Post-Apocalyptic YA Fantasy

About Willem of the Tafel

In the year 437 after the Great War, the Tafel lived underground to protect themselves from the harsh surface conditions that would probably kill a human. They barely survived in an old military installation built inside a mountain near Cape Town, South Africa. They were the only known survivors of man’s final folly.

Tafel society faced many challenges. Water had to be filtered, caves would sometimes collapse, energy was scarce, and crops needed tending. Everyone had a job, including Willem the Ghost.

One of the few white descendants of the human race, Willem faced bullying by his Shadow peers. One day, while relaxing under the heat lamps that nourished Tafel crops, Bongani, a Shadow bully, found Willem. Unfortunately for Bongani, he lost his footing and plunged to his death. 

The Shadow authorities said it was murder, so Willem was expelled from the safety of their cavern home and sent out onto the surface—a death sentence.

Appraisal

Thus begins Hans M. Hirschi’s science fiction fantasy, Willem of the Tafel. Unbeknownst to the Tafel, Willem survived the surface, which had cleansed itself of the nuclear winter. Alone and frightened, Willem soon made a startling discovery: The Tafel weren’t the only survivors of the Great War. In the rubble of old Cape Town he meets travelers from Madagascar who had recently arrived by a sailing vessel.

In his riveting novel, Hirschi tackles important issues—racism, global warming, homosexuality, and survival. Through surprising twists and turns readers will be routing for Willem and the people he encounters outside of the Tafel.

Along the way, Willem learns about responsibility—family, no matter what, comes first, even though our happiness may lie elsewhere. Willem of the Tafel is a must read for all of us if we are to understand the meaning of a nuclear war and its aftermath.

About the Author

Hans M. Hirschi is a forty something male clinging to the illusion of being twenty-seven. He considers himself a citizen of the world, for he has lived on two continents and traveled extensively through three others. When not writing, Hirschi earns his living public speaking or training. Currently, he resides in Gothenburg, Sweden with his husband and son.