<DIV>Renowned social commentator and best-selling author James Howard Kunstler's sequel to <I>World Made by Hand</I>, expands on his vision of post-oil society in America in this ?suspenseful, darkly amusing story with touches of the fantastic in the mode of Washington Irving” (<I>Booklist</I>). <BR><BR>In the tiny hamlet of Union Grove, New York, the electricity has flickered off, the Internet is a distant memory, and the government is little more than a rumor. Travel is horse-drawn and farming is back at the center of life, but Union Grove is no pastoral haven. Wars are fought over dwindling resources and illness is a constant presence. Bandits roam the countryside, preying on the weak and a sinister cult threatens to shatter the town's fragile stability. <BR> <BR>In a novel that is both shocking yet eerily convincing, Kunstler seamlessly weaves hot-button issues such as the decline of oil and the perils of climate change into a compelling narrative of violence, religious hysteria, innocence lost, and love found.</DIV>