What to read this weekend: A brief history of humankind's many apocalypses

Engadget - May 17th, 2025

Science journalist Lizzie Wade's new book, 'Apocalypse: How Catastrophe Transformed Our World and Can Forge New Futures,' delves into humanity's history of survival amidst catastrophic events. From the extinction of Neanderthals to modern crises, Wade presents a narrative that highlights both destruction and resilience, offering insights into how past apocalypses shape current realities. Her work is not solely a tale of doom, but also a testament to human endurance and adaptability.

Meanwhile, the mini-series 'Behemoth' by Grant Sputore, Ryan Engle, and Jay Martin, offers a gripping narrative of survival from within a kaiju monster. The series, which recently concluded, explores the harrowing experience of individuals trapped inside a monster during an attack on New York City. Both the book and the series present unique narratives on survival, one through historical analysis and the other through the lens of speculative fiction, resonating with themes of resilience and human spirit.

Resilience Survival Behemoth Lizzie Wade Apocalypse Grant Sputore Ryan Engle Jay Martin Kaiju

Story submitted by Fairstory

RATING

6.8

Fair Story

Consider it well-founded

The article offers an engaging and clear overview of two recently released works, a book and a mini-series, with a focus on their thematic content. It accurately captures the essence of Lizzie Wade's "Apocalypse" and provides a vivid description of the mini-series "Behemoth." While the article is well-written and accessible, it lacks explicit sourcing and transparency, which affects its credibility. The absence of diverse perspectives and detailed sourcing limits its overall balance and source quality. Despite these shortcomings, the article successfully piques reader interest in the featured works, though its impact on broader public discourse is limited. Enhancing transparency and including a wider range of perspectives could improve the article's overall quality and reliability.

Accuracy

The article accurately describes the main themes and content of Lizzie Wade's book "Apocalypse: How Catastrophe Transformed Our World and Can Forge New Futures." It correctly identifies the book's focus on historical catastrophes and human resilience. The claim that the book uses an archaeological lens is supported by external sources, which describe the book as incorporating archaeological insights to explore past events. However, the mention of the demise of the Neanderthals is not specifically supported by the sources, indicating a slight lack of precision in detailing the book's content. The pricing information for the book is not verified, which slightly affects the precision of the article.

Balance

The article presents a balanced view of the two featured works, offering both positive insights and a critique. For "Apocalypse," it highlights the book's dual focus on catastrophe and resilience, providing a nuanced perspective. In discussing "Behemoth," the article notes the engaging nature of the series while expressing a desire for it to be longer, which adds a balanced critique. However, the article could benefit from including more perspectives, such as potential criticisms of the book or series from other reviewers, to provide a more comprehensive view.

Clarity

The article is written in a clear and engaging manner, with a logical flow that makes it easy to follow. The language is accessible, and the descriptions of the book and mini-series are vivid and concise, helping readers quickly grasp the main points. The tone is neutral and informative, which aids in comprehension. However, the article could benefit from clearer differentiation between factual descriptions and subjective opinions to enhance clarity further.

Source quality

The article lacks explicit sourcing or attribution for its claims, relying instead on the author's descriptions and opinions. While the details about "Apocalypse" align with known information about the book, the absence of cited sources reduces the credibility of the information presented. The article would benefit from referencing reviews or expert opinions to enhance its reliability and provide readers with authoritative insights into the works discussed.

Transparency

The article does not disclose the basis for its claims or any potential conflicts of interest. It lacks transparency in terms of how the evaluations of the book and mini-series were reached, whether through personal reading, reviews, or other means. Greater transparency about the methodology or sources used to form these opinions would enhance the article's credibility and help readers understand the context of the evaluations.