Post Apocalyptic Theme
A list of things with the theme of a post-apocalyptic or dystopian nature.
Covid-19 Lockdown 2020: Living in at least one version of an apocalyptic world these days. As noted back in 2014, there have been so many post-apocalyptic themed books, movies, shows in the last 10+ years I've lost track of many of the recent ones, but with time on my hands I'll try to update the list.
22/10/2014: A new publication (2013 or 2014; name escapes me at the moment) aims to list all PA films. A look for 'post-apocalyptic' on Amazon books brings back endless titles (strangely a few seem to need to add 'post-apocalyptic...' to a subtitle, this suggests to me that they were written purely to cash in on a trendy theme). When I started this page PA was not a common theme in the public arena but in the last few year it has come back in a massive way. EG: I now am a member of a PA book-club that meets in a pub at Kings X once a month. The club has been going a couple of years now but I think the resurgence in popularity of the theme would have allowed this club to form and be successful. Not much point in me continuing this page since it is so full of holes but I'll keep at it for the moment.
Literature
(1826) SHELLEY, Mary. "The Last Man"
(1885) JEFFERIES, Richard. "After London"
(1893) LE QUEX, Henry. "The Poisoned Bullet"
(1893) GRIFFITH, George Chetwynd. "The Angel Of The Revolution"
(1989) WELLS. H. G. "The War of the Worlds"*
(1901) SHIEL, M.P. "The Purple Cloud"*
(1907) LONDON, Jack. "The Iron Heel"
(1907) BRAMAH, Ernest. "The Secret of the League"
(1909) FOSTER, E.M. "The Machine Stops"*
(1910) WELLS, H G Wells. "The Sleeper Awakes"*
(1912) LONDON, Jack. "The Scarlet Plague"
(1915) PERKINS GILMAN, Charlotte. "Herland"
(1915) KAFKA, Franz. "The Trial"
(1920) ZAMYATIN, Yevgney. "We"
(1927) FOWLER-WRIGHT, Sydney. "Deluge"*
(1932) HUXLEY, Aldous. "Brave New World"*
(1936) CAPEK, Karel. "War with Newts"*
(1939) HAMILTON, Patrick Hamilton. "Impromptu in Moribundia"
(1945) ORWELL, George. "Animal Farm"
(1948) JACKSON, Shirley. "The Lottery"*
(1949) STEWART, George Rippey. "Earth Abides"*
(1949) ORWELL, George. "Nineteen Eighty Four"*
(1951) WYNDHAM, John. "The Day of the Triffids"*
(1952) NORTON, Andre. "Daybreak 2250AD: Star Man's Son"
(1953) BRADBURY, Ray. "Fahrenheit 451"
(1954) MATHESON, Richard. "I Am Legend"*
(1954) GOLDING, William. "The Lord of the Flies"
(1955) WYNDHAM, John. "The Chrysalids"*
(1956) CHRISTOPHER,John. "The Death of Grass"*
- Comment: BBC Audio play 2009.
(1957) SHUTE, Nevile. "On the Beach"*
(1959) FRANK, Pat. "Alas, Babylon"*
(1959) ROSHWALD, Mordecai. "Level 7"
(1960) MILLER, Walter, M. Jr. "A Candle for Leibowitz"
(1962) BALLARD, J.G. "The Drowned World"*
(1962) DICK, Phillip K. "The Man in the High Castle"*
(1962) BURGESS, Anthony. "A Clockwork Orange"*
(1962) HUXLEY, Aldous. "Island"
(1963) ANDERSON, Poul. "After Doomsday"*
(1963) BOULLE, Pierre. "Planet of the Apes"*
(1963) VONNEGUT, Kurt. "Cat's Cradle"*
(1963) HAUSHOFER, Marlen. "The Wall"
(1964) ALDISS, Brian. "Greybeard".
