num_pages: 312
description: The story is set in what was then the near future (1963 in the book) in the months following World War III. The conflict has devastated the northern hemisphere, polluting the atmosphere with nuclear fallout and killing all life. While the nuclear bombs were confined to the northern hemisphere, global air currents are slowly carrying the fallout to the southern hemisphere.
language: English
title: On the Beach
titlecomplete: On the Beach 
characters: Mary Holmes, John Osborne, Dwight Towers, Peter Holmes, Moira Davidson
genres: Dystopia, War, Australia, Apocalyptic, Classics, Novels, Post Apocalyptic, Fiction, Literature, Science Fiction
ratings_count: 43053
places: Australia, Melbourne, Victoria
publisher: Ballantine Books