January, February, March April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December | |
Author | Daniel Ehrenhaft |
---|---|
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Genre | Teen fiction Science fiction Supernatural fiction |
Publisher | Simon Pulse |
Media type |
Countdown is a young adult novel series by Daniel Ehrenhaft under the pen name Daniel Parker. [1] Set in a post-apocalyptic world, the series chronicles the year 1999 in short novels which represent individual months of the year. The series begins with January and follows the lives of its main characters through December.
Daniel Parker is generally believed to be the pseudonym of young-adult fiction writer Daniel Parker Ehrenhaft (to whom the books are jointly copy-written). Ehrenhaft is the author of numerous other young-adult books including The Wessex Papers (2003) under the pseudonym Daniel Parker and The Last Dog on Earth (2005) under the name Daniel Ehrenhaft among other titles. According to Ehrenhaft's website , the author currently lives in Brooklyn, New York with his wife, Jessica.
As the new year dawns, a reported "massive solar flare" causes power failures all over the globe and adults and children everywhere to melt into piles of "black goo." Only young adults are spared, among them a quartet of drunken high school kids in suburban Seattle, two teens whose fake IDs have gained them entry to a New York City nightclub, a cocky young doctor in a Texas hospital, a pair of tough-talking inmates in a Pittsburgh jail, and Sarah and Joshua Levy who desperately search the ancient scroll of their granduncle Elijah for clues to the apocalyptic event.
New Year's Day 1999 brings a strange solar flare, widescale power outages, and the death of everyone on Earth over twenty years old, leaving desperate teenagers to face the awakened Demon called Lilith.
One month into the new year, teenagers are left to fend for themselves as they realize that they not only need to out-live a plague, but each other as well.
After everyone on Earth over twenty dies, the awakened Demon called Lilith continues to spread her influence, while the teenagers chosen to stop her hope to unleash the power of an ancient encoded scroll.
In a world where turning twenty-one seems to mean certain death by a horrible Plague, the forces of the Demon Lilith and the Visionaries who believe in the Chosen One continue to be drawn west toward a final confrontation.
As the Demon Lilith continues to grow in strength, some of the world's teenage survivors worry about finding a cure for the plague that has killed all the adults, while others try to party themselves to death.
Left in a world with no adults, the teens subscribe to the notion that love will save them. They find out that they are wrong.
Is there a cure for the plague? Some think so and as Lilith grows in power they search for the cure.
Servants of Lilith fight against "The Visionaries" who attempt to decode an ancient scroll to stop her power.
The protagonists attempt to keep the power of the scroll from the demon Lilith—will they be successful?
As the demon wields ultimate power, one girl tries to save the world through the sacrifice of her own life—is it all in vain?
The demon has been destroyed... or has she? The Countdown is still on as the teens fight their way towards the end.
What will the future hold? Has the Countdown been stopped? Has the demon been destroyed? Only the final battle will decide.
While the series has amassed a large young-adult following, professional criticism of the book surrounded underdeveloped characters and the author's use of "crass" plot lines. [2]
The series draws heavily upon common literary tropes and characters found in both religious texts and popular fiction, including the apocalyptic concept and the introduction of demonic forces.
The Book of Daniel is a biblical apocalypse authored during the 2nd century BC, and set during the 6th century BC. The work describes "the activities and visions of Daniel, a noble Jew exiled at Babylon"; in doing so, it interpolates a portrayal of a historical prophecy being fulfilled with a prediction of future cosmic and political upheaval. This eschatology ultimately affirms that the God of Israel's previous deliverance of Daniel from his enemies prefigures his future deliverance of the people of Israel from their present oppression.
Lilith, also spelled Lilit, Lilitu, or Lilis, is a feminine figure in Mesopotamian and Jewish mythology, theorized to be the first wife of Adam and a primordial she-demon. Lilith is cited as having been "banished" from the Garden of Eden for not complying with and obeying Adam.
Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction is a subgenre of science fiction in which the Earth's civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; astronomical, such as an impact event; destructive, such as nuclear holocaust or resource depletion; medical, such as a pandemic, whether natural or human-caused; end time, such as the Last Judgment, Second Coming or Ragnarök; or any other scenario in which the outcome is apocalyptic, such as a zombie apocalypse, cybernetic revolt, technological singularity, dysgenics or alien invasion.
In Mesopotamian mythology, Lamashtu was a female demon/monster/malevolent goddess or demigoddess who menaced women during childbirth and, if possible, kidnapped their children while they were breastfeeding. She would gnaw on their bones and suck their blood, and was charged with a number of other evil deeds. She was a daughter of the Sky God Anu.
