Desire for the apocalypse part 3

By J. R. Wagner

The apocalypse in literature.

As far as I'm concerned, the apocalypse made its way into mainstream literature via the writing of one man.

That man is, of course, Mr. Stephen King. If you're a King fan, you've read The Stand. An amazing creation about the post-apocalyptic world once the super-flu has wiped out the majority of the population.

He's written other post-apocalyptic novels.  The Dark Tower Series is set in a post-apocalyptic world. It starts with The Gunslinger and culminates in book seven The Dark Tower (although he recently released an eight book relating to the series called The Wind Through The Keyhole, which I haven't read yet. The Dark Tower (or characters from the series) even shows up in a few of King's short story collections.

King recently delved into the pre-apocalypse world with Cell, one of my favorite King novels where the world falls apart right before the main character's eyes in a beautifully written, less cumbersome than The Stand, action filled zombie-esque journey of Graphic artist Clay Riddell who was in the heart of Boston on that brilliant autumn afternoon when hell was unleashed before his eyes. (thank you Amazon).

After The Stand was published in 1978, the market was flooded with apocalyptic novels of all kinds.

I've stumbled upon several top 10 greatest Apocalyptic novels of all times lists.
Here is one
Here is another

I've read several on these lists.  One, Z for Zachariah, I haven't though of for years and could very well be the catalyst of my obsession for the apocalypse.

Ann Burden is sixteen years old and completely alone. The world as she once knew it is gone, ravaged by a nuclear war that has taken everyone from her. For the past year, she has lived in a remote valley with no evidence of any other survivors.

But the smoke from a distant campfire shatters Ann's solitude. Someone else is still alive and making his way toward the valley. Who is this man? What does he want? Can he be trusted? Both excited and terrified, Ann soon realizes there may be worse things than being the last person on Earth.

Another (since turned into a major motion picture) I am Legend, is very, very good.

 The others, many of which overlap from list to list, are being added to my Goodreads To-read list as we speak.

• Alas, Babylon
• The Wild Shore
• Eternity Road

• The Postman (I've never seen the Kevin Costner film based on this book and have a feeling I don't want to ...at least until I read it)

• A Canticle for Leibowitz
• Earth Abides
• On The Beach
• Lucifer's Hammer

• World War Z
• Blindness
• The Road
• Swan Song

Many of these were published before The Stand however in my small world, The Stand is king.

Some modern titles that may be more familiar...

• The Hunger Games

• The Maze Runner
• The Knife of Never Letting Go

And if you're looking to take the religious apocalypse route you can always try Left Behind

The face behind the shelves; a librarian's perspective

Karen Smith has been working at the Downingtown Library for over twenty years. Recently she was kind enough to allow me to invade her teen group and discuss my upcoming novel (among other things).

Many book lovers aspire to work among the shelves of a library -to have access to countless pages of literature -to inspire others to find the magic in books.  By tapping Karen's extensive experience in the field, I hope to open the window for those enticed by the lure of literature and allow them a peek inside.


What is your official position/title at the library?

 I am Program coordinator and circulation desk clerk.

How did you find the position? 

 I had returned to the States after teaching school overseas for 12 years and my sister told me the library was looking for volunteers. I applied and was hired instead of being a volunteer. At the beginning I only worked every other Saturday.

What is your favorite part of the job?

 I love talking to people about books and suggesting new authors. I read a wide range of genres and can usually suggest an author to just about anyone.

How are you handling the digitization of books? Does the library offer or plan to offer e-lending or something similar? 

Each of the Chester County libraries has seven Nooks that can be checked out just as you would check out a book. Each Nook has seven books loaded onto it. You can have the Nook for three weeks. The Nooks have a designated genre: science fiction, historical fiction, thriller, romance, biography, fiction and nonfiction. They have been very popular and are constantly circulating. Patrons can also download eBooks and audio books from the CCLS website.

Your library is heavily involved in community offerings and events. What are some of the more enjoyable/successful events run at your location?

  A very popular adult program has been the Introduction to Tai Chi with 24 participants. Our Ghost Hunting program is also a crowd pleaser.

Can  you tell me more about the ghost hunting?

