The novel “Malville” is traditionally classified as realistic science fiction. The characters are contemporaries of the author. The residents of the Château Malville and the surrounding lands, who miraculously survived a thermonuclear explosion, are thrown back into the era of feudal fragmentation—and to survive, they create an agrarian commune, the Malville Brotherhood. The novel was conceived by the author as a warning for future generations. However, the tragic nature of the situation is only a backdrop for an engaging plot packed with literary-historical allusions and erotic scenes from a patriarchal idyll. The novel is deeply optimistic, and Merle believes in the all-conquering power of human spirit and reason.