Non-Fiction Book Reviews

Book Review: The Coffee Table Book of Doom

By Sandy Amazeen Aug 13, 2012, 16:05 GMT

The Doomsday clock is ticking... could this really be the end of the world? Remember the good old days, when all we had to worry about were those Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse from the Bible: Pestilence, War, Famine and Death? Well, now we have reason to believe that there are more than just four horsemen. Many, many more. The Coffee Table Book of Doom is a handy ...more

From asteroid strikes to climate change, in today’s uncertain economy doomsday theories abound but they have long been a part of the human experience. Although this book by cartoonist and illustrator Appleby along with author and Unitarian minister Lester pokes great good fun at the assorted end of the world scenarios, it is actually grounded in the latest solid science. Copious hilarious cartoon drawings and witty captions keep things light while exploring some very serious issues such as how daily life will change when the fossil fuel supplies run out. More pressing is the problem of pharmaceutical companies scraping new antibiotic research and development in favor of pushing profit margins with Viagra and other nonessential medications. Such a course paves the way for rapidly evolving bacteria to gain the advantage with the emergence of superbugs that do not respond to any antibiotic currently available. As sobering as these topics are, the authors keep the tone upbeat, even laugh out loud funny as they look at the myriad of ways humanity and the planet in general can snuff it. While the subject matter is adult, the excellent presentation makes this book suitable for preteens and up.