When the bombs fell and Western civilization ended, the residents of Hickory Hollow, Texas, scarcely noticed the difference. They were already used to fending for themselves—growing their own food, helping their neighbors survive, keeping their rural life going, much as before. But when the Ungers—a band of renegade thieves, murderers, and ne'er-do-wells—began raiding the nearby plots, looting and killing everyone in sight, it was time to take action! "I was reminded constantly of George R. Stewart's classic post-holocaust novel, Earth Abides. The gentle rhythms of country existence, the sense that the world will continue (with or without us), the joy of living close to the earth, the nature of community itself, all combine for a poignant tale celebrating the best of what it means to be human. In Mayhar's perceptive eyes, the World Begins in Hickory Hollow." —Robert Reginald.
Author
Ardath Frances Hurst Mayhar was an American writer and poet. She began writing science fiction in 1979 after returning with her family to Texas from Oregon. She was nominated for the Mark Twain Award, and won the Balrog Award for a horror narrative poem in Masques I. She had numerous other nominations for awards in almost every fiction genre, and won many awards for poetry. In 2008 she was honored by Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America as an Author Emeritus. Mayhar wrote over 60 books ranging from science fiction to horror to young adult to historical to westerns; with some work under the pseudonyms Frank Cannon, Frances Hurst, John Killdeer, Ardath P. Mayhar. Joe R. Lansdale wrote simply: "Ardath Mayhar writes damn fine books!"
