TWO JOURNEYS

Will Earth be destroyed in 2012?

2012-01-14T22:11:00.000-08:00

Many out there believe that this is the final year of humanity.
NASA offers an informative Q&A on this topic.

Q: What is the origin of the prediction that the world will end in 2012?
A: The story started with claims that Nibiru, a supposed planet discovered by the Sumerians, is headed toward Earth. This catastrophe was initially predicted for May 2003, but when nothing happened the doomsday date was moved forward to December 2012. Then these two fables were linked to the end of one of the cycles in the ancient Mayan calendar at the winter solstice in 2012 -- hence the predicted doomsday date of December 21, 2012.

Q: Does the Mayan calendar end in December 2012?
A: Just as the calendar you have on your kitchen wall does not cease to exist after December 31, the Mayan calendar does not cease to exist on December 21, 2012. This date is the end of the Mayan long-count period but then -- just as your calendar begins again on January 1 -- another long-count period begins for the Mayan calendar.

Waiting for the hammer to fall or not fall on December 21 can be boring business. Better prepare for the apocalypse by reading Two Journeys.

Received the new back and front cover for Two Journeys

2012-01-13T04:08:00.001-08:00

Dictators, rulers, strongmen, hetmen - there's no stopping the evil

2012-01-12T20:47:00.000-08:00

Reading up on the topic of dictators in wikipedia, the list seems to go on and on. Very hard, even for the most positive person, to see any trend in dictatorship; is the world getting any better? The twentieth centruy was punished by Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Benito Mussolini, Mao Zedong, Fidel Castro, Marshall Joseph Tito, Kim Jong-il, Slobodan Milosevic, General Augusto Pinochet, Juan Peron, Ayatollah Khomeini, Nicholas II, Ferdinand Marcos, General Suharto, Pol Pot, Fransisco Franco, Idi Amin and Ho Chi Minh. But even now, on the treshold of the twenty-first century, civilians had and have to suffer under the likes of Saddam Hussein, Muammar Qaddafi, Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, Thein Sein, Isaias Afewerki, Omar Al-Bashir, Islam Karimov, Bashar al-Assad, Raul Castro, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, Hugo Chavez, Robert Mugabe, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Alexander Lukashenko. And shamefully we have to admit that we didn't even know all of those names...
I suspect Kim Jong Un isn't here to pick flowers in the sunshine.

Comment from a fellow author about TWO JOURNEYS

2012-01-12T06:54:00.001-08:00

Clemens,

Although I'm busy with a book launch now and didn't think I'd have time, I did read the entire book. Once I got into it a bit, I just wanted to keep going. It takes a good story to do that and this is a good story. I'm especially glad that you avoided the pet cliche. It happens all the time in movies and novels. When the hero has a close relationship with a dog or cat, you know something is going to happen to the dog or cat--latest example, what happens to the cat in the hit movie The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

I wish you the best of luck with this. Here is my comment:

“Move over, Cormac McCarthy, another survivor is traveling the Armageddon road. Clemens P. Suter's apocalyptic thriller grabs you in the first couple of pages and never lets go. The reader feels real empathy for the main character's plight as he begins a seemingly impossible 9,000-mile trip to learn his family's fate. The cause of the calamity is mysterious but clues are uncovered along the way causing tension to build until we reach the shattering climax. Two Journeys is not to be missed.”-- G Dedrick Robinson, author of Blood Scourge

Happy 2012

2011-12-31T14:48:00.001-08:00

Wishing you all a very happy new year with lots of adventures, love, happiness, weird happenings, beards, cups of coffee, plates, high rises, flights, hills, forests, travels, fireworks, laughs, and extreeeeemely wide horizons.

Editor's comment (part 5) conc my Novel TWO JOURNEYS

2011-12-16T08:00:00.001-08:00

“Your other characters are also compelling, and none of them rang false or unbelievable. I loved the trio back in Krasnoyarsk. Even though I wanted Alan to go home and knew he had to, I was sad when he left Leonid and the others behind. I even liked the characters on the space station. Urs was creepy from the very start, believably so. Victor was interesting, and I like how his real story or secret is never revealed. I also liked how you never revealed what went awry between Mikhail and Artyom. Some loose ends in a big book are good.”

TWO JOURNEYS: find it here, as paperback or eBook.

Editor's comments (part 4) conc my Novel TWO JOURNEYS

2011-12-09T08:00:00.001-08:00

“I loved this book. I rarely gush like this, but I feel strongly. You should find many eager readers. I did not want to the book to end, but the ending was incredibly touching and satisfying. Alan is an interesting and inventive human character. I will miss him!”

TWO JOURNEYS here, as paperback or eBook.

Editor's comments (part 3) conc my novel TWO JOURNEYS

2011-12-05T09:00:00.001-08:00

“[…] Alan’s character, […] certainly does evolve over the course of this book, and his interactions with the other characters reveal a lot about his character as well. I found his clinical approach to almost everything completely believable and just part of his personality rather than a lack of character development. In fact, his scientific viewpoint is charming even. Then, as his journey continues, he keeps using his training and knowledge, but he also gets scrappier as time goes on, propelled forward by a raw emotional passion to get to his family rather than analyzing every single event and detail. He feels compassion for the people that he meets even as he analyzes their motives and inner-workings, but he never gives off an inhuman vibe to the reader. He comes across as very human—the time he is almost brought to tears by the meal fixed by Mikhail and Artyom, his instinct to reach out to the despairing Laura, his analysis of Yrina’s losses, his attachment to Bo and King. There are countless examples of the depth and humanity of his character. He is original and yet familiar.”