(1965) BALLARD, J.G. "The Drought"*
(1965) CHRISTOPHER, John. "A Wrinkle in the Skin"
(1966) HARRISON, Harry. "Make Room. Make Room"*
(1967) NOLAN, William, F. and JOHNSON, George C. "Logan's Run"*
(1968) DICK, Phillip K. "Do androids dream of electric sheep"*
(196?) BRADBURY, Ray. "The City" (The Visitor)? [Can't find reference to this]
(1969) ELLISON, Harlan. "A boy and his dog"
(1969) CARTER, Angela. "Heroes and villains"*
(1970) DICKINSON, Peter. "The Devil's Children"
(1970) LEVIN, Ira. "This Perfect Day"*
(1972) PRIEST, Christopher. "Fugue for a Darkening Island"*
(1972) DU MAURIER, Daphne. "Rule Britannia"
(1974) O'BRIEN, Robert. "Z for Zachariah"
(1974) CARRINGTON, Leonora. "The Hearing Trumpet"*
(1974) LESSING, Doris. "The Memoirs of a Survivor"
(1977) NIVEN, Larry & POURNELLE, Jerry. "Lucifer's Hammer"
(1978) VIDAL, Gore. "Kalki"*
(1978) HACKETT, Major General Sir John. "The Third World War in 1985"
(1978) KING, Stephen. "The Stand"*
(1980) HOBAN, Russell. "Ridley Walker"*
(1981) ING, Dean. "Systemic Shock"
(1982) BACHMAN, Richard. "The Running Man"
(1982) HERBERT, Frank. "White Plague"
(1984) HERBERT, James. "Domain"*
(1984) GIBSON, William. "Neuromancer"*
(1984) SWINDELLS, Robert. "Brother in the land"*
(1985) ATWOOD, Margaret. "The Handmaid's Tale"* (+sequel)
(1985) BEAR, Greg. "Blood Music"
(1985) VONNEGUT, Kurt. "Galapagos"
(1985) SWANWICK, Michael. "In the Drift"
(1985) BRIN, David. "The Postman"*
(1986) BRIGGS, Raymond. "When the Wind Blows"
- Comment: Graphic novel.
(1988) BRINKLEY, William. "The Last Ship"
(1988) MOORE, Alan."V for Vendetta"
- Comment: Graphic novel
(1989) BUTLER, Octavia E. "Lilith's Brood"*
(1990) PRATCHETT, Terry and GAIMAN, Neil. "Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch"
(1990) WREN, M.K. "A Gift Upon the Shore"*
(1992) JAMES, P.D. "Children of Men"
(1994) OGAWA, Yoko. "The Memory Police"
(1995) SARAMAGO, Jose. "Blindness"*
(1996) MOODY, David. "Straight to you"
(1998) MARSHALL SMITH, Michael. "Spares"*
(1999) WILLIAMS, Walter J. "The Rift"
(2000) TOLSTAYA, Tatyana. "The Slynx"*
(2001) MOODY, David. "Autumn" (+ sequels, 2003/2004/2005/2001/2012)
(2002) CLARK, Simon. "The Night of the Triffids"*
(2002) DOYLE, Richard. "Flood"*
(2002 LAWRENCE, Louise. "Children of the Dust"*
(2003) DU PRAU, Jeanne. "The City of Ember"
(2003) ATWOOD, Margaret. "Oryx and Crake"* (+sequels)*
(2004) MITCHELL, David. "Cloud Atlas"
(2005) THOMPSON, Rupert. "Divided Kingdom"
(2005) HOUELLEBEQ, Michel. "The Possibility of an Island"*
- Comment: Awful! I struggled to finish this.
(2005) ROBERTS, Adam. "The Snow"
- Comment: Not a good year for post-apoc. lit. This one is just OK until it turns to shit at the end
(2006) McMARTHY, Cormac. "The Road"*
(2006) HAWKS, John Twelve. "The Traveller" (+sequels)
(2006) MOODY, Daivd. "Hater" (+sequels 2010/2011)
(2006) BROOKS, Max. "World War Z"*
(2007) HALL, Sarah. "The Carhullan Army (Daughters of the North)"
(2007) SELF, Will. "The Book of Dave"
(2008) HARKAWAY, Nick. "The Gone Away World"*
(2001) HALL, Susan. "The Carhullan Army"
(2008) COLLINS, Suzanne. "The Hunger Games" (trilogy)
(2008) BAXTER, Stephen. "Flood"*
(2008) CARLSON, Jeff. "Plague Year"
(2008) GLAVINIC, Thomas. "Night Work"*
(2008) LOWRY, Lois. "The Giver"*
(2009) BECKETT, Bernard. "Genesis"
(2009) FORSTCHEN, William R. "One Second After"
(2009) GLASS, Matthew. "Ultimatum"*
(2009) BACIGALUPI, Paolo. "The Wind-up Girl"*
(2009) HIGSON, Charlie. "The Enemy"
(2010) BELL, Alden. "Reapers are the Angels"
