What Fictional Pandemics Can Teach Us About Real-World Survival
We've been telling stories about pandemics for a very long time. From an eighth century BCE poem about a Babylonian plague god to the Old Testament's ten plagues of Egypt to, well, the AMC megahit zombie show The Walking Dead, now in its tenth season.
Long ago, we understood mass outbreaks as divine punishment for human transgressions — but our stories about disease have changed over time. Although still fantastic, modern combined science fiction and horror with a techno-thriller focus on the rise of artificial intelligence and white nationalism in the aftermath of a pandemic. Author Chuck Wendig explains the appeal of writing a story where entire populations get sick and die: "Bringing these things into a book is like, you know, an ancient summoning. Summoning a demon into a summoning circle. Because that's how you fight it."
