Walk to the End of the World

Walk to the End of the World (1974) is the first novel in Suzy McKee Charnas's Holdfast Chronicles, set in the aftermath of a catastrophe called the Wasting. The men who survived retreated to shelters and emerged to found Holdfast, a patriarchal enclave in which women, known as "fems," are held responsible for the destruction of the world and enslaved accordingly. The novel follows four characters across this landscape: a captain, a servant, a young official, and Alldera, a fem whose perspective closes the book. Charnas does not soften the society she depicts or offer easy resolution. The paperback original, published by Ballantine in 1974, is the true first edition.

Softcover. First Edition, Paperback Original. Ballantine 23788 ($1.,25). New York: Ballantine Books, 1974. Pringle, Science Fiction: The 100 Best Novels (72). ISBN: 0345237889. #10740.
Ink stamps to top and bottom page edges and a couple short creases but otherwise, unread and near fine.