▁ 2 , 0 0 0 ▁of ▁America ' s ▁biggest ▁cities ▁in ▁ 1 9 8 7 . ▁Sur viv ors ▁have ▁started ▁over , ▁forming ▁little ▁villages ▁and ▁living ▁from ▁agricult ure ▁and ▁the ▁sea . ▁The ▁theme ▁of ▁the ▁first ▁chap ters ▁is ▁that ▁of ▁a ▁quite ▁normal ▁science ▁fiction ▁past oral , ▁which ▁is ▁de construct ed ▁in ▁the ▁latter ▁chap ters , ▁especially ▁when ▁it ▁becomes ▁clear ▁that ▁the ▁post - n uc lear ▁war ▁rural ▁life ▁is ▁h inder ed ▁from ▁developing ▁further ▁by ▁international ▁treat ies ▁im posed ▁by ▁the ▁vict orious ▁U . S . S . R ., ▁with ▁an ▁unw illing ▁Japan ▁charged ▁with ▁pat rolling ▁the ▁West ▁Coast . ▁The ▁Wild ▁Sh ore ▁was ▁nominated ▁for ▁both ▁the ▁Neb ula ▁and ▁Philip ▁K . ▁Dick ▁Awards ▁in ▁ 1 9 8 4 . ▁Alg is ▁Bud rys ▁described ▁it ▁as ▁" a ▁front ier ▁novel , ▁with ▁rich ▁threads ▁of ▁Stein beck ian ▁popul ism ▁w oven ▁into ▁its ▁cast ▁of ▁characters ." ▁Although ▁fault ing ▁the ▁novel ' s ▁" fail ure ▁to ▁sust ain ▁the ▁weight ▁of ▁its ▁undert ak ings ," ▁he ▁concluded ▁that ▁Wild ▁Sh ore ▁was ▁" a ▁remark ably ▁powerful ▁piece ▁of ▁work , ▁still ▁a ▁good ▁book , ▁almost ▁without ▁doubt ▁a ▁har b inger ▁of ▁great ▁books ▁to ▁come ▁from ▁Robinson ." ▁ ▁The ▁Gold ▁Coast ▁In ▁The ▁Gold ▁Coast ▁( 1 9 8 8 ) ▁we ▁learn ▁about ▁the ▁Southern ▁California ▁of ▁