Yes. It's true. I'm an Apocalypse junkie.
I don't care how mediocre or absurd the story (I'm looking at you, The Day After Tomorrow), if it's got an Apocalypse theme, I'll read or watch it. Before we go any further, let's talk about terms. When I use the word apocalypse, I'm generally referring to the following definition: any universal or widespread destruction or disaster. I'll also accept a disaster that isn't so universal or widespread as an apocalyptic event if it's destructive enough, like a massive earthquake or volcanic eruption.Acknowledging this is one thing, figuring out why is something I'm still trying to do. The best I can come up with is that it started with two books, The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (I consider the trilogy a single "book") and Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank. I read both of those at around the same time in 7th grade (or the summer before). I consider LoTR to be a story about preventing an apocalypse. For those who aren't familiar with Alas, Babylon, it was published in 1959 and is about the aftermath of a nuclear war on a small town in Florida. Both of those works had a huge impact on me and set me on the path of my addiction.
I don't necessarily seek out apocalypse stories, mind you, but somehow I find them nonetheless. I stuck with Allen Drury's Advise and Consent series at first because the books were interesting on their own (say what you will about the politics within), but in the end because it was obvious that he was working towards an ultimate apocalyptic conclusion. I loved the final two books, each an alternate conclusion to the series -- one, The Promise of Joy is about averting the apocalypse and the other, Come Nineveh, Come Tyre where the apocalypse happens.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer could have been written just for me. Not because of the supernatural aspects (I'm not much into vampires), but because the stakes were so high -- "The world is doomed." "Again??" (Hey, no one said the apocalypse had to be humor-less). Jeremiah and Jericho are both in my dvd collection. The original The Day the Earth Stood Still can still give me chills. Then there's Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle and The Postman by David Brin -- the book, not the movie (hmmm, guess I have standards after all).
Man against nature, man against man, morality tales and survival stories. They're all fair game, so long as the stakes are enormous.
Come to think of it, this is probably one of the reasons why science fiction and epic fantasy appeal to me and why I love space opera -- the Honor Harrington series by David Weber is one of my all time favorites. The backdrop is grand and the passions are personal. Maybe that's the key. I love stories about people striving against great odds and what greater odds can there be than those created by an apocalypse?
What about you? Any guilty (or not-so-guilty) reading addictions that you'd like to share?
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2 comments:
Me too. True confession. I think it's the whole - putting aside our differences and figuring out a way to survive - that draws me to Apocalypse stories. I love Dennis Quaid, so even though The Day After Tomorrow was pretty hokey, I liked it. Same with Deep Impact, Armageddon, Independence Day...none of these were great movies, by any means. But I'll still watch them over again when they're replayed on cable. We recently watched The Happening. Same kind of thing, even though that one was REALLY hokey in my opinion But for some reason I'm fascinated by these type of stories.
The paranormal series I'm writing is like this, in a way. Destruction of an entire world if the bad guys win. I think that's the real draw for me - not so much the paranormal element (though that's fun too).
Okay, now you've got me thinking about Apocalyptic movies. There goes my night...
Elisabeth -- yeah, I sit through The Day After Tomorrow for Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal and the Apocalypse (pretty much in that order). :-)
D'oh! How could I forget Deep Impact, Armageddon and Independence Day?? Especially ID -- I can't tell you how many times I've watched Will Smith save the world (what? there are other actors in that movie?). :-)
Your paranormal series sounds intriguing. I can't wait to read it! Heck, I can't wait to get my hands on Stolen Fury!
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