After the Predays

After the Predays is a post-apocalyptic novel without all the violence. Instead of constantly trying to kill each other, the survivors want to build a new kind of civilization. They try to figure out if they want to start over again with the same God. They want to know why they lived through the deadly virus and hope this knowledge will lead them to other people. When it becomes obvious that most of the survivors are black, they must rethink the issue of race. Philosophy professor Thaddeus Lowell has spent eighteen months hiding in the San Gabriel Mountains. When he finally realizes he has no more to fear from the virus, he ventures down into what appears to be an empty Los Angeles. Eventually, he comes in contact with two other men. In a casual conversation they discover a rather bizarre thing all three have in common. They realize this similar event in their work histories has shielded them from the virus. This information leads them to believe there might be others alive in Tucson, Arizona. The men decide to take a last chance road trip to Tucson with the hope of finding women who want to begin a new type of human society.