Why we love reading books about the end of the world
This article questions why there is so much fiction dedicated to the apocalypse, and why the idea of everything we know crumbling in our hands enthrals us.
It is early 2020 and while it may not be the end of the world as we know it, nobody feels fine.
The oppressive atmosphere, the news of a rising daily body count, and the complete loss of normality all bring to mind the apocalyptic fictions we used to read for either grim warnings or entertainment.
Now they seem more like consolation, a dream of a less boring apocalypse to live through.
But why is there so much fiction dedicated to the apocalypse, and why does the idea of everything we know crumbling in our hands enthral us so?
To answer these questions, let us go back to the beginning. Apocalyptic fiction’s genesis coincided with the rise of science fiction, both effectively pioneered by H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds and The Time Machine.
In both narratives civilization as we know it comes to an end and we as readers see the process and the aftermath.
The War of the Worlds focuses on an alien invasion which destroys all normality when the Earth is first invaded. It is then colonized by an alien race who begin to redesign Earth in our own image, filled with destruction, battles and horror.
By contrast, The Time Machine is more interested in the aftermath where humanity has divided into castes of passive surface dwellers and underground monsters.
Destruction, adaptation and the reactions of a scarce few individuals as they grapple with overwhelming odds keep us reading until the end. It’s a kind of voyeurism, allowing us to witness unspeakable horror from the safety of our own reading spaces.
The apocalypse as an event is something which has been covered from a variety of angles.
There’s the eerie and existential like Steven King’s The Mist, in which horror lurks in the shadows and human beings break down and fight one another for some semblance of security.
There’s the traditional zombie apocalypse, which may be best depicted in Max Brooks’ World War Z, a book containing a wealth of perspectives all dealing with the same apocalypse.
We see individuals coming to terms with themselves like internet addicts and monks, while others witness the early horrific beginnings, battles and death on a mass scale simply caused by losing the will to live.
Apocalypse narratives strip away the kitchen sink, usually in an earthquake and force characters to adjust to new circumstances. People have to change drastically, for better or for worse.
The end of the world often reveals evil in people they were able to keep inside, and sometimes we get to witness extreme acts of kindness which normal circumstances didn’t allow for.
Ideas of what truly matters are more pronounced in an apocalyptic narrative. Family, solidarity, the nobility of humanity and survival are all important to consider. Apocalypses also can allow us to see the familiar dissolve in an entertaining, plain fun fashion.
Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham, in which most of the world is blinded, follows a lethal walking plant that can now roam free. It is often enjoyable to see our heroes fighting stinging plants with fire.
The action of the world ending can be thrilling, the stakes are never higher. That isn’t to say the apocalypse has to be thrilling to be effective, as shown in Wyndham’s other apocalypse works.
For example, The Kraken Wakes, in which the ocean's rise is a very slow burn. It focuses on changing circumstances as well as the fear of the unknown, with very little monstrous action.
We find comfort in the idea of a world ending because it is a safe examination of a what if: what if I was in this situation?
We love to discuss which of us would survive a zombie apocalypse, which of us would lead in an environmental disaster, what would we lose. The questions thrown up by a theoretical apocalypse are endless and can fill our lives until a real one happens.
Reading about an apocalypse is certainly more fun than living one, which is why even now as we are all holed up waiting for this storm to pass, we’ll keep reading somebody else’s end of days.
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