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!
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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. 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! |
AuthorGeoff Jones is the author of the sci-fi thriller Archives
January 2025
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