When the English Fall by David Williams gives a decidedly different approach to a dystopian novel.

From the description: When a catastrophic solar storm brings about the collapse of modern civilization, an Amish community in Pennsylvania is caught up in the devastating aftermath.

Jacob is an Amish father whose daughter has what appear to be epileptic seizures in which she says, "The English fall." The English are what the Amish call those who do not belong to the Amish community, but Jacob and Hannah have no idea what their daughter's words mean.

A disastrous solar storm creates a world-wide EMP, an electromagnetic disturbance that causes planes to fall from the sky, the lights to go out around the world, and hospitals lose power. The modern world quickly begins to fall apart.

In the initial stages, farmers are more fortunate than city dwellers. In the Pennsylvania community where Jacob and his family live, the "English" and the Amish are friends and neighbors who are better able to support themselves and who rely on and support each other. Even they, however, must make huge adjustments as machinery and generators and refrigeration damaged by the storm make life so much more difficult. Most cars won't start and fuel rapidly becomes a problem for the vehicles that still work.

As expected, violence eventually results when food becomes scarcer and scarcer. How will the Amish respond to the inevitable violence?

It is surprising to find that for the most part Jacob's journal entries calm the reader. Jacob is a thoughtful man and his beliefs are solid, so even when he knows what to expect, his responses are troubled but reflective and thoughtful.

No solution to the end of the world as we know it available; there is little hope that there will be a rebuilding of society in any way similar to the one lost during the solar storm. How people survive will be a matter of personal choice.

The novel contemplates the way in which the Amish, committed to lives of peace, prayer, and non-violence, will respond when confronted by the unavoidable reactions of the hungry, the frightened, and the violent in the aftermath of this disaster.

I like that David Williams takes such a different approach to the dystopian novel.

Read in Feb.; blog post scheduled for June 14.

NetGalley/Algonquin Books

Dystopian. July 11, 2017. Print length: 256 pages.

Jacob's daughter foretold the disaster. She saw angels in the sky and claimed the English would fall. And fall they did. Solar flares killed off almost everything electric, bringing the modern world to its knees.

But for Jacob and the rest of his community, life went on almost as per usual. Planning and planting for the winter, canning and preserving the current crops to see them through the season, community, and worship. And when the English supplies fall short, Jacob and his community gave what they could. But as the outside world become more and more desperate, Jacob and his neighbors faced the ultimate challenge: could they remain true to their beliefs and their faith even when their very safety was in question?

I never met a post apocalyptic tale that didn't appeal to me in some way. This was no exception, though in retrospect I must admit that it likely would have completely missed my radar had I not seen it on the list of "19 Science Fiction Debuts We Can't Wait to Read in 2017" from Barnes and Noble. When I came across the ARC shortly thereafter, I had to read it immediately.

I can't tell you how glad I am that this one came to my attention, because it really is superb. It's a quiet sort of story, one that is ultimately a morality tale.

Jacob and his family are Amish. And though their community is less strict than the one he and his wife grew up in, they still live by the basic tenets all Amish do. Those tenets include helping your fellow man and not raising arms. So when technology in the world around them fails, they're not very affected at first. With only a few exceptions, they live completely by and on the land with no reliance on technology or electricity.

Of course an over reliance on technology is the downfall of the towns and cities that surround their community and soon people come in search of help. The story will no doubt remind you of Aesop's "The Grasshopper and the Ants" up until this point. But here the story deviates - Jacob and his community are more than willing to help.

Though the tale is told through Jacob's own journals, the Amish aren't the only characters in the story. Through Jacob's writings, readers are given insight into his family and his community and their beliefs. We're also given insight into their neighbors and acquaintances - English who live and work alongside Jacob's community.

David Williams's debut examines the hearts of men at times of true testing: when disaster strikes and all seems lost. Some react with sorrow and violence, while others hold firm and strong in their beliefs, but no one remains immune to or untouched by the fear of uncertainty.