(2010) ISHIGURO, Kazuo. "Never Let Me Go"
(2010) CRONIN, Justin. "The Passage"
(2010) CRONIN, Justin. "The Passage"
(2011) WILSON, Daniel H. "Robopocalypse"*
(2011) ROGERS, Jane. "The Testament of Jessie Lamb"
(2011) WOOD, Naomi. "The Godless Boys"
(2011) DUNTHORNE, Joe. "Wild Abandon"
(2011) TREVILLIAN, John. "A-Men" (+sequels)
(2011) FFORD, Jasper. "Shades of Grey"
(2011) COLLINS, Suzanne. "The Hunger Games" (+sequels 'Catching Fire' and 'Mockingjay')
(2011) NORTH, Anna. "America Pacifica: a novel"
(2012) SCARROW, Alex. "Timeriders City of Shadows"
(2012) THOMSPON WALKER, Karen. "The Age Of Miracles"
(2012) THOMSON, Rupert. "Divided Kingdom"
(2012-2014) HOWEY, Hugh. "Wool" / "Shift" / "Sand" (trilogy)
(2013) SMYTHE, James. "The Testimony"*
(2013) SIMMONS, Waynne. "Plastic Jesus"
(2013) TURKOT, Joseph. "The Rain"
(2013) BROOKS, Max. "World War Z"
(2013) HELLER, Peter. "The Dog Stars"*
(2013) MACLEOD, Ken. "Intrusion"*
(2013) THOMPSON WALKER, Karen. "The Age of Miracles"
(2013) GARDNER, Sally. "Maggot Moon"
(2014) ST JOHN MANDEL, Emily. "Station Eleven"*
(2014) CAREY, M.R. "The Girl With All the Gifts"*
(2014) OKORAFOR, Nnedi. "Who Fears Death"*
(2014) DARTNEWLL, Lewis. "The Knowledge - How to rebuild the world from scratch"
(2014) LEE, Chang-rae "On Such a Full Sea"
(2014) PERCY, Benjamin. "Red Moon"
(2014) HIGSON, Charlie. "The Enemy" (+sequels)
(2014) BACIGALUPI, Paolo. "The Wind Up Girl"*
(2014) KINGSNORTH, Paul. "The Wake"*
- Comment: I liked it at first but by the end I didn't.
(2014) ADAIR, Bobby. "The Last Survivors: A Dystopian Society in a Post Apocalyptic World"
(2014) SMITH, Andrew. "Grasshopper Jungle"
(2014) HUNT, James. "Broken Lines: A Tale Of Survival in a Powerless World"
(2014) HAYDEN, Roger and Erika Hughes. "The Decay: A Post-Apocalyptic Tale of Survival"
(2014) HUTCHINSON, Dave. "Europe In Autumn" (+sequels "Europe at Midnight", "Europe in Winter" and "Europe at Dawn")
(2014) THORN, J and L.T. Ryan "This is the End: The Post-Apocalyptic Box Set"
(2014) MALERMAN, Josh. "Bird Box"*
(2014) PAULL, Laline. "The Bees"*
(2014) MARANI, Diego. "God's Dog"
(2014) WHITELEY, Aliya. "The Beauty"*
- Comment: One of the most surreal books I've read.
(2015) SMAILL, Anna. "The Chimes"
(2015) BYRNE, Monica. "The Girl in the Road"
(2015) FULLER, Claire. "Our Endless Numbered Days"
(2015) NORTH, Claire. "The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August"*
(2015) JEMISIN, N.K. "The Fifth Season (Broken Earth)"
(2015) ITARANTA, Emmi. "Memory of Water"
(2016) STEPHENSON, Neal "Seveneves"*
(2016) ANDERS, Charlie Jane. "All The Birds in the Sky"
(2016) HERRERA, Yuri. "The Transmigration Of Bodies"
(2016) SMYTHE, James. "Way Down Dark" (+sequels)
(2016) NESS, Patrick. "The Rest of Us Just Live Here"
(2016) SHAW, Ali. "The Trees"
(2016) FAGAN, Jenni. "The Sunlight Pilgrims"
(2017) SANDISON, George. (ed.) "2084 Anthology"*
(2017) TEA, Michelle. "Black Wave"
(2017) HILL, Joe. "The Fireman"*
- Comment: OK but reads like it was written to make a tv series out of it.
(2017) TODD, G.X. "Defender" (+sequels 'Hunted' and 'Survivors')
(2017) HUNTER, Megan. "The End We Start From"
(2017) SOLOMON, Rivers. "An Unkindness of Ghosts"
(2018) NEWITZ, Annalee. "Autonomous"
(2018) LEY, Rebecca. "Sweet Fruit, Sour Land"
(2018) THOMPSON, Tade "Rosewater"
(2018) INDIANA, Rita. "Tentacle"
(2018) EL AKKAD, Omar. "American War"
(2018) SANDISON, George (ed.) "2084 Anthology"
(2018) MILL, Anna. "Square Eyes"
- Comment: Graphic novel.
