End Times Fascism: And the Fight for the Living World

by Naomi Klein, Astra Taylor

Brought to you by Penguin.

The far right is on the march again – but this time it’s different from anything we’ve seen before. A new, apocalyptic alliance of religious fundamentalists, billionaire Silicon Valley tech kings and ethno-nationalists is on the move. They’re united in their belief that some kind of cleansing cataclysm is coming, and they welcome a future of shocks, scarcity and collapse, convinced they’ll be among the saved on the other side.

This is the world of End Times Fascism.

In this blistering reckoning with our age, Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor take us deep into this man-made Armageddon complex – and show us how to resist it. Around the globe, they investigate how those who are making our world unliveable through climate chaos and job-consuming AI are preparing to protect themselves from the fallout, whether it’s by repairing to luxurious private islands for the super-rich, rocketing off to Mars or bunkering nations against a dehumanized ‘other’.

But, Klein and Taylor reveal, the new supremacist survivalists are far from impregnable. They have no vision of a shared future. All they offer are remixes of a bygone the nihilistic, sadistic pleasures of domination. If we’re to meet this critical moment and defend what’s left of democracy before it’s smashed up beyond repair, we must break the doom loop, and find a new way of living together, rooted in our existence on this earth, in the here and now. A story not of end times – but of better times. This book shows us how.

Naomi Klein 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, History, Technology, Essays, Audiobook, Society

Audible Audio

First published September 15, 2026

About the author

Naomi Klein is a Canadian author, social activist, and filmmaker known for her political analyses; support of ecofeminism, organized labour, and leftism; and criticism of corporate globalization, fascism, ecofascism and capitalism. As of 2021, she is an associate professor, and professor of climate justice at the University of British Columbia, co-directing a Centre for Climate Justice.
Klein first became known internationally for her alter-globalization book No Logo (1999). The Take (2004), a documentary film about Argentine workers' self-managed factories, written by her and directed by her husband Avi Lewis, further increased her profile. The Shock Doctrine (2007), a critical analysis of the history of neoliberal economics, solidified her standing as a prominent activist on the international stage and was adapted into a six-minute companion film by Alfonso Cuaron and Jonás Cuarón, as well as a feature-length documentary by Michael Winterbottom. Klein's This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate (2014) was a New York Times nonfiction bestseller and the winner of the Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction.
In 2016, Klein was awarded the Sydney Peace Prize for her activism on climate justice. Klein frequently appears on global and national lists of top influential thinkers, including the 2014 Thought Leaders ranking compiled by the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute, Prospect magazine's world thinkers 2014 poll, and Maclean's 2014 Power List. She was formerly a member of the board of directors of the climate activist group 350.org.

Reviews

[emma]

we need naomi klein now more than ever

[Ellie Moon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing me with an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I was really pleased to have a new book by Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor to read, and this one lived up to my expectations!

The authors articulate a cohesive narrative around the current political moment we’re living through and offer a compelling blueprint for how to resist.

Much of this book treads very recent history, so for those of us closely attuned to geopolitics and US politics in particular, there is a lot of information that is not new. However, Klein and Taylor bring together seemingly disconnected phenomena to offer an explanation of how these trends towards fascism by different groups are ultimately deeply connected to the same deeply exclusionary, violent, and individualistic view towards the world.

At this point, it’s clear that we need to develop a compelling vision of a way to all live together in the world, one that is more persuasive than the vision that’s been presented to us by religious end-times accelerationists and tech bro oligarchs. Klein and Taylor give examples of movements and politicians who have done just this, providing inspiration at a moment when it is sorely needed. I read a lot of non-fiction that offers a single, final chapter to give possible solutions and offer a bit of hope, but this books stands out in digging deeper into the way forward.

In the end, we must save each other. Klein and Taylor offer one way we can collectively make steps towards this—it’s up to all of us to live it out.

[Venneh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Klein and Taylor do a great job about explaining the relation of some of the most godawful shit that's going on in America and around the world and apocalyptic Christianity. At the same time, they balance the awful shit going down with the people who are trying to fight it, which is needed. Highly recommended to understand our current hellscape.

[Shazza Hoppsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor draw together the current threads of democratic erosion by a small class of powerful, wealthy individuals, naming it "end times fascism" and explain how this presents an existential threat to humanity.

At a minimum, read or listen to the final chapter, which makes the case for the global rule of law and the UN, flawed as it is. We can't go back to what was, but there's an opportunity now to pursue justice. Despite the depressing times this is an ultimately positive book of clear ideas and demontrates it is a time for level headed bravery.