TWO JOURNEYS here, as paperback or eBook.

One of my favorite fragments from TWO JOURNEYS

2011-12-01T23:58:00.000-08:00

“I wandered into a part of town where I hadn’t been before. The houses were small and painted in bright pink and orange colors. I passed a park, and in the fading daylight, I saw a young couple on a park bench, romantically hugging and protecting each other from the chill that had started to come in from the sea. She had her head on his shoulder, he his cheek on her hair. His arm was around her tiny body. Her pink handbag stood straight and orderly on the gravel next to the park bench.

My heart jumped, and I quickly walked up to them. As I came closer, I saw that they were dead and in an advanced stage of decomposition. Her dress was soiled with body fluids, and their hair was blowing away with the wind.

Loneliness came over me. I looked at them for a few minutes, speculating about their lives. Finally, I turned away and left them behind, forever frozen in their final embrace.”

Letter (part 2) from my Editor conc . my Novel TWO JOURNEYS

2011-11-27T23:48:00.001-08:00

“I almost wonder whether if in the promotional descriptions you may want to tone down any emphasis on a dystopian or post-apocalyptic society so that you do not alienate (no pun intended) readers who may not normally gravitate toward that genre, only because I truly believe that readers not typically interested in such topics will enjoy your book as much as someone who seeks them out. Your book was extremely engaging, intelligent, entertaining, and well-written. I thoroughly enjoyed editing it […] Overall, the writing was incredibly strong. This is a great book. I rarely cry at the end of books or movies, but I cried when he made it to Hansen’s…”

TWO JOURNEYS here, as paperback or eBook.

Comment from my Editor about my novel TWO JOURNEYS

2011-11-20T05:58:00.001-08:00

"I loved this book. True to your description, I could not 'put it down.' And yet the suspense is not created at the expense of sensational or over-the-top moments or scenes. In fact, besides the fact that extraterrestrials come to earth and kill most of the human population, this book is downright realistic. In a good way. I hope that I never have to face the same event, but if I do I feel much better prepared having read your book. In all seriousness, though, you really capture the emotions and actions of a person who seems absolutely real who has simply been thrust into an extraordinary situation. Your book has all the elements of a good read that I think any reader would enjoy: an engaging character, action, human emotions, progression toward a goal, surprises, and resolution."
Buy TWO JOURNEYS here, as paperback or eBook.

Love is 4 letter word - from "Get Carter" with Michael Caine

2011-09-21T13:06:00.001-07:00

Alcatraz in San Francisco in the fog

2011-09-03T08:11:00.001-07:00

Sunflowers at the end of the world

2011-07-24T06:13:00.001-07:00

Two Journeys ed. 2

2011-07-18T23:31:00.001-07:00

For all the eBook readers, I have revised and updated the Two Journeys eBook. Version 2 is now available on Kindle/Amazon, Smashwords, iTunes, Kobo and B+N. This was mostly some simple polishing, haven't found any glaring contradictions yet (comments welcome!)

Mad Max Fury Road

2011-07-11T08:50:00.000-07:00

All fans of the post-apocalypse have heard the news: our beloved dystopian rebel police officer, Mad Max, will return to the cinemas. Mel Gibson won’t be around this time; his part is taken over by British chunk Tom Hardy. The seriously tailored 1973 XB-Ford Falcon GT-coupe that will return too; it already featured in Mad Max 1 and 2. This high-performance Track-Down Special is based on a household Australian power vehicle, once Australia’s alternative to the Porche.

The new movie will be entitled “Mad Max: Fury Road.” And the car will be far more ultramodern and imaginative than the original, not based on an current car (alas!), but with some futuristic highway combat gear (alas!!), which will apparently include tazers (alas!!!) to take down motorbikers and other bad guys, spiked wheels to tear the tires of aggressive vehicles (James Bond style. Alas!!!!) and platinum body panels (now, where did Max get those from? Alas!!!!!) to protect the car from police force scanners. The driver's seat in the center of the vehicle (Alas!!!!!!). Aspects of the real are still unclear, but this will be a sequel taking place 3 years after the 1985’s “Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome.”

Wonder how he was able to built this vehicle in a dystopian world, with hardly no infrastructure. But it will make for great action, no doubt.

Dystopic ramblings

2011-07-03T23:16:00.001-07:00

It is not the post-apocalypse that worries me, it is the apocalypse itself. Knowing humanity, the few survivors will quickly cope with their new life - but if the catastrophe hits with a BANG I would rather prefer to exit quickly.

TWO JOURNEYS mentioned in Megaton's Post-Apocalyptic Daily

2011-06-14T12:39:00.000-07:00

A newspaper created by MEGATØN - built from articles, blog posts, videos and photos shared on Twitter. See this link.

Buy my books on KINDLE

2011-06-07T12:34:00.000-07:00

My post-apocalyptic, dystopian novel TWO JOURNEYS and my utopian crime story CELETERRA are now also available on Kindle. Follow this link for more details.

The Origin of Pandemics - excerpt from TWO JOURNEYS

2011-05-24T23:44:00.001-07:00

Cortés had fought harsh battles with the Indians. During La Noche Triste - The Terrible Night - Cortés had been driven out of the Aztec capital, now known as Mexico City. He had even lost one of his fingers during this battle. However, a few days later he had been able to take repossession of the town again. Not only because he had managed to get support from additional Spanish and Indian forces, but mainly because half of the Aztec population had died of smallpox and the common cold. The Spanish had introduced both diseases to the Americas. The Indians had no immunity against these viruses.