The Girl Who Owned a City is the only published novel by O. T. Nelson, first published in 1975. This book, sometimes taught in schools, is considered to be best suited for those between the ages of 12 and 15. A graphic novel adaptation by Dan Jolley with art by Joëlle Jones and Jenn Manley Lee was published in 2012.
Houston, Houston, Do You Read? is a novella by James Tiptree Jr.. It won a Nebula Award for Best Novella and a Hugo Award for Best Novella in 1977.
Vampirella is a vampire superheroine created by Forrest J Ackerman and comic book artist Trina Robbins in Warren Publishing's black-and-white horror comics magazine Vampirella #1, a sister publication of Creepy and Eerie.
Linda Danvers, also known as Supergirl, is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Peter David and artist Gary Frank, she debuted in Supergirl #1. She is not to be confused with Linda Lee Danvers, the secret identity used by the Kara Zor-El incarnation of Supergirl prior to the events of 1985's Crisis on Infinite Earths.
Lilith is the name of two fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first version is the daughter of Dracula. The second version is a demon.
"Demon with a Glass Hand" is an episode of the American television series The Outer Limits, the second to be based on a script by Harlan Ellison, which Ellison wrote specifically with actor Robert Culp in mind for the lead role. It originally aired on October 17, 1964, and was the fifth episode of the second season. In 2009, TV Guide ranked "Demon with a Glass Hand" #73 on its list of the 100 Greatest Episodes.
Corona is the name of the fantasy world in which R.A. Salvatore's The DemonWars Saga, The Highwayman and The Coven series are all set.
Princess Ninja Scroll Tenka Musō is a 2-volume shōnen manga by Akane Sasaki. The first volume was released on September 1, 2005, and the second was released on December 28 of the same year.
Christopher D. Evans is a British science fiction writer and children's author. His novels include Capella's Golden Eyes (1980); The Insider (1981); Mortal Remains (1995); and Ice Tower (2000). He is the co-editor of three original SF anthologies, Other Edens (1987); Other Edens II (1988); and Other Edens III (1989).
Drawing a Blank, or How I Tried to Solve a Mystery, End a Feud, and Land the Girl of my Dreams is a 2006 young adult novel set in the United States and Scotland, featuring a 17-year-old comic book fan as the protagonist. It was written by Daniel Ehrenhaft and illustrated by Trevor Ristow.
Daniel 7 tells of Daniel's vision of four world-kingdoms replaced by the kingdom of the saints or "holy ones" of the Most High, which will endure for ever. Four beasts come out of the sea, the Ancient of Days sits in judgment over them, and "one like a son of man" is given eternal kingship. An angelic guide interprets the beasts as kingdoms and kings, the last of whom will make war on the "holy ones" of God, but they will be destroyed and the "holy ones" will be given eternal dominion and power.
Superboy is a superhero that appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Jerry Siegel and Don Cameron and is based on the character of Superman that Siegel co-created with Joe Shuster. Superboy first appeared in the comic book More Fun Comics #101 in 1945.
The Last Dog on Earth is a 2003 young adult novel written by Daniel Ehrenhaft. It follows Logan, a lonely 14-year-old boy who adopts a dog from an animal shelter and names her Jack. The pair's relationship is soon threatened by an incurable prion disease spreading across the nation. Infected dogs become unnaturally violent and bloodthirsty, culminating in the deaths of several people. As public fear heightens and the government intervenes to control the outbreak, Logan struggles to reform his life and remain with Jack.
The Scorch Trials is a 2010 young adult post-apocalyptic dystopian science fiction novel written by American author James Dashner and the second book, fourth chronologically, in The Maze Runner series. The novel was published on 18 September 2010 by Delacorte Press. It follows The Maze Runner, and is followed by The Death Cure. A film adaptation was released on 18 September 2015 by 20th Century Fox.
Lilith, a biblical character suggested to be Adam's first wife and a significant female figure from Jewish mythology, has been developed over time into distinct characters in popular culture. One writer on witches, Judika Illes, wrote, "No spirit exerts more fascination over media and popular culture than Lilith. Her appearances are genuinely too numerous to count." Lilith is one of several figures with biblical or related origins integrated into popular culture who have been titled demon.
The New Legends of Monkey is a fantasy adventure television series inspired by Monkey, a Japanese production from the 1970s and 1980s which garnered a cult following in New Zealand, Australia, the UK and South Africa. The Japanese production was based on the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West. This new series is an international co-production between the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, New Zealand's TVNZ and Netflix.