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A Short History of the Apocalypse
A Short History of the Apocalypse imagines a grotesque and bizzarre future where society has collapsed and it is everyone for themselves. Well, maybe not so bizarre then . . . Covering subjects from gangs and government to bunkers and cannibalism, A Short History of the Apocalypse is a journey into our impending and doomed future.
Guided by Alonso Lamp, a traveller in time, who has returned from the late 21st Century to impart to our cursed age his hard-earned wisdom and survival tips to give us some future perspective, Frankie Boyle and Charlie Skelton's sketching of the end times is full of dark humour and the macabre.
Featuring exclusive illustrations by legendary comic book artist Frank Quitely, A Short History of the Apocalypse is your guide to overcoming this hellscape.
Guided by Alonso Lamp, a traveller in time, who has returned from the late 21st Century to impart to our cursed age his hard-earned wisdom and survival tips to give us some future perspective, Frankie Boyle and Charlie Skelton's sketching of the end times is full of dark humour and the macabre.
Featuring exclusive illustrations by legendary comic book artist Frank Quitely, A Short History of the Apocalypse is your guide to overcoming this hellscape.
540 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 7, 2024
82 people are currently reading
239 people want to read
About the author
Frankie Boyle
30 books242 followersFrancis Martin Patrick "Frankie" Boyle is a Scottish comedian and writer, well known for his pessimistic, often controversial sense of humour. He was a permanent panellist on Mock the Week for seven series and has made guest appearances on several popular panel shows including Have I Got News for You, 8 Out of 10 Cats, Would I Lie to You?, You Have Been Watching, Never Mind the Buzzcocks (as guest host and team captain when Phill Jupitus was unavailable for recording), and Argumental, as well as writing for Jimmy Carr's Distraction and Sean Lock's TV Heaven, Telly Hell.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
January 18, 2025
Frankie Boyle's* style of occasionally offensive, nihilistic and cutting satire seemed the perfect fit for a fictional book about the apocalypse, especially as his comedy has developed and matured. Here's a comedian who had a Guardian column for several years and who currently hosts his own topical news show on the BBC. That whip sharp satirical tongue is now aimed, more often than not, at politicians, nation states and corporations. He can be incredibly insightful whilst also being very funny. He also wrote another book of fiction in 2022 and so all the ingredients were there for a hilarious, yet imminently plausible and astute historical journey into a fictional apocalypse.
And yet despite all that, A Short History of the Apocalypse is a bit shit. What's more, it's not even all that funny.
The very loose narrative that holds this ponderously tedious tome together, is that Frankie and his co-author Charlie meet a time traveller from the future and decide to write a book about his life in the post apocalypse. Like everything else in the book, the reasons why the time traveller is talking to Frankie and Charlie, and wants them to record his recollections, don't really matter. This is a book that takes irreverence to a whole new level.
So if like me you were hoping for the kind of political and social satire that Boyle has proved he is capable of producing in his guardian columns, and in his political writing, you're shit out of luck. Same if you were hoping for some of that dark, often nihilistic humour to bring a plausible and terrifying, yet bleakly funny apocalytic scenario to life. There's nothing plausible about the events in this book, and it doesn't work as a faux history, or as a compelling narrative.
I wanted World War Z meets Mad Max with jokes, but ASHotA isn't that. What it actually is, is a series of short absurdists 'comedy scenarios' masquerading as chapters, that almost always end in, or are largely about some kind of extreme sex act*. I'm not even exaggerating, and it's even quite funny the first few times, but this is a long book and that shit gets tired quickly. It's like Frankie wrote a comedy show with the theme 'post apocalypse', and each chapter is a fairly long and incoherent joke. And incoherent it is, because for a supposed history it's not very well structured, with most of the chapters, despite being grouped into certain events or places, being about something completely random and pointless.
Other than a brief attempt at the start of the book to explain how the apocalypse started, it's also not very linear, structurally speaking, as that might have required effort and planning on the author's part. There's also no real narrative thread to keep you invested, and time traveller Alonso isn't much of a character either. Just to draw things out further the book continually cuts away from the apocalypse to spend time in the present with the authors and Alonso, as they eat at various restaurants. I genuinely don't know why, and if it was meant as a joke then I didn't get it.
So, this post apocalyptic history book is a mess; it's also highly repetitive, dumb, puerile, unfunny, rather dull, extremely shallow and basically completely pointless. It is also a massively disappointing read (or listen in my case*), as I think Boyle is a lot smarter and a hell of a lot funnier than this book implies.