In the course of history, diseases of European origin had wiped out many more Indians. Even in the 21st century, diseases that were trivial to western people constantly threatened isolated Indian tribes in South America.

Thus, went my reasoning: what if a new virus had been introduced on Earth, a virus not recognized by our immune system? Its symptoms, as I recalled from my days in the Shybuya hotel, seemed to be similar to the flu or the common cold. It had started out with an itch in the back of the throat, followed by muscle pains and a sudden rise in body temperature.

What weapon to carry in post-apocalyptic days

2011-05-01T12:56:00.000-07:00

This is a recurring theme in many post-apocalyptic chat-rooms. As I read about the uprising in Libya, it seems that the Kalashnikov may be a proper weapon to chose for assault and self-defense. The AK-47 was apparently one of the first real assault rifles manufactured, after the original Sturmgewehr 42. Even after sixty years, this model and its variants remain the most widely used and popular assault rifles in the world, and mainly because of its durability (you can repair it with a hammer and a chisel), low production costs, and ease of use (even someone like me, who has no expertise with weapons, and no inclination to ever use one, could most likely kill an innocent civilian without too much stress and hassle). It has been manufactured in many countries and has seen service with armed forces as well as revolutionary and terrorist organizations – so it comes with tremendous references.

Nuclear disaster - meltdown and fallout

2011-04-10T13:15:00.000-07:00

I saw that I had lost some weight. I took off my shirt and decided that my body looked more muscular and slimmer around the waist. That was pleasing, as I realized that my food wasn’t the healthiest - lots of fat and few vitamins.
This morning’s routine check with the Geiger counter showed that radiation was at a minimal level in all directions, with the exception of the northeast. For the first time since I started doing these daily radiation measurements did the number of ticks go up to almost double the background, and only in that particular direction. I repeated the measurement from the roof of the truck. The signal peaked reproducibly. Through the binoculars I inspected the landscape. Towards the northeast it seemed to consist exclusively of forests. No factories, towns or even single houses were visible.
Pensively I climbed down from the roof of the truck.
The emergency transmitter was still beeping away its MOB signal. The receiver picked up three emergency signals. The strongest signal came from the west, ahead on the road. Later I found out that it originated from a capsized truck a few miles farther on, the dead driver inside.
The second signal was much weaker and came from the south.
The third signal was the weakest of the three. It seemed to be aligned with the radioactive signal - both came from the approximate same direction.
A measurement of the ground and the surface of the truck did not reveal any increased levels of radiation. Strange: a direct signal could be measured but no trace of radioactive fallout on the ground… there was no sense to it. I was getting slightly worried and tried to reactivate all my knowledge of radiation - I had worked with radioactive isotopes at university and I understood the basic physics.
From TWO JOURNEYS - the Syberian Chapters

Japan nuclear accident

2011-04-09T21:08:00.000-07:00

It's a bit sad - a couple of events that I told about in TWO JOURNEYS, such as a disaster first happening in Japan, and a nuclear accident at a power-plant, now seem to be reality, at least to some extent. The news from Fukushima is haunting - I’ve worked with radioactivity long enough to realize the impact. Containing this level of contamination is virtually impossible. Humans obviously cannot control nature - and not all of their own technology. We have the greatest gift: to be in charge of Earth and our own lives and destiny, but are tremendously struggling to do so in a responsible manner.

Apocapalooza ! Interviews with Seven Distinguished Authors of the Dystopia

2011-03-28T23:38:00.001-07:00

All friends of post-apocalyptic novels should check out these interviews: http://doiop.com/suter-interview

Also find all interviews on twitter #apocapalooza

And the facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/postapocalosers

Dystopian and post-apocalyptic literature.

Compliments!

2011-03-10T12:56:00.001-08:00

Anne-Maria Decotes-Genom wrote: "I look forward to our 'little project'! Your book Two Journeys is marvellous, I like pandemic stories and have written a short essay for the newspaper. Good luck with the sequel, it was very nice meeting you 'in the flesh' and send me a fragment as soon as possible!"

Fans of post-apocalyptic literature

2011-02-26T06:13:00.000-08:00

There are probably two kinds of "apocalypse fans". Some of us are intrigued by the concept of a global disaster and being the last person on Earth. Others indeed truly believe that an apocalyptic event can or will happen – even in our lifetime. I count myself among the former group. Fear of an apocalypse has been wide spread through the ages, and it would be quite a coincidence should such a disaster happen in our lifetime. On the other hand, mankind has managed to damage our planet considerably over the past 100 years – not to mention the arsenals of highly destructive weapons, that can easily kill all of mankind. In addition, the exponential increase in the world population is unprecedented and will have an impact. Still, some people are indeed obsessed with the apocalypse, and this obsession seems to have an overwhelming effect on their behavior - stocking up on food, survival skills and weapons (sic !) – quite a stroke of irony if you then die of old age in a healthy, totally functioning world… so some (human?) common sense is definitely beneficial.

Was it very hard to write CELETERRA, you may wonder?

2011-02-25T21:39:00.000-08:00

12 gallons of ink, 35 pens, 45 pencils, 17 erasers, 1200 sheets of white paper, 40 sheets of cross-section paper, 120 post-its, 1 stencil machine, 1 camera, 2 laptops, 1240 cups of coffee and 37 Tylenol tablets (extra strength) were used for the creation of this book.
That’s how hard it was.

