SECTIONS

arts & leisure

finance

politics

reactions

reality check

BACKGROUND

home page

about us

contact us

press clippings

predictions

	Society Collapsing? No Problem By Declan McCullagh March 22, 1999 If you're worried about Y2K blackouts and scattered looting, Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse will do one of two things. The novel will reassure you that power failures aren't really that bad, or it will give you teeth-grinding nightmares for each of the 280-some days left until 1 January 2000. Penned by James Wesley Rawles, Patriots describes not isolated glitches but the complete collapse of society. In fact, an earlier version of the novel -- and the one Wired News reviewed -- was titled TEOTWAWKI, or The End of the World As We Know It. Neither book is specifically about Y2K, but Rawles has been active in Y2K survivalist circles, and the inchoate crisis at the beginning of the book jibes quite nicely with apocalyptic predictions of computer-induced doom. So when the lights go out and banks fail in the first few pages, it's hardly a big deal. The hardy band of survivalists who have spent years prepping their retreat in the hills of north-central Idaho simply switch over to solar power, close their steel-reinforced shutters, and jam fresh magazines into their well-oiled AR-15s. The real drama comes chapters later, when the roving motorcycle gangs attack. And then the Army comes. The rest of this book review can be found at Wired News.		FEATURES Book Reviews Y2K already has spawned its own genre. We tell you what books are worth buying. Chip 'n Little Cartoons Chip 'n Little goes on TV Chip 'n Little visits John Koskinen Chip 'n Little saves the world Warning: This cartoon has been called "foolish and tasteless." Y2K from A to Z Y2K Haiku Traditionalists may be shocked. Mad Cow Culture What does Y2K have in common with today's Mad Cow Culture? Answer: Everything. Declan McCullagh's Y2K articles Psychology of Y2K LATEST NEWS As of December 31, 1999 Get Your T-Shirt Quick Bill Gates Does Y2K Reader Feedback A Sarcastic Calendar Cooking After the Apocalypse A Real Y2K Disaster Hitchhiker's Guide Meets Y2K