The Oblivion Society

Overview:

The Oblivion Society by Marcus Alexander Hart is a novel that takes place in an alternate future, where the world really did end as the clock struck midnight on December 31, 1999. The book follows a group of people that are lucky enough to survive the end of the world, and their journey to find civilization, and the perils they face along the way.

Characters:

Vivian: An incredibly intelligent woman (able to clear Jeopardy nightly) who is stuck working a dead end job and unable to get any other job that she applies to.

Robert (Bobby): Vivian's brother, a programmer that used to head the branch of a company that closed and now mooches off of his sister, refusing to accept any job that doesn't meet his standard.

Erik: Bobby's best friend, runs a comic book store and hangs out with Bobby.

Sheri: Vivian's coworker, a non-conformist that refuses to follow the 'norms' of society.

Trent: A preppy west coaster that is in town for the holidays, acts and talks like he is a Gangster and thinks he is God's gift to woman. The only really religious member of the quintet.

Story:

The story starts by setting up an outlandish, but hilarious, situation in which the world comes to an end through a series of misunderstandings and mishaps that result in everyone thinking everyone else is preparing to launch their missiles, then people freaking out when a missiles (re-armed for science research) is launched during the crisis. Our 5 heroes each survive the blast and aftershock through blind luck. One is locked in a military grade Humvee, one is in the sewers, and 3 get trapped in a submarine in a local bar that was there for 'ambiance'. After the missles fall our heroes find themselves alone with no other survivors, or so they think. After a series of mishaps with mutated wildlife, they learn that not everything is dead and that cells have begun to grow at an alarming rate. Each member of the party in turn 'grows' body parts related to the DNA of their attackers. One gains bat wings, another gains and extra pair of arms, a tail, etc. The journey continues as they struggle with the basic needs and survive by scrounging in gas stations for fast food and non-perishables, as well as looking for people.

Review:

The story has some great ideas in, fabulous ones really. The entire explanation for how things occur with the radiation and mutation while not scientifically possible, is at least believable. Unfortunately it suffers from bad writting. The characters are, for the most part, one dimensional, and talk the same almost always. Trent in particular is hard to believe is real as his every move seems to be him pushing towards having sex, and he never gives up. While this is somewhat explained as the book goes on, it doesn't make for a believable character. Similiarly the other characters are, basically, a single idea and beyond that don't really have any character traits. Vivian is smart, Sheri is a nonconformist, Bobby is a mooch and Erik is a nerd. As the story progresses we do get some character development, but it's limited.

I enjoyed the story itself, it was very logical and well thought out, the presentation, however, was lacking.

2/5 Stars.