Slow Apocalypse, by John Varley

Slow Apocalypse by John Varley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Varley weaves a tale that sounds much more plausible than concerns about zombies eating our brains: What happens when the oil that has fueled the modern economy literally dries up? Let me tell you, it ain't pretty. The author adds some extra disaster by setting the novel in southern California. It's quite appropriate, because perhaps no other city in America exemplifies the car culture, the lack of natural resources in most metropolises, and class divisions. We follow our protagonist, a down-on-his-luck screenwriter, from when he first hears a strange story about a biotechnologist who creates a living tool of destruction. As Dave, his neighbors, his family (blood and otherwise), and his city struggle for survival, we're swept along with him. Just as a good screenwriter would do, Varley paints his pictures with words and action and he does it well. (Of course, I read a large portion of the book during a power outage. This postapocalyptic novel will stay with you once you close it: It ends with some serious and all too nonfictional thoughts about how the U.S., and indeed the world, operate and reminds us that reality may be worse than fiction in some cases.



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