The Oblivion Society
Encyclopedia
The Oblivion Society, a gold medalist of the Independent Publisher Book Award
, is a post-apocalypse
horror-comedy by Marcus Alexander Hart. It follows the adventures of Vivian Oblivion and her friends as they search for a safe haven after an accidental nuclear war
.
. She supports her unemployed brother, Bobby and his geek
friend Erik in a small apartment in town. Just when it seems that she has a shot to get out of town, and start a career in modeling, the end of the world happens. Vivian and a rag-tag band of survivors must survive attacks from mutant
creatures to make it to a distant sanctuary, that may or may not exist.
Bobby Gray: Vivian's twin brother. As an unemployed web programmer, Bobby has been freeloading at his sister's place.
Erik Sievert: A consummate retro-geek, he shuns all pop culture that has transpired since the end of the 1980s. He works as a clerk at a dusty old collectables shop.
Sherri Becquerel: Rarely seen without a malt liquor
in one hand and a cigarette in the other. Anti-establishment
and belligerently individualistic, she is difficult to get along with.
(February 2007), GUD Magazine
, and The Suffolk Voice .
Many reviewers find the comedic angle of this apocalypse story to be intriguing, such as Ben Stanley of Speculative Fiction Junkie who said, "I found Hart's sense of humor to be a refreshing addition to this type of fiction and laughed out loud several times while reading. And the book isn't just minimally sprinkled with humor, it's saturated with it, often bundled with pop culture references of varying familiarity."
Independent Publisher Book Award
The Independent Publisher Book Awards , launched in 1996, are designed to bring increased recognition to titles published by independent authors and publishers...
, is a post-apocalypse
Apocalypse
An Apocalypse is a disclosure of something hidden from the majority of mankind in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception, i.e. the veil to be lifted. The Apocalypse of John is the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament...
horror-comedy by Marcus Alexander Hart. It follows the adventures of Vivian Oblivion and her friends as they search for a safe haven after an accidental nuclear war
Nuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare, or atomic warfare, is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is detonated on an opponent. Compared to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can be vastly more destructive in range and extent of damage...
.
Plot summary
Vivian Gray is stuck in a dead-end job with a horrible boss in a town full of aging seniors in FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. She supports her unemployed brother, Bobby and his geek
Geek
The word geek is a slang term, with different meanings ranging from "a computer expert or enthusiast" to "a carnival performer who performs sensationally morbid or disgusting acts", with a general pejorative meaning of "a peculiar or otherwise dislikable person, esp[ecially] one who is perceived to...
friend Erik in a small apartment in town. Just when it seems that she has a shot to get out of town, and start a career in modeling, the end of the world happens. Vivian and a rag-tag band of survivors must survive attacks from mutant
Mutant
In biology and especially genetics, a mutant is an individual, organism, or new genetic character, arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is a base-pair sequence change within the DNA of a gene or chromosome of an organism resulting in the creation of a new character or trait not...
creatures to make it to a distant sanctuary, that may or may not exist.
Main characters
Vivian Gray: Stuck in a mind-numbing job, but gifted with a high IQ and a sharp sense of reason.Bobby Gray: Vivian's twin brother. As an unemployed web programmer, Bobby has been freeloading at his sister's place.
Erik Sievert: A consummate retro-geek, he shuns all pop culture that has transpired since the end of the 1980s. He works as a clerk at a dusty old collectables shop.
Sherri Becquerel: Rarely seen without a malt liquor
Malt liquor
Malt liquor is a North American term referring to a type of beer with high alcohol content. In legal statutes, the term often includes any alcoholic beverage above or equal to 5% alcohol by volume made with malted barley. In common parlance, however, it is used for high-alcohol beers made with...
in one hand and a cigarette in the other. Anti-establishment
Anti-establishment
An anti-establishment view or belief is one which stands in opposition to the conventional social, political, and economic principles of a society. The term was first used in the modern sense in 1958, by the British magazine New Statesman to refer to its political and social agenda...
and belligerently individualistic, she is difficult to get along with.
Press and Reviews
The Oblivion Society has received dozens of reviews from publications including Geek MonthlyGeek Monthly
Geek Monthly is an American print magazine that was launched in 2006 under the guidance of editor-in-chief Jeff Bond by CFQ Media, who was previously responsible for relaunching the classic science fiction/fantasy magazine Cinefantastique and its sister publication "Femme Fatales"...
(February 2007), GUD Magazine
GUD Magazine
Greatest Uncommon Denominator Magazine is an award-winning American literary magazine, the first publication from Greatest Uncommon Denominator Publishing, founded in Laconia, New Hampshire in July 2006....
, and The Suffolk Voice .
Many reviewers find the comedic angle of this apocalypse story to be intriguing, such as Ben Stanley of Speculative Fiction Junkie who said, "I found Hart's sense of humor to be a refreshing addition to this type of fiction and laughed out loud several times while reading. And the book isn't just minimally sprinkled with humor, it's saturated with it, often bundled with pop culture references of varying familiarity."