Nobodaddy's Children is a trilogy of novels that traces life in
Germany from the Nazi era through the postwar years and into an
apocalyptic future. Scenes from the Life of a Faun recounts the dreary
life of a government worker who escapes the banality of war by
researching the exploits of a deserter from the Napoleonic Wars
nicknamed The Faun. Brand's Heath deals with the chaos of the
immediate postwar period as a writer joins a small community of
"survivors" to try to forge a new life, and Dark Mirrors is set in a
future where civilization has been virtually destroyed. Dark Mirrors'
narrator fears he may be the last man on earth until the discovery of
another creates new fears. All three novels are characterized by
Schmidt's unique combination of sharply observed details, sarcastic
asides, and wide erudition.