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”There’s a rumor that there’s a new America growing in the Deathlands, an America that never need kill again. But don’t put too much stock in it �� not too much.��

Fritz Leiber was a genius. In this novella, first published in Amazing Stories in 1960 (during the height of the Cold War), he created a post-apocalyptic America less than three decades removed from the nuclear war that destroyed civilization. Vast, radiation-created wastes, known as the Deathlands, are roamed by murder hobos, scarred both physically and emotionally by the fallout and aftermath of the late war. Murder has become more than survival strategy to these Deathlands denizens �� it has become a compulsion as strong as the sex drive. And after setting up this gruesomely grim scenario, Leiber proceeded to spin a breezy tale that feels almost lighthearted and humorous. Almost.

Leiber was playing four-dimensional chess with this story. He started with a subject that was the great fascination and fear of his audience �� a scenario straight out of their nightmares. He then told the story in such a matter of fact, easygoing manner that the incongruity of the first person narration, which often felt unintentionally humorous, took the sting from the deadly scary setup. Introducing into the mix things like Murders Anonymous, patterned after the 12 step program, gave it a sense of lighthearted, unseriousness. And just when the reader has been set at ease, Leiber casually slides in, subtle and off the cuff, a deadly serious message about the values and philosophy of war verse mutual aid and cooperation, so that you barely notice you’ve been preached at. The man was a Dog damned genius!