[Caitlin Lang · Rating 5 out of 5]

She's done it again!!!

[Coach · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Irony of End Times Fascism

In End Times Fascism, the authors set out to expose what they call a dangerous new wave of right wing authoritarianism. But in their rush to sound the alarm, they fall into a classic, dangerous trap: they become the exact monsters they claim to fight.

The book's biggest flaw is its lazy, totalizing name calling. Instead of recognizing the deep differences between a traditional conservative, a tech libertarian, and an actual neo Nazi, the book treats them all as the exact same threat. They blindly slap the "fascist" label on a massive, diverse group of opponents. This isn't just bad political science. It’s a dangerous rhetorical tactic. When you paint your political rivals as absolute, existential evils, you subconsciously lower the bar for how society treats them. You essentially frame aggressive, illiberal retaliation as a moral necessity.

This ideological flattening creates a cold irony. While the authors warn against tyranny, their own solutions lean heavily into authoritarianism. They demand massive, sweeping state crackdowns, like the forced redistribution of wealth and heavy handed government containment of entire industries.

When you advocate for total State control while simultaneously painting your opponents as planetary threats who don't deserve political legitimacy, you aren't defending democracy. You are practicing the very fascism you claim to oppose. End Times Fascism is a cautionary tale of modern politics. Its words are proof of how easily a fierce hatred of authoritarianism can morph into a mirror image of their perceived oppressors.

[Martin Southard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A challenging but genuinely thought-provoking read. End Times Fascism takes the confusion of the current moment and explores the connections between politics, technology, religion, wealth and the climate crisis. It’s not always an easy book to get through, with plenty of detail and complex ideas to absorb, but it leaves you with a lot to consider.
If you’ve read Naomi Klein’s previous work, you’ll know she is renowned for her deep research and ability to identify important trends before they become impossible to ignore. This book continues that tradition, with Astra Taylor bringing her own impressive perspective as a writer, filmmaker and organiser, particularly through her work on democracy, inequality and collective action. Together, they create a powerful examination of where we are and how we got here.
What I appreciated most was that, despite the seriousness of the subject, the book doesn’t simply leave the reader feeling defeated. It also highlights the people pushing back and the possibilities for meaningful change. A timely, ambitious and important read for anyone trying to understand the world we’re living in.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing this advanced copy

[reli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm amazed as to why these books do not attack the liberal center!

You could say people are crazy for trump. But clearly not that much as they gave their vote to bidden. Then they told bidden, "we and more money in our pocket" and stop funding the slaughter of kids man. The kamala came on and said we finally decided to tell biden has gone mad for some time now, I'll be taking over, but do not worry, nothing is going to change

At a gathering, she told anti-genocide protesters to shut up or else trump is going to win.

Shouldn't these books critique that just as much? Because if people demand a revolution to overthrow the system, kamala, obama and hillary with take up guns against the people

[Michael Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm basically Naomi Klein's biggest fan, as she's always five steps ahead of everyone else. This book is a bit different for me, as I've soaked up a LOT of literature on Fascism, tech oligarchy, and the nationalist movements, which make up the bulk of the narrative. So while not a lot of this is new for me, Klein and Taylor do an extraordinary job weaving everything together, AND landing on actionable advice.

I just hope the audience who needs this most actually reads it.

[Brian Shevory · Rating 5 out of 5]