Einstein writing "TWO JOURNEYS" on a Black Board

2011-02-14T08:13:00.000-08:00

I've always wondered where the name "Einstein" originated from - translated it means "a stone" or "one stone". Perhaps some immigration officer made a mistake?

No need to hurry. Molluscs have existed for 500 Million years

2011-01-29T07:05:00.000-08:00

Fragment from TWO JOURNEYS

2011-01-28T14:10:00.000-08:00

"There was no return possible to my previous life. The world as I had known it had ceased to exist, I had been cast out. It was as if someone had pulled a plug, or turned off a light. What had happened was as dramatic as the sudden extinction of the dinosaurs. Its impact on life on Earth and evolution could not be grasped. And I was in the middle of this unique binary transformation, from on to off, from one to zero.

I was suddenly convinced that dramatic changes in my personality were unavoidable, that my person, my self was undergoing an inescapable transformation. This was the end of me, and the birth of a new human being.

Puzzling question

2011-01-22T01:59:00.000-08:00

Our dog watched how I built a bookcase. What if we are like dogs ourselves and extraterrestrials are like humans? We would never understand what a bookcase or a book is, our brains would not allow us to understand.

Quote from TWO JOURNEYS - after the catastrophe

2011-01-21T21:01:00.000-08:00

“The streets were quiet. After a few minutes I realized that a disaster of tremendous dimensions had occurred. Cars stood parked in the middle of the road. People had collapsed, yes, even died on the sidewalks. I saw people that tried to carry their sick relatives home. I saw a family of six, the parents already dead, their four children, one toddler in a carriage, still alive and crying. I didn’t know what to do, how to start helping. Panic came over me. It took me a while to realize that it would be best to continue to the hospital and find out how I could be of assistance. Perhaps some rescue operation had been initiated, perhaps I could play a role in that.

New loafers, straight from Centbal Park - Wintek Heights

2011-01-15T01:00:00.000-08:00

Has nothing to do with the book, still quite funny !

"He Boss, what text you want on new se'ies of loafe's?"

"Something American. How about: Central Park - Winter Heights?"

"No p'blem Boss, will do !"

What Weapons to use while Traveling through a Deserted World

2011-01-01T05:40:00.000-08:00

Heavily debated amongst fans of the post-apocalyptic genre, this topic. I would almost suggest a white flag - after all, people with guns will be part of the problem.
Pretty soon after any truly serious disaster, the population will rapidly be reduced. Staying put and in a place with lots of canned food will in in most cases be fully sufficient. However, the following weapons may be helpful, e,g to hunt or or fend off wild animals (yes, also the human kind):
- A Knife (indispensable)
- A Crossbow (re-usable ammo, easy to maintain and use)
- A Bow and Arrows (re-usable ammo, but needs considerable power and training)
- A Gun (high maintenance, risk of shooting off your own foot)

My Son is Prepared for the Pandemic

2011-01-01T05:21:00.000-08:00

New cover for the TWO JOURNEYS eBook

2010-12-17T01:17:00.000-08:00

Famous castaways, jettisoned and marooned

2010-12-16T02:52:00.000-08:00

Is it possible to survive as the last man on earth? In literature, Robinson Crusoe is probably the most famous character. But some real-life people have actually been separated from humanity for extended periods of time – if not the remainder of their life. These include the likes of Thorgisl, Grettir Ásmundarson, Fernão Lopez, Juan de Cartagena and, Pedro Sánchez Reina, Gonzalo de Vigo, Marguerite de La Rocque, Jan Pelgrom, Wouter Loos, Miskito Will, Alexander Selkirk, Philip Ashton, Pedro Serrano, Ada Blackjack, Jesus Vidana, Salvador Ordoñez, Lucio Rendo, Leendert Hasenbosch, Chunosuke Matsuyama, Charles Barnard. Some lived isolated for a few months, others for years! What unites these involuntarily castaways is their tremendous drive to return to humanity. In contrast, some also select to be alone for extended periods of time, such as Gerald Kingsland, Lucy Irvine or Tom Neale (the latter spent 16 lonely years on the Cook Islands – by his own choice).

Video "Do you Want to Rule the World?"

2010-12-16T02:08:00.000-08:00

Short video for the novel TWO JOURNEYS with Hitler, Stalin and Mao... and Somerset !

Are you a dictator?

2010-10-24T02:29:00.000-07:00

In the novel TWO JOURNEYS, the Englishman Somerset wants to become a dictator. Do you have the makings to become an autocrat in a post-pandemic world? Or are you already a despot, tyrant or monocrat today? Award yourself 1 point for each statement with which you agree.

You like dressing up in military uniform, with a gun in your belt.
“No” isn’t an answer that you accept. People that disagree with your opinions are either banished, maimed, locked up for life, killed, or "send to Coventry".
You change your mind eratically and others are expected to simply follow suit.
Newspapers should focus on printing adverts, weather reports and positive articles about your biased political views.
Your spouse owns more shoes than the inhabitants of a small city.
It’s quite alright to shoot a minister during a cabinet meeting, as an example for the rest.
You enjoy watching thousands of soldiers march by in your honor.
The fillings in your teeth, your watch and your bathroom armatures and toilet are made out of gold.
Your daughter is overweight and her fiancé has a meaningless job in the army.
You are a man.

8-10 points: Bingo! Probably you are a dictator now - or you will become one quickly, once post-pandemic chaos breaks out. Nobody tells YOU what to do, you rule and kill as you please! 4-7 points: Sorry, but you aren’t a dictator – yet. If you would like to become a hetman, führer, ceasar or tribal headman, consider killing some opponents, wearing a uniform, or a sex change operation. Less than 4 points: You are probably a soldier or a policeman, a shoe salesman or a plumber – an ordinary guy like the rest of us. Or a woman.

