NEWS: Wil Wheaton's Geek in Review: It's the End of the World As We Know it, and I Feel Fine

I've always liked post-apocalyptic science-fiction - especially the sort where mankind somehow redeems itself or survives in the end and there's hope for a better future than the one left behind.

Gives me the warm and fuzzies.

Watch The Last Man on Earth, starring Vincent Price, then watchThe Omega Man. Then have a good laugh.

As much as I enjoy the sci-fi scenarios that are sometimes wild and improbable.
I thought that this book was well worth reading.
Into the Forest, by Jean Hegland
I can't say enough about the book, so instead read the review and then check it out for yourself, if you haven't already.

Oh man. I love post-apocalyptic themed media so much. My favorite variety, though, is the kind that starts off before the apocalypse and then takes you through it to the other side and its inevitable consequences. Something which is very rarely done...The Day After is the only thing I can think of offhand.

Zombiewise, Brian Keene's "The Rising" and "City of the Dead" are wonderful. He's the only one who's actually managed to scare me with zombies (which I generally find interesting but not particularly scary, as typically they're only a threat if they surround you or catch you off guard. Fast zombies are more threatening, but still. Meh.). His version of zombies are scary, though, because they're intelligent and coordinated (at least, to an extent). See, something opened up a doorway to an extradimensional prison housing malign incorporeal spirits (strongly hinted to be demons), which can possess the dead, humans and animals both. They have both the skills and memories of the spirits and those of the hosts. And they're intent on bringing back all of their brethren. Oh, and once they hit a certain threshold, another variety will be able to come through and possess dead plants and insects. Not fun.

He also has a book called The Conqueror Worms, about a scenario where it just started raining, hard, weeks ago, and hasn't let up since. Which has all sorts of consequences, but the worst are what it brings up from below. Like giant fuck-off earthworms. (Kind of silly, but he makes it scary.)

A lot of the other stuff I like's pretty self evident (and there's a couple of threads about this in the Science Fiction group, if people care.). But one thing that flew under most people's radar, myself included, was a show called Jeremiah. Luke Perry (yeah, I know) stars. It's a post-apocalyptic tale involving a plague that wiped out everyone who'd gone through puberty, leaving a lot of scared, lost kids. Based on some European comic book (French, maybe? I forget.), but rather loosely from what I understand. I never would have paid it the slightest attention, but it was made by J. Michael Straczynski, man-god of Babylon 5 fame (as well as a variety of very neat comics and a few books). And while it's no B5, it's pretty decent. Originally aired on Showtime, went for two seasons and folded. Season 1 is out on DVD. Season 2 appears to be in limbo.

... and if you want to do real damage to your neocortex, try running all three simultaneously - you'll never be the same

I watched "Zombie Honeymoon".. it was a pretty good take on what happens when a loved one goes insane.. made me sad.

sometimes when you love some one, and they start eating the neighbors, and pets, and the mail man, complete strangers.... love just isnt enough.

wow, i'd completely forgotten about Z for Zazhariah! i think i read it when i was maybe 10 or 11 and it scared the shit out of me... i think i'm going to have to go find a copy to read again now

(but what about I Am Legend? clearly one of the best dystopian sci-fi books ever)

Another gem of an article, Wil ...

Although not your standard apocalypic science fiction fare I'm thinking of R.A.Heinlein (seeing that what would have been his 100th birthday has just passed), and 'Revolt in 2001'.

This story outlines the United States in the grips of theocratic rule, and treads uncomfortably close to what could actually be starting to happen in the here and now. No flesh-eating zombies, but you do have uber-religiosity coupled with a Madison Avenue pitchman's sense of ethics (and really, what could be scarier?).

I'd have to second the vote for Jeremiah. Yes, yes it has Luke Perry in the lead role and one of the kids from the Cosby show as the other. But it does a pretty good job of showing what the world would be like if all the adults suddenly died and kids 12 and under were left to fend for themselves.

I also remember reading Z for Zachariah when I was in grade school and it having a powerful effect on me. Also, who can forget Thundarr?

Anyway, another great article Will. You have a knack for bringing back memories from childhood for a lot of us it sounds like!

I just have this habit of enjoying things that I think are actually of poor quality. If I had to say what was wrong with Soylent Green, I'd probably sum up my argument with two words: Charlton Heston.

@Sheen

Yeah, I was also wondering about I Am Legend. The Will Smith movie will be out soon. Total suckfest? I hope not. It's an excellent story.

Well if that doesn't beat all...

Excellent article! I had noticed the revival too and so:

I recently began a nice little game of GURPS in which I have all the participants playing versions of themselves. (I stole a bit of BTRCs Timelords character creation for that, but it translates nicely into GURPS - I can even tell you how. But I digress...)
Anyway, I dropped them right into the shit - touch the little glowie and >wham< they find themselves in a world that looks strangely post-apocalyptic and has some wonderful, brain-sniffing ('They're so spicy!') zombies.
So if you ever find yourself in the Salem, MA area and want to sit in on a zombie game playing yourself, drop me a note.

+1, I think it looks good.

And can I nominate Oryx and Crake as the best 'post-apocalyptic' book? Because I'm going to.

I just thought I'd throw in a few memories from my own childhood.

Return of the Living Dead, I was pretty young when this movie came out and my older brother was into the punk scene of the early 80s. I remember clearly his Return of the Living Dead movie poster, that seemed to really showcase the Punk bands like TSOL. I remember being disappointed that the movie wasn't a bunch of rocking out zombies like the poster portrayed, but that whole age of horror was just great. Coincidentally I recently caught RotLD on the Monster channel via my parent's sat subscription, and then watched it again this evening before coming over to this blog and reading about it. As cheesy as the movie was, it'll be timeless in my mind.

I was actually barred from reading advanced novels in Jr High, even though my age books bored me senseless. I attempted to check out King books and I couldn't get them until 8th grade. Since my parents knew that I was an advanced reader, considering I'd usually blow through about 10 books a month, they let me go for the adult/horror genre. I read about the plague, Zombies, and any other Macabre yarns I could get my hands on.

Needless to say Wil, when it comes to Zombies, I share your enthusiasm. Unfortunately it seems that the undead movies have dropped off and we're seeing more gore fests like Hostle II.

I enjoy the "28" movies, except the Sandra Bullock one, but they are all too often mislabelled Zombie Movies.

You wouldn't call Omega Man a Zombie Movie would you?

Running for your life from rage filled baddie has more in common with Werewolf movies than Zombie.