In their new book End Times Fascism: And the Fight for the Living World, Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor provide an important observation from Joyce Carol Oates about Elon Musk, where she questioned his lack of enjoyment or celebration on social media. Where other tech moguls like Mark Zuckerberg have proclaimed social media’s ability to bring us together, Oates observes how other social media platforms have devolved into a space for harboring grievances and complaints. It’s a fitting observation that Klein and Taylor lean into to raise questions about how these wealthy elites with seemingly more resources than some countries and many people can find so much of the world problematic that many of them seek to develop charter cities or autonomous zones of exclusivity or even isolated bunkers that will allow them to disengage and shield themselves from the rest of the world. End Times Fascism explores the hard shift in the tech industry from progressive ideas and thoughts towards fascism and dictatorships to how they have exploited millennialism and apocalyptic thinking and partnered with other fascistic political movements in America and around the world in order to demonstrate their need for exclusivity and shelter. After reading Gil Durán’s excellent new book The Nerd Reich, which also details the fascistic shift in Silicon Valley and its determination to accelerated the collapse of society to form their own autonomous enclaves and feudal systems, End Times Fascism provides a complementary if not a broader view in how 21st century fascism and its links to technology and apocalyptic thinking are different from the 20th century fascism that we’re often warned about and keep vigilant eyes in order to prevent its resurrection. These books are not only timely and relevant, but also necessary in helping to make meaning and understand the motivations of the individuals and groups who not only hold much of the world’s wealth but also are able to leverage that wealth to change the world, often to benefit themselves.
An important lesson Klein and Taylor explain at the beginning of their book is how this modern version of fascism differs from earlier iterations, examining its evolution as “humanity has entered an era of unprecedented, global-scale existential crises.” While in the past, we might trust our leaders in industries and governments to mount challenges to these crises, but today’s approach is much different and more self-serving. Furthermore, Klein and Taylor explore how this approach to accelerating the end and the apocalyptic thinking limits resources for others while allowing the world to burn. That is, with the end of the world fast approaching, there’s no need to help others out, but rather only to prepare for its imminent demise. This book not only highlights the apocalyptic thinking of Silicon Valley, but also their symbiosis with the conservative, right-wing political world to wrest more control and dominion over society.
End Times Fascism is organized into 4 different sections that examine the history of fascism and millenarianism in the 20th century and how it has led to an increasing belief in end times and the hypervigilance of these end times symbols. While it is still a little unsettling to see how many people are increasingly banking on the end of the world being near, Klein and Taylor’s book is also a reminder about how often this kind of thinking and belief system arises during manufactured crises and unprecedented events. In Chris Jennings’s End Times, he explores the Ruby Ridge standoff and tragedy, and how it arose from the millenarianism that permeated the Christian nationalism of the 70s and 80s, and how Hal Lindsey’s book The Late Great Planet Earth was among the best-selling books of the 1970s. Even though this kind of thinking isn’t novel, the apocalyptic thinking and hastening the end of the world remain a popular belief system for some groups of people. The second section details how Silicon Valley is working to hasten the end times and how AI and data centers in particular are proving to be part of the accelerant that is hastening the end for some communities. While there has rightly been considerable pushback against data centers in communities, it was shocking to read about Musk’s Colossus, a massive data center in Memphis. Named after a 1960s sci-fi movie computer, Klein and Taylor document Musk’s late-to-the game approach to AI, and how this facilitated his hasty and dangerous construction of basically a private powerplant to fuel his AI, which the authors also note has a reputation for generating racist and misogynistic content. As Duran’s book noted, many of the Silicon Valley’s companies are named after sci-fi and fantasy book characters, yet these CEOs and leaders often misread or omit the warnings and ironies in these characters, and it seems like Musk missed the irony of naming his vast AI data center after a murderous robot- man-made technology run amok and seeking to end humanity. It was shocking to learn about Musk’s secret deal with the Memphis city council that allowed him to unleash pollutants, toxic chemicals, and waste in neighborhoods that have often been the site of other economic and environmental injustices. Although there’s been more and more pushback regarding data centers recently, Klein and Taylor’s reporting helps to further emphasize the environmental and human toll that our use of AI has on communities and individuals. This book raises important awareness of these issues and frames the damage done to communities in a way that identifies its toll on individuals and families, making this an important read. It’s also one of the many travesties and atrocities that are perpetrated around the world in the name of technological progress and efficiency. While we may think our lives are improving, Klein and Taylor remind us of those voices and victims who are often stifled, maligned, or silenced by the powerful and affluent.
Although Klein and Taylor focus on the institutional, racial, economic, and political violence that has become more prominent with the rise of 21st century fascism, their book also offers signs of hope through resistance. Although they report on Musk’s data center and the damage it has inflicted on the Boxtown neighborhood of Memphis, Klein and Taylor also highlight group and individuals like Keshaun Pearson who helped organize the Memphis Communist Against Pollution, which has collaborated with other organizations to fight the encroaching environmental pollution from these data centers. They also spend time discussing how communities and groups in Minneapolis supported neighbors and immigrants when DHS invaded its neighborhoods and murdered two citizens. For all the attempts to malign these victims and paint them as radical terrorists, Klein and Taylor highlight the kind of supportive communities and neighbors who put themselves as risk for the care and good of one another. It’s an important reminder of the connections that help to sustain us during these wild, violent times. It’s also an important reminder of the kinds of dichotomies and sides that are set up as our society continues to break apart due to polarization. We can choose the side of exclusivity, of rejection, of violence and condescension, or we can choose to be part of a broader collective, working to protect others against harm. While Klein and Taylor don’t necessarily frame their arguments in this way, they do end their book with a reminder of the doomsday clock, and how both the UN and Bulletin of Atomic Scientists raised concerns about the destructive powers of nuclear technology. Both organizations arose from the wreckage of World War II, seeking to prevent further wars and the use of destructive technology. While Klein and Taylor acknowledge the limitations of the UN and the frequent failures to recognize the destructive power of nuclear technology, they present important warnings and reminders of what lies ahead if we continue down this apocalyptic path while indiscriminately using technology without thinking. Klein and Taylor report on many of the interconnected fascist factions not only in the US but around the world, and although breadth of this coverage can feel daunting, it’s also important to recognize their coverage of the communities of resistance that have risen to challenge the encroachments on our rights. My thanks to Farrar, Straus, and Giroux and NetGalley for sharing an advanced copy of this book. Highly recommended!