TWO JOURNEYS - the Novel about a Pandemic Survivor

2010-10-16T07:39:00.000-07:00

Two Journeys starts off with a bang. Alan, the hero of the story, is visiting Japan on business. After the outbreak of a pandemic, he finds himself to be the single survivor. A viral disease has wiped away his past life: Alan must fear injury, hunger and loneliness. Yet, Alan swears to travel back to his family in Europe, straight across Asia and 10,000 miles of unknown territory. The hardships and landscapes - the Gobi desert, Siberia, Mongolia - are described in all ferocity. A few other humans have survived as well, some eager to use the disaster for their own purposes. Electrifying chapters describe his encounter with Somerset, a psychotic warlord, who is assembling an army to conquer Moscow, if not the entire world. However, Alan is determined to return to home, by whatever means.

TWO JOURNEYS is a post-apocalyptic, adventure novel. An exciting, thought-provoking book, impossible to put down!
Published August 2009, ISBN13 9781439250236 - order HERE.

Reader Comments about TWO JOURNEYS - "A Great Adventure"

2010-09-16T09:22:00.000-07:00

Click on the image to enlarge

Post-pandemic loneliness

2010-06-20T02:29:00.000-07:00

One of the first recorded uses of the word "lonely" was in William Shakespeare's Coriolanus, "Though I go alone, like a lonely dragon..."
As the last survivor of a pandemic, you may quickly start to feel pretty lonely. Loneliness is a feeling in which people experience a strong sense of emptiness and solitude, being unwanted and unimportant. Other words (synonyms) for loneliness are: solitude, reclusion, aloneness, seclusion, loneliness, separation, forlornness, lonesomeness, secludedness, solitariness, isolation and reclusiveness, showing that linguistically the topic is taken seriously. Loneliness can cause feelings of social inadequacy, and a lonely person may become convinced there is something wrong with him/herself, and that no one understands their situation - imagine a post-pandemic world where nobody has survived! A lonely person will lose confidence and will be reluctant to change, or scared to try new things for fear of worsening that situation. In extreme cases, this may lead to a state of clinical depression: urgently requiring medical treatment. In world with no physicians, you may then find yourself up shit creek without a paddle...

My Favorite Post-Apocalyptic Books and Movies

2010-05-23T10:16:00.000-07:00

The Post-apocalyptic or end of time / Endzeit genre deals with the destruction of mankind. A dystopia (as a negative version of utopia) or cacotopia goes a step further; it is often characterized by an authoritarian or totalitarian "government", with different kinds of repressive social control systems, absence of individual freedom or a state of constant warfare and violence. What-if books and movies focus on the question "what would happen if..." You will recognize all of these aspects in TWO JOURNEYS - below my personal list of favorites.

Mad Max - movies featuring Mel Gibson, who later directed a rather humorless remake of Life of Brain (Passion of the Christ wasn't half as funny as LoB !)
The Omega Man - movie featuring Charles Heston. This man is a REAL Hombre
I am Legend - movie featuring Will Smith
The Machine Stops - novel by E. M. Forster
The Sun Grows Cold - novel by Howard Berk (not sure whether it is still in print)
Escape from New York - Movie featuring Kurt Russell as "Snake" Plissken - Ulawee! Dark and mean!
The Day After - Film portraying a fictional nuclear war between NATO and the Warsaw Pact. Gloomy
The Book of Eli - Starring Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman. Particularly interesting, like TWO JOURNEYS a "road movie", but a true dystopian story.
Make Room! Make Room! - novel by Harry Harrison
Delicatessen 1991 - Movie by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro
The much debated Waterworld and The Postman with Kevin Costner
The Road by Cormac McCarthy - dark and menacing. Personally, I am not sure everything will be as hopeless as that, but you be the judge of that.

Ten Tips for A Survivor of a Pandemic

2010-05-18T01:18:00.000-07:00

Alan, the hero of TWO JOURNEYS, uses three strategies to survive in a post-pandemic world: "Stay Healthy, Stay Sane and Return Home". Should a pandemic strike, and should you be the last man / woman on Earth - here some useful tips to save in your backpocket:

Stay cool.
Think ahead, plan your day, plan your life. You’re in this for the long run!
Make sure that you always have access to enough food and fresh water.
Keep yourself and your surroundings clean.
Avoid any situation that could be harmful. Stay away from dead bodies. A sting from a bee, a strained ankle or a bout of diarrhea can immobilize you. Don’t do any acrobatics, don’t try to be a hero (you are one already, remember?).
Get a weapon, and learn how to use it - don't use it on yourself.
Make sure you have a medicine box with a large selection of medication.
Go to bed early.
Don’t drink alcohol or use drugs.
Search for other survivors; but don’t count on finding any. Get a pet instead.

