The novel “Davy” by Edgar Pangborn was published for the first time in 1964 as an expansion of two novelettes published in 1962.
Raised in an orphanage, Davy is a bond-servant and spent his early teen years working. He’s been taught only the bare minimum necessary to do his job, especially because the Holy Murcan Church maintains a tight grip on all knowledge, especially that which remains from the time before the atomic war.
Davy is curious about what exists beyond the microcosm he knows directly. He starts developing a certain skepticism about the Church’s teachings, and for this reason, he spares the life of a mutant he stumbles upon. When he unwittingly gets himself into serious trouble, he decides to escape, and his encounter with some people gives his life a new direction.
Stories of humanity degenerating after an atomic war were not new in 1962, when Edgar Pangborn published two novelettes that were later revised and expanded to form the novel “Davy.” The author uses a structure that is also far from new, containing elements of the picaresque novel, developed as an autobiography written by the protagonist, who is remembering a key period in his life.
In that future, the Church has an absolutely hostile attitude toward technology and tightly controls any form of knowledge. The medieval flavor of the setting also extends to the social aspect, with the East Coast of what was once the USA divided into city-states where the population is divided into rigid social classes.
For Davy, the prospects are truly dim, yet he dreams of something better than bond-servitude. His story could be that of many young people living across different centuries. It’s a science fiction story with strong humanistic overtones in which a person who is very normal in many ways recounts his life and his dreams. Compared to most people, and not just those of his time, despite his cultural limitations, he seeks to understand the world.
Davy’s story is often a mix of reflections on the society he lives in and thoughts that are very typical of a teenager, with parts where little or nothing actually happens. His reflections on religion almost always concern the Holy Murcan Church, a Christian church. Occasionally, he mentions other religions he has read about in some Old-Time books, including communism.
Davy’s stories also include his sexual experiences, beginning with his first ones during adolescence. This element was considered very explicit at the time of publication, but isn’t particularly pronounced today, even for a science fiction story.
Davy’s growth is also marked by a growing skepticism toward the teachings of the Church. The novel’s great strength lies in the development of critical thinking by an ordinary person. Davy isn’t content to live life with his head bowed, and this leads him to experiences that are not always positive, but which add something new to his life and often help him broaden his mental horizons. For Davy, this is also an inner journey with a growth in awareness, in what is also a coming-of-age story.
“Davy” became the first work in a series set in the same post-atomic fictional universe. In subsequent years, Edgar Pangborn wrote other stories in this series, set in different places and times, even in different centuries. For this reason, this novel can be read as a standalone work. I recommend it to anyone interested in post-atomic stories that are a bit unconventional, with introspection and reflections on religion, critical thinking, dreams, and hopes for a better future. You can find it on Amazon USA, UK, and Canada.