(2019) DALCHER, Christina. "Vox"
(2019) LANCHESTER, John. "The Wall"
(2019) HALL, Bryan. "An Ethical Guidebook to the Zombie Apocalypse"
(2019) JARRETT, Vicki. "Always North"
(2019) AL-KHALILI, Jim. "Sunfall"
(2019) REES, Clare "Jelly"
(2019) BUTLER, Octavia. "Parable of the Sower"
(2019) GOMILLION, Agnes. "The Record Keeper"
(2020) CAREY, M.R. "The Book of Koli: The Rampart Trilogy"'
(2020) BAZTERRICA, Agustina María. "Tender is the Flesh"
Television
(1974) Where have all the people gone
(197?) Andrea?
- Comment: TV show from the 1970s. I read the book but I don't know if the book came before the tv series. Set underground. I remember Andrea wearing a cap to cover her hair as she had grown it long and that was not allowed.
(1981) The Day of the Triffids
(2004-2009) Battlestar Galactica (remake)
(2012) Hell (German movie)
(2012) The Hunger Games (+sequels)
(2012) Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
(2015) You, Me and the Apocalypse
[German-Danish series that foresaw Covid-19 (2019) Sløborn]
Film
(1962) The Day of the Triffids
(1964) Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
(1968) Night of the Living Dead
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074486/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0 (1977) Eraserhead. Comment: In all the times I watched this it never seemed post-apoc. to me but I've added it to the list as others have interpreted it as such.
(1986) Letters from a Dead Man
- Comment: Don't go there.
(2011) "100 Mornings". Irish movie seen at Sci-Fi film festival.
(2011?) Geber Syndrome
(2012) The Hunger Games (+ follow-ups)
(2015) The Quiet Hour
(2016) The Girl with all the Gifts
(2018 and 2021) A Quite Place (I and II)
Other
Post-Apocalyptic Book Club in London (joined 2013 after attending the "Can Humans Go Extinct?" event at the Natural History Museum): http://www.meetup.com/post-apocalypticbookclub/
AbeBooks on the literature - accessed 16/4/09
Accommodation in preparation for the post-apocalyptic world
(2007) Doomsday vault design unveiled
(2011) "Class Control and Clones": The British Library, August 2011. "Science Fiction and Social Science both explore dangerous and difficult ideas about the social world around us, about relationships, and about our reactions to change. One creates imaginative worlds, the other uses observation and evidence. What do ‘social science fiction’ works such as Brave New World and The Handmaid’s Tale say about our preoccupations with gender relations, fertility and class? Is it simply a question of science, sex and stereotypes, or do more fundamental ethical, sociological and political issues underpin the fictional worlds created?"
(2011) "JG Ballard: Further Reflections": The British Library, September 2011. "Famous for his provocative, dystopian visions, J G Ballard was a writer so spectacularly imaginative and distinctive that his name has become an adjective in its own right. His fiction, often shocking, predicted the rise of terrorism against tourists, the alienation of a society obsessed by new technology and ecological disasters such as the melting of the ice caps. It ranges from science fiction and psychological fables (such as Crash) that uncover the weirdness of normality, to the iconic autobiographical work Empire of the Sun. His archive was acquired by the British Library in 2010."
(2011) "Countdown to Zero": BFI, London, August 2011. "The director of Blindsight returns with another powerful documentary, this time a profoundly unsettling polemic regarding the likelihood of a nuclear catastrophe, given the huge number of nuclear weapons in the world and the possible consequences of (to quote John F Kennedy) madness, accident or miscalculation. An impressive array of commentators - including Tony Blair, Jimmy Carter, Mikhail Gorbachev and Robert McNamara, not to mention a host of scientists - testifies to the seriousness of the situation. See it and worry."
(2011) "Sara Pascoe vs The Apocalypse": Leicester Square Theatre, London, November 2011. "The Armageddon is imminent and Sara plans to survive. How will she breed? Create Pornography? Kill zombies? An arresting stand-up show about the end of the world as we know it."
(2011) "Project 2012 - Ground Floor Left": Tudor Grove, London, October 2011. "Project 2012 is a series of itinerant exhibitions taking place between October 2011 and December 2012 about the artistic interpretation of theories surrounding the end of the world."