Activities unsuited for a castaway

2010-05-14T00:29:00.000-07:00

As a sole survivor of a pandemic, steer away from these games and activities:

Halma (board game invented ~1883 by the American plastic surgeon at Harvard Medical School, George Howard Monks). One can debate whether Halma is a thrilling game - it is definitely extremely boring when played alone.
Conga line dancing (Cuban carnival march, popular in the USA in the 1930s. The dancers form a long, processing line. It has three shuffle steps on the beat, followed by a kick that is slightly ahead of the fourth beat). It is heavily debatable that “the conga” is an enjoyable exercise at all… but have you ever tried this on your own?
Tennis. For obvious reasons, it is better to concentrate on playing squash.
Participating in panel discussions. Very hard to do on your own – although even in our heavily populated world, many people (generally referred to as “eccentrics” or "weirdos") seem to prefer heated political debates with themselves, instead of with neighbors or family.
Bungee jumping (an activity that involves jumping from a tall structure while connected to a large elastic cord). Only makes sense with people watching you wet your pants.
Paintball (an activity involving players to compete & eliminate opponents by hitting them with capsules containing paint from a device called a paintball marker). The usefulness of this game is disputed. In a post-pandemic world, one would hopefully ENJOY meeting another people, not shooting them.

What you won't miss in post-apocalyptic times

2010-04-01T08:51:00.000-07:00

As a single survivor of a catastrophe, you will be happy to know that you won't be confronted with these anymore:

American Idol, Austerity Strikes, BP Oil Spill, Britney Spears, Dow Jones Flash Crash, Elizabeth Warren, Foreclosures, Health Care Bill, iPhone, Justin Bieber, Kim Kardashian, Lady Gaga, Megan Fox, Miley Cyrus, New Credit Card Laws, Recalls, Tea Party Movement, Unemployment, Wall Street Companies, the World Cup or any other sports event

The route that Alan travels in TWO JOURNEYS

2010-02-22T06:50:00.001-08:00

The Map shows how Alan - the hero of TWO JOURNEYS - traveled from Tokyo to Berlin; through Japan, Korea, China, Mongolia, Russia and Kazachstan.

GoogleEarth proofed to be invaluable for writing the book. As an example, the thin lines are the shortest trajectories between Tokyo and Berlin across the globe. The stars indicate the places where Alan met other suvivors of the pandemic - most notably the camp of wannabe dictator Somerset.

Towns and places mentioned in TWO JOURNEYS

2010-02-20T08:15:00.000-08:00

Alan traveled by the following towns and villages. Germany: Lichterfelde, Berlin and Frankfurt Japan: Tokyo, Shybuya Square, Meiji shrine, Ropongi, Kyoto, Kinkaku-Ji, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Shimonoseki, the Kanmon straights, Iki-Shima, Tsu-Shima, Karatsu, Komo-Tsushima, South Korea: Pusan, Seoul North Korea: the Pothong gate, Bay of Korea, the Yellow Sea China: Dandong, the river Yalu, the Friendship Bridge, the old Yalu Bridge, Shenyang, Chifeng, Dalai Nur, Pyongyang, Xilinhot, Zonid Soqi, Eren hot (Erenhot) Mongolia: Ulaanbaatar, Batsumber, Sübataar, Altaanbulag Russia: Kyaktha, Ulan-Udè, Lake Baikal, Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Yekaterinburg, Moscow, Smetanaprojnoijks, Tjernabilisksi and Kazakhstan

How to stay Sane as a Single Survivor of a Pandemic. Ten tiplets.

2010-02-19T00:21:00.000-08:00

The realization that you are truly the last man or woman on Earth may lead to psychotic mental disorders, such as anxiety, phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, all the way to schizophrenia, dyspareunia, or even gender identity disorder or ego-dystonic homosexuality. In short: you may suffer from attacks of depression - that you better get under control, as they greatly threaten your survival. One way to fight depression is music. And one musical instrument that has always been associated with depression is the accordion! Here are ten factoids/factlets about this fascinating musical instrument and how it may help you in your desperate situation.

The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family.
It is sometimes referred to as a squeezebox, schifferklavier or questche.
Variants include the concertina, schwyzerörgeli, buttontina and rtrikitixa.
The accordion is in the same family as the sheng and khaen, both of which are much older than the accordion and could have well inspired the creation of the accordion as we know it today.
The modern accordion was invented in Berlin in 1822 by Christian Friedrich Ludwig Buschmann
Famous accordionists include Yvette Horner, Pietro Frosini, and the brothers Count Guido Deiro and Pietro Deiro, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Antonia Begonia, Luiz Gonzaga (known as the king of baião) and Ástor Piazzolla.
The accordion is used in classical, folk, pop and traditional music – so it should be easy to find the musical genre that fits your personality and (hopeless) situation best.
Learning to play the accordion is easier then mastering a Steinway grand piano, but still sufficiently challenging if compared to musical instruments such as the flute. So: low risk of either getting either frustrated or bored.
Compared to a Steinway grand piano, transporting an accordion is much less challenging - although, unlike a flute, you can't slip it into your inside pocket.
Only David Carradine manages to look halfway believable as he toots his flute in the movie Kill Bill. Ordinary people (a.k.a non-Hollywood moviestars) blowing on a hollow piece of wood quickly look like jerks - a bad survival strategy.

Great music to listen to in post-pandemic times.

