It's Only Temporary

by Eric Shapiro

The world will end in just 10 hours.

After Sean graduates from college, he is ready to begin his life. Silly him for assuming he will have one. Word gets out that humanity is a giant meteorite has been headed toward the Earth for decades, and the government is ill-equipped to stop it. On the final day of human life, Sean must decide who to spend his precious time with. When he opts to hit the road and reunite with a lost love, he encounters a mad society that is rapidly shredding the trappings of civilization.

It's Only Temporary is a fevered tour of a world on fire. Throw your bookmark away; you will not be able to put this story down...

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IT’S ONLY TEMPORARY is a work of literary fiction offering readers a fast-paced road trip across the USA -- a horror fiction novel for adults and a coming of age love story for all ages. A work of apocalypse survival fiction complete with suspense, sci-fi, adventure, fantasy, and dark comedy, this humorous mashup takes a bleak look at the United States right on the brink of total annihilation. But, its spirit of absurdist humor and satire notwithstanding, IT’S ONLY TEMPORARY is ultimately an apocalyptic meteor striking right at the heart of romance, and going on to penetrate the human spirit.

Editorial reviews

"One of the 100 Best Horror Books of All Time." --Nightmare Magazine

"An apocalyptic harrowing, hilarious, disturbing, heartfelt, and suspenseful. Not to be missed!" --James Rollins, NY Times bestselling author

"Reads like a road movie travelling toward Armageddon, and its powerful, stylish writing and raw emotion will stay with you for a long, long time." --Tim Lebbon, Bram Stoker Award-winning author

"Relentless. Shapiro delivers a compelling narrative." --Jack McDevitt, Darrell Award-winning author

Genres: Horror, Apocalyptic, Science Fiction, Fiction, Post Apocalyptic

99 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2005

About the author

Eric Shapiro is a writer and filmmaker. He wrote Macho, the forthcoming Randy Savage biopic produced by Artists for Artists, Midas Entertainment, and Range Media Partners, and Behind the Facade, a feature screenplay developed by Rebel Six Films. His films have screened at Fantasia and Fantastic Fest and streamed on Netflix and Hulu. A California Journalism Award winner, he is editor and co-owner of The Milpitas Beat.

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's the last day on planet earth. A gigantic meteorite will smash everything to pieces. Sean plans to spend his final evening with his girlfriend Selma. On his way to hear something unusual happens connected with girls in a bus. Well, the story started interested and the inner monologue of the main character was appealing. But when I expected the action to take off the story became a bit bizarre and tedious. It imploded. I felt a bit disappointed after the strong beginning. You can spend your final day better than reading this book, I guess. Even if it's only temporary... LOL. Maybe for fans of the author or for very modern readers.

[Netanella · Rating 3 out of 5]

The mad hype surrounding this book, plus the premise of the story - a young man leaves his safe family to go visit his ex-college girlfriend on the last day of the world before a meteor smashes into Earth - these elements promised an insanely intense read.

And intense the read certainly was. Our young hero, once he emerges from the cocoon safety of his family into a world emboldened by pending doom, encounters scene after scene of 'special' events - some warm and fuzzy, such as the library hug-fest, and some just twisted, such as practically everything else he runs into.

My difficulty with this book, however, was the main character, who seemed to me kinda dickish and not someone I would really want to spend time with during the last day of the world.

[DeAnna Knippling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short. Perfect. Loved it :)

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Twilight zone kind of book...but I kind of got lost in the last 1/4 of the book. Maybe it was the drugs. Don’t do drugs and read. Or don’t do drugs and write. Or don’t have trippy scenes with characters that do drugs and require readers to do drugs to relate to the altered state to then figure out what the hell is going on. Yep, the last one works I think. But, don’t do drugs. Public service statement...unless they are legal ones. So, did the world end?

[Sheri Fresonke Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

“It’s Only Temporary” uses the premise of the world about to end to provide the emotional stakes, rationale for a sense of horror, and plot tension to create an interesting tale of a journey to recover lost love. With a meteor about to hit Earth and nothing to prevent the loss of most life, the hero Sean has nothing to lose by being true to himself.

Eric Shapiro tells the story in first person narrative, allowing the story to catch the reader’s emotions early. By saying goodbye to mom and dad, Sean has decided that the love for parents isn’t as strong as his love for his former girlfriend Selma. Details about how other people decide to spend their last days add color to the story and provide the villainy to create conflict in Sean’s life. Unusual characters that Sean encounters both good and bad are well portrayed. Sean is a likeable hero, prone to his faults—using drugs, being wrapped up in selfish desires, being angry with Selma, but acts as knight in shining armor for characters in distress. The moral toward supporting life even in the last minutes before doom is well demonstrated.

The conflict in the story is powered by Sean’s decisions. He’s challenged by the need to make decisions about life and death based on who he should trust, who aids him, who reaches out to him, and who betrays him. Well into the novel, when the problems between him and Selma are presented, you know enough about his values to understand the problem between the young lovers. You almost wonder if he’ll ever reach her.

“It’s Only Temporary” is a short novella length piece that reads quickly. Well-paced action supports the conflict-oriented dialogue. There isn’t much technology in the book, it could take place at any moment in time—implying this could happen at any time in a car powered society. Survival is supported by the use of weaponry and language is explicit. Few spend their time watching the sky or planning how to survive the impact.

Events have good appeal by their unusual qualities that support the nihilism of the lost world. What saves this story from being a downer is the careful crafting that turns the piece on its head to make a statement about human life in general.

People who like good story telling, young people with a taste of urban noir, a bit of horror, and liking the extra boost that a troubled romance gives a story will like “It’s Only Temporary” a lot.

[Eric · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. I tried hard to like this book. The first few pages were okay, but falls off the rails once Sean starts his quest. I think the main problem is that the author tried too hard to be edgy and extreme; not only did he not accomplish that, in the attempt he sacrificed coherence and entertainment. In addition, the protagonist is not likable, whiny and self-indulgent. Glad it was so short.

[Keith Schincke · Rating 4 out of 5]

What would you do if you had one last day? What would the world do if they knew there was one day left? This story explores the journey of a young man who wants to go somewhere on the last day. It is a very interesting story. Well written and engaging. I would recommend this book to others to read.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm also a sucker for apocalyptic fiction and this is such a book. It's short, a novella really, about a young man, rather shiftless, who has to decide what to do on the last day of human existence. He hits the road, and the results are violent, gory and entertaining.

[Scot · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just discovered I had not rated this book. I would read more from this author. Last day of human existence and Sean wants to be with the one he loves. This story is about his adventure to get to her.