Without Warning (Birmingham novel)
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| Author | John Birmingham |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Series | Disappearance Series |
| Genre | Alternate history, Techno-thriller novel |
| Publisher | Pan MacMillan |
Publication date | September 2008 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| ISBN | 978-0-345-50289-6 |
| Followed by | After America |
Without Warning is an alternate history novel written by the Australian author John Birmingham.[1] It was released in Australia in September 2008 and in the United States and the United Kingdom in February 2009.[2] It is the first book in a new stand-alone universe. The novels After America and Angels of Vengeance continue the story.[3]
Plot[]
On the eve of the Iraq War, March 14, 2003, the majority of the population of the contiguous United States (along with the bulk of the populations of Canada, Mexico, and Cuba) disappears as the result of a large energy field that later comes to be known as "The Wave". Without Warning deals with the international consequences of the disappearance of the world's last superpower on the eve of war.
Development[]
Birmingham said he was inspired to write the novel after hearing someone during a student demonstration at the University of Queensland say the world would be a better place if the United States disappeared.[2]
References to other works[]
Without Warning contains a large number of references to popular culture. Birmingham, the author, said that he did this as a nod to American novelist Stephen King:
When I was a kid and started reading big, fat books, the thing that struck me about his novels, so different to the dull, dull things they made us read at school, was they were full of real world references.[2]
Reception[]
Literary significance[]
Jim Hopper of the San Diego Union-Tribune said Without Warning is an example of "'mainstream' genres (thrillers particularly) [that] incorporate some SFnal elements pretty often as greater or lesser plot element."[4]
References[]
- ^ "Fantastic Fiction.com: Without Warning by John Birmingham". www.fantasticfiction.com.
- ^ a b c Blundell, Graeme (2008-10-18). "On lowbrow street". The Australian. Retrieved 10 November 2008.
- ^ "MCC-Longview 2008 Literary Festival". Metropolitan Community College. 2008. Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 19 November 2008.
- ^ Moench, David (22 April 2009). "The Future of Newspapers and Book Coverage: A Book Reviewer Roundtable". Unbound Worlds. Penguin Random House. Retrieved 2009-04-27.
External links[]
- Without Warning title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- Review in The Independent Weekly
- Without Warning review on SF Site
- Without Warning on Google Books
- Without Warning review on the American Spectator
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- 2008 Australian novels
- 2008 science fiction novels
- Australian alternative history novels
- Macmillan Publishers books
- Fiction set in 2003
- 2000s science fiction novel stubs
- 2000s historical novel stubs
- Alternate history novel stubs
- 2000s speculative fiction novel stubs