The Lovers (Magill’s Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature)
At a glance:
- Author: Philip José Farmer
- First Published: 1952
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Science fiction—alien civilization
- Time of Work: 3050
- Setting: Earth and the planet Ozagen
- Genres: Long fiction, Science fiction, Apocalyptic and catastrophe fiction
- Subjects: Love or romance, Extraterrestrial life, Future, Other worlds, Space ships, stations, or vehicles, Earth
- Locales: Earth, Fictional planets
The Plot
After two apocalyptic wars, Earth is slowly repopulated by survivors. Hal Yarrow and his wife, Mary, share a small apartment in Sigmen City with another couple. The Yarrows sleep at night, the other couple during the day. A rigid church/state structure, the Sturch, controls the society. Married couples are required to engage in sexual relations, and each partner must report the other for any lawbreaking activity. Hal and Mary are not compatible, and Hal has difficulty relating to Mary and to the rules of the Sturch.
Luckily for Hal, he is selected to travel to a...
[The entire page is 1016 words long]
