The Second Mass reaches Charleston, South Carolina, the new capital of the post apocalyptic United States. While the weary travellers are delighted to find many modern conveniences still available, they are somewhat disheartened when they realize that the fight against the aliens is on hold as they rebuild their ranks. The new president is a former college history professor who intends to keep the power with the people and away from the military leaders. This is a good episode. Watch it here through the Falling Skies web site or through Amazon at the link below:
The Apocalyptic Fiction Poll # 3 will force you to dig way back into your movie memory to consider some of the more famous characters from the apocalypse. In this poll, I have listed some of the more recognizable characters from popular apocalyptic movies. Please cast your vote for your favorite post apocalyptic character from the movies below! If you don’t see your favorite character listed please leave your vote in a comment.
The results are in for the Apocalyptic Fiction Poll 2: “What is your favorite apocalyptic tv series ?” Jericho is the clear winner with a total of 230 votes! The Walking Dead came in a distant second place, followed by Falling Skies, Survivors and The Colony. It seems that people were not ready for Jericho to be cancelled. In fact, there is a large movement to revive the show and apparently Netflix is in negotiations right now with CBS to bring back some new episodes. If you want to support the effort to bring this excellent show back on tv, follow Jericho Rising on Facebook. Thanks to everyone that voted and left comments in last week’s Apocalyptic Fiction Poll!
In Episode 8 of the second season of Falling Skies, Death March, the resistance fighters from the post apocalyptic Northeast US, AKA The Second Mass, makes its way to Charleston, South Carolina, in hopes of connecting up with a larger alliance. What will they find? This one has less action but is interesting. Watch the full episode of the alien invasion, post apocalyptic series through TNT’s Falling Skies site or at Amazon through the link below:
The Postman is an insightful and inspiring story of a man in his quest to protect the flickering flame of civilization from the imposing dark ages of a post apocalyptic world.
As Gordon Krantz makes his way across the apocalyptic wasteland, barely surviving among the ruins of civilization, he stumbles upon an old United States Postal vehicle that forever changes the direction of his life.
What starts out as a lie to simply gain shelter and food becomes an idea that ignites a revolution. This is a story more about ideas that any particular ideology. In fact, David Brin often presents ideology as being part of the reason for civilization’s demise. For instance, the term “survivalist” becomes derogatory as some radical elements of the community have embraced the fall of civilization as an opportunity to subdue, pillage and conquer. Don’t fret preppers: The Postman was written in 1985, before the more recent, positive culture of self-sufficiency and permaculture which has become more widespread in recent years spreading through good people like Jack Spirko at The Survival Podcast.
The power of ideas should not be underestimated. While it is easy to focus on the more negative examples of crooked idealism gone astray such as the case with hitler and the nazis (disrespect intended), Brin proposes that ideas can have an equally positive effect as he presents the United States as a successful society structured upon ideas that actually lead to a decrease in human suffering. Civilization is presented as an idea or a collection of ideas rather than a physical manifestation.
The Postman is a substantial work of fiction that will provide you with considerable grist for the mill of contemplation, if you are so inclined. Alternatively, if you are simply seeking a great story with likable characters, you will not be disappointed.
And if you want to listen to the audiobook follow the link below:
Well it is clear that most of you feel The Road is the most realistic post-apocalyptic book from the list of choices. In many respects, I would agree with you all. The Road certainly presents one of the bleakest scenarios possible. It doesn’t go into a lot of detail about the initial disaster event but whatever occurred killed most of the plant life and led to the starvation of most of the survivors. The widespread cannibalism present in this book is most disturbing. The Road is frightening and will certainly leave a haunting impression in your mind. I hope for all of our sakes that an event such as the one that occurs in The Road never happens. A lifetime of prepping wouldn’t prepare us for a world so bleak. Thanks to all of you that participated and stay tuned for the next Apocalyptic Fiction Poll.
What are the most realistic apocalyptic books? I find books portraying widespread pandemics to be most believable. Although zombie books are certainly enjoyable, I have left them out of the poll due to the unlikelihood of their existence (at least I hope). I have listed some of the most popular apocalyptic books below. Please vote from the list and feel free to leave comments. Thanks!
