The Apocalypse and the End of History

The Apocalypse and the End of History
Author: Suzanne Schneider
Publisher: Verso Books
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2021-09-07
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1839762411

How the political violence of modern jihad echoes the crises of western liberalism In this authoritative, accessible study, historian Suzanne Schneider examines the politics and ideology of the Islamic State (better known as ISIS). Schneider argues that today’s jihad is not the residue from a less enlightened time, nor does it have much in common with its classical or medieval form, but it does bear a striking resemblance to the reactionary political formations and acts of spectacular violence that are upending life in Western democracies. From authoritarian populism to mass shootings, xenophobic nationalism, and the allure of conspiratorial thinking, Schneider argues that modern jihad is not the antithesis to western neoliberalism, but rather a dark reflection of its inner logic. Written with the sensibility of a political theorist and based on extensive research into a wide range of sources, from Islamic jurisprudence to popular recruitment videos, contemporary apocalyptic literature and the Islamic State's Arabic-language publications, the book explores modern jihad as an image of a potential dark future already heralded by neoliberal modes of life. Surveying ideas of the state, violence, identity, and political community, Schneider argues that modern jihad and neoliberalism are two versions of a politics of failure: the inability to imagine a better life here on earth.

The Warrior Prophet

The Warrior Prophet
Author: R. Scott Bakker
Publisher: Abrams
Total Pages: 560
Release: 2008-09-02
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1590203879

As a vast Holy War begins, a powerful new force emerges in the second book of this “violent, passionate, darkly poetic” fantasy series (SFSite.com). The first battle against the heathen has been won, but while the Great Names squabble over the spoils, Kellhus draws more followers to his banner. The sorcerer Achamian and his lover, Esmenet, submit entirely—only to face an unimaginable test of faith. The warrior Cnaiur falls ever deeper into madness. The skin-spies of the Consult watch with growing trepidation. And across the searing wastes of the desert, a name—a title—begins to be whispered among the faithful. Who is the Warrior-Prophet? A dangerous heretic who turns brother against brother? Or the only man who can avert the Second Apocalypse? With the fate of the Holy War hanging in the balance, the great powers will have to choose between their most desperate desires and their most ingrained prejudice. Between hatred and hope. Between the Warrior-Prophet and the end of the world . . .

Moving Beyond the Impasse

Moving Beyond the Impasse
Author: S. Wesley Ariarajah
Publisher: Fortress Press
Total Pages: 243
Release: 2018-10-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1506446337

Interfaith dialogue in a plural world. This volume is based on the belief that both the ecumenical and interfaith movements are looking for new orientations for their future. The forces of globalization, communications revolution, and massive population movements challenge some of the theological assumptions and presuppositions on which they were built. The entry of deep and divisive religious sentiments into the public space and the rise of militant forms of religious expression call on the interfaith movement to move beyond traditional forms of dialogue; the challenge is to enter into a deeper engagement on the purpose and role of religious traditions in society. The impasse facing these movements can only be overcome by new orientations as they look to the future. This volume is not specifically on this problem. However, the collection of essays included in this volume, although first given as lectures or written as articles, traces past developments, identifies the challenges these movements face today, and suggests fresh theological moves to regain the initiatives to bring human communities closer together.

The Move Beyond Form

The Move Beyond Form
Author: M. Hughes
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 317
Release: 2013-03-12
Genre: Art
ISBN: 113732922X

Fictional narratives of the late twentieth century often cross boundaries. This study argues that the undoing of structure in postmodern art form demands a different way of thinking and represents a commentary on the material and social conditions of the late twentieth century and beyond.

Notes from an Apocalypse

Notes from an Apocalypse
Author: Mark O'Connell
Publisher: Anchor
Total Pages: 290
Release: 2020-04-14
Genre: Self-Help
ISBN: 0385543018

AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • An absorbing, deeply felt book about our anxious present tense—and coming to grips with the future, by the author of the award-winning To Be a Machine. “Deeply funny and life-affirming, with a warm, generous outlook even on the most challenging of subjects.” —Esquire We’re alive in a time of worst-case scenarios: The weather has gone uncanny. A pandemic draws our global community to a halt. Everywhere you look there’s an omen, a joke whose punchline is the end of the world. How is a person supposed to live in the shadow of such a grim future? What might it be like to live through the worst? And what on earth is anybody doing about it? Dublin-based writer Mark O’Connell is consumed by these questions—and, as the father of two young children, he finds them increasingly urgent. In Notes from an Apocalypse, he crosses the globe in pursuit of answers. He tours survival bunkers in South Dakota. He ventures to New Zealand, a favored retreat of billionaires banking on civilization’s collapse. He engages with would-be Mars colonists, preppers, right-wing conspiracists. And he bears witness to places, like Chernobyl, that the future has already visited—real-life portraits of the end of the world as we know it. What emerges is an absorbing, funny, and deeply felt book about our anxious present tense—and coming to grips with what’s ahead.

