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I'm sharing some of the books, films, and TV shows that inspired Rule of Extinction, both to provide recommendations and to give readers a sense of what to expect. The Book of Koli (and its sequels) by M.R. Carey was another inspiration for Rule of Extinction. One of my goals was to create a rich world with intricate layers of sci-fi elements while keeping a tight focus on a handful of compelling characters. Few books do that as well as the RAMPART Trilogy.  The Book of Koli is a post-apocalyptic adventure about a man named Koli who lives in a small, isolated village on the British Isles in the *very* distant future. Genetic engineering has caused Earth's flora and fauna to evolve into new deadly forms. "Everything that lives hates us."  Humanity has reverted to pre-industrial levels of technology. A few pieces of technology remain, some of which are advanced far beyond our current technology. Those that are able to use this tech are called "Ramparts" and they hold an elevated place in their social hierarchy.
I listened to all three books on audiobook. The narration by Theo Solomon (plus Saffron Coomber and Hanako Footman in books 2 and 3) is absolutely wonderful.  My new trilogy is quite different from the Rampart trilogy... But it's similar in that I tried to create a world with rich and intricate sci-fi elements that grow increasingly epic with each book, while keeping the focus on the personal stories of the characters.
If I was able to deliver an experience half as compelling as Mike Carey, then I've done something mighty... because the Koli books are *that* good. And they aren't nearly as well known as they should be. Please check them out! And if you like the Rampart trilogy and want to read another post-apocalyptic sci-fi adventure, please check out Rule of Extinction. Preorder - - - - - Read Reviews - - - - - Request an ARC
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I'm sharing some of the books, films, and TV shows that inspired Rule of Extinction, both to provide recommendations and to give readers a sense of what to expect.
Run succeeds (imo) because at its core, the focus is on a father trying to protect his family. In Rule of Extinction, a comet is about to end civilzation.Mysterious pods arrive that carry people away. The opening chapters follow a father desperate to get his family into one of those pods.  Run moves at breakneck speed. Its tone is dark and gritty. It’s a hell of a thrill ride. Though Rule of Extinction features a wholly different scenario, its tone and pace owe a debt to Run. Run (and Pines) were such an influence that I hired Crouch's editor, Jacquelyn Ben-Zekry, to help me polish Rule of Extinction.
If you're interested in a dark break-neck apocalyptic thriller, then hurry up and grab a copy of Run. (The audiobook of the 2024 reissue is narrated by Scott Brick.)  And if you’re interested in another fast-paced apocalyptic adventure about a father trying to save his family, check out RULE OF EXTINCTION. Preorder - - - - - Read Reviews - - - - - Request an ARC
I'm sharing some of the books, films, and TV shows that inspired Rule of Extinction, both to provide recommendations and to give readers a sense of what to expect. Another inspiration for my new book Rule of Extinction is the movie Jaws, which turns 50 in 2025. Last summer, I visited the filming locations for Jaws during the 50th anniversary of the production. I visited the Jaws bridge, which the shark swam under to reach "the pond." I might have even jumped off it, despite the signs telling me not to...
I swam at the beach where Alex Kintner rafted, and replicated his final moments in the exact same spot where they occured in the film.  I visited the benches where the billboard was vandalized.
I stopped off at the location of Quint's shack, which was torn down immediately after the production.  I visited Amity National Bank, the ferry, the police department, and Vaughn Realty At the Amity Town Hall, I walked down the Amity Town Hall hall to sit at the curved desk and ponder closing the beaches. I have watched Jaws on the big screen every few years and the experience is so wonderful that I no longer bother watching at home. It’s absolutely thrilling in a crowded auditorium with the Atlantic Ocean filling your field of view and John Williams’ score enveloping you.
Although they are quite different in terms of scope, tone, and plot, Rule of Extinction and Jaws share three common elements: 1. A rousing sense of adventure.  2. A cast of memorable characters from a variety of backgrounds.  3. And most of all, they both tap into the primal fear of being eaten alive.  Happy 50th Anniversary to JAWS! Watch your cinema listings for revival screenings this summer. You’ll have a blast.  Finally, if you’re looking for a mix of adventure and monster horror to read in the meantime, check out Rule of Extinction. Preorder - - - - - Read Reviews - - - - - Request an ARC
I'm sharing some of the books, films, and TV shows that inspired Rule of Extinction, both to provide recommendations and to give readers a sense of what to expect. Jurassic Park and The Lost World are two more inspirations for my new book, Rule of Extinction. Monster stories resonate because we have a primal fear deep in the back of our minds about being eaten (or stomped, slashed, and gored).