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Astoundingly well written, challenging, and most importantly, hopeful. Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor delivered a fantastic documentation of the challenges faced by humanity in the modern age, and describe much of the overlapping ideologies that are leading the planet toward a fiery end.
This uneasy alliance of evangelical apocalyptics, techno-feudalists, and rightwing nationalists are now, when faced with global crises of climate change and ever-increasing economic inequality (problems they largely helped produce), uniting to fortify their own positions of power and privilege, while actively worsening the quality of life for the entirety of humanity. Each group sees its own version of the future; rapture and eternal paradise, digital immortality, or ethnically cleansed nations with impenetrable borders. So much more could be said about each group, but what sums them all up is this: they all want to escape. To space or a digital world, to evangelical Christian Heaven, or behind a wall that no one else is allowed through. What Klein and Taylor argue for instead is a politics of “hereness”. Of working together to tackle the challenges we all face and building up the things that make wherever “here” is so great. Looking past the superficial differences to see the humanity in all of us.
Finally, a quote that I think sums up our challenge, one that reminds me of a thought from Popes Francis and Leo, and also an idea in Cixin Liu’s Dark Forest trilogy: “In short, we are up against an ideology that has given up not only on the premise and promise of liberal democracy but on the livability of our shraed world – on its beauty, on its people, on our children, on other species. There is something treasonous in this. Treasonous not to an abstraction like a flag or a nation, for we are not nationalists. But treasonous to the unspoken pact made with the web of life that sustains us. They are traitors to creation, to the wonders of here.”

Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for this ARC.

[Abigail · Rating 5 out of 5]

How do we cope with a world on the brink of collapse? For some, the answer is embracing end times fascism. This is the belief that the world as we know it needs to end to create a more perfect future. A small group of righteous people will survive this world ending cataclysm and be admitted into this better future. End times fascists are secure in their belief that they will be among these select few, so they see no need to preserve our current world or prevent an apocalypse.

Klein and Taylor explain the beliefs of three types of end times fascists: regions fundamentalists who believe in a messianic end times prophecy, Silicon Valley technologists in favor of a post-human future, and ethno-nationalists who want to bunker down into closed societies and let the rest of the world be damned. These are bleak ideas, but this book is not without hope. Klein and Taylor also present the concept of hereness, a counter to end times fascism.

Hereness is valuing the world we live in today and striving to make improvements for everyone. It is grounded in the here and now, while also acknowledging our history. Hereness is about improving the world we live in, the only one we’ve got, not imagining a far off post-apocalyptic future. It’s about community and care and coming together to contest the systems of power that oppress us all.

End Times Fascism is a dense and well researched exploration of apocalyptic belief. It is also a plea for us to reject end times fascism and embrace its antithesis: hereness. It’s an impassioned and comprehensive examination of an incredibly complex subject. This poignant nonfiction book will appeal to readers seeking a greater understanding of their current political reality, and to readers who want to mend the world instead of ending it.

Thanks to Macmillan and Edelweiss+ for providing me with an eARC.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I'm well aware of the fascism in our society, I did not have a real understanding of the "end times" piece before reading this book. The authors aren't just cataloging authoritarianism, they're tracing a shared psychology across Christian nationalists, tech billionaires, and ethno-nationalist survivalists: the belief that collapse is coming, that it might even be worth accelerating, and that they personally will be fine on the other side — bunkered, off-planet, or raptured. Once you see that thread connecting the doomsday prepper compound, the Mars rocket, and the rapture theology, it's hard to unsee. It reframed a lot of headlines for me.

The book doesn't stay in the doom spiral, though. The final section, where they turn to what a genuine path forward looks like, was the part I appreciated most. It would've been easy for this to end as a 300-page anxiety spiral, but Klein and Taylor use it to build toward something more like solidarity and shared stakes in a livable future, rather than just diagnosing the problem and leaving you there.

