How the World Ends: Pandemic kills off most of humanity, and then leaking radiation from abandoned nuclear power plants begins to finish the job.
Scenario: A story told in two parts, the protagonist is a teenager when the epidemic hits and an old man in a small community of survivors as it reaches its climax.
Coolness Factor: The author effortlessly weaves the two ends of the story together throughout the book. Plenty of action combines with moments of quiet philosophical rumination and an emotionally charged ending.
Likelihood of Scenario Coming True: 10 out of 10. I give this one a perfect score for recognizing five years before the Fukushima catastrophe that the world’s nuclear power plants represent a dire long term threat to humanity’s survival.
Thanks for the shout out on the novel. I'm glad you liked it.
ReplyDeleteSadly, on my pessimistic days, I'm afraid for the possibility of this kind of story.
My pleasure, Jim. I read your novel back at the beginning of 2008 the very same month that I read The Long Emergency, which woke me up to the reality of peak oil. The two books were kind of a one-two doomer punch and helped set me on a course from which I have not looked back.
ReplyDeleteCheers!
Bill