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David R. Palmer
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Emergence Mass Market Paperback – October 1, 1984

by David R. Palmer (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars 399 ratings
In the aftermath of a bionuclear war Candy Smith-Foster searches the ruins of America for any other survivors
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  1. Print length
    291 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Spectra
  4. Publication date
    October 1, 1984
  5. Dimensions
    7 x 4.3 x 1 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0553255193
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0553255195
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Spectra
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 1, 1984
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 291 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0553255193
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0553255195
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 5.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7 x 4.3 x 1 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 399 ratings

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David R. Palmer

David R. Palmer

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
399 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this book to be a unique science fiction story with a strong central female character, and they appreciate its genius-level intelligence and humor. The writing style receives mixed reactions, with some finding it a quick read while others describe it as strangely written. Customers consider it a true classic that redefines its genre, with one customer noting it's among their top 50 SF books.

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Story qualityCharacter developmentCreativityHumorGenreIntelligenceInformation contentWriting style
32 customers mention "Story quality"29 positive3 negative

Customers enjoy the book's narrative, describing it as a unique science fiction tale with a super-good plot, and one customer notes it's a fantastic coming-of-age story.

"...apocalypse, leaving Candy alone, you end up with a truly outstanding science fiction novel that at times has enough technical stuff to satisfy those..." Read more

"...but you’ll positively love the characters, while being highly entertained by the story...." Read more

"Emergence was my absolute FAVORITE book when I was in high school...." Read more

"...It's a wonderful story for a kid who felt different, isolated, and purposeless in a hostile and strange world...." Read more

15 customers mention "Character development"15 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, finding them interesting, with one review highlighting the strong central female character and another describing it as a quirky novel about a girl.

"...story in and of itself, but join this super-good plot to a REALLY amazing protagonist who has a unique and delightful voice, and comes across as..." Read more

"...You’ll enjoy the humor, but you’ll positively love the characters, while being highly entertained by the story...." Read more

"...absolutely one of the best & most realistic & well-rounded female characters of 1980s science fiction, and Palmer does not flatten his other..." Read more

"...It's often been referred to as Heinleinesque due to the strong central female character, who turns out to be unfailingly competent...." Read more

7 customers mention "Creativity"7 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's creativity, finding it exciting and unique, with one customer noting its stylistic conceit.

"...join this super-good plot to a REALLY amazing protagonist who has a unique and delightful voice, and comes across as cheerful, optimistic, sometimes..." Read more

"...formerly out-of-print book to replace my old worn-out copy of this creative and compelling first novel from David R. Palmer, one of my favorite..." Read more

"...Emergence is striking in large part due to the stylistic conceit of it being a journal written in Pittman Shorthand, thus omitting the niceties of..." Read more

"...Emergence has been one of my favorite books for years. The quirky but perceptive writing set it much above the usual post-apocalyptic story, and the..." Read more

7 customers mention "Humor"7 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the humor in the book, finding it fun and delightful, with one customer noting it comes across as cheerful.

"...protagonist who has a unique and delightful voice, and comes across as cheerful, optimistic, sometimes naive, amazingly creative with a genius+..." Read more

"...It still is. There is so much information, humor and good feels in this book, and for a post-apocalyptic novel that is rare...." Read more

"...When first published, Rollo is presented as a fairly normal, pleasant guy, up until he gives the "have sex with me ir I won't help you" ultimatum...." Read more

"...He seems nice. He's a doctor, a widower...." Read more

4 customers mention "Genre"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate this book's genre, with one describing it as a true classic that redefines the genre, while another mentions it as one of their top 50 science fiction books.

"...Certainly a top 50 in my SF collection." Read more

"...Unique! Exciting! A true classic that redefines a genre." Read more

"Virtually a cult favorite." Read more

"One of my all time very favorite books...." Read more

4 customers mention "Intelligence"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the intelligence of the book, describing it as genius-level.

"...cheerful, optimistic, sometimes naive, amazingly creative with a genius+ intellect, who is loved by an amazing father who perishes in the apocalypse..." Read more

"...our genes, and the new "homo post hominem" are the result: genius-level intelligent, better reflexes, eyesight extended into infrared range,..." Read more

"...The intelligence ad physical abilities are envious. This is a great book. Worth reading over and over again." Read more

"...It is a fantastic coming of age story about an incredibly intelligent young woman. It was a happy day when I loaned it to my now teenage daughter." Read more

3 customers mention "Information content"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the information content of the book, with one mentioning its extensive details and another highlighting the revealing author biography.