Very alarming, but ultimately more hopeful than I expected.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[G Flores · Rating 4 out of 5]

By dividing her thesis into three parts, the religious endtimes, the technological end times, and the nationalistic endtimes, Klein really succeeds in showing how present day fascism thrives on the idea that the end is near regardless of whether that end is supernatural, biological or apocalyptic. When the world could end tomorrow, it enables the people to stop worrying about the future and focus only on the now and its immediate gratification. We will surrender all manner of freedoms for a few more comforts, a few more conveniences, a bit more life for ourselves and damn the foreigners, animals, plant-life, livability of the planet for future generations.

It's hard not to despair through it all, no matter how much Klein tries to show that there are reasons for hope. The fact that some of the greater injustices remain unresolved at the time of its publication (the genocide in Gaza for example) hampers the feeling that we can find our way out of the quagmire.

Still, that is part of the thesis of the thing: fascism only endures as long as people allow it to endure. It is incumbent upon us to work for the kind of world we wish to see.

[Kasandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor offer an incredible analysis of this rather new breed of fascism that is currently looming over the world. From militant evangelicals to misanthropic Silicon Valley CEOs and chaotic right-wing influencers, the fascist landscape today is rather different to the twentieth-century fascist that most people in the Western world have been raised to fear. With everything happening today – the wars, the heatwaves, the raging summer fires, the displacement of millions, the floods – sometimes I would look at the headlines and wonder why the global elite seemed not to care so much about the rest of us. I mean, sure, they’re money-hungry and greedy for prestige, but surely they can see the end is nearing. Right? But the idea that, actually, they hope we die (or at least decrease in numbers) makes a lot of sense, and this book is great because it explains *why* these new fascists think the way that they do. This book is a superbly detailed analysis of our times, expertly researched, and written in a way that engages and enlightens the reader. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to make more sense of our chaotic times.

[Teodora · Rating 3 out of 5]

The raise of fascism can be felt overwhelmingly everywhere so a book like this is very important to read, even if you won’t get a very diverse perspective. There are still good discussions to have and topics that fit for the whole world.

Well researched book focused manly on subject concerning the current/past events in USA. There are a few mentions of other countries but you should expect to find mainly an American overview with things like bunkers that other countries would laugh at.

Very heavy on the Christianity and state politics in USA. Some good chapters delved on the AI raising issues and the uncontrollable opening of data centres that are starting to come to other countries as well.

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very laudable sentiment throughout the book, but it fails to say anything adequate or revelatory to the absolute klusterfuk that's going on. It doesn't have the conceptual muscle of Doppelganger, and to be honest with you most of the time I'm asking " why isn't this a video or essay?".

Maybe it's a sign of me being brain broken and oversaturated by America's Trumpian tantrum, but again, don't feel like I got anything substantial out of this.

Recommended for someone who hasn't read any political criticism in the last 10 years, otherwise, watching interviews about the book would probably be a better useful one's time.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent explainer of the current nigh-on apocalyptic moment, with Trump 2.0, Gaza, Iran, Israel, Christianity, uncontrolled Tech/AI and extractive billionaires all getting pulled into the mix by Klein and Taylor. Many could think these are well-trodden subjects for anyone politically engaged but to me, it felt like a fresh lens to explore the themes.
Although I enjoyed reading, it took a while as it is heavy going but the bleakness is counteracted by those working to fight back - whether it's Mamdani's inspiring win in NYC or those working in their communities to combat ICE agents.

[json · Rating 5 out of 5]

End Time Fascism is probably the most important book about this past and future decade. In line with the theme of this book, I’d describe it as an “exorcism”. You can’t cast away a demon until you know its name. Klein and Taylor revealed us the name.

It’s a relief to finally hear someone accurately and capably describe what has been going on (or going wrong) in the past 5-10 years. I’m reading it in ebook, but when I get hold of a physical copy, I will cover it with notes and highlights.

[midori · Rating 4 out of 5]

On rallying against end times fascism: “start from love of place; conjure a radically inclusive future where everyone can afford dignified lives; embrace common goals across difference; get outside and gather offline and in person; take on the powerful joyously; draw on history and don’t be afraid to stir the soul.”

Naomi Klein, I will ALWAYS be a fan.

[Lottie C · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25⭐️


A highly relevant and articulate on concerning political trends towards fascism in the US

[Özgür · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please everyone, it is essential you read this book and act...

[Brian Saitzyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

The world has lost the thread. Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor have found it.