43. Path to Savagery by Robert Edmond Alter

Paperback Warrior turned me on to this book and after much hunting I found it (I believe at Pulp Fiction books in Vancouver but can't remember for sure beyond the happy feeling of seeing the book on the shelf).  I'm surprised it isn't better known among post-apocalypse readers because it really hits all the fun notes of the genre.  I would have loved this as a Road Warrior inspired adolescent.

The timeline is a little inconsistent, as different character's memories of the destroyed civilization seem a bit too fresh compared to the level of destruction and deterioration of society.  Falk is a Loner, picking his way through ruined America on his own, simply trying to survive.  He will glom onto Flockers to get some water and trade, as they are the small semi-civilized groups in contrast to the Neanderthals, who have regressed to nomadic raiding and destruction.  Falk's big advantage, other than his own experience and skill, is that he has a tommy gun.  We get several neat little episodes involving both groups until Falk discovers a ruined coastal city where the downtown is half under water.  Figuring he can maybe discover a treasure trove by making it out to the big department store, he discovers a small community that has already taken it over.  

The Paperback Warrior review goes deeper into the plot if you want to learn more.  Ultimately, it's just a fun action-packed read, with some hints at a greater storyline (rumours of some place called Genesis in the north where they are trying to create a new civilization).  However, the thematic through line is actually Falk trying to find the right woman, one he sees and feels in his dreams and then actually encounters.  The outcome is quite interesting.  I sort of dug it and felt that it pushed the sexual politics of the book slightly beyond the late 60s mores that were in the rest of the book.