*I don't know much about the co-author but the tone and style remain pretty consistent throughout the book (unfortunately), so much so that I don't feel that bad about focusing on FB; but just to add, they're both to blame for this.
*One off the top of my head is these sexually aggressive, cannibal mutant Richard Branson Clones being abandoned by the original Branson, hunting Branson down to devour him, and then the chapter ends with Branson being eaten alive from the inside out as he makes out with one of said clones. If that sounds good to you, then maybe you'll love the book because it's pretty much that kind of thing throughout.
*Nothing wrong with Boyle's narration, just the stuff he's reading.
And yet despite all that, A Short History of the Apocalypse is a bit shit. What's more, it's not even all that funny.
The very loose narrative that holds this ponderously tedious tome together, is that Frankie and his co-author Charlie meet a time traveller from the future and decide to write a book about his life in the post apocalypse. Like everything else in the book, the reasons why the time traveller is talking to Frankie and Charlie, and wants them to record his recollections, don't really matter. This is a book that takes irreverence to a whole new level.
So if like me you were hoping for the kind of political and social satire that Boyle has proved he is capable of producing in his guardian columns, and in his political writing, you're shit out of luck. Same if you were hoping for some of that dark, often nihilistic humour to bring a plausible and terrifying, yet bleakly funny apocalytic scenario to life. There's nothing plausible about the events in this book, and it doesn't work as a faux history, or as a compelling narrative.
I wanted World War Z meets Mad Max with jokes, but ASHotA isn't that. What it actually is, is a series of short absurdists 'comedy scenarios' masquerading as chapters, that almost always end in, or are largely about some kind of extreme sex act*. I'm not even exaggerating, and it's even quite funny the first few times, but this is a long book and that shit gets tired quickly. It's like Frankie wrote a comedy show with the theme 'post apocalypse', and each chapter is a fairly long and incoherent joke. And incoherent it is, because for a supposed history it's not very well structured, with most of the chapters, despite being grouped into certain events or places, being about something completely random and pointless.
Other than a brief attempt at the start of the book to explain how the apocalypse started, it's also not very linear, structurally speaking, as that might have required effort and planning on the author's part. There's also no real narrative thread to keep you invested, and time traveller Alonso isn't much of a character either. Just to draw things out further the book continually cuts away from the apocalypse to spend time in the present with the authors and Alonso, as they eat at various restaurants. I genuinely don't know why, and if it was meant as a joke then I didn't get it.
So, this post apocalyptic history book is a mess; it's also highly repetitive, dumb, puerile, unfunny, rather dull, extremely shallow and basically completely pointless. It is also a massively disappointing read (or listen in my case*), as I think Boyle is a lot smarter and a hell of a lot funnier than this book implies.
*I don't know much about the co-author but the tone and style remain pretty consistent throughout the book (unfortunately), so much so that I don't feel that bad about focusing on FB; but just to add, they're both to blame for this.
*One off the top of my head is these sexually aggressive, cannibal mutant Richard Branson Clones being abandoned by the original Branson, hunting Branson down to devour him, and then the chapter ends with Branson being eaten alive from the inside out as he makes out with one of said clones. If that sounds good to you, then maybe you'll love the book because it's pretty much that kind of thing throughout.
*Nothing wrong with Boyle's narration, just the stuff he's reading.
November 26, 2024
I was really looking forward to this book and even preordered. I love tales about the apocalypse. But I didn’t like the heavy narrative style. I do think it was overwritten and waffley. Sorry Frankie.
March 25, 2025
I don't quite know what to make of this
The idea is that Alonso, who has survived through the future apocalypse has come back through time, and is trying to warn the planet about the forthcoming disaster. His choice to give this knowledge, Charlie and Frankie.
For a start if Frankie's humour is not normally for you, avoid this book like one of the plague grounds that will pepper the earth soon. A lot of this feels like his earlier work, New World Order, or Prometheus.
While the book is split into sections, each section tends to follow a similar set up. Alonso stumbles into somewhere, there's lots of abusive sex, normally male on male, lots of suicide and murder, and then he moves on.
Parts of this has the sort of humour you would expect, there is a fair amount of wit and dark humour sprinkled around, married with quite a bit of social satire. It's fair to say Frankie is not a huge fan of multi-millionaires, or television executives, and he has great fun in spearing both. It's a surreal trip through the dark recesses of his mind, and it's not the most comfortable of places to be.
On the other hand, this could have been half the size and still had the same impact. It all feels very repetitive and samey. I found myself putting off picking it up, so laid it down for a couple of weeks. It's a massive book that could have easily benefitted from some pruning. I am willing to accept there may be something I am missing in here, I just do know what it was.
