The cause of this new order is an alternate hierarchy of humanity that Smith must learn to adhere to-or face the consequences.Īs he integrates into this foreign society, Smith finds himself falling for the daughter of the house. Humans live in accordance with nature, respectful of the land and animals, untethered by technology. What Smith finds is a gorgeous utopian vision of a peaceful world made real. As he recounts what happened to him and where he came from, it dawns on Smith that he has somehow left his own world behind and awoken somewhere entirely new. He wanders through the countryside, searching for any semblance of civilization, until a family takes him in. The landscape around him has changed dramatically. Hudson’s trailblazing story of a pastoral utopia that harbors a dark secretĪfter a landslide, Smith awakens groggy and confused. The narrator despairs when he realizes that his passion for Yoletta can never be consummated and, wonders whether he can adapt to this mode of living.W. The humans of this distant future have achieved their utopian state by abandoning sexuality and romantic love. He is shocked to learn that all the people are much older than they appear Yoletta is 31 years old, and the Father of the House is nearly 200.In time he meets the mysterious Mother of the House, and begins to comprehend the full strangeness and differentness of their way of life. He soon learns that this world and everyone in it are far older than they appear.The narrator struggles to adapt to this new society, as he pursues Yoletta. Extricating himself and surveying the scene, he sees a great house in the distance, and walks toward it to seek help and information. The story involvestraveller and amateur naturalist namedSmithwho regains consciousness 'under a heap of earth and stones.' He is astounded to discover that he is entwined in the roots of plants, as though they have been growing around him. The book has been called a 'significant S-F milestone' and has been noted for its anticipation of the 'modern ecological mysticism' that would evolve a century later. A Crystal Age is a dystopia written by W.

A Crystal Age by William Henry Hudson