This Is the Way the World Ends (Magill’s Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature)
At a glance:
- Author: James Morrow
- First Published: 1986
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Science fiction—apocalypse
- Time of Work: 1995
- Setting: Massachusetts, a submarine, and the antarctic ice cap
- Genres: Long fiction, Science fiction, Apocalyptic and catastrophe fiction
- Subjects: North America or North Americans, Northeast, U.S., United States or Americans, Ghosts or apparitions, New England, 1990’s, Nuclear warfare or weapons, Submarines, Antarctica, Massachusetts, Apocalypse
- Locales: Massachusetts, Antarctica
The Plot
George Paxton, an engraver of tombstones and a contented family man, is persuaded to buy a scopas (Self-Contained Post-Attack Survival) suit for his daughter but soon is forced by financial hardship to cancel the contract. Later, he meets Nadine Covington, an odd woman with black blood who offers him a “free” scopas suit as part of a commission. To collect it, Paxton must visit a surreal MAD Hatter’s tea party (MAD signifying Mutually Assured Destruction, an idea associated with arms races) and sign a document stating that his purchase of the suit is an admission...
[The entire page is 1027 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
