BY: Shannon J. Stever
-- Editor
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
i: Introduction
1: At the Edge of Nothing
2: Release
3: Passion's Flame
4: The Flames of Hell
INTRODUCTION:
The end of the world is a concept upon which many a writer has sharpened his or her claws. The reason is as varied as the outcome. Perhaps some fear the fickle nature of mortality, and wish to imagine a world in which at least one human being surpasses survival of all others, an overman that stands as a testament to the immortal survival abilities of the human race. Perhaps others feel that humankind is in fact a race filled with audacious hubris, and that we are destined to an extinction of far greater disaster than those we create on any other species. It is even a possibility that the same writer holds both curiosities implicit in his or her philosophy: that we are both divine and destructive, both angel and demon.
Whatever the reason, the tale of the last surviving human, or last of few, is one that, in an age staring into global warming at an alarmingly dramatic rate, cannot be ignored. It would be naive indeed to think that the human race is infinitely resourceful and infinitely capable of surviving-- to easily dispell that doubt, think to yourself what would happen if the sun were to go supernova at any point, and exactly how one could possibly survive such a fallout.
But perhaps there is another reason not related to survival in its purest, literal sense, but transcendental survival. That is, the survival of identity after flesh, the spirit or whatever it may be called, that fuels movement after the species has become another extinction among many. The desire for this transcendental existence has sparked the religious fire for many centuries, and not surprisingly, some religions even have their very own tale of the end of the world...
To some degree, this behavior makes evolutionary sense. To imagine what might kill off the human race is, in essence, to guard against it intellectually, to imagine it as it makes us crumble is to at least imagine the potential for survival. And, survival being the single most significant of the subconscious desires-- itself irremovable for the subject to survive, even if they do not consciously desire survival-- it is the subject of this online novel (created entirely online, for you Monster Intern audience members).
What is the end? The subject matter is explicitly concerning the end of the world. But there is room to breathe with this subject. For instance, whose world? And what sort of end? These questions, and many others, will be explored in a myriad of ways throughout this novel, and I hope you enjoy what is contained herein...
So, curl up and enjoy the end of the world!