In the more than 50 years between its writing and its American publication, Termush has lost none of its power to disturb ... The enduring relevance of Termush will depress many readers, but the clarity of its prose and the intensity of its vision inspire.
Holm’s accomplishment is keeping the focus squarely on the social dynamics of a scarcity scenario and the ethical questions faced by individuals within the privileged group ... This stripped-down focus gives the novel a timeless feeling, with something of the power of parable.
Termush is a neat, well-understated variation on the apocalyptic novel, and holds up well -- not least because much here easily applies to other contemporary scenarios of a wealthy class trying to wall itself off from the catastrophes facing mankind beyond just nuclear war.
It’s a slim novel, but its universal setting and farsighted themes combine with the author’s eerie minimalism to make it feel as modern as it is avant-garde ... A prescient parable that finds the rich dismayed with what happens after the world ends.