"...It still is. There is so much information, humor and good feels in this book, and for a post-apocalyptic novel that is rare...." Read more

"...of the main characters, as well as a revealing "About the author" mini-autobiography of Mr. Palmer, which is the candid..." Read more

"...Loved all the details, skills and situations that our plucky heroine has to develop and overcome. And Adam's name. Grin." Read more

19 customers mention "Writing style"10 positive9 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the writing style of the book, with some finding it a good quick read while others describe it as strangely written and in shorthand.

"...and believe me, It's been a long time since I've read a good, well-written novel that I really, REALLY enjoyed and that left me feeling uplifted!!!!..." Read more

"...There's too many cases of a lack of proof-reading...." Read more

"...large part due to the stylistic conceit of it being a journal written in Pittman Shorthand, thus omitting the niceties of extraneous articles...." Read more

"The story is excellent but it's written in an unrelenting first person shorthand...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • James R M Young
    5.0 out of 5 stars What a GREAT, FUN read!!!!!!
    Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    The best surprise read I've had in a long time!!!!!! Been reading science fiction for over sixty years (I'm 70) and some how missed this marvelous, incredible novel when it was published in 1984. (Um, I know why, now that I think about it: my second daughter was born in May of 1984, just thirteen months after my first daughter was born. My wife and I were a tad busy with two infants. . . !) At first (a few pages in) the condensed English employed by Palmer for Candy (her journal writing) was a trifle awkward but by page ten or twelve it was fun. In fact, this 'voice', Candy's voice, is one this book's highlights. This is an amazing story in and of itself, but join this super-good plot to a REALLY amazing protagonist who has a unique and delightful voice, and comes across as cheerful, optimistic, sometimes naive, amazingly creative with a genius+ intellect, who is loved by an amazing father who perishes in the apocalypse, leaving Candy alone, you end up with a truly outstanding science fiction novel that at times has enough technical stuff to satisfy those who like Hard Science Fiction, but above all shines in focusing on characters. Her loving, uber-resonsible Dad died in the cataclysm? Wow, a real downer, right? Absolutely not. This is where things get super interesting and Candy's Dad takes on new depths. And this is all done in the first 35 pages. THEN the novel gets REALLY interesting. I read a lot: classic American literature (I LOVE Mark Twain, along with Faulkner, Roth, Michener, John Jakes, Herman Wouk, Jesse Stuart, Eudora Welty, Hemmingway, Steinbeck,etc), drama, science fiction (I've read all the major authors over the years, and delight in discovering new, really good science ficiton writers), macabre literature (ESP H P Lovecraft, Stephen King, Machen, Blackwood, Straub, Wellman, Bloch, etc) classic detective (Chandler, Hammett, Ross and John D MacDonald, ADORE Sherlock Holmes,and Sayers and Christie) and lots of history (twentieth century American and European, Civil War, political philosophy, psychology, esp Jungian, and in my own field of biblical studies (N. T Wright, Richard Bauckham, Raymond E.Brown) and theology (Barth, Niebuhr- Reinhold and H. Richard, Polkinghorne, Tillich, Calvin, Luther,etc). . .. I read widely. Always have. and believe me, It's been a long time since I've read a good, well-written novel that I really, REALLY enjoyed and that left me feeling uplifted!!!!! It's simply delightful and so much fun!!!! Yes, it has its shocking moments and ugly scenes as all good novels do. Palmer delivers the suspence and some frightening moments, just like the best roller-coasters do!!!!! Reading this will prompt you to fall in love with one of the best, most amazing young women in science-fiction literature, (and yeah,I'm looking at you, Podkayne of Mars) and, truthfully, in all literature. She's a character cut from similar cloth as Anne Shirley, Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables. Yeah, people, this book is that much fun, and just that darned good. Not kidding.
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  • Amie Claire
    5.0 out of 5 stars My Favorite Book of All Time!
    Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    I originally read this book back in the late 80’s or early 90’s, and it became my favorite book. It still is. There is so much information, humor and good feels in this book, and for a post-apocalyptic novel that is rare. The heroine, an 11 year old genius and her side-kick, a very smart hyacinth macaw, named Terry are not only brave intrepid explorers, but the funniest duo of characters left on earth. You’ll enjoy the humor, but you’ll positively love the characters, while being highly entertained by the story. Be ready to binge read this one, as it’s difficult to put down.
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  • MinorAgentofChaos
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great book, but hasn't been proof-read (SPOILERS)
    Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Emergence was my absolute FAVORITE book when I was in high school. Candy is a typical girl -- aside from being a karate master, genius-level intelligent, and not human (sort of).