The unpredictability of human actions turns out to be an advantage when dealing with purely logical aliens. The human emotional wildcard always seems to spoil wicked plans, at least that is the case in the latest episode of Falling Skies, Molon Labe. The human resistance against the alien invasion is able to capture one of the so-called “masters” that seem to be at the top of the alien hierarchy. Unfortunately, the aliens have some new tricks up their sleeves as they are willing to go to great lengths to save their leader. This is the best episode yet. They scaled back on the drama and went full throttle with the action. In fact, the action/battle scenes are very well done and are nearly as good as scenes from a blockbuster movie. Watch this episode through TNT’s website here or you can get on Amazon through the link below:
A famous actress meets a star college football quarterback, they fall in love and adopt a nine-year old girl…the only problem is that the world has ended, a devastating virus has killed 99% of the human population, some portion of the population has become bloodthirsty zombies and most of those that are immune are ruled by psychopathic lunatics. After the Virus by Meghan Ciana Doidge is not your typical love story. In fact, it ranks up there with some of the more violent and gruesome post apocalyptic fiction. The female protagonist is seriously bad ass and is fueled by pent-up anger after suffering a lifetime of abuse. The female perspective provides a uniquely fascinating glimpse into the post apocalypse. The author envisions an evil, twisted world in which surviving women are held captive to be used as “baby factories” to repopulate the earth. Though some of the choices made by characters in the story are questionable, After the Virus is a uniquely entertaining and action packed post apocalyptic adventure. It is well worth picking up on Kindle for $2.99 . Get it through the link below:
In TNT’s post apocalyptic, alien invasion series Falling Skies episode 15 Love and Other Acts of Courage, the human resistance finds an unlikely ally when they discover some of the alien invaders are willing to join them in their fight against their “overlords”. This is a good episode that captured my interest. Falling Skies is turning out to be a successful blend of post apocalyptic action/survival and alien science fiction. You could argue that the drama between some of the characters is a little “sappy” or “soap opera” like, but in order for a show like this to be successful, the writers need to appeal to a fairly diverse audience. (read: it can’t be all shooting, killing, blowing stuff up and down and dirty post apocalyptic survival or it would get cancelled) I’m willing to suffer through some “sappy” love story moments in order to get my post apocalyptic kicks in a show with a decent plot line that has a good budget. Watch the full episode on TNT’s website for free through the link below:
Hostile aliens now control the planet as Falling Skies enters its second season. TNT has created an enjoyable apocalyptic tv show that follows a large group of refugee survivors as they struggle against their alien invaders. While their intentions are not perfectly clear yet, the aliens of Falling Skies have killed almost all of the adult human population and have made the children into their slaves using some type of parasitic lizard. One of the interesting aspects to this series is that the alien invaders do not consist of one particular type of alien. It seems that there is some type of hierarchy of alien beings that are led by creatures that are similar in appearance to “the greys” that have become the typical portrayal of aliens in our modern civilization. Tom Mason (Noah Wyle), is a former college history professor who lost his wife in the invasion and struggles to raise his 3 children alone in the post apocalyptic landscape while providing some historical perspective and guiding the survivors in their struggle. Falling Skies has plenty of action and while some of the acting is a little overly dramatic, it is your best bet for alien invasion apocalypse and science fiction television this summer.
If you need to catch up on the series, The complete first season is available on DVD through the link below:
Over the years, Stephen King has created a number of fascinating apocalyptic tales. Indeed, most of his stories lead to the end of the world for somebody. It is as though he has some unworldly insight into the apocalyptic realm. Though the specific circumstances may change, his novels frequently share in his apocalyptic vision. For example, Randall Flagg, a character that appears in many of Stephen King’s stories, has a mysterious involvement in the apocalypse. While Randall Flagg is not a specific character in Cell, Stephen King once again shares his unique vision of the end of modern civilization through one of mankind’s most prized possessions, the cell phone. An event that comes to be known as “the pulse” somehow wipes clean the minds of those using a cell phone and transforms them into a type of telepathic zombie that is intent on eliminating those that have been left unchanged. The zombies in Cell share the viciousness of your typical zombie but are able to communicate telepathically and seem to be developing a common agenda. Cell is certainly an enjoyable read and will be quite satisfying for those of you that share in this strange apocalyptic preoccupation.
