The Last Midnight - Essays on Apocalyptic Narratives in Millennial Media (Paperback)

Do you find yourself contemplating the imminent end of the world? Do you wonder how society might reorganize itself to cope with global cataclysm? Have you begun hoarding canned goods and ammunition against possible alien invasion? Visions of the apocalypse and its aftermath began to dominate mass media well before the turn of the millennium. Yet narratives since the year 2000 present decidedly different spins on cultural anxieties, founded in real-world experiences of terrorism, disease, environmental collapse, worldwide conflict and millennial technologies. Many of these concerns have been made metaphorical: zombie hordes embody fear of out-of-control appetites and encroaching disorder. Other fears, like the prospect of human technology turning on its creators, seem more based in reality. This collection of new essays explores apocalyptic themes and narratives in a variety of post-millennial media, including film, television, video games, webisodes and smartphone apps.