Review: The End by Laura Barcella

The End: 50 Apocalyptic Visions From Pop Culture That You Should Know About...Before It's Too Late

by Laura Barcella

Published: July 24, 2012

Publisher: Zest Books

Available: Amazon

Synopsis:

You’ve probably heard rumors that the end of the world is going to happen in the year 2012. But people have been making predictions about how and when the world is going to end for ages. The End is a fun, comprehensive, pop culture read about the 50 top movies, books, songs, comics, artworks, and plays—from the movie Shaun of the Dead to the pop song "It’s the End of the World as We Know It"—that have been created about the apocalypse. Each item includes:
- a synopsis of the apocalyptic work
- information about the apocalyptic theory behind it (from alien invasion to meteors, nuclear war, and natural disasters)
- an explanation about why this work is important in pop culture
 

Love doomsday talk and the art that is made about it? Check out this fun and entertaining read!

Review:
Society has a morbid fascination with the end of the world. And really, who can blame them? I certainly can't since I'm one of the many morbidly curious.

The End is a look at pop culture's many dooms day predictions, and how they continue to influence the masses and media. There were many pieces I had never heard about, or only had a vague concept of, and it was interesting to see how they connected to other more current works. I do have to admit that as a zombie fan, I was wanting them represented a bit more, but I'm sure I could come up with at least 50 pieces for them alone!

This was a pretty quick read, with each piece of work broken down into a summary, Inspirations for the piece, unforgettable moments, reality factor, and the impact it has had on our culture. The Kindle formatting I received through Net Galley did make it difficult to read, but I notice that at this time it's only available in paperback, which I think would be cool to see, as there are photos to go with each 'vision'. This is definitely a fun look at pop culture!