Post-Apocalyptia

We're back, and asking ourselves: How does a small town survive the apocalypse on its own? Professor David Perlmutter returns today to talk about Pat Frank's classic 1959 novel of the nuclear apocalypse, Alas, Babylon! In Part 1, we'll talk about the necessities for survival; the Cold War and the nuclear threat; and the risk of being a forward thinker in a backward time. We'll meet our characters, and s...

Welcome to Post-Apocalyptia! This week, we take a break from our normal schedule for the holiday weekend, and bring you this special bonus episode instead. We'll look at something brand new, and I mean REALLY new: Jim Swiss's audio drama, The Carrington Doctrine! We'll join Colin as he leaves audio logs at the end of the world, or something like it--but he can't be sure, because he's joined a sun-worshipping cult in the forest. And...

We're back! This week, Windy joins us again as we look at George Romero's second zombie film, 1978's Dawn of the Dead! Things get serious in Pennsylvania, as there's no room in Hell, and the dead walk the Earth...and go to the mall, while they're at it. We'll talk about special effects, fluorescent blood, and the pros and cons of mall life. We'll weigh the power of movie bans versus the power of profit, in the most profitable movie...

We're back! This week on Post-Apocalyptia, we're looking at the very first post-apocalyptic story I ever encountered: the 1980 Ruby-Spears cartoon, Thundarr the Barbarian! It's swords and sorcery, mayhem and Moks, and all the wizards you can handle! We'll talk about the Cataclysm, our first environmental collapse, and how the world may have changed in the two millennia since. We'll see technology and magic, equots and Sunswords, an...

Welcome back to Post-Apocalyptia! This week, we're heading back to the 1990s with Paul Cook's sci-fi novel, Fortress on the Sun. We'll talk about aliens, supergeniuses, and narcolepsy, and we'll ask an intriguing question: What if the apocalypse happened, and you didn't know it? Join us there, at the end of the world!

Fortress on the Sun is available in used print copies, and also in ebook format. 

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It’s back to Mid-World, in today’s episode of the Post-Apocalyptia Podcast! We’re talking about The Drawing of the Three, book two of Stephen King’s magnum opus, The Dark Tower. We’ll talk about the edge of the world, and lobsters that will eat you if you don’t eat them first. We’ll see three very strange doors, and pay a visit—or several—to New York City, through the eyes—literally—of the most unexpected people. And finally, we’ll...

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...