Shakespearean actors travel through an apocalyptic future Michigan
Genre: apocalyptic fiction
An apocalyptic event takes 99 percent
of the population in a very short amount of time. Station Eleven
takes place for the most part about 20 years after the population
diminishing event. The violence in the new world has become less but
there is still very little trust between those who survive. The
stories in Station Eleven radiate out from Arthur, the Shakespearean
actor whose death we read of first. Kirsten, who was a child actor in
Arthur's last play, is now a member of a traveling troupe of actors
and musicians called The Symphony. She and the rest of the troupe
travel through northern Michigan, along the lake shore, stopping in
the small towns made up of survivors along the way and entertaining
them with plays and music. In one town they come across the Prophet,
who has turned the town into a dangerous place for anyone who doesn't
follow him. The troupe leaves as quickly as they can but are unable
to avoid trouble. They become separated and as they attempt to find
each other the story flashes back to a time before the apocalyptic
event, and tells the story of Arthur, and the reader begins to see
the connections between Arthur and the people who have survived.
The writing is beautiful and the
characters are engaging. The plot is not too suspenseful and the
story isn't plot driven but, that said, it doesn't affect the
enjoyment of the novel, because the writing, the setting, and the
characters are enough. It's also rather hopeful and uplifting for an
apocalyptic novel.
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