The Long Tomorrow - Brackett, Leigh

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Résumé :
Close to being a great work of science fiction.-New York Times

One of the original novels of post-nuclear holocaust America, The Long Tomorrow is considered by many to be one of the finest science fiction novels ever written on the subject. The story has inspired generations of new writers and is still as mesmerizing today as when it was originally written.

Len and Esau are young cousins living decades after a nuclear war has destroyed civilization as we know. The rulers of the post-war community have forbidden the existence of large towns and consider technology evil.

However, Len and Esau long for more than their simple agrarian existence. Rumors of mythical Bartorstown, perhaps the last city in existence, encourage the boys to embark on a journey of discovery and adventure that will call into question not only firmly held beliefs, but the boys' own personal convictions.

She [Brackett] has created science-fiction to compare with serious mainstream literature.-New York Herald Tribune

Biographie:
Leigh Douglass Brackett was an early female icon of science fiction, sometimes referred to as the 'Queen of Space Opera.' She was the first woman ever to be short-listed for a Hugo award.

She was also one of the earliest writers to create a science fiction 'universe;' The Leigh Brackett Solar System which contains highly detailed fictional versions of planets in our solar system. Her popular Eric Stark novels are set in this universe.

Brackett was also a successful screenwriter. Shortly after Brackett broke into science fiction writing, she wrote her first screenplays. Hollywood director Howard Hawks was so impressed by her novel No Good from a Corpse that he had his secretary call in this guy Brackett to help William Faulkner write the script for The Big Sleep, considered to be one of the best movies ever made in the genre.

Leigh Brackett was an early script writer hired by George Lucas for the second Star Wars movie of the original trilogy, The Empire Strikes Back. Though the script (as is normal in Hollywood) underwent many changes, John Saavadra of the Den of Greeks states that Most importantly, you see that Brackett's draft, while definitely in need of a rewrite and several tweaks, holds all of the big moments we'd eventually see on screen. We still get a version of the Battle of Hoth (a much more ridiculous one), the wise words of an old Jedi Master, the excitement of zooming through a deadly asteroid field, a love triangle (a MUCH more overt one), a majestic city in the clouds, unexpected betrayals, and the climactic duel between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader that we would reenact on playgrounds for years to come