    So she's exploring her father's highly-advanced bomb shelter -- trying to find all the books he's stashed down there; she's an avid reader & plans to use the shelter as her secret reading getaway -- when the alarms start going off, radiation is detected, and the shelter auto-seals, trapping Candy & her "baby brother" (her pet macaw, Terry) inside. From there the entire epic adventure kicks off: the complete destruction of humanity due to a bioengineered virus triggered by the radiation (and THAT has definite chilling overtones right now, in the midst of our current pandemic), Candy finding out what she is, and starting off cross-country to find more of her people.

    It turns out that one of the Spanish Flu outbreaks in the early 1900s mutated our genes, and the new "homo post hominem" are the result: genius-level intelligent, better reflexes, eyesight extended into infrared range, superhuman-level immunity to all known illnesses, etc. However, they also have the potential to be genius-level nightmarish sociopaths, if they're not given good parenting & schooling. Yet for all this "mary sue" potential, Candy is a typical 11 year old: snarky, has lapses in judgement due to inexperience, makes bad mistakes, scared as hell over her situation, etc etc etc. She's absolutely one of the best & most realistic & well-rounded female characters of 1980s science fiction, and Palmer does not flatten his other characters nor make them stupid (aka the Wesley Effect) to make her shine.

    Yes, I love the character that much. I strongly identified with Candy when I was growing up. I still do. Rereading this book now: it's still wonderful. It doesn't feel dated -- right now, it feels scarily prophetic -- and I not only squee'd when I learned of the ebook (FINALLY!), but fell in love all over again.

    A couple other reviewers have commented on the "pedophile" overtones. I see where they're coming from. However, they seem to have overlooked some things:

    -- Candy is severely injured when she first stumbles across another homo-post-hominem survivor (Adam). Adam has to care for her as she recovers. It's presented realistically & factually; as someone who's had too many surgeries in her life, everything stated is exactly what happens in caring for a severely-injured person. Adam is a typical teenage boy, only a year or so older than Candy; Candy even states that Adam's claiming to be 18 is ridiculous. I'm not sure where the other reviewers grew up, but a lot of teenage boys in my hometown were constantly talking/joking about sex, with rude jokes & sniggering at the slightest hint of innuendo. When Adam is detailing what he did in his care, he's assuring Candy that he did not take advantage of the situation, period.

    Given the too-many real world cases of child molestation & sexual assault, it's a valid fear & it's understandable that Adam brings it up.

    -- At one point, Candy & Adam find another post-hominem survivor, Rollo, a likable, friendly, personable guy with tons of real-world experience & skills...who refuses to help them unless Candy becomes his sex partner. Yes, it's gross. Yes, it's a major WTF?!?! But...THAT'S HOW REAL LIFE PEDOPHILES & RAPISTS ARE. They're not obvious monsters; if they were, we could easily avoid them. But they're NOT. They're your friendly next-door-neighbor. They're the pillar of your church. They're your nice co-worker. They're your awesome babysitter. They're your family. They're the person standing next to you. They are people you like, and chat with, and have a beer with, and play videogames with. They're JUST. LIKE. US. Palmer is not "fetishizing" it. He's being real. He's describing exactly how pedophiles & serial killers & other deviants act & operate, and the effects they have on their victims. That whole chapter is tons more scary & nightmarish & real because of it, right down to the self-doubts & PTSD Candy has after killing the man.

    It's not "fetish". It's *reality*.

    However, the whole section with Rollo has been changed. I checked my paperback to be sure. When first published, Rollo is presented as a fairly normal, pleasant guy, up until he gives the "have sex with me ir I won't help you" ultimatum. Candy's macaw (Terry) brings the entire situation to a shocking halt: he bite Rollo, Rollo gets enraged & attacks Terry, Candy intervenes & kills Rollo, & is shaken by her automatic "kill" instinct; it's a major plot point that drives Candy to renounce killing, as she doesn't think Rollo deserved to die, just for reacting to a painful bloody bite.