Scattered throughout are some beautiful line drawings from Frank Quitely, those I could have quite easily have taken more of.
The fairest assessment I think, is it's a mixed bag.
The idea is that Alonso, who has survived through the future apocalypse has come back through time, and is trying to warn the planet about the forthcoming disaster. His choice to give this knowledge, Charlie and Frankie.
For a start if Frankie's humour is not normally for you, avoid this book like one of the plague grounds that will pepper the earth soon. A lot of this feels like his earlier work, New World Order, or Prometheus.
While the book is split into sections, each section tends to follow a similar set up. Alonso stumbles into somewhere, there's lots of abusive sex, normally male on male, lots of suicide and murder, and then he moves on.
Parts of this has the sort of humour you would expect, there is a fair amount of wit and dark humour sprinkled around, married with quite a bit of social satire. It's fair to say Frankie is not a huge fan of multi-millionaires, or television executives, and he has great fun in spearing both. It's a surreal trip through the dark recesses of his mind, and it's not the most comfortable of places to be.
On the other hand, this could have been half the size and still had the same impact. It all feels very repetitive and samey. I found myself putting off picking it up, so laid it down for a couple of weeks. It's a massive book that could have easily benefitted from some pruning. I am willing to accept there may be something I am missing in here, I just do know what it was.
Scattered throughout are some beautiful line drawings from Frank Quitely, those I could have quite easily have taken more of.
The fairest assessment I think, is it's a mixed bag.
February 18, 2025
This book was hilarious... at first. I didnt finish because it felt like a fart joke on repeat, but it was fun for a bit.
August 21, 2025
Unreadable, pretentious and rambling. I gave up after 40 pages.
February 26, 2025
An irreverent and depraved work of genius. Boyle and Skelton's magnum opus is so dense with jokes and inventive wordplay that it's almost impossible to skim read a single line. Utterly bonkers from start to finish.
November 27, 2024
Tedious waffling without the decency to actually be funny at any point.
January 31, 2025
Terrible. Puerile and tedious. If you want to read about rape, sodomy, paedophilia, necrophilia, cannibalism and food then this is the book for you.
Not funny & best avoided.
Complete dross.
Not funny & best avoided.
Complete dross.
January 3, 2025
This wasn't what I expected. I struggled with the premise, and while it definitely had its moments, mostly I felt lost and confused. Not sure the book knows who it is.
February 15, 2025
I think I might have enjoyed Frankie Boyle and Charlie Skelton's A Short History of the Apocalypse if I were 13 years old. At that age, I might have appreciated the fact that around 75% of the jokes in the book are little more than descriptions of extreme sex acts, and a further 20% were descriptions of extreme violence. Unfortunately my tastes have matured a little since then, and I began to find this approach a little wearisome (particularly because there's 520 pages of it, quite unnecessarily).
The premise was relatively straightforward. Boyle and Skelton meet the eccentric Alonso, who claims to be a time traveller from a post-apocalyptic future. The trio make their way around a variety of west London eateries (descriptions of which take up about 100 pages without adding any real value), while Alonso regales them with stories of how the apocalypse unfolded. As noted, a considerable majority of these stories are little more than gratuitous descriptions of sex and/or violence. I could have overlooked that, despite my evident middle-aged prudishness, if these jokes had actually been funny, but the majority of them weren't. There were a few that did admittedly make me laugh, but they got somewhat drowned out by the quantity of less funny ideas. The whole book felt like Boyle and Skelton had come up with as many 'funny' ideas for post-apocalyptic scenarios that they could think of, but instead of whittling them down to just the better ideas and developing them properly, had opted to just share as many of them as possible. Quite an effort to make it to the end. 2/10
The premise was relatively straightforward. Boyle and Skelton meet the eccentric Alonso, who claims to be a time traveller from a post-apocalyptic future. The trio make their way around a variety of west London eateries (descriptions of which take up about 100 pages without adding any real value), while Alonso regales them with stories of how the apocalypse unfolded. As noted, a considerable majority of these stories are little more than gratuitous descriptions of sex and/or violence. I could have overlooked that, despite my evident middle-aged prudishness, if these jokes had actually been funny, but the majority of them weren't. There were a few that did admittedly make me laugh, but they got somewhat drowned out by the quantity of less funny ideas. The whole book felt like Boyle and Skelton had come up with as many 'funny' ideas for post-apocalyptic scenarios that they could think of, but instead of whittling them down to just the better ideas and developing them properly, had opted to just share as many of them as possible. Quite an effort to make it to the end. 2/10
January 26, 2025
Frankie Boyle doing what Frankie Boyle does.