Also available in audio on Audible through the link below:
A business trip to Moscow goes from bad to worse for two friends that get caught in the middle of an alien invasion. First, all of the electronic devices are disabled by a massive microwave pulse from space. Then the aliens start floating down to Earth, at times they glow orange, but they are mostly invisible to the human eye. These aliens are not interested in communication, they simply want to eliminate humans from the planet so that they can harvest the Earth’s resources. This is a decent adventure story. Some of the special effects are interesting, for example, when we get to see the alien’s perspective. It has a decent amount of action. Due to its larger budget, it is slightly better than a SyFy prime time apocalypse movie, but the acting and plot is mediocre at best. Don’t expect The Darkest Hour to blow your mind, but it will serve as entertainment if you have a couple of hours to kill and nothing good is on tv.
Perhaps one of the best known post apocalyptic novels, Alas, Babylon, written by Pat Frank and released in 1959, paints a grim picture of what life might be like after a full-scale nuclear war between the US and former USSR.
The protagonist, Randy Bragg, a relatively carefree bachelor, is forced to take a leadership role in the survival of his Florida town, Fort Repose, which narrowly escapes destruction from the ultimate in nuclear catastrophes.
Surprisingly, many of the issues presented in Alas, Babylon, over 50 years ago, are still very relevant today. For example, Frank’s writing is clearly influenced by the Civil Rights movement that was gaining momentum during the time that this book was written. Alas, Babylon frequently references the still widespread segregation and racist sentiment that still existed in parts of the southern US during the 1950’s. The book portrays the complete collapse of civilization as the ultimate “leveling” of human beings, as each survivor shares in the struggle to stay alive, regardless of skin color, ethnic origin or social class. Though the Civil Rights movement has certainly altered the landscape of the US in a number of ways, racial tensions continue to be high today, especially with the recent death of Trayvon Martin.
From a survival perspective, the issues associated with a total breakdown of civilization remain the same. Without electricity, public water, law enforcement, medical treatment, transportation, fuel, etc, people are forced to accept more personal responsibility for the safety and survival of their families.
Nuclear tensions have changed in some ways since the end of the Cold War but with more countries in possession of “the bomb” than ever, the risk for a nuclear conflict continues. Alas, Babylon may be a little optimistic in terms of its somewhat “happy ending” but it serves as a reminder to us that we were once very close and that we are never very far away from the ultimate destruction of civilization.
Welcome to the zombie apocalypse. World War Z shows the progression of a zombie apocalypse through a series of interviews that explore the experiences of survivors from around the world. Each interview or chapter further develops the story to paint the larger picture of a worldwide catastrophic event. Zombie fans and those that like post apocalyptic fiction in general will enjoy this book. You could substitute “zombies” for any number of apocalyptic events. It just so happens that zombies are the perfect enemy. A zombie acts on instinct alone, has no fear or conscience and will never stop until their brain is destroyed. World War Z (WWZ) is unique in a number of ways. First of all, the story is conveyed through a series of interviews and shows a wide variety of perspectives from people with different cultures and geographic locations. Unlike most stories in the genre, World War Z is not confined to one geographic location. Max Brooks takes us all over the world from China, Russia, Britain, Siberia, US and even to the ocean’s floor. Another unique feature of WWZ is that it covers the entire war, from the early stages of the outbreak right up until the end where humans develop efficient ways to destroy the zombie hordes and take back much of the planet. WWZ also proposes some interesting ideas. For example, government authorities conclude that they cannot save everyone and that in order to save some people, others must be sacrificed. Although one could criticize the way in which the author proposes that “government authorities” would find and implement a solution for the vast majority, the harsh, pragmatic decision is logical in the context of this post apocalyptic scenario. WWZ is a unique, well written and exciting tale that I highly recommend you add to your list of “must read” post apocalyptic fiction.
World War Z is also available as an audiobook through the link below:
