End of the World Horror

The world is ending...again. These are horror tales that describe the end of the world as we know it or are set in a future where society has broken down due to disease, ecological destruction, zombies or some other monster/monsters.

Armageddon’s Children is the first book of a trilogy dealing with the cataclysmic events that created the fantasy world of Shannara. The story takes place in our near future, a bleak and dismal time. War and pollution have destroyed the environment, creating a world that is no longer hospitable to men. To make things worse, demons are scouring the world, looking to exterminate the human race. The remaining humans have moved into sports arenas, thinking the high walls will shut out the dangers plaguing the rest of the world. Children are surviving on the streets in gangs, calling themselves tribes. Meanwhile, the Knights of the Word, magic wielders trying to save the human race, are fighting the demons to protect the few survivors. Armageddon’s Children is a true pleasure to read from the first page to the last. The characters are captivating in a way that makes the reader really care about what happens to them, the action is non-stop, and the story itself flows from scene to scene in a way that makes it hard to put down. Reader’s advisory note: Armageddon’s Children is a good choice for Terry Brooks fans, and also for those readers with a penchant for fantasy tales and apocalyptic stories. Recommended for public libraries’ horror or fantasy collections, and high school library media centers. Contains: Violence

The world begins to crumble when a plane crashes in a wooded area and the dead begin to rise out of their graves and walk the earth, the first of many signs that the end of the world is near and that Jesus has returned to earth. Or is it Jesus? A second man professing to be the Son of God also appears in the world and the two seem to be at odds with one another. Detective Phillip “Kane” Makane doesn’t believe that either of the men is Jesus, but finding the evidence will be more difficult and stranger than he could ever have imagined. Jesus Freaks is an interesting apocalyptic tale told in a uniquely stylish fashion; with hand-written diaries, illustrations, and movie script-like segments. The story is perhaps the most unique zombie tale on the market today. Though zombies are a major part of the story, the mystery of the two Jesus’ weighs in almost as strongly, and the odd entity that jumps from body to body in much of this story could almost count as a third aspect of horror for this tale. This story starts off with a bang and doesn’t let up. Recommended for the adult horror section of a library, particularly a library building a zombie or apocalyptic collection.

Skimming the Gumbo Nuclear, set in New Orleans, is what could best be described as a localized apocalyptic tale. In this tale, pollution from various industrial sources, refineries and a nuclear power plant has mutated both local wildlife and some of the surrounding population, creating a new breed of deadly eels and a group of cannibalistic zombies. Ricky Harrison, a college student who comes upon the deadly eels, starts to fall to pieces, seeking solace in drink. As the eels and other mutations proliferate, Ricky crosses paths with Kendra Hoerst, a graduate student in biology who Has discovered that the eels represent greater danger than anyone has imagined. Together, they try to survive the increasing chaos in New Orleans and southern Louisiana, now overrun with vicious escaped convicts, zombies, and mutant eels. M.F. Korn has a good imagination and has come up with an interesting premise in this tale of the world gone to hell. He creates vivid scenes that exhibit an insider’s knowledge of the story’s setting, and draws effective portraits of many of the secondary characters. However, the overall execution of the story is flawed. The story doesn’t really take off until a third of a way through the book, although when the action takes off it is nonstop. However, his verbosity and use of language distract from the impact of events and may confuse readers, motivations of the main characters often seem unclear, and the overall story does not flow well. However, those with the patience to get beyond these flaws may be rewarded in the second half of the book, which pulls no punches in its violence, gore, and shock. Contains violence, gore, and rape(including the rape of a nun).

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Alfred A. Knopf, 2006

ISBN: 0307265439

Available: New and Used

The Road centers on a man and his son as they travel a road across a desolate wasteland. Their goal is to reach the coast in the hopes of finding a warmer climate and a better life. They journey through a cold twilight world covered in ash where virtually every animal is extinct and the structures of humanity are deteriorating shells. The travelers look madness in the eye when they run into others who are teetering on the brink, and witness atrocities that are almost unimaginable as they face starvation and sickness at every turn. The Road is by far the bleakest post-apocalyptic novel that I have ever read. The man and boy are in a hopeless struggle to survive each day, a struggle that they seem bound to lose, and along with them the rest of the planet. The Road is a very powerful book with a wonderful, heart-touching and desperate story. This book seems to be written to be read in short increments. Although there are no chapters, there is at least one break point on each page. The dialogue is bland, yet powerful. Not much is said in words, but so much is said between the words of this book. The Road is almost a must for any library, public or private, that has an apocalyptic section. Review by Bret Jordan

Contains: Violence, gore.

Available: Used
The Bridge is a well-written tale of apocalyptic eco-horror. It tells of a new vile entity which has been spawned from toxic waste dumped off of a local bridge, that seeks to end the world. It is a lengthy tale of 397 pages, but the story captivates the reader. There are plenty of interesting characters introduced through out the story and most die in horrifying way. I would consider The Bridge part of the core of a section of apocalyptic horror, however the book is currently only available used. One of the neat and fun features of the book is an appendix that includes various environmental friendly tips, tricks and resources. Contains: Violence

Skeletons is one of those books that might have ended up in the Zombie category but belongs here at the End of the World. In Skeletons, the Earth has fallen into the path of a galactic plane of space dust, this space dust causes skeletons of the dead both long past and recent to rise and kill the living. This book is different than the usual zombie attack book, because the skeletons don't just wipe out the living, they fight amongst themselves. Great leaders and warriors from the past such as Abe Lincoln, General Lee, Grant, and Khan return in skeletal form and fight amongst each other. Mean while the remaining pockets of humanity are left trying to survive in this new world overrun by the skeletons. This is a very imaginative story that makes a great read, the story flows well and Sarrantonio does a stellar job of flushing out his characters including the skeleton of Abe Lincoln. Recommended Contains: Violence


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