Apocalypsing
By Jason Anderson
Genre: Science Fiction / Satire
Reviewed by Samantha Hui (Independent Book Review)
Jason Anderson’s Apocalypsing is a quick-witted, pop-culture savvy, sci-fi satire that is equal parts absurd and introspective. Reviewed by Samantha Hui.
Death and the apocalypse is as good a time as any to take charge of your life.
Domestic foibles. Impending armageddon. Aliens in the transdimensional afterlife. Jason Anderson’s Apocalypsing is a quick-witted, pop-culture savvy, sci-fi satire that is equal parts absurd and introspective. Through his trials in the afterlife, a modern man learns what he was missing in his living life. Anderson’s writing toes the line of cynicism and misanthropy but ultimately turns toward a message of cautious hope and pragmatic optimism.
“‘Black market baby formula is a thing,’ Wesley offered in corroboration.‘They removed tariff-rate quotas from processed sugar, then the supply drowned on the vine. It’s 120 degrees in Omaha and Americans can’t get Mountain Dew anymore. People are going to start killing each other in the streets over kids’ birthday cakes. Watch.’”
David Downey died a nobody: his best friends were comic book characters; his mother passed her agoraphobia down to him; and his girlfriend Stacey left him because he had nothing to offer to her, himself, nor the rest of the world. As luck would have it, even in the afterlife, David belongs to neither heaven nor hell.
Unbeknownst to either party, Stacey is a soul succubus who has trapped David in a purgatory of existing as her shadow. What had begun as a mission to become unshackled from Stacey’s unknowing clutches quickly becomes an odyssey of self discovery and world saving against an Anti-God under the guise of a democratic congressional nominee named Tag Gottfried.
“‘I’m sorry, but just to recap—you’re telling me I belong to a soul-sucking Jinni genie who descends from a long line of witch-people that used sex to blow off magic steam. Do I have that more or less correct?’”
Apocalypsing is uproariously funny and teeming with pop-culture references: Bobby Kennedy is David’s heavenly guide in the afterlife; River Phoenix is romantic and a sweetheart; Gandhi didn’t end up where you think he did. The characters in this book are quick on their feet and have sharp tongues. Even the aliens have imported all knowledge of current pop-culture references into their knowledge base.
The referential dialogue makes for some hilarious character interactions while smartly calling attention to the absurdity of our current reality. The Anti-God, Tag, pressurizes the in-world MARS virus, anti-immigrant sentiments, and economic inequality to bring upon a New Testament level apocalypse. Apocalypsing is a “plague on both your houses,” delivering a scathing critique of the division currently plaguing our political climate.
“‘I would note that the First Revelation does not speak of ammunition. There is no more powerful weapon than the microphone. Each word is its own arrow. The supply line is infinite. My mouth will be like a Gatling gun of glorious mistruths.’”
David is a sympathetic protagonist that many readers are going to identify with. He begins the book as someone who lacks introspection and courage, though his witticism keeps readers on his side. In his life, he was a cynical debt collector who was just a cog in the machine. He upheld that his failure to Stacey was due to him trying to protect her from the shame he felt toward himself and his family. He jokes that he died due to abandonment. Only in his death does he stop fearing for himself and putting his (after)life in action.
“‘The world is your oyster. It always was, you were just too busy metaphorically dying when you were alive to do anything about it. I recommend you take this opportunity to invert that process. Go swimming with ghost sharks. Maybe let yourself get eaten. Try to enjoy all thirty-one flavors.’”
Apocalypsing is a story about taking action. The apocalypse will not simply be a tragedy to live through, but an active verb of what the people will do to save each other’s souls in the end times. This book is hilarious, current, and—at times—tender. An excellent choice for fans of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and Good Omens.
Purchase your copy of APOCALYPSING at Magical Jeep Distributing (official distributor of Roadside Press), at Barnes & Noble, other online book retailers or request it at your favorite, local bookstore.
