BOOK BITS - SLOW APOCALYPSE BY JOHN VARLEY AND OTHER BOOKS TO HELP YOU SURVIVE

Now in paperback, this science fiction novel by John Varley tells what happens to families living in the Los Angeles area after microbes are deliberately unleashed on oil wells, which causes them to catch fire all over the world.  Good bye oil.  The protagonist gets tipped off ahead of time by a soon-to-be murdered military man, so he prepares for the upcoming mayhem.  But not enough. 

 

It's a readable novel, less blunt and less realistic than A Second After by William Forstchen, but helpful to anyone trying to envision what life would be like in the LA suburbs after local and national governments collapse.  It makes you imagine the unthinkable.  Although the main characters are too nice to be true (all those ethical discussions), the plot is good and the book worth reading.

Book reviews:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13542400-slow-apocalypse
http://tbaliteraryjournal.wordpress.com/2012/12/02/a-review-of-john-varleys-slow-apocalypse/
http://www.strangehorizons.com/reviews/2013/01/slow_apocalypse.shtml

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BONUS

TEN PARANOID SCIENCE FICTION STORIES THAT COULD HELP YOU SURVIVE

Although I haven't read any of them except 1984 and The Trial, this may be of interest to hard-core science fiction fans.  My warmest recommendation would be for a book that is not on that list:  "One Second After" by William R. Forstchen.

Read article here - http://io9.com/10-paranoid-science-fiction-stories-that-could-help-you-990394686

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Other Book Bits articles on this blog - http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/search/label/Book%20Bits

Link to this post -
http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2013/08/book-bits-slow-apocalypse-by-john.html

 

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