If you took the framing device of Alonso out of the book, the “short history of the apocalypse” comes off like an extended version of one of his thoughts from New World Order.
Loved every second of this book because Frankie has this incredible way to push ideas and concepts to their extreme whilst balancing this with the mundanity of existence. He can discuss at length, and in extreme detail a questionable sex act whilst throwing in a reference to a meal that is being eaten that was purchased within a London-based establishment that is oddly specific.
Frankie covers a variety of different scenarios for what may happen in the coming apocalypse and many of these are extended thoughts he has mused on in the past when discussing the future as a topic on New World Order. This doesn’t detract from the enjoyment of some things sound familiar, because he delves into greater detail than a half-hour programme would normally allow him to during said muse.
A fantastic read that is further enhanced by Frank Quitely’s sketches of the apocalypse that feature many of these are deranged details Frankie delivers on the page.
Do recommend listening to it as an audiobook so that you can hear Frankie’s crisp timbers as he details the inevitable future and the many deaths of Sir Richard Branson.
If you took the framing device of Alonso out of the book, the “short history of the apocalypse” comes off like an extended version of one of his thoughts from New World Order.
Loved every second of this book because Frankie has this incredible way to push ideas and concepts to their extreme whilst balancing this with the mundanity of existence. He can discuss at length, and in extreme detail a questionable sex act whilst throwing in a reference to a meal that is being eaten that was purchased within a London-based establishment that is oddly specific.
Frankie covers a variety of different scenarios for what may happen in the coming apocalypse and many of these are extended thoughts he has mused on in the past when discussing the future as a topic on New World Order. This doesn’t detract from the enjoyment of some things sound familiar, because he delves into greater detail than a half-hour programme would normally allow him to during said muse.
A fantastic read that is further enhanced by Frank Quitely’s sketches of the apocalypse that feature many of these are deranged details Frankie delivers on the page.
Do recommend listening to it as an audiobook so that you can hear Frankie’s crisp timbers as he details the inevitable future and the many deaths of Sir Richard Branson.
July 19, 2025
This was very nearly a DNF for me. This was a painful one to sit through.
If you've ever listened to more than five minutes of Frankie Boyle's "comedy" then you've already read most of this book. The entire premise really just boiled down to how outrageous, vulgar, and offensive he could be. It doesn't work for comedy and it really doesn't work in a book.
Every line just seems to be a set up for the next "joke" about r*pe or some other form of sexual deviancy. I lost count of how many there were, but it got to the point where they just predictable and not even shocking anymore.
Frankie abandons any sense of intelligent writing in the name of achieving his brand of "comedy" and in doing so achieves neither. A painfully unfunny book that adds nothing to the world by being written.
If you've ever listened to more than five minutes of Frankie Boyle's "comedy" then you've already read most of this book. The entire premise really just boiled down to how outrageous, vulgar, and offensive he could be. It doesn't work for comedy and it really doesn't work in a book.
Every line just seems to be a set up for the next "joke" about r*pe or some other form of sexual deviancy. I lost count of how many there were, but it got to the point where they just predictable and not even shocking anymore.
Frankie abandons any sense of intelligent writing in the name of achieving his brand of "comedy" and in doing so achieves neither. A painfully unfunny book that adds nothing to the world by being written.
March 12, 2025
Reads like a very long monologue from New World Order. An entertaining enough read of you're a fan of Frankie Boyle's misanthropic style, but a bit too self masturbatory when it goes on this long. Because it reads like an extended monologue, much like family guy cutaways, it has a tendency to go on for a bit too long, which sometimes becomes funny again but not as much as you'd hope to be honest. I also get the distinct feeling that one of the authors may or may not have a dislike of the businessman Richard Branson, just a bunch though. As speculative function it is absurdly bleak and vulgar, but as a book it's rather meandering, like it wanted to be a Ulysses-esque play by play, but couldn't 100% commit. Worth it for a chuckle though.
August 2, 2025
This is such a strange book. it's basically a full length 500 plus page version of one of the "speeches" Frankie used to do at the end of his TV show. They were hilariously funny, inventive and scathing but it's obviously impossible to stretch one out this long. I'm no prude but I found the constant barrage of extreme sexual assaults and obsession with molestation got really boring and predictable after a short time. I honestly worry about what it says about the authors. I found that you can skip randomly from page to page and the prose flows equally as well as reading it in order, that's quite unique with a book but not something to strive for! I made it halfway through the book and just had to stop, life's too short if you aren't enjoying a book.
April 17, 2025
As a big fan of Frankie’s stand up and TV work I was eagerly anticipating a whole book. Knowing his penchant for the dark, the surreal and absurd the topic of post apocalypse seemed perfect.
