Slow Apocalypse

AADL has no copies of this item

"John Varley has won multiple awards for his "imaginative and engaging"* novels. Now the author of Millennium, Steel Beach, and Rolling Thunder speculates how people would survive in a world suddenly stripped of the fuel that makes it run... Despite wars with Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as 9/11, the United States' dependence on foreign oil has kept the nation tied to the Middle East. A scientist has developed a cure for America's addiction--a slow-acting virus that feeds on petroleum, turning it solid. But he didn't consider that his contagion of an Iraqi oil field could spread to infect the fuel supply of the entire world... In Los Angeles, screenwriter Dave Marshall heard this scenario from a retired US marine and government insider who acted as a consultant on Dave's last film. It sounded as implausible as many of his scripts, but the reality is much more frightening than anything he could have envisioned. An ordinary guy armed with extraordinary information, Dave hopes his survivor's instinct will kick in so he can protect his wife and daughter from the coming apocalypse that will alter the future of Earth--and humanity... *San Francisco Chronicle"-- Provided by publisher.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

Library Journal Review
Booklist Review
Publishers Weekly Review
Summary / Annotation
Excerpt
Author Notes

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Disturbing, but made me think submitted by valeriemates on June 16, 2015, 3:34pm I've loved John Varley's books for years, and was delighted to find a new one. Slow Apocalypse is slower paced than the breakneck speed of Varley's other books, but it is by no means slow.

The book starts out with a bacterium that very suddenly devours the earth's oil supplies. Varley makes a very thorough exploration of what this would mean to a typical American family, as they try to survive and stay safe and fed. I really enjoyed the characters in the story - they were likeable and realistic. The book itself is chilling in its realism, to the point that it left me wanting to stockpile supplies in my home in case of a disaster.

Overall, I highly recommend this book. But be prepared for it to be disturbing.