2010-02-15T23:19:00.000-08:00

Just imagine: you’re the last guy on earth! You may not yet have mastered playing the accordion or any other musical instrument. For some reason you do not feel like whistling or humming either. How to keep from going bonkers in the interim? Listening to musical artists of international renown may help you to elevate your spirits. However, make sure to select the right music! Expect positive effects from the tunes created by the following musicians: ZZ-Top, Vivaldi, Van Halen, U2, The Who, The Doors, Texas, Terri Clark, Ten years after, Shakira, Radiohead, Metallica, Mamas and the Papas, Linda Ronstadt, Led Zeppelin, Judas Priest, John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, Heart, Guns N Roses, Grateful Dead, Fleetwood Mac, Elvis Presley, Doobey Brothers, Donna Summer, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Cheryl Cole, Bon Jovi, Black Sabbath, Bee Gees, Beatles, Bach, Anastacia, Alicia Keys, Abba. The risks of listening to the wrong kind of music should not be underestimated.Better steer away from the artists below. Wings, Westlife, Wagner, Venom, Train, The Kinks, The birds, Take that, Taio Cruz, System Of A Down, Susan Vega, Spice girls, Shania Twain, Scorpions, Rolling Stones, Rihanna, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Queen, Pink Floyd, Pearl Jam, Paul McCartney, N-Dubz, Motorhead, Madonna, Lori Mitchell, Linkin Park, Lena Meyer-Landtrut, Lady Gaga, Kylie Minogue, KoRn, Kiss, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Jaden Smith, Jackson 5, Green day, Glen Miller, Frank Sinatra, Enrique Iglesias, Eminem, Electric Light Orchestra, Eagles, Drake, Dire Straights, Dido, Dean Martin, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Boston, Bob Marley (or any kind of reggae), Blue Oyster Cult, Barbara Streisand, B.o.B., Aerosmith, AC/DC. Any kind of Jazz.

Cool Cars to Ride in Post-Apocalyptic Times

2010-02-01T08:35:00.000-08:00

Imagine a world devoid of people - but a gigantic carpark to select your fav veihicle from. Here are some of the best picks to be on the lookout for:

1955 Chevrolet 6700-series bus, 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air, 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Ambulance, 1961-1964 Lincoln Continental convertible, 1962 Volvo P1800, 1963 Volkswagen Beetle, 1963-1967 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray, 1969 Dodge Charger, 1972 Ferrari 365 GTS/4, 1981 DeLorean DMC 12, 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B, Aston Martin DB5, BMW 2002tii, BMW 507, Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic, Camaro SS, Duesenberg J/SJ/SSJ, Ferrari F430, Ford GT40 Mark 3, Jaguar XK120, Koenigsegg CCR, Lamborghini Miura, Lancia Stratos, McLaren F1, Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, Porsche 911, Shelby Cobra, and the Shelby GT350 Mustang

How to get into Contact with other Survivors

2010-01-15T04:59:00.000-08:00

- A Broadband Radio
- A man-over-board (MOB) Transmitter
- A Loud Horn
- A Flare
- A Signalflag
- A Bugle
- If all else fails: Shout

Press Release @ PRLog

2010-01-02T13:28:00.000-08:00

Even more post-apocalyptic novels

2010-01-01T04:13:00.000-08:00

If you like the genre, here's a couple of other post-apocalyptic books worldwhile to read!

Stephen King - The Stand
Cormac McCarthy - The Road
Richard Matheson - I Am Legend
Pat Frank - Alas, Babylon
Nevil Shute - On the Beach
John Wyndham – The Chrysalids
A.P. Fuchs - Zombie Fight Night: Battles of the Dead.
J.C. Burnham – The fruit of the fallen
Erik Williams - Gone, the Day
Niven, Larry - Lucifer's Hammer
Shelley, Mary – The last man
Nelson, O. T. - The Girl Who Owned a City
J.G. Ballard - The Drought
John L. Evans - Kelin's Journey
Connie Willis – Doomsday Book
Jonathan Malone - The Chronicles of Kingdom Come: Perimeter

Booktip on Readme.cc

2009-11-29T07:34:00.000-08:00

TWO JOURNEYS was reviewed on readme.cc by David Steward: “[The] plot may sound simple, but in 600 pages a highly colorful painting is created. Several components are combined in a highly enjoyable fashion. The first ingredient is high time adventure. Several mad and thrilling episodes occur, such as an attack by a group of lions and exploding nuclear reactors. Then, the book is a travelogue. Suter’s descriptions of the landscapes in Japan, Korea, the Gobi Desert, the plains of Mongolia, Siberia and its empty cities… they are all very realistic and I quickly got emerged into their uniqueness and atmosphere. I liked that […] tremendously […] we get to know the main character intimately. Alan is a sympathetic fellow, and he shows the reader the significance of basic values – that continue to be important even in the absence of man. The book isn’t sensationalist, like so many other books that deal with this topic. A highly recommended read.“

Reader comment @ Amazon

2009-11-29T07:33:00.001-08:00

Want to read part of Two Journeys?

2009-11-29T07:25:00.000-08:00

Go to the Two Journeys entry on Amazon.com, click on the photo of the book cover ("click to look inside") and read parts of the novel !

Favorite Science Fiction authors

2009-07-06T08:06:00.000-07:00

You've asked for it! Al Bester, Alan Moore, Aldous Huxley, Andre Norton, Anne McCaffrey, Arthur C. Clark, c.j. cherryh, Chris Anvil, Chris Bunch, Dan Simmons, David Brin, David Drake, Douglas Adams, Elizabeth Moon , Eric Flint, Frank Herbert, Gene Wolfe, gene wolfe, Geoffrey A Landis, George Orwell, Greg Bear, H.G. Wells, Harlan Ellison, Heinlein, Iain Banks, Isaac Asimov, Jack Vance, John Ringo, john varley, Jules Verne , Kim Stanley Robinson, L. Ron Hubbard, Larry Niven, Luis McMaster Bujud, Madeleine L'Engle, Marian Zimmer Bradley, Miller & Lee, Neal Stephenson, Norton, Andre, octavia butler, Orson Scott Card, Orwell, Paolo Bacigalupi, Pat Cadigan, Phillip K. Dick, H. Beam, Poul Anderson, Pournelle, Jerry , Ray Bradbury, Robert A. Heinlein, Robert Asprin, Robert Silverburg, Samuel Delany, Simak, Spider Robinson, Tad Williams, Ted Chiang, Tim Zahn, Timothy Zahn, Ursula LeGuin, Walter Jon Williams, William Gibson.

