More on the Cozy Catastrophe

Last week we took a look at the Cozy Catastrophe, that sub-genre of post-apocalyptic fiction where the characters are more concerned about their tea and crumpets than the fact the world as they knew it has just come to an end.

This week