served in both world wars and was a commander in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve in World War II, working on secret projects. He flew his own aircraft to Australia to research On the Beach, before settling there permanently. His books are based on his own wartime and aircraft industry experiences.

Customer Reviews

Tear-jerker
When I started to read this I found some of the language a little wooden, but it gives the book an innocent charm which is in stark contrast to the situation the plot finds itself in.

Australia is the last place on Earth habitable as the world is in the grip of a radiation cloud, the Australian people know they have very little time. This is a fantastic premise - and the ordinary goings on show how the people react to the situation.

A glimmer of hope from a radio signal coming from the US creates a bustle of activity as the signal is investigated.

This book is one of the most haunting I've ever read, it is a beautiful piece of work. I finished the book whilst on the bus home and I actually cried at the end.

Highly recommended
I can only concur with those who have given this excellent novel five stars and agree that it is one of those rare books which grips you emotionally and stays with you long after you have finished it. I don't think the dialogue is quite as corny as some reviewers have indicated, rather it is probably reflective of its time. Some of the (more minor) characters are fairly poorly drawn (Peter's wife, for example) but I don't think this accusation can be levelled at most of the principal characters, particularly Osbourne the scientist who I think Shute develops well throughout the narrative.

In summary I would strongly recommend this novel.

Horrific view of a possible future
In light of the present situation of possible war and refusal to rule out nuclear strikes, Nevil Shute’s Cold War Era novel still remains spine-chillingly plausible.
Nuclear war in the northern hemisphere has created deadly radioactive rain clouds, obliterating all life as it steals southward. The novel opens in Australia where the last civilised life awaits certain death. Shute tells the story of the last months in the lives of the last people on earth. Whether consumed by reckless abandon or clinging to the glimmer of last chance salvation the doomed characters challenge the reader to consider what choices they would make.
Although written over fifty years ago it remains virtually timeless as a wakeup call to all of us about the unimaginable horrors, nuclear weapons could unleash.
Horrifying and disturbing yet beautifully written