Riddley Walker cover

explorer / books · 1982

Riddley Walker

Russell Hoban

Russell Hoban’s only award entry in this dataset.

Published 1980 by Jonathan Cape · 220 pages

Nebula · 1982

Finalist
Science Fiction

On the ballot with

This book is recorded on the Nebula ballot only. Each row shows the full Best Novel ballot for that award and ceremony year. Winners appear first.

Synopsis

Written entirely in a fragmented, devolved English, this novel follows twelve-year-old Riddley Walker through a post-nuclear Kent two thousand years after civilization's destruction. As Riddley comes of age and stumbles upon the secret of gunpowder, he must navigate the myths, puppet shows, and power struggles of a primitive society built on the misunderstood ruins of our own.

Experimental tags

AI-assisted labels that have not been validated consistently across the catalogue. Read the dataset methods →

Post-Apocalyptic
Language & CommunicationWar & MilitaryReligion & Spirituality

Details

Author nationality
United States
ISBN
9780224018517