When the Sleepers Woke

"When the Sleepers Woke" by Arthur Leo Zagat is a science fiction novel written in the early 20th century. The story delves into a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by a catastrophic war, leaving only a handful of surviving humans. It explores themes of survival, societal collapse, and the potential for rebirth in the aftermath of destruction. The narrative follows Allan Dane, who awakens after years of suspended animation in a refuge from the deadly gas that engulfed the world during a great conflict. Upon regaining consciousness, he discovers that he is one of only seven survivors left on Earth, living in isolation from the consequences of the war. As Allan learns about the fates of others, he encounters Naomi, a young woman who has also survived the chaos. Together, they navigate the dangers of this new world, which is populated by remnants of humanity driven mad by isolation and desperation. The story culminates in a race against time as Allan must confront the malevolent remnants of the enemy and ultimately strive to protect the future of humankind. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Arthur Leo Zagat (1896–1949) was an American lawyer and writer of pulp fiction and science fiction. Trained in the law, he gave it up to write professionally. Zagat is noted for his collaborations with fellow lawyer Nat Schachner. During the last two decades of his life, Zagat wrote short stories prolifically. About 500 pieces appeared in a variety of pulp magazines, including Thrilling Wonder Stories, Argosy, Dime Mystery Magazine, Horror Stories, Operator No. 5 and Astounding. Zagat also wrote the "Doc Turner" stories that regularly appeared in The Spider pulp magazine throughout the 1930s and the "Red Finger" series that ran in Operator #5, and wrote for Spicy Mystery Stories as "Morgan LaFay". A novel, Seven Out of Time, was published by Fantasy Press in 1949, the year he died. His most well-known series is probably the Tomorrow series of six novelettes from Argosy, collected into two volumes by Altus Press in 2014.