The End of Days
One of the scenarios facing mankind is the end of days. It’s a very popular topic, with disaster movies like “2012”, zombie outbreak shows like “The Walking Dead”, and futuristic films like “Dredd” and “Priest.” The planet has limited natural resources, and many of us are fascinated about how mankind will change as we head down the path of sucking our planet dry.
When I look at this scenario, I see it as a macro view of an emergency drill. Take people trapped in a burning building, a damaged plane, or a sinking ship. They know the end is coming and they react in different ways. Some panic. Some try to calculate possible escapes. Some curl up into a ball and just wait. The point is everyone has a different reaction.
The end of days isn’t happening in the seconds or minutes that these types of emergencies do. So, when I look at this scenario, I like to picture those different reactions, and to imagine how they would take place over the years in which civilization declines. I write the relationships the way I do because I see these characters treating one another differently as the end approaches. When the end is coming, and it’s everyone for herself, who do you trust?
Introducing the universe of Catwalk, I explore some of these actions. Book One, “Catwalk: Messiah” introduces readers to the dystopian world. Specifically, Catwalk roams Nitro City, the nickname for what was once Los Angeles. As the world has changed, there is a significant difference in how parties have dealt with that change. The richest of the rich are gone – paying their way to off-world colonies with hopes of a long and prosperous future for their family over generations. The city power players have built their way Uptown, to ivory towers away from the commoners. Cat roams Downtown, where the have-nots are left to pick through the scraps and fight one another to survive.
He likes it there just fine.
If you’re like me, and you love sci-fi built around this type of scenario, here are a few recommendations. If you’re into movies, the Mad Max series was a great look into the post-apocalyptic landscape where gas is more valuable than almost anything. Of the three films, “The Road Warrior” is far and away the best, and it stands up still. If you’re a TV person, AMC’s show, “The Walking Dead”, has a stellar cast and the zombie (aka Walker) special effects are just stunning. If you’re a reader, you are punishing yourself by not reading Ernest Cline’s “Ready Player One.” I was turned on to this book by Whoopi Goldberg and Robin Williams, and I felt like Cline wrote this specifically for the sci-fi geek child inside of me.
I think that the end of a days is an extension of our fascination with mortality. These wonderful stories cover the mortality of the planet, not just of the person. That, to me, is even more interesting.
All the best,
nK
Nick Kelly is a musician, professional speaker, and an author. His works include the cyberpunk/sci-fi novel, “Catwalk: Messiah” (Book One in the Leon “Catwalk” Caliber series), and “Ichi” (Book One of the Urban Samurai series). Both are available on Amazon.
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