The Steading Trilogy - Peter Wood

Written by Peter Wood
Read by Aubrey Parsons
Format: M4B
Bitrate: 128 Kbps
Unabridged

The Steading

The modern world has vanished, the human race is on the verge of extinction; Mother Nature is firmly back in charge. A desperate band of survivors seeks out a place of possible safety, The Steading, where they hope to carve out a new life. However, simply staying hidden is not enough. It is a battle for survival in a world which is indifferent to their plight. Will mistakes of the past be repeated? Can this remnant of humanity find a different path and save itself?

This gentle tale is set in a world similar to our own, with various Nordic and Celtic influences, at some unspecified ‘post-modern’ point in the future. Society as we know it has long since vanished. The natural world has fully reasserted itself, leaving a few isolated pockets of human existence, teetering on the verge of extinction. Birth rates are very low and infant mortality very high; the cause is unclear. Remaining settlements are slowly withering out of existence.

The story is told as if it is being recounted around a campfire. It is a tale of new beginnings, which follows a small group as they carve out a new life. The story is intrinsically part guide to survival and the basics of homesteading, a blend of fiction and non-fiction. This unusual style of storytelling reflects the author’s preferred means of communication as an autistic person. The tale sets out a more positive possibility for a future where rampant and destructive ‘modernity’ has vanished.

With a natural check on the human population, Earth has become a properly functioning ecosystem and is mostly a near Eden. This book is therefore a somewhat idealised best-case scenario, a #cosyapocalypse. Book two, The Fallen, is its counterpart! Listeners may recognise influences for some locations in the story, loosely based around the breathtaking landscapes of Snowdonia and beyond, the Author’s home in North Wales.

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The Fallen - The Last Days of Mankind

This tale is set in a world somewhat similar to our own, with various Sami, Nordic, and Celtic influences, at some unspecified ‘post-modern’ point in the future. Society as we know it has long since vanished and the natural world has more-or-less fully reasserted itself, leaving a few isolated pockets of human existence, all teetering on the verge of extinction. Birth rates are very low and infant mortality is very high, the cause unclear, with remaining settlements slowly withering out of existence.

This story is a prequel of sorts to Peter’s first novel, The Steading, although much of the story takes place within a similar timeframe, overlapping with it towards the end. You don’t need to have listened to The Steading to enjoy this novel, and feel free to listen to them in any order you like, but it is recommended you listen to this story second. This tale in the trilogy primarily sets out to explore the origins of a character who appears in the first book, while also expanding on the circumstances of the apocalypse in the wider world. The first book in the saga, The Steading, provides a somewhat idealised and best-case scenario of a post-apocalyptic world; this book is its counterpart where we finally meet the antagonists: the Fallen.

As with Peter’s first novel, this book is part guide to survival, the basics of living off the land, and homesteading. Here though, the settlement is somewhat more ‘primitive’ when compared to the Steading, akin to perhaps a stone-age Sami-type settlement. The story is told almost entirely without spoken dialogue, as if being recounted around the campfire by an old friend. This style of very descriptive storytelling also reflects Peter’s preferred means of communication as an autistic person, being direct, detailed, and to the point.

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The Steading Saga - The First Days of Mankind

This book is set in a post-modern world that is broadly similar to our own, with various Nordic and Celtic influences. Society as we know it has long since vanished, the natural world has reasserted itself, so leaving behind just a few isolated pockets of human existence, teetering on the verge of extinction.

The interconnected stories in this book are diverse, and span several decades. They range from an adventure to find a fallen star, hunting a mythical beast, building up the settlement, and exploring the wider world. As with Peter’s first two novels, this book is part guide to survival, and part guide to homesteading and living off the land. This book is set just after the end of the first two, which converged at the end. All three books are told without specific dialogue, as if being recounted around a campfire by an old friend. This style of very descriptive storytelling also reflects the author’s preferred means of communication as an autistic person, being direct, detailed, and to the point.