Dinosaurs are some of the best monsters. They're unlike anything we've ever seen, yet they’re real. They existed. One thing that makes the JP franchise so effective is that the theme park scenario puts regular everyday people face-to-face with these monsters.
My first book, The Dinosaur Four, included many of the same dinos as the JP franchise, though I depict them as vicious, feral animals, while the films tend to depict them majestically. In The Dinosaur Four, the "veggie-sauruses" are every bit as dangerous as the carnivores. It's the best R-rated B-movie time-travel dinosaur thriller you'll read all week.  Rule of Extinction is bigger and better than The Dinosaur Four. Rest assured: even though Rule of Extinction is a post-apocalyptic first-contact story, it's also monster horror. There are plenty of dangerous creatures that want to eat, stomp, slash, or gore anyone who gets in their way. And they do. If you haven't read (or watched) Jurassic Park and The Lost World in a while, maybe it's time to revisit them. (Click the book covers above for links.) I'm sharing some of the books, films, and TV shows that inspired Rule of Extinction, both to provide recommendations and to give readers a sense of what to expect. Bird Box by Josh Malerman was another inspiration for my new book, Rule of Extinction. I love post-apocalyptic fiction. And although zombies and plagues make for great set-ups, I'm particularly fond of stories with a unique spin on the apocalypse. Bird Box delivers. In Bird Box (and its great follow-up Malorie), most of humanity has been wiped out by something that turns people homicidal if they see it. Horrific violence can occur at any moment.
As a result, the characters spend much of their time blindfolded. The tension is palpable. The survivors are thrust into a group where they aren't sure who they can trust, which only adds to the pervasive sense of dread. The story centers around parent will stop at nothing to protect her children. Bird Box and Malorie are available at Amazon:
Susanne Bier adapted Bird Box into a terrific film. However, I really recommend the audiobooks. Cassandra Campbell's narration is fantastic.  Although Rule of Extinction is quite different, with a completely different post-apocalyptic scenario, I attempted to replicate the page-turning tension & the horrific sense that anything could happen.
One protagonist is also a devoted parent, fighting to keep his children safe in a world filled with monsters, both human and otherwise. I'm sharing some of the books, films, and TV shows that inspired Rule of Extinction, both to provide recommendations and to give readers a sense of what to expect.
The Mist was a huge inspiration for my first book, The Dinosaur Four, and aspects of The Mist influenced Rule of Extinction. Much of The Mist takes place in a supermarket, a location that's immediately relatable. I set The Dinosaur Four in a cafe for just that reason. In The Mist, as with so many great horror stories, the other people are just as dangerous as the monsters. A religious fanatic convinces the crowd that end times have come and demands a blood sacrifice. Rule of Extinction features a similar subplot, and it pushes the book's antagonist over the edge.
Frank Darabont’s film adaptation makes an unforgettable change that kicks you in the guts. My favorite version is a dramatized audio adaptation. I listened to that sucker endlessly as a kid.
I'm sharing some of the books, films, and TV shows that inspired Rule of Extinction, both to provide recommendations and to give readers a sense of what to expect. The Road by Cormac McCarthy is a bleak survival story about a father and son scavenging their way through a world left barren by an unspecified apocalypse. McCarthy shines a light on the worst elements of humanity... but also highlights the love of a parent and the need for perserverance in the face of oppressive challenges John Hillcoat directed a film adaptation in 2009 staring Viggo Mortensen. I loved The Road's fiercely grim tone. It made the father’s dogged perseverance all the more heroic.
Rule of Extinction also features a father trying to keep his family safe in desperate times. It isn't as bleak (or eloquent) as The Road, but it goes to some dark places. The Road is both bleak and beautifully haunting. Highly recommended! I'm sharing some of the books, films, and TV shows that inspired Rule of Extinction, both to provide recommendations and to give readers a sense of what to expect.