(2011) "Future World": The Dana Centre, London, June 2011. "Science fiction has become the canvas onto which a panoply of visions of the future is painted. Whereas the prophets of old gave their oracles, we now use science fiction to imagine the shape of things to come. But science fiction has its dark side too. For every technological utopia envisioned by SF writers, there are dystopias and scenarios of apocalyptic self-destruction being painted. This event asks, what is our future? Is the human race doomed - destined to be destroyed by climate change or nuclear war or a wayward asteroid? Or will we ‘ascend’ into a technologically enhanced nirvana?"
(2011) "End of the World: Facts and Fiction": The Dana Centre, London, October 2011. "Join leading authors of fiction and popular science to explore the end of the world. In Ragnarok: The End of the Gods, Booker prize-winning author Dame A S Byatt retells the fiery myth of the destruction of the Norse gods, who could not save themselves or their world. In works such as Coral, eminent biologist, geneticist and science broadcaster Professor Steve Jones describes the fragility of the natural world. If we’ve entered an age where the fate of the Earth is shaped by humans, can telling these stories help us to avoid the fate of the Norse gods? Or is there nothing we can do?"
(2011) "Apocalypse": Tate Britain, London: John Martin - "Visionary, eccentric, populist and epic, John Martin was a controversial but key figure in nineteenth century art. Like his canvases, this wildly dramatic artist with his visions of heaven and hell, was larger than life. Organised in partnership with the Laing gallery, Newcastle, this is the first major exhibition dedicated to Martin's work in over 30 years. It brings together his most famous paintings of apocalyptic destruction and biblical disaster from collections around the world, as well as previously unseen and newly-restored works. Hugely popular in his time, Martin was derided by the Victorian Art establishment as a 'people's painter', for although he excited mass audiences with his astounding scenes of judgement and damnation, to critics it was distasteful. In a sense ahead of this time, his paintings - full of rugged landscapes and grandiose theatrical spectacle - have an enduring influence on today's cinematic and digital fantasy landscapes. This exhibition presents a spectacular vision, capturing the full drama and impact of John Martin's paintings as they were originally displayed. Just as in the nineteenth century, these epic and often astounding works must be seen to be believed."
(2012) "The Event": The Albany, Great Portland St, London, February 2012. "This will take place in two parts. There will be experts there to answer all your survival questions, quizzes, comedy and an open mic session to share your all your apocalyptic opinions. The first event will host a zombie survival panel, with speakers from the Guardian and WIRED UK, among others. There will be a geologist talking about supervolanoes, a former editor of paranormal/belief magazines talking about "warning" letters she's received from readers, award-winning author Naomi Alderman on the cultural meaning of zombies and physicist Alby Reid talking about nuclear fall-out.
(2012) "13": a play by Mike Bartlett, performed at the National Theatre, London, January 2012.* Across London, people wake up from an identical, terrifying dream. At the same moment, a young man named John returns home after years away to find economic gloom, ineffective protest, and a Prime Minister about to declare war. But John has a vision for the future and a way to make it happen. Coincidences, omens and visions collide with political reality in this epic new play from the writer of Earthquakes in London. Set in a dark and magical landscape, it depicts a London both familiar and strange, a London staring into the void. In a year which has seen governments fall as the people take to the streets, 13 explores the meaning of personal responsibility, the hold that the past has over the future and the nature of belief itself.
(2012) 'Hell broke luce' by Tom Waits
(2012) "The Apocalypse Gameshow": MS Stubnitz, Woolwich Manor Way, London, October 2012.""Join your host, Dex Sinister, and the delightfully dishevelled Apocalettes as they guide you through a simulated obstacle course of possible apocalypses, in a show teetering between all-out bad taste and genuine concern. Descend to our paranoia psych-gym in the bowels of the ship for your doomsday induction and profiling. Viable contestants get the chance to spin our wheel-of-misfortune and practice for their impending doom in one of our lovingly crafted end-of-the-world scenarios crammed with practical challenges, spurious moral conundrums, rampant future fear and eschatological slapstick. With a combination of luck and wits you may win the chance to be a protagonist, not merely an extra in this endgame of the world, as we know it"
(2012) "Zombie Science - Worst Case Scenario": comdey at the Etcetera Theatre, London, October 2012. "Worst Case Scenario; the world’s first fully certified interactive tutorial in dealing with a real Zombie outbreak – can you survive Zombie Science is back – with a spoof tutorial on the real science behind a disease outbreak. Join Theoretical Zombiologist Doctor Austin as he puts you at the heart of a hypothetical Zombieism outbreak, and teaches you what to do should a Zombie outbreak occur. Featuring a multi-media presentation and interactive demonstrations. Supported by the Wellcome Trust and University of Glasgow."
