The thing that makes this novel stand out is that it's much more realistic and low-key than most science fiction novels, and the near future it portrays is all too beliavable. The only actual fantastical element comes from the inclusion of "mutants" with special talents that have begun to develop as a result of living in The Drylands.

This realistic and grim-and-gritty aspect also makes "The Drylands" quite different from Rosenblum's next novel "Chimera", which was also very good, but very different.