Status Updates From Slow Apocalypse

- don’t use “slow” in the title of a book… it’s a sure spoiler alert
- it’s not horrible enough for me to bail, but painful read.
- first couple chapters is good science fiction.. I’m hanging in there because I like most John Varley books… hoping it gets more interesting… but not counting on it
- save the book next to your copy of “worst case scenario” books… it may be handy if we do have such an apocalypse

90 minutes remain. It's been a journey, an adventure, & this book's done well to keep that. But the aimlessness is yawn-inducing. Being from So Cal, it's cool to hear about Anaheim, San Diego, the 91 & 15 fwys, Rancho Cucamonga, Temecula, & everywhere else around L.A.
Just disappointed that this book contains so much uneventful encounters. Dialogue's uninteresting & w/out spice, attitude, turmoil or tension.

Teddy had a glock.
Cool, this part's interesting, some imminent danger, & suspense. Will Teddy return? Surprising how many names Varley chooses to use. Some pop up out of nowhere. Are they're even necessary? Might be more effective to write "her" & "the tall guy," etc.
Varley's trilogy is worlds away from this book about the-world-falling-apart. "The White Plague" by Herbert = a true end-of-worlder.

He has yet to convey a visceral sense of danger. Horses, & two hospital trips, & a trailer full of goods. I'm confused. & the stereotypes! Southern Californians are familiar w/the word 'firebrand'--really? We're not. Yes, we've wildfires, but he tries to "make a thing" out of it. We don't say firebrand nor do we say embers. We say fire. & smoke. & wind. & why should I care about Addison's horse?! There's no objective

So boring! The scene w/dogs was sterotypical: big bad Rottweiler, vicious Pit-Bull, & the dumb scene w/lock-jawed Pit-Bull bite. Ugh. Then, the scene w/Afro father & son, Varley chooses to have the one looter be a black dude. Really? And everyone is categorized & typed by race. From a white man, this all comes off as shallow. The protagonist is a comedy writer. Terrible time sympathizing.

Nothing on the bacteria.