Post-Apocalyptia

Max is back, and better than ever! Today Professor David Perlmutter joins us as we talk about the one that really kicked the series into gear: George Miller's 1981 classic, Mad Max 2! Or if, like us, you're in the USA, you may know it better as The Road Warrior. Why is that? Listen and see! We'll talk about leather gear, the real cost of gasoline, and the best villain we've seen yet: the Warrior of the Wastes, the Ayatollah of Rock...

This week, we continue our series on the Fallout video game series with Fallout 3! We'll make the leap from isometric to 3D, as Bethesda Softworks assumes control of the series. Travel east with me to the Capital Wasteland, where we'll meet new companions, new friends, and some old enemies. As the Lone Wanderer, we'll search for our missing father, and save the wasteland--but at a terrible price. All this and more, in our third Fal...

In this week's episode, we look at Margaret Atwood's 2003 novel, Oryx and Crake! We'll talk about the evils of capitalism, the horrors of bioengineering, and the historical greed of company towns. And, oh yeah, a man-made disease that is deliberately released. We'll ask ourselves, what happens when an entire society's morals are defined by the ability to make money? Warning: It's not great! Join us there, at the end of the world!

C...

We are BACK, with Season Two! Today we're opening our season with our most requested story so far, the 2009 comedy film, Zombieland! Marley joins me as we talk about the rules for surviving the apocalypse; why you shouldn't use your real name; and of course, the last Twinkies in the world! We'll talk about the value of comedic stories, even in a typically dark genre, and why it's okay to not take everything so seriously. Except the...

Welcome back to Post-Apocalyptia! In this bonus episode, we talk about our first short story from The End of the World as We Know It. We'll look at "Room 24" by Caroline Kepnes, in which a man named Abel doesn't need the Superflu as an excuse to do evil--but he'll welcome it as an opportunity. Join us here, at the end of the world...as we know it!

Content Warning: Graphic discussion of sexual topics; death of a child.

The End of th...

Welcome to the offseason of the Post-Apocalyptia Podcast! Between seasons one and two, we'll be posting bonus episodes, looking at the short stories in the new collection, The End of the World as We Know It: New Tales of Stephen King's The Stand. Today we're introducing the collection, and we'll talk about our plans for the rest of the offseason, and the upcoming season two! Join us there, at the end of the world...as we know it.

Welcome back to the season one finale of the Post-Apocalyptia Podcast! Today, we’re continuing our look at the big one, the story that started it all for me: Stephen King’s 1978 novel, The Stand! In part two, we’ll dig into the realities of this apocalypse. We’ll talk about what it would take to survive the post-apocalypse (assuming you survived the superflu!), and what’s realistic vs. unrealistic. We’ll talk about modern convenien...

Welcome to the season one finale of the Post-Apocalyptia Podcast! Today, we're looking at the big one, the story that started it all for me: Stephen King's 1978 novel, The Stand! In the first part of this two-part episode, we'll talk about the Superflu, also known as Captain Trips, and the devastation it brings to the world. We'll meet our cast of characters, and learn what happens to them as they assemble into the forces of good a...

This week, we take a look at another video game, and another fully fictional world, in Nintendo's 2017 smash hit video game, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild! We'll talk heroes and villains; princesses and powers; magic and (the) Master Sword, as we save the kingdom of Hyrule from Calamity Ganon! We'll talk about what it's like when your apocalypse is both war and supernatural. Plus, we'll look at ten thousand years and more...

This week, we look at a "near miss" apocalypse, and add aliens to our list, with a famous science-fiction novel by Russian authors Arkady and Boris Strugatsky: 1972's Roadside Picnic! We'll talk about stalkers, empties, and a golden sphere--not to mention corruption at all levels of society. And we'll ask ourselves: Would the aliens even notice us? And just what are our lives worth, anyway? This and more, in this week's episode. Jo...

This week, I'm joined by not one, but two guests, as we look at Netflix's 2021 drama, Sweet Tooth! We'll talk about deadly diseases, hybrid humans, and duplicitous doctors--not to mention a truly "Big Man". And what really makes a family anyway--birth, or choice? We'll walk through season one of this television series, and end on our first real cliffhanger. Join us there, at the end of the world!

Sweet Tooth is available on Netflix...

This week, join me as I talk about 1975's film by L.Q. Jones, starring Don Johnson, A Boy and His Dog! We'll talk about impossible distances, loose morals, and a telepathic pet; "Over the Hill" vs. "Downunder"; and possibly the most heinous pun in movie history. Plus, what's up with the Committee, anyway? Join me there, at the end of the world!

This film is Rated R, and is not appropriate for children. This episode is also explicit...

This week, we take a look at the 2022 video game by BlueTwelve Studio and Annapurna Interactive, Stray! We'll talk about cats with personality, robots with even more, and that most rare of post-apocalypses: the post-human world. We'll ponder the logic of a domed city, and wonder where this game might go if a sequel were to happen. And did I mention cats?? (For the cat lovers in the crowd, of course.) Join me there, at the end of th...

This week, we look at one of the bleakest stories we'll ever cover: Cormac McCarthy's famous 2006 novel, The Road! We'll talk about nuclear winter, the flame of civilization, and the love of a parent. Plus, I'll confess to something truly shocking: How much I hate this book--even while I still respect it. And yes, that scene will get a mention (you know the one, and if you don't, we're going to ruin your day today!). Join us for on...

This week, join me for a look at an obscure but fascinating dystopian action film: 1981's The Last Chase, starring Lee Majors and Burgess Meredith! Windy joins me again to talk about the 1970s energy crisis, mobility as freedom, and authoritarianism. Plus, we'll look at that most unusual of artifacts: an '80s action film with no romance?! We'll also get nostalgic as we talk about our late father, who introduced us to this and many ...

This week, Windy returns to join me and talk about Sam Esmail's 2023 film, Leave the World Behind! We'll talk about misanthropy, infrastructure collapse, and the Friends season finale (yes, really). We'll meet our first true doomsday prepper, and learn about Havana Syndrome; and we'll ask ourselves, what's the cheapest way to take down a country? Join us there, at the end of the world!

Stranger Things, genre, and story structure, a...

This week, we return to the post-nuclear world of Fallout, with the 1998 video game sequel by Interplay Entertainment and Black Isle Studios, Fallout 2! Say goodbye to our old friend the Vault Dweller, and say hello to his grandchild, the Chosen One. We'll discover a new antagonist and a new nation, and learn about the source of entirely too many mutations: The Forced Evolutionary Virus, or FEV. Plus, we'll talk about the legacy of...

This week, we look at what may be the bleakest post-apocalypse we'll ever cover: Harlan Ellison's famous 1967 short story, I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream! We'll talk about godlike machines, internet thought experiments, and some serious body horror. And, we'll ask the one question we all know better than to ask: What's the worst that could happen? Walk in the shoes of the last survivors of humanity, and consider why MAAAAYBE ar...