Wool (Silo book 1) is post-apocalyptic sci-fi mystery about people living in an immense underground silo after the surface of the Earth has become uninhabitable. Howey deftly hands off the narrative from one set of characters to another, while maintaining a cohesive experience and introducing new mysteries as old ones are solved. This episodic storytelling made the books tough to put down, and these elements made the Silo saga perfect for a TV adaptation. Season 1 of the AppleTV+ adaptation was fantastic. Season 2 begins Friday, November 15. All-in-all, the Silo saga does a terrific job of balancing the personal stories of its characters with the epic nature of the larger post-apocalyptic mysteries.
Though my book is very different, I kept these aspects of Howey's storytelling in mind as I wrote Rule of Extinction. As a self-published author, Howey also inspired me professionally. I hired my own editor, cover artist, & narrator. The Silo saga is a compelling character-driven post-apocalyptic adventure. Please check it out! The Silo saga at Amazon And if you are looking for more post-apocalyptic science fiction, please give Rule of Extinction a look. Preorder Rule of Extinction at Amazon Download a Rule of Extinction ARC at NetGalley I'm sharing some of the books, films, and TV shows that inspired Rule of Extinction, both to provide recommendations and to give readers a sense of what to expect. Blake Crouch's Wayward Pines trilogy was one of the earliest inspirations for Rule of Extinction. Initially, Wayward Pines appears to be a traditional thriller about a Secret Service agent investigating a missing persons case in an idyllic Idaho town. The story spirals into horror when Agent Ethan Burke encounters homicidal townspeople. As things progress, Crouch peels away the layers of the onion to reveal something much, much larger going on. It's difficult to say more about Wayward Pines without spoiling the surprises. Crouch has talked about how Wayward Pines was inspired by Twin Peaks, but to me, it also felt like a mix of two older TV shows: The Fugitive and The Twilight Zone. I was hooked from the start, and felt like I'd discovered a new Stephen King. I loved the way Wayward Pines tells an increasingly-epic story while keeping the emotional focus on the characters. I also loved the dark tone, constant tension, and the pervasive sense that anything could happen. Wayward Pines combines the right mix of science fiction and horror for my taste. All of these aspects were in the back of my mind as I wrote Rule of Extinction (and its sequels). Wayward Pines was also part of the now-defunct Kindle Worlds program, which allowed other authors to publish stories within the world of a particular intellectual property. I thought this was a great idea and developed a scenario that would work well with the program. Although Kindle Worlds was discontinued in 2018, the exercise strengthened my world-building. The Wayward Pines trilogy is the perfect blend of suspense, mystery, science fiction, and horror. Highly recommended!  I've done a lousy job with this blog, but I'm making good progress with my writing. Here's the skinny on my next project:
I'm writing a post-apocalyptic sci-fi trilogy about a small group of people who survive the end of the world. It's similar to THE DINOSAUR FOUR in a number of ways: Most of the characters are everyday people, there are some big mysteries to solve (How did this happen? How do we get out of this mess?), some nasty human villains cause trouble along the way, and of course there are lots of monster attacks. It's different from TD4 in that it's much larger in scope. There's a huge cast of characters and the mysteries are much bigger. There are also many more science fiction elements, though it's still a "light sci-fi adventure/thriller" rather than "hard science fiction." Book 1 is essentially finished. It's been through a thousand revisions based on feedback from my critique groups and beta readers. I'm still making tweaks here and there, but it's in good shape and I'm pleased with it. At 109k words, it's longer than TD4, which was about 78k words. I'm currently working on Book 2. One of my critique groups has read through the first two acts and while they have provided some great feedback, the reception has been positive. The final act has given me some trouble, but I think I've nailed it in the past few days. It's currently around 92k words, though that will likely fluctuate. I have an outline, notes, and a few rough chapters written for book 3. I want book 3 to be in solid shape before I publish book 1, for a couple of reasons. For one thing, I've gone back and made changes in Book 1 to solve problems in Book 2, and I want the flexibility to do that for Book 3. This is really one big story, not a series. I also want readers to feel safe buying Book 1, knowing that I won't leave them hanging. You won't find any concrete projections here, but I'm hoping to get Book 3 into decent shape before we get too far into 2021. Fingers crossed. There are times when I feel like I've bitten off more than I can chew, but it's going to be worth it. This is shaping up to be an epic ride! |
AuthorGeoff Jones is the author of the sci-fi thriller Archives
December 2024
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