What is a pandemic? Could this really happen?

2009-06-09T00:29:00.000-07:00

A pandemic is an epidemic or infectious disease that is spreading across a large region; for instance across a continent, or even globally. Many different organisms can cause such pandemics: smallpox, tuberculosis, HIV (AIDS), cholera, influenza - notably the 2009 flu pandemic (also refered to as H1N1 influenza virus, swine flu, mexican flu), typhus, measles, plague (black death), leprosy, malaria, yellow fever. Many pandemics with dramatic consequences have occurred in the past - and will in the future. In TWO JOURNEYS, a simple, modified common-cold virus seems to be the root cause of the demise of man.

Some of the worst movies ever made

2008-07-09T04:14:00.000-07:00

Glen or Glenda, Robot Monster, The Giant Claw, Plan 9 from Outer Space, The Beast of Yucca Flats, Eegah, The Creeping Terror, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, Monster A Go-Go, Manos: The Hands of Fate, Hobgoblins, The Room, Battlefield Earth, House of the Dead, Son of the Mask, Ultra Warrior, Bigfoot, Evil Behind You, Universal Soldiers, Terror at Tate Manor, Dark Vengeance, Zaat.

Order the adventure novel TWO JOURNEYS

2008-07-01T07:06:00.000-07:00

To order your copy of TWO JOURNEYS, click on any of the links below.

**** Option 1: Paperback ****

CREATESPACE (directly from the publisher)
USA: AMAZON.COM
USA: DIESEL.COM
USA: BARNES AND NOBLE
UK: AMAZON.CO.UK
Germany: AMAZON.DE
Click here to order in AUSTRALIA
Click here to order in CANADA
Click here to order in SOUTH AFRICA
INDIA: Click here and here
NETHERLANDS: Bloxshop and Van Stockum
JAPAN: here
SWEDEN: here

**** Option 2: eBook ****

Click here to order the Kindle version
Click here to order at Sony
Clich here to order at Kobo
Click here to order at Barnes and Noble
KINDLE, EPUB, RTF, PDF, Palmdoc: click here: SMASHWORDS

Click on Bookfinder to find (almost) all providers !

Click HERE to return to the TWO JOURNEYS blog

TWO JOURNEYS

Will Earth be destroyed in 2012?

Received the new back and front cover for Two Journeys

Dictators, rulers, strongmen, hetmen - there's no stopping the evil

Comment from a fellow author about TWO JOURNEYS

Happy 2012

Editor's comment (part 5) conc my Novel TWO JOURNEYS

Editor's comments (part 4) conc my Novel TWO JOURNEYS

Editor's comments (part 3) conc my novel TWO JOURNEYS

One of my favorite fragments from TWO JOURNEYS

Letter (part 2) from my Editor conc . my Novel TWO JOURNEYS

Comment from my Editor about my novel TWO JOURNEYS

Love is 4 letter word - from "Get Carter" with Michael Caine

Alcatraz in San Francisco in the fog

Sunflowers at the end of the world

Two Journeys ed. 2

Mad Max Fury Road

Dystopic ramblings

TWO JOURNEYS mentioned in Megaton's Post-Apocalyptic Daily

Buy my books on KINDLE

The Origin of Pandemics - excerpt from TWO JOURNEYS

What weapon to carry in post-apocalyptic days

Nuclear disaster - meltdown and fallout

Japan nuclear accident

Apocapalooza ! Interviews with Seven Distinguished Authors of the Dystopia

Compliments!

More about post-apocalyptic (dis-)beliefs

Fans of post-apocalyptic literature

Was it very hard to write CELETERRA, you may wonder?

Einstein writing "TWO JOURNEYS" on a Black Board

No need to hurry. Molluscs have existed for 500 Million years

Fragment from TWO JOURNEYS

Puzzling question

Quote from TWO JOURNEYS - after the catastrophe

New loafers, straight from Centbal Park - Wintek Heights

What Weapons to use while Traveling through a Deserted World

My Son is Prepared for the Pandemic

New cover for the TWO JOURNEYS eBook

Famous castaways, jettisoned and marooned

Video "Do you Want to Rule the World?"

Are you a dictator?

TWO JOURNEYS - the Novel about a Pandemic Survivor

Reader Comments about TWO JOURNEYS - "A Great Adventure"

Post-pandemic loneliness

My Favorite Post-Apocalyptic Books and Movies

Ten Tips for A Survivor of a Pandemic

Activities unsuited for a castaway

What you won't miss in post-apocalyptic times

The route that Alan travels in TWO JOURNEYS

Towns and places mentioned in TWO JOURNEYS

How to stay Sane as a Single Survivor of a Pandemic. Ten tiplets.

Great music to listen to in post-pandemic times.

Cool Cars to Ride in Post-Apocalyptic Times

How to get into Contact with other Survivors

Press Release @ PRLog

Even more post-apocalyptic novels

Booktip on Readme.cc

Reader comment @ Amazon

Want to read part of Two Journeys?

Favorite Science Fiction authors

What is a pandemic? Could this really happen?

Some of the worst movies ever made

Order the adventure novel TWO JOURNEYS