Help identifying dystopian, post-nuclear sci-fi book
July 28, 2018 9:46 AM Subscribe
I read a book a few years back but can't remember enough identifying information to look for it again. I'd like to re-read it and find other books by the author. Basically, the main character starts as a kind of Droog in a dystopic, post-nuclear city, leaves the urban area and remakes himself into a mystical demi-demigod with a mutant, simian friend. I believe it was written in the late 70s to early 80s and the author's last name started with an 'A.'
I remember one of the plot points was that the main character was overweight at the beginning of the book and maybe wasn't as tough as some of the other punks he hung out with. I forget how he leaves the city, but it's possible there was an accident of some kind (I believe he has a car-like vehicle). A considerable amount of the plot past the introduction described the protagonist learning to survive and becoming more resilient. I remember there was maybe some psychic communication or revelatory elements later in the plot that drew from a bit of a pastiche of Buddhist or Native American thinking. He befriended a colony of mutants (that was one of the post-nuclear plot points, that there were mutants) and I seem to recall one of the mutants being described as baboon-like in appearance, or having a large shaggy mane. Another nuclear plot point involved describing lots of landscapes that were significantly altered by the effects of radiation. I also think toward the end of the book it was implied that the main character is evolving toward a post-human psychic being that would be opposed by some other evil psychic being in a volcanic lair. In a way, I would say the book had a bit of a Margaret-Atwood-meets-Frank-Herbert quality... I remember reading about the author on Wikipedia and discovering that he was not super prolific, but that he did have a few other books. He was not someone I had heard of until I found the book. Again, I think his last name started with an 'A.'
I remember one of the plot points was that the main character was overweight at the beginning of the book and maybe wasn't as tough as some of the other punks he hung out with. I forget how he leaves the city, but it's possible there was an accident of some kind (I believe he has a car-like vehicle). A considerable amount of the plot past the introduction described the protagonist learning to survive and becoming more resilient. I remember there was maybe some psychic communication or revelatory elements later in the plot that drew from a bit of a pastiche of Buddhist or Native American thinking. He befriended a colony of mutants (that was one of the post-nuclear plot points, that there were mutants) and I seem to recall one of the mutants being described as baboon-like in appearance, or having a large shaggy mane. Another nuclear plot point involved describing lots of landscapes that were significantly altered by the effects of radiation. I also think toward the end of the book it was implied that the main character is evolving toward a post-human psychic being that would be opposed by some other evil psychic being in a volcanic lair. In a way, I would say the book had a bit of a Margaret-Atwood-meets-Frank-Herbert quality... I remember reading about the author on Wikipedia and discovering that he was not super prolific, but that he did have a few other books. He was not someone I had heard of until I found the book. Again, I think his last name started with an 'A.'
There must be a lot of books with some of these elements, but I thought of this, which I found one or two ratty books from when I was a kid and which has weirdly stuck with me.
posted by grobstein at 10:07 AM on July 28, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by grobstein at 10:07 AM on July 28, 2018 [1 favorite]
Best answer: You are looking for Radix by A. A. Attanasio.
posted by bigbigdog at 11:23 AM on July 28, 2018
posted by bigbigdog at 11:23 AM on July 28, 2018
Response by poster: That's it! Awesome, thank you! Last name, first name and middle name starts with an 'A,' it turns out!
posted by Slothrop at 11:54 AM on July 28, 2018
posted by Slothrop at 11:54 AM on July 28, 2018
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posted by ftm at 9:52 AM on July 28, 2018