The World in Winter

The World in Winter is also known as The Long Winter.

The sun has begun to wane, and the northern countries are becoming increasingly cold and barren. A new Ice Age is in the offing, and with it, the balance of power gradually shifts to the formerly impoverished nations of the south, many of them only just emerging from colonialism. The pound, the dollar, the ruble, the deutschmark, all the currencies that once ruled the world, are valueless, and the inhabitants of Europe and North America must either emigrate or stay behind, sinking into feudalism and barbarity as their social structures weaken and collapse in the rigors of an eternal winter.

For those who emigrate, there is a new bitterness - for it is now the Europeans who are the underdogs, insulted, discriminated against and patronized in the countries they once ruled. The tables have been turned.

The World in Winter is the story of two married couples in contemporary England, who must face the decision which means life or death, starvation at home or possible servitude abroad. Their lives, tangled by domestic crises, are engulfed by this new and larger threat, which forces them together in the face of danger.