Four free reads on the Net: the end of the world

Maybe nobody predicted the whole end of the world thing better, or had more influence on the human imagination, than John of Patmos, but here’s some decent stabs, all of which can be read for free, at imagining the end of civilisation.

It’s the end of the world as we know it...and I feel fine.

Short Story

There will come soft rains by the master, Ray Bradbury 

Poem

The best end-of- the-world poem is surely by Byron who, after enduring the year without a summer, penned Darkness

Novel

The Purple Cloud by M.P Shiel

What would you do if you were the last (wo)man on earth? Well you’d probably burn down a few cities for starters. A 1901 novel described as 'brilliant' by H.G Wells who was no slouch when it comes to imagining the end of the world himself.

Download a free copy here

Essay

There's dozens of essays out there on the ways we'll go the way of the dinosaurs, but just reading Wikipedia's long list of dates predicting the end of the world is a reminder that if you think you can see it coming, you're probably wrong.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dates_predicted_for_apocalyp...

Bonus link - one of the best last man on earth films is the Vincent Price classic from 1964 The Last Man on Earth. You can watch the full movie here:

http://youtu.be/ibnpEk4hdjo

Photo: Wikipedia CC

What’s your favourite end of the world book or film?