Because the book is still under copyright (Manuel de Pedrolo died in 1990, so his works remain protected in Spain and the EU for 70 years after his death), you cannot legally download a free PDF from public sites.
The novel has inspired comics, plays, and a 2015 feature film (released in English as The Second Origin ). It remains a beloved entry point for young readers into both science fiction and Catalan literature.
The novel begins with a brutal alien attack that wipes out almost all life on Earth. Two young protagonists, Alba (a 14-year-old girl of mixed race) and Dídac (a 9-year-old boy), survive by chance in a small rural village in Catalonia. As the last two humans in their region, they must learn to fend for themselves in a world of ruins, abandoned technology, and silence.
Would you like a list of similar post-apocalyptic novels from Spanish or Catalan literature instead?