Sadly the reality didn’t match up. Haphazard with no real plot, just a splodge of interviews with the protagonist to hang the jokes off of.
Instead of pithy comedy, the jokes quickly got boring. After 10 hours, rape and necrophilia jokes become bludgeoning and attritional.
The non sequitur nature of the stories allowed all the punchlines to be tiring and similar.
Someone should have told Frankie this great idea would have worked better as an hour long stand up set rather than a 10 hour book.
Sadly the reality didn’t match up. Haphazard with no real plot, just a splodge of interviews with the protagonist to hang the jokes off of.
Instead of pithy comedy, the jokes quickly got boring. After 10 hours, rape and necrophilia jokes become bludgeoning and attritional.
The non sequitur nature of the stories allowed all the punchlines to be tiring and similar.
Someone should have told Frankie this great idea would have worked better as an hour long stand up set rather than a 10 hour book.
May 28, 2025
Wanted to give it another star for ambition, but that felt too generous. Overstays its welcome.
Often reads a bit like Hitchhikers' Guide - mundane Britishness applied to absurd apocalyptic sci fi situations, but with Boyle's gross-out misanthropic humour. Has some very funny moments, but quickly gets old - and this is a VERY long book.
Typical targets of Boyle's comedy (tawdry celebrities, billionaires, the Royals, and especially people who work in British televsion) all become cannibal perverts as society collapses into war and disaster. Riff on that premise about 1 million times, and that's the book.
Often reads a bit like Hitchhikers' Guide - mundane Britishness applied to absurd apocalyptic sci fi situations, but with Boyle's gross-out misanthropic humour. Has some very funny moments, but quickly gets old - and this is a VERY long book.
Typical targets of Boyle's comedy (tawdry celebrities, billionaires, the Royals, and especially people who work in British televsion) all become cannibal perverts as society collapses into war and disaster. Riff on that premise about 1 million times, and that's the book.
November 21, 2025
Comedians are comedians. That doesn't mean that they will automatically be good authors. Shouldn't forget that. I also notice that I don't like absurdity for absurdity's sake. I expect a specific structure, inner logic and intellectual consistency in a literary work, even if it's absolutely nonsensical. Yes, I am referring to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
December 21, 2024
Honestly surprised by the low reviews by other GR members; reminded me of Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five. I enjoy Frankie’s narrative style, and always find his writing quite entertaining. I’m not sure what other people were expecting, or why they disliked it. Maybe they’re not Vonnegut fans, either.
March 8, 2025
Its weird how sometimes FBs writing occasionally seems to 'go off on one' where hes just not funny but at other times he is hilariously sharp and witty. Ive always put it down to who the editor is. I fear this book lacked that judicious editor again.
I have to say I gave up with this one after a while.
I have to say I gave up with this one after a while.
January 29, 2025
A fun and surprisingly deep read! It mixes humor with some real thought-provoking ideas about the end of the world. Only knocked off a star for being a bit repetitive at times, but definitely worth the read!
September 16, 2025
I reached page 60 or thereabouts before I called 'time'. This book is horrendously, unashamedly bad. As much as I like Frankie Boyle's other works, in this thick tome he takes jokes into overdrive with little continuity, just randomness and silliness. Life's too short.
December 20, 2024
Nearly gave up on this several times. It has lots of great moments that I'd love as part of a monologue on New World Order but become quite repetitive in this structure.
January 28, 2025
If you picked up a Frankie Boyle book expecting great literature...you picked up exactly the right book. 5 stars.
January 29, 2025
DNF 420 pages. Difficult read
April 15, 2025
School boy humour at its worst. Absolute drivel.
April 18, 2025
Did not finish. There was quite a bit of good humour in the introduction, but after that it was just all dull, often gross, ramblings until I wondered why I was bothering.
October 22, 2025
A painful read
April 9, 2025
DNF @ 20%.
On a page-by-page level, this is often very very funny. There were plenty of jokes that made me genuinely laugh out loud.
However, on a macro level there is utterly no narrative here at all. There is bugger all connective tissue to make me want to read on to the next profanity and obscenity filled section and no change of pace to act as a breather. Structurally, this more resembles an encyclopedia than a novel
On a page-by-page level, this is often very very funny. There were plenty of jokes that made me genuinely laugh out loud.
However, on a macro level there is utterly no narrative here at all. There is bugger all connective tissue to make me want to read on to the next profanity and obscenity filled section and no change of pace to act as a breather. Structurally, this more resembles an encyclopedia than a novel
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews