Ravage has been included on many "all-time" best lists, including Annick Beguin's Les 100 principaux titres de la science-fiction.

In the storyline, a civilization much more advanced than ours falls to its knees when electricity suddenly disappears.

Chaos, disease, and famine ensue, which readers witness through the adventures of a small group of survivors led by François Deschamps.

The group leaves Paris and starts a journey toward Provence where the survivors will create a new patriarchal society with Deschamps as their leader.

[1] This novel has been cited as influential in science-fiction literature in the following books:[2]