Apocalyptic Fiction Poll #4: Who is your favorite character from The Walking Dead Season 2 ? If you don’t see your favorite character listed below please write it in as a comment. Thanks for voting!
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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:
Learn more about the author at her web page: http://www.madebymeghan.ca
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:
Wishing for the good old days turns deadly for one of the main characters in this episode. Some people are unable to accept the new reality of the zombie apocalypse. Unfortunately, when life and death decisions need to be made on a daily basis, there is little time for deliberation. As the title of this episode implies, in the absence of a justice system, people are forced to act quickly, often without the opportunity to share their decisions with others. How do you do suggest that we deal with those that are deemed dangerous criminals that pose a threat to your family in the post-apocalyptic world? Keeping them as prisoners really isn’t a very good option when food supplies and resources are limited. It certainly is food for thought…if you have any ideas please post a comment. Watch the episode through the link below:
Their fight to the death is interrupted when Rick and Shane unwittingly unleash a horde of starving zombies. Episode 10: 18 Miles Out has plenty of zombie fighting action and gives us a few hints about the nature of the infection. If you missed this week’s episode of The Walking Dead, you can watch it on Amazon through the link below!
The post-apocalyptic mayhem continues in AMC’s second season of The Walking Dead with Episode 9, Triggerfinger. An encounter at the “town tavern” with another group of survivors turns ugly and Rick finds that he has another war on his hands, as if a world full of flesh eating zombies and dealing with Shane’s obsession with his pregnant wife weren’t enough trouble. While it’s difficult to side with Shane due to his morally questionable actions, his keen sense for reality can’t be denied. As is often the case in post-apocalyptic scenarios, ethical matters that were once black and white often take on a certain shade of grey, especially when it comes to protecting those that you love. Great episode! Watch it through the link below:
The best show on TV is back and you can watch it for free through the AMC website until February 28th! The walkers are out of the barn and the raw, violent, post-apocalyptic fury returns to The Walking Dead! AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. I won’t spoil it for you, watch it through the link below:
The Walking Dead Season 2, Midseason Premiere: Nebraska. ***no longer available for free through AMC.
update 3/7/12 This episode is no longer available for free but you can get it through Amazon at the link below. Also, for those of you wondering what the song is at the end of this episode it is The Regulator by Clutch. Rock on!
The Walking Dead: Season 2, Episode 7, Pretty Much Dead Already. “The Barn is full of walkers”. Now that everyone knows that the barn is full of walkers, a choice must be made: Do the survivors live in denial and pretend that they are safe within the confines of the farm and ignore the fact that there is a barn full of bloodthirsty zombies living in their midst? Or do they blow open the barn doors and accept the ugly reality of their situation? An interesting choice, perhaps reminiscent of the choice we all are facing with the world as it is today. By the end of this episode, the choice is clear, although it is far from a unanimous decision.
The Walking Dead: Season 2, Episode 6, Secrets explores the dynamics between a number of characters in this group of survivors in the post-apocalyptic, zombie infested world. Human relationships sure do get complicated, especially when secrets are kept and this show holds nothing back. Shane sets the tone for this show when he reminds Dale that the world is no longer a place to make casual threats when he says “…if I would shoot my best friend, imagine what I would do to someone that I don’t even like…” Tailgaters beware: if civilization ever deteriorates to this point, we all better be careful with our words and actions.
Season Two of The Walking Dead forges ahead with the post-apocalyptic tale of survivors in a zombie infested world in the fifth episode, Chupacabra. This episode starts out in a flashback where they show a few of the main characters looking over the Atlanta skyline as bombs explode and gunfire is everywhere. It is clear at this point that the world has drastically changed forever. If you missed this episode follow the link below to watch it now.
In this episode, Daryl offers a Cherokee Rose to Carol as a symbol of hope and geeks of the world celebrate as Glen hooks up with the nice looking country girl Maggie after an especially awkwardly, funny scene in a small town pharmacy. The Walking Dead “walks” a fine line in balancing out the drama with some humor and action. As I am sure most zombie fans will agree, a zombie apocalypse is served best with a good amount of humor. Thank you AMC for another fun episode!
The Walking Dead: Season 2, Save the Last One gets at the heart of the matter: is it better to be dead in the post apocalyptic world? While Carl struggles for his life, Rick and Lori contemplate whether he might be better off dead. In their own way each of the characters, at least temporarily, decides that it is better to be alive than dead. This episode has some good old zombie killing action but it did seem a little dark – I mean I sometimes had difficulty seeing what was happening…maybe it was just my TV, or my eyes, or maybe it was a bad recording. Anyway, as always, it was a great show.
One is an interesting post-apocalyptic novel written by Conrad Williams and released in 2009. The cause of the disaster in One remains a mystery although its effects are devastating and kill most of the people on earth. The main character, Richard Jane, is a deep sea diver that works on oil rigs and happens to be deep under water when the incident occurs. Presumably, the mass of water above him shields him from the devastation. The story follows Richard in his search for his five year old son that was living in London at the time of the disaster. The world that Richard finds is a desolate, dreary place that has become overridden with zombie type creatures that are “stealing” female survivors for some mysterious, horrifying reason. One has an “extraterrestrial” feel to it. It leaves you wondering if the entire incident was some type of an alien attack and that the aliens are intent on reproducing and populating the earth. This was a dark tale of survival. It reminds me of a dream where you decide to fight against what is trying to “get you” even though you know you are going to die. One offers little in the way of practical tips for preparation for disaster but it does provide an interesting and entertaining perspective on the apocalypse.
This sure is a great show! I really enjoyed the first episode of season 2 of The Walking Dead having just watched it on the DVR. I won’t give out any spoilers for those of you that haven’t seen it yet but suffice to say it is well worth watching! This episode shows the group of survivors and especially Rick Grimes struggling to find some reason to have hope for the future. Actually, there really is no hope for them in their post apocalyptic world but there is something within the human spirit that keeps us going. Maybe that is the part of apocalyptic fiction that I enjoy so much? You can watch the full episode in HD through the amazon link below.
As I go over the list of fiction that I have enjoyed lately, AMC’s, The Walking Dead is definitely at the top of that list, especially with the release of season 2 coming up Sunday October 16. ( The Walking Dead: Season 2 Trailer )
I actually stumbled upon this show when AMC was doing a marathon showing its first season. Fans of the “end of the world” type of fiction will most definitely enjoy this show! The Walking Dead takes place in the present time when a pandemic kills most of the humans on earth and turns most of the survivors into zombies. It is based on a comic book series that was started in 2003 by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore. The story follows Rick Grimes, who is a small town police officer and a small group of other survivors as they try to stay alive in a world that has been overrun with zombies.
The writers/ directors do a great job of developing the characters and it is easy to relate to them and their experiences. The Walking Dead is great entertainment and I highly recommend it to those that enjoy apocalyptic fiction and would even recommend it to anyone that enjoys good drama with some edge.