We have had several paranormal groups come through the building and "look for ghosts". After they have assembled their findings they come and speak. Each group seems to find something different but they all have found evidence of friendly spirits. The house was built in 1800 and was part of the Underground Railroad. It was also a school and a boarding school and a doctor's office. Many people have passed through the building.

Mockingjay -a review

I'm not exactly thrilled to be writing this review. Books 1 and 2 were so good...and then there was book 3. Mockingjay.

Mockingjay is the third and final book in the Hunger Games trilogy. Once again, as I set out to read it (just as I did when I set out to read Catching Fire), I had expectations of what could not be accomplished with the story.  That's what happens to me when I've read a good book in a series.  I think, there is no way the author will top that.  Sometimes, to my delight, I'm proven wrong.  Sometimes, to my dismay, I'm proven right.  Unfortunately, in this case, the latter came to pass.

I was starting to get irritated in book 2 when it seemed as though during several high-drama moments, Katness would lose consciousness and wake up somewhere else.  I understand it happens in stories as it does in real life, but when it becomes a recurring way to transition from one scene to the next, it becomes nothing more than an irritant.  I know Suzanne Collins is gifted enough to keep he conscious and write through until the end of the scene.  It felt almost like a cop-out.  Like she rushed to end the scene and begin another.

Then there was the whole Gale Peeta debacle.  While reading book #2 I was afraid she'd go down the same road as Stephanie Meyer did with Jacob and Edward and in a way, she did.  And I suppose a girl of seventeen isn't going to make the most rational decisions when it comes to her love life and perhaps most teenage girls have experienced liking more than one boy at a time -I cannot speak with any authority, for I have never been a teenage girl.  When Peeta was taken by the Capitol, I thought things would turn for the better as far as the love triangle was concerned -I was wrong.

Review -Cacthing Fire, Suzanne Collins

(The Hunger Games #2)

I had doubts about this book before I ever picked it up.

There was a list of things in my head that it could never do.

• It could never be as amazing as the first one.

• They would NEVER go back into the arena and therefore, it just wouldn't live up to book #1.

• The arena was it for me -that's where Katniss's character developed into a person I cared about and without that, there was no possible way Suzanne Collins could make the second as interesting as the first.

I was wrong.

Come see me! Local speaking event!

Well, it's official.  You can come see me at my first pre-release speaking engagement on March 7th. Details below.  


I contacted the director of my local library's teen readers group (via their facebook page) a few months ago and Karen Smith, the program coordinator invited me to speak to her group. I dropped by to meet Karen (she is incredibly nice!)  and introduce myself. Since then, the director of marketing for the library has contacted me for information to accompany a press release about my speaking engagement, which she will send to the local papers. Upon hearing this, I was surprised and delighted that they seemed to be as excited as I am about the event. And are even going so far as to promote the event, which is amazing!

The library is located inside this beautiful historic building right in the heart of Downingtown.  They run loads of great programs all year round for readers of all ages.  Don't be fooled by its commonplace appearance, they're really on the ball when it comes to community offerings. 








So, if you're interested, here is a short list of topics I may discuss (depending on time and interest -I can empathize with the attention span of the typical teen because it is quite similar to my own)




Since the group is teens, I plan on discussing a bit about my book, the how-to's of publishing, publishing in the digital market (peripherally depending on interest), current popular titles (The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner etc.), maybe a bit about blogging and social media depending on responsiveness, teen literacy and what can be done to help others who struggle with reading and writing, maybe a bit on peer critiquing, websites for Teen writers and readers. I'll have a power-point presentation to keep it visual and some games and prizes as well.

If anyone has any suggestions or topics they'd like to hear, comment away! I always appreciate input.


Here are the details:


When: Wednesday, March 7th from 6:30 to 7:30 
Where: The Downingtown Library. 330 East Lancaster Avenue, Downingtown, PA

Register:(610) 269-2741 -Due to space limitations you MUST call and register
so they can make sure there is sure there is enough room for everyone.




If you're local, come on by! (but don't forget to register!)




Just in case you were wondering, the Downingtown library is part of the

Chester County Library system, which boasts eighteen locations in the

county.