Book Review: The Coffee Table Book of Doom – Authors Steven Appleby | Art Lester

The Coffee Table Book of Doom, sounds pretty much like the title of a B-movie you haven’t seen yet but are likely. Well, for starters, this is a book (that you may just fall in love with) and not a film. Picture this…a group of educated writers (well 2 in this case) combine all their fact-finding doomsday data (and current I might add) together with Dr. Seuss standing by to whip up some cartoon illustrations. Sure, you know the score…old school style, the way they “used” to create books when they were cool, long lasting and full of illustrative flavor.

I should add “Hardcover”, black and white illustrations over egg shell paper (or something like that)

Yep, I’m gonna say it right off the bat…I love this book! It happens to be really informative and really scary at the same time. Not in a horror film kind of scary way but in a reality check….run off and grab your supplies-RIGHT NOW kind of way.

In essence, it details ALL the ways that this planet, our way of life, and even the universe itself “could” come crashing down around us. To take the heat off the dark clouds, “The Coffee Table Book of Doom” is filled with cool illustrations that remind me of yesterday when books (publishers) took the time to draw up clever little pictures. Add to that the fact that there is alot of humor in this book usually presented in the pictures perception of things. In fact, even after reading that the universe “could” be sucked up into a vacuum, you have to laugh at the puns and guy who thinks every new moment is a reason to have quick sex (with his wife, that is)

Ok, so what’s in it you ask? Well in the case of doom chapters, the book is divided into types of doom (so you don’t get all your potential dooms mixed up…. that is). WE start with cosmic doom, and work our way into eco, medical, climate, social, political, religious…..(and whew..I’m worn out already listing all these dooms) more!

It’s by no means a kids book, but you tend to feel like a kid reading it. The book is current (which of course is a concern these days) and fact-filled painting potentials and myths like a pendulum working its way down. The material is deep enough that you’ll be consumed with life cycles of the sun, the coral reefs, flares, alien invasion scenarios, diseases and contagions, trends in space (and on Earth) and that’s just for starters. You might even finds yourself saying (like I did)…yunno I WAS having a good day, but now….there is just TOO much going on!

You have to hand it to Penguin and Plume Books for taking death, doom, and destruction and giving it a lightened approach. Much like saying to your kids…”spiders wont hurt ya, but if you happen to get bit by a black widow you could die”, sort of feeling.

Being a collector of doom reads, I find this one of the better ways of presenting it all AND, you can flip thru pretty easily to a few “must know” facts to scare your in laws. Such as: “yunno a solar flare takes 8 minutes to reach us and kill our entire way of life?”…that kind of small talk. How bout, “if you don’t start to recycle more, say goodbye to fish and chips!”. Well if the solar flare chat doesn’t get them, maybe the fish talk will.

I found it to be pretty thorough while managing to do it often with a humorous flair. The end of the book features subjects like: “what to wear”, “what doom might happen”, “what to tell your children”……well you get the gist.

What can I say, authors Steven Appleby and Art Lester know their stuff. They tend to read alot as well to keep all the facts straight and worthy of publishing. If you’re like me, and simply lack the time to RSS feed every science disaster coming over the Internet, then a volume like this is your time saving solution!

Ok, so now that you’ve read our review…you have to pick one of these books up (even if not for yourself, for the in law prepper with a upcoming birthday).

Book Review: The Coffee Table Book of Doom – Authors Steven Appleby | Art Lester