In 2021, writer Jane Hennigan caused quite a stir with her self-published dystopian post-apocalyptic science fiction mystery novel Moths, which was later picked up by Angry Robot.
Now she has a companion novel in Toxxic (paperback, Kindle), which further explores a world in which good men are in short supply.
In the following email interview, Hennigan discusses how these two books work together, as well as what inspired and influenced this second installment.
The path for literary adaptions usually goes book to movie or book to TV show, or maybe book to movie to video game. Unless, of course, you’re Willie Block and Jake Emanuel, the co-authors of the post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller mystery The Edge Of Sleep, which went from podcast to TV show to novel (available in hardcover, Kindle, or audiobook). In the following email interview, Willie and Jake discuss what originally inspired and influenced this story, and how the print edition of this story is different from the one you already heard or saw.
Usually, the only time we think a moth is dangerous is when we buy a new sweater. Or we have that dream in which we’re Godzilla. But in Jane Hennigan’s self-published 2021 dystopian post-apocalyptic sci-fi novel Moths, moths aren’t just a threat to comfy clothing and giant lizards, they’re a threat to men everywhere. With a new and slightly reworked version of Moths being released in paperback, Kindle, audiobook, I spoke with Hennigan about what originally inspired and influenced this novel, as well as her plans to continue this story.
Having humans be the real monsters is so common in post-apocalyptic stories that it’s moved past being a trope and is now a cliché. Which is why Gene Doucette avoided it like the plague when writing his “cozy apocalypse” novel, The Apocalypse Seven (paperback, Kindle, audiobook). In the following email interview, Doucette explains what inspired and influenced this story, and why he decided to buck convention.
In his new post-apocalyptic thriller Crimson Phoenix (hardcover, Kindle, audiobook), writer John Gilstrap is not only making a departure from the real world thrillers he’s known for, but — as he explains in the following email interview — he’s also making a departure from what we usually see in post-apocalyptic movies, books, TV shows, and games.
Events in life don’t always have neat and tidy endings. So why do so many stories wrap up with a nice little bow? It’s a question Duncan Swan pondered while writing his dystopian, post-apocalyptic sci-fi novel Monstre. In the following email interview about the first volume of this two-part story, Monstre: Volume One (Kindle), he explains why, in this series, “happy outcomes aren’t guaranteed.”
The “simulation hypothesis” is a theory that we may actually just be part of an artificial simulation. Think The Matrix if it was the whole universe, not just a big city. But if that’s true, what happens when the simulation starts to break down? Such is the jumping off point for Parker Peevyhouse’s new cyberpunk-adjacent, post-apocalyptic sci-fi novel Strange Exit (hardcover, Kindle).
In the following email interview, Peevyhouse discusses what inspired and influenced this novel…beyond, of course, The Matrix.
With Rage 2 (Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC) only a few months away (May 14th, for those keeping score at home), the good people at Bethesda Softworks recently held an event at a loft in downtown Los Angeles where they gave game journalists a chance to play a bit of this open world first-person shooter. What follows are my impression of this game.
Suffice it to say, spoilers follow.