Beyond Apocalypse

Beyond Apocalypse
Author: Romeo Cloma
Publisher: Tate Publishing
Total Pages: 348
Release: 2011-11
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1613461488

Suddenly, clouds of smoke billowed in front of the two friends, with sparks of fire popping. The stench of ash and sulfur pervaded the stalls, alarming the animals. Mago had to calm them down. Satan emerged from the smoke, preceded by his chortling. "Hello, hello, hello, Satan greeted them with a veneer of glee. "I knew I could find you here, my friend Lugo. It seems you anticipated my visit. The time of tribulation has passed, and the Saints of the Earth live in peace and harmony. And yet, even in this respite from seven millennia of turmoil and havoc, there are those who cavort with their sinful nature. Drunken with their bloated egos, they wander far from the Triune God until they fall of the cliff of rebellion. Too late to turn back, they are too befuddled to realize that they have rejected Paradise in exchange for their own self-centered desires. Matt has fortune and fame as an athlete and a technician. He is contented; with no strong feelings about life and God. He is not aware that he needs a spiritual rejuvenation or that battle lines are being drawn all around him. His family, the Transformed Ones, and the Legate Commander Joshua (sent by King Jesus) tried to lead him to the Triune God, to no avail, it seems. Who else and under what circumstances could move him from the path he is taking? Will Matt realize that his choices may have eternal consequences? Will he turn back to the truth and take his rightful place in the army of God before it is too late? Find out as the human race moves Beyond Apocalypse.

Hollow Kingdom

Hollow Kingdom
Author: Kira Jane Buxton
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2019-08-06
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 153874581X

A finalist for the 2020 Thurber Prize for American Humor! "The Secret Life of Pets meets The Walking Dead" in this big-hearted, boundlessly beautiful romp through the Apocalypse, where a foul-mouthed crow is humanity's only chance to survive Seattle's zombie problem (Karen Joy Fowler, PEN/Faulkner Award-winning author). S.T., a domesticated crow, is a bird of simple pleasures: hanging out with his owner Big Jim, trading insults with Seattle's wild crows (i.e. "those idiots"), and enjoying the finest food humankind has to offer: Cheetos ®. But when Big Jim's eyeball falls out of his head, S.T. starts to think something's not quite right. His tried-and-true remedies—from beak-delivered beer to the slobbering affection of Big Jim's loyal but dim-witted dog, Dennis—fail to cure Big Jim's debilitating malady. S.T. is left with no choice but to abandon his old life and venture out into a wild and frightening new world with his trusty steed Dennis, where he suddenly discovers that the neighbors are devouring one other. Local wildlife is abuzz with rumors of Seattle's dangerous new predators. Humanity's extinction has seemingly arrived, and the only one determined to save it is a cowardly crow whose only knowledge of the world comes from TV. What could possibly go wrong? Includes a Reading Group Guide.

The Age of Miracles

The Age of Miracles
Author: Karen Thompson Walker
Publisher: Random House
Total Pages: 255
Release: 2012-06-26
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0679644385

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY People ∙ O: The Oprah Magazine ∙ Financial Times ∙ Kansas City Star ∙ BookPage ∙ Kirkus Reviews ∙ Publishers Weekly ∙ Booklist NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “A stunner.”—Justin Cronin “It’s never the disasters you see coming that finally come to pass—it’s the ones you don’t expect at all,” says Julia, in this spellbinding novel of catastrophe and survival by a superb new writer. Luminous, suspenseful, unforgettable, The Age of Miracles tells the haunting and beautiful story of Julia and her family as they struggle to live in a time of extraordinary change. On an ordinary Saturday in a California suburb, Julia awakes to discover that something has happened to the rotation of the earth. The days and nights are growing longer and longer; gravity is affected; the birds, the tides, human behavior, and cosmic rhythms are thrown into disarray. In a world that seems filled with danger and loss, Julia also must face surprising developments in herself, and in her personal world—divisions widening between her parents, strange behavior by her friends, the pain and vulnerability of first love, a growing sense of isolation, and a surprising, rebellious new strength. With crystalline prose and the indelible magic of a born storyteller, Karen Thompson Walker gives us a breathtaking portrait of people finding ways to go on in an ever-evolving world. “Gripping drama . . . flawlessly written; it could be the most assured debut by an American writer since Jennifer Egan’s Emerald City.”—The Denver Post “Pure magnificence.”—Nathan Englander “Provides solace with its wisdom, compassion, and elegance.”—Curtis Sittenfeld “Riveting, heartbreaking, profoundly moving.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Look for special features inside. Join the Circle for author chats and more.

From Apocalypse to Way of Life

From Apocalypse to Way of Life
Author: Frederick Buell
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 406
Release: 2004-03
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1135953147

From Apocalypse to Way of Life is a comprehensive and in depth survey of environmental crisis as it has been understood for the last four decades. Buell recounts the growing number of ecological and social problems critical for the environment, and the impact that the growing experience with, and understanding of, them has had on American politics, society and culture.