Post-Apocalyptia

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...

This week, we look at another fully fictional world, in one of my lifelong favorite stories: Stephen King's 1982 novel, The Gunslinger! We'll talk about determination, dying worlds, and the desert to end all deserts. Plus, one of the most famous first lines in modern literature! Join us there, at the end of the world.

List of changes to the 2003 revision of The Gunslinger.

Questions, requests, suggestions, and comments can be email...

This week, I'm joined by my sister, Windy, and her friend, Alex, to look at a true milestone of the post-apocalyptic genre: 1979's Mad Max! Which, despite setting the pace for the genre, somehow manages to be something completely other than post-apocalyptic. But no matter; we'll talk about biker gangs, fuel shortages, and Australian slang, and ask ourselves the truly important questions, like: Who is the Dark One, anyway? Join us t...

This week I'm joined by my son, Ethan, to take a look at our first post-apocalypse set in an entirely fictional world: the 2001 Squaresoft (now Square Enix) Playstation 2 video game, Final Fantasy X! It's machines vs. magic in an island paradise that was destroyed a thousand years ago. We'll talk about sacrifice, the afterlife, and the power of religion--not to mention the most terrifying laugh in history. Plus, everyone has daddy ...

We go all the way back to 1949 for this week's story: George R. Stewart's novel, Earth Abides! We'll talk about fatal plagues, survival vs. living, and a man with a hammer--and, just how hard can it be to survive an apocalypse in California? This and more in today's episode. Join us there, at the end of the world!

Questions, requests, suggestions, and comments can be emailed to us at postapocalyptiapodcast@gmail.com.

You can find u...

We have a guest this week! We'll take a look at Kevin Costner's other post-apocalyptic movie, 1995's Waterworld! We'll talk about men with gills, scenery-chewing villains, and quick-witted children, and we'll ask the question: What's up with that kid's tattoo, anyway? Also: Have we finally found an apocalypse that no one could survive, if it happened in our world? Join us there, at the end of the world!

Questions, requests, suggest...

This week, we talk about the first in a historic line of post-apocalyptic video games: Interplay's 1997 classic, Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game! We'll talk about retro-futurism, forced evolution, and the easiest nuclear apocalypse to survive--as long as you don't mind a little radiation. Join us there, at the end of the world!

Questions, requests, suggestions, and comments can be emailed to us at postapocalyptiapodcast@g...

This week, we look at Walter Miller's 1959 science-fiction bestseller, A Canticle for Leibowitz! We talk about how history repeats itself, how knowledge can be lost or preserved, and how one person can't do it alone--but one person might start something that lasts. Join me there, at the end of the world!

Questions, requests, suggestions, and comments can be emailed to us at postapocalyptiapodcast@gmail.com.

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This week I'm joined by our first podcast guest! We take a look at George Romero's classic 1968 film, Night of the Living Dead, and set the pace for every zombie story to come. We'll talk about practical effects, the space race, and the horror that only comes when the apocalypse...is us. Join us there, at the end of the world!

Questions, requests, suggestions, and comments can be emailed to us at postapocalyptiapodcast@gmail.com.

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This week is part two of our look at Hideo Kojima's 2019 video game masterpiece, Death Stranding! We'll talk about enemies, allies, and connection, as we continue looking at our most unusual apocalypse yet. Join me there, at the end of the world!

Questions, requests, suggestions, and comments can be emailed to us at postapocalyptiapodcast@gmail.com.

You can find us on social media at Facebook, Threads, and Reddit. Other contacts st...

This week is part one of our look at Hideo Kojima's 2019 video game masterpiece, Death Stranding! We'll talk about life, death, and the line between them--not to mention some very odd names--in our most unusual apocalypse yet. Join me there, at the end of the world!

Questions, requests, suggestions, and comments can be emailed to us at postapocalyptiapodcast@gmail.com.

You can find us on social media at Facebook, Threads, and Reddi...

This week we discuss David Brin's 1985 novel, The Postman, and its 1997 film adaptation, produced, directed, and starring Kevin Costner. We'll talk about the power of connection, and the demands of responsibility, in the post-apocalypse. Join me there, at the end of the world.

Questions, requests, suggestions, and comments can be emailed to us at postapocalyptiapodcast@gmail.com.

You can find us on social media at Facebook, Threads...