(2012) "Survival Masterclass with Vinay Gupta": PABC & SCI-FI LONDON, Stratford Picturehouse, London, November 2012. "If some cataclysmic event happened right now, would you know what to do? Can you make sure that you and your loved ones survive for at least one month after the apocalypse? Brought to you by SCI-FI-LONDON and the Post-Apocalyptic Book Club, come take Vinay's Survival Master Class to make sure you have the upper hand when the 3 minute alarm goes off. You will never look at your weekly food shop the same again!"
(2012) "End Of The World show": Brian Cox and Robin Ince, Hammersmith Apollo, London, December 2012. "A summary of all human achievement before tonight's apocalypse. Brian Cox and Robin Ince, hosts of Radio 4's Sony Gold winning Infinite Monkey Cage, gather together some of the finest minds in comedy, science and music for a spectacular end of the world show - a once in a lifetime show that fortunately comes at the end of all our lifetimes (warning - Mayan prophecy may prove false and you may still find yourself existing the next day)."
(2012) "You Are Going To Die": Lecture at the Royal Institute, London. "So you think you understand the fallibilities of the human mind? You're not out of the woods yet. The universe is a dangerous place. Whoever said: ‘you have nothing to fear but fear itself', obviously hadn't taken deadly pandemics, super-volcanoes, gamma ray bursts, and of course the vacuum metastability event into account. If you've been worrying about your five-a-day intake recently, you don't know what worrying is. Not even the awesome power of a hi-viz-jacket can save you from most of the cataclysmic events that lie in wait . We run down some of the most popular ways the world will end. If someone tells you to ‘cheer up it might never happen' should come to this".
(2013) "Top Story": an apocalyptic comedy by Sebastian Michael, performed at The Old Vic Tunnels, London, January 2013. "A meteor the size of LA is about to hit LA, ironically, and in London a couple of friends spend their last seven days watching the news, reinventing chess and rewriting the rules of some of the other games in their universe: generally getting things into perspective, at once paralysed and inspired by the 'overallness of it all'. In his darkly hilarious and poignant new comedy, Sebastian Michael imagines The End of the World not as a disaster movie, but as experienced by two young men from the comfort of their living room sofa. Getting ready, as best they can, to die together, the enormity of what's about to happen completely overwhelms them, but it also brings out in them a whole burst of creative energy, and so as the story to top all stories unfolds, they inadvertently become its co-authors, while in a dimension far beyond their imagination, their soul-mates-in-spirit are having something of an unexpected ball.
(2013) "Can Humans Go Extinct?"*: The Natural History Museum, London, January, 2013. "The end of the human species has been discussed in science and popular culture through a great number of scenarios: population decline, evolution, environmental collapse and rapid advances in technology, to name a few. But are we really at risk? Join this highly topical debate at the first in our evening discussion events to mark the Extinction exhibition."
(2013) "The Future is Scary": hosted by Dissenting Voices, Broadway House, London, August 2013. "We have an ingenious future planner, an award winning science fiction novelist, a pioneering literary app developer and two hilarious comedy polemicists coming to Voice on the 20th August to discuss the future of England, Britain, the world, the book... Is The Future Scary? Are we moving towards a utopian paradise or a dystopian nightmare? If the former, how can we help create it? If the latter, what must we do to avoid it?"
(2013) "The Science of Zombies": Science Museum, London, January 2013. "Zombies: the word alone is enough to get the pulse racing, but what makes them so terrifying? On a dark winter’s night at the Science Museum, we’ll explore the murky but fascinating world of consciousness and uncover the inner workings of the zombie psyche. From mind-altering drugs to the innate impulses we all feel, prepare to walk the line between human and zombie in surprising and theatrical ways. Bring your brain – and guard it carefully."
(2013) "Apocalypse Now... Or Never?": Natural History Museum, London, March 2013. "From asteroid impacts and global pandemics to runaway black holes and alien invasions, it seems that we're not short of ideas when it comes to how the world will end. So what is the big fascination with Armageddon and why are we drawn to stories of our own demise? Why do we worry about super volcano eruptions and mega tsunamis while overpopulation and climate change are having an impact on our planet but in a less dramatic fashion?"
(2013) "London Destroyed - Walking Tour"*: Westminster Tube Station, London, November 2013. "Rob Smith from Footprints of London is hosting a very special PABC only walking tour called London Destroyed on Thursday 14th November. For two hours we will wander the streets of London, looking at locations that have been featured in dystopian and post-apocalyptic literature. There will also be some readings to allow you to contrast the physical surroundings with the imagined world. The walk will look at works by HG Wells, JG Ballard, Mary Shelley, George Orwell, John Wyndham and many more."
(2013) "Who'll Stop The Apocalypse?": The Dana Centre, London, July 2013. "From rising sea levels to food riots, human civilisation faces major challenges. What are the biggest threats to humanity as we know it? And who are the scientists we can turn to when a crisis hits? During an entertaining evening at the Dana Centre, you'll meet experts who are working on ways to tackle the biggest problems facing our society and environment. To keep the experts on their toes we've added an element of competition. Throughout the evening you will judge their powers of persuasion. At the end of the night we'll tally your votes and find out who'll stop the apocalypse!"
(2014) "When Prophecy Fails... Again": Conway Hall Lecture, London, January 2014. "Dr David V Barrett takes a look at prophecies of the end of the world – from Jesus’ expected return to the coming Maitreya to Nostradamus to flying saucers – and at how prophets cover their embarrassment when nothing happens... again."
(2014) "Terra Firma": play reading at the Etcetera Theatre, London, February 2014 - "Someone once said that it is easier to imagine the end of the world than to imagine the end of capitalism. We can now revise that and witness the attempt to imagine capitalism by way of imagining the end of the world." (Jameson, 2003)
(2014) "Walking Charlie Higson's The Enemy": Holloway Road Tube Station, October 2014. "This walk, part of the Literary Footprints Festival follows the journey taken by the Waitrose kids in Charlie Higson's devastating book "The Enemy". Set in a future London where all adults have been infected with a disease which effectively turns them into flesh eating zombies. The children of Holloway have a grim existence, holed up in Waitrose on Holloway Road, until one day a visitor tempts them with a vision of a new life in Buckingham Palace. The walk follows the route they take with readings from the story at the places mentioned in the book. The walk finishes outside Buckingham Palace, and there will be a stop for refreshments on route, hopefully not involving attacks by plague infected apes."
(2014) "The Night of The Triffids": A Kitschies Event, 7 Dials Club, London, May 2014. An evening of cosy catastrophes and apocalyptic humour.
(2014) "The End of The World is Nerd!: 333 Old St, London. Nerd Nite London is a bi-monthly event where three speakers give 18-21-minute fun-yet-informative talks across all disciplines – while the audience drinks along. Nerd #1: Nathaniel Storey, How We Are All Going To Die. Nerd #2: Dr Lewis Dartnell: The Knowledge: How to Rebuild our World from Scratch.
(2014) "Simon Sellars: A Secret History of Ballardian Cinema": BL-NK, London, May 2014. "The work of visionary sci-fi author J.G. Ballard (1930-2009) came to define the deranged imagination of the 20th century, influencing art, design, architecture and cinema. Join Simon Sellars (publisher of ballardian.com, and co-editor of Extreme Metaphors: Interviews with J.G. Ballard) for a multimedia excursion through the alternate history of Ballard’s impact on film. Find out how Ballard predicted the death of cinema, and his early work, with the rise of CCTV. Enter the occult terminal zone of British Public Service Announcements, one of the many forks in the Ballardian multiverse. And immerse yourself in the bizarre world of 'vapourware' adaptations, where names such as Richard Gere and Samuel L. Jackson grapple with Ballard... and lose. Lecture followed by a Q&A with Rory Hyde, V&A curator of contemporary architecture and urbanism."
(2015) HEYER, Taj. "North Country": play performed at the Arcola Theatre, London, January 2015. Set in Bradford.
(2015) "The Decline of The Honey Bee & The End of Human Kind?": lecture at Conway Hall, London, May 2015. “If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then Man would only have four years of life left” – Einstein. No more bees, no more pollination….no more human-kind! Some think that Einstein’s quote is apocryphal; whatever it’s origins it is a stark reminder of just how dependent we are on honey bees for the pollination of so much of what we eat and drink. Something like a third of all we consume is reliant on honey bee pollination. Man and bee have lived together in harmony and symbiotic support for millenia. But recent years have seen dramatic declines in honey bee populations around the world. Luke Dixon will discuss man’s responsibilities in the husbandry of bees and the harvesting of honey."
(2015) "Visions of Future Humans: science fiction and human enhancement": London School of Economics, February, 2015. "Utopian and dystopian visions of technologically manipulated and enhanced human beings have always been central characteristics of science fiction film and literature. Sometimes celebrated, sometimes feared, these depictions have articulated anxieties of the day and tackled philosophical, ethical and social questions about possible futures. Can we look to science fiction as a guide to navigating the challenges posed by human enhancement technologies? How has this literary and cinematic genre prefigured and imagined some of the questions we may have to face?"
(2015) "Stokey Lit Fest - Utopias and Dystopias": Abney Public Hall, London, June 2015. "If recent trends are anything to go by, the current crop of sci-fi authors and filmmakers are a gang of morbid, glass-half-empty nihilists. As dystopian visions clutter our book and DVD shelves – from The Terminator to The Hunger Games – no one seems willing to look on the bright side and embrace a positive, utopian future. Four of London’s leading genre experts – novelists Lavie Tidhar (Osama) and Paul McAuley (Fairyland), and academics John Clute (The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction) and Farah Mendlesohn (The Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction) – explore the history of SF’s possible futures, debate the influence and importance of speculative fiction, and ask which way to real world is heading: into utopian heaven or dystopian hell?"
(2016) "LSE Literary Festival - Utopia: Getting Somewhere Or Going Nowhere": London School of Economics, February 2016. "Our panel of authors and experts discuss the history of the utopian genre in literature and its present state."
(2016) "LSE Literary Festival - When Utopias go Wrong: writing dystopian fiction": London School of Economics, February 2016. "Ever wanted to write dystopian fiction? Interested in what makes The Handmaid’s Taleso chillingly prescient, The Hunger Games so gripping, and The Road so devastating? This workshop will discuss why authors and readers keep returning to dystopian stories, and will push you to consider how you can make your own dystopian fiction striking and new. What is it that makes an effective dystopia, and how can you use these ideas to make your own writing more effective? Come prepared to write, as this interactive workshop will have you interrogating your ideas, and trying out new ones."
(2016) "Looking Backward/Looking Forward: Utopian Literature": Senate House Library, London, October 2016. "Matthew Beaumont, Professor of English at University College London, will sketch the history of utopian and dystopian fiction, especially since its boom time in the late nineteenth century, exploring its literary and political significance and examining its ideological afterlives in our own times."
(2017) "The Machine Stops": Pilot Theatre Production, Jackson Lane Theatre, London, March 2017.
(2017) "An A-Z of the End of the World": Essex Book Festival, Anglia Ruskin University, March 2017.
(2017) "Apocalypse How": Royal Institute, London, June 2017. ""In billions of years, the sun will expand to engulf the Earth and life on this planet will become impossible. But there are plenty of ways it could end much sooner! Just in time for Asteroid Day on 30 June, join Lewis Dartnell and a panel of experts for a discussion on how to cancel the apocalypse."
(2019) "Women Writing Dystopia": Waterstone, London, March 2019. "Waterstones Covent Garden invites you to a fascinating and inspiring discussion about women writing dystopia with three extraordinary writers. Join Hanna Jameson, Megan Hunter and Sophie Mackintosh as they explore the way women writer's have subverted and creatively commanded this genre past, present and future."
(2020) "Bedtime Stories for the End of the World": The Bookclub, Leonard St, London, 5 March 2020 (just in time for Lockdown). "The Bedtime Stories for the End of the World podcast is hosting a one-off event at The Book Club to showcase some of the poets from across the first two series. Poets Rachel Long, Miriam Nash and Amina Jama, will join podcast host Eleanor Penny to read poems commissioned for the series and discuss the value of stories in our apocalyptic age."
(2020) I feel fine: fans of world-ending films 'coping better with pandemic'. The study the article is based on Abstract: Conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study (n = 310) tested whether past and current engagement with thematically relevant media fictions, including horror and pandemic films, was associated with greater preparedness for and psychological resilience toward the pandemic. Since morbid curiosity has previously been associated with horror media use during the COVID-19 pandemic, we also tested whether trait morbid curiosity was associated with pandemic preparedness and psychological resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. We found that fans of horror films exhibited greater resilience during the pandemic and that fans of “prepper” genres (alien-invasion, apocalyptic, and zombie films) exhibited both greater resilience and preparedness. We also found that trait morbid curiosity was associated with positive resilience and interest in pandemic films during the pandemic. Taken together, these results are consistent with the hypothesis that exposure to frightening fictions allow audiences to practice effective coping strategies that can be beneficial in real-world situations.