    In the ebook version, though, Rollo is no longer a nice guy. He's now stated to be a wife-beater & abuser, an abusive, psychotic sociopath -- all of which Candy reasons out as she's protecting Terry, and kills Rollo with the outright decision that he deserves it.

    Which...okay...wow. That...is not a good change. It removes Candy's internal conflict over having killed Rollo, a conflict that paid off towards the end. It makes Rollo blatantly evil, instead of the quiet, realistic nightmare. Seriously -- Rollo had pics of his abused family with bruises?? Most domestic abusers try to paint a perfect family picture to the outside world; they do their damnedest to hide the obvious damage. I see what Palmer's trying to do, but for me, it undercuts and lessens the nightmare and horror.

    Ok. With all that said, this ebook has technical problems. There's too many cases of a lack of proof-reading. There's many, many cases of phrases & misspelled words being struck out, with the corrections immediately after. Those aren't in the original book; I still have my paperback & checked. It's not supposed to be part of Candy's journal, either. She's supposed to be writing in Pittman shorthand, which shouldn't have those problems. It looks like Palmer's publisher uploaded a rough-draft, instead of the actual finished copy.

    With THAT said, I still love this book. Highly recommended.

    EDIT: on a reread, I finally noti
    15 people found this helpful
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  • JOSHUA
    5.0 out of 5 stars Beloved story that has touched generations
    Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I read this book when it came out, and I was 11 years old just like the protagonist of the story. It's a wonderful story for a kid who felt different, isolated, and purposeless in a hostile and strange world. Decades later, I gave my copy to my daughter to read, when she was 11, again just like Candy. Even more so than the story touched me, it touched her. My daughter's 27th birthday is coming up, and I just sent her this: a fresh, clean first edition copy of the novel that helped define both of us.

    I couldn't be happier that Emergence, a story about an 11 year old girl at the end of the world—with a very different kind of "Hero's Journey" than you might expect such a novel to have—is still around, and has the power to affect generations of my family.
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Bart M. Lajeunesse
    5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing read
    Reviewed in Canada on February 7, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I first found this book over 20 years ago, and I reread it every year or so. Such excellent characters, and an adventure that is nearly ( for me ) impossible to put down once I start. Very enjoyable
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  • HollowayJohn
    5.0 out of 5 stars Absolute classic, in great re-issue
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 25, 2020
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    This book has been extremely difficult to find in its original printing, despite being heavily loved at the time of publication. Thank you to Ring of Fire for the re-issue. The central character is a little younger than you might imagine you would fall in love with, but you will. I can only say that, hey, she's also been through a pandemic ... and an interesting array of other minor difficulties!
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  • FSJ Book Fan
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic, famous sci-fi story
    Reviewed in Canada on December 12, 2019
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    This is a famous Sci-Fi story; it was an instant hit when it was first published in Analog in the 1980's; it hardly needs my rave review for it as well. The characters are amazing and the writing is perfect for the subject. The history of the story is interesting too, as Mr. Palmer describes how he dealt with DECADES of writer's block, when everyone was pestering him for more, more. Eventually, he was able to come up with more adventures for Candy and her crew. Hooray! Have bought these for my grandson, who is also 11 years old; I'm hoping he'll enjoy them as much as everyone else in the world.
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  • The hairy one
    5.0 out of 5 stars Return of an old friend
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 25, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Bought this as a replacement for a very well thumbed (aka falling apart) first paperback edition, which has been out of print for many years. And yes, I did read it as soon as it hit my tablet. I found very few typos, which made me even happier. Go David!
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  • Vicky
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 18, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    The language feels of its time so hoping the sequel is a little more up to date. Great story, well paced and a truly wonderful protagonist.

    However..

    Candy's frequent musings on sexual relations were uncomfortable reading at times though and didn't sit well with me. She seems to think aged 11, that as soon as her body has reached sexual maturity her role as either breeder or pleasure giver to adult men is fair enough given its the apocalypse. Even with the adoption of her (good looking) 'big sisters' towards the end this view is never challenged. It really needs to be. And the line about making sure the old retired astronauts who were helping her defuse the bomb would ' die with smiles on their faces' had she just been a little older, made me want to be sick in my mouth.

    Yeah, if it wasn't for all the slightly depressing sexist\underage sex stuff i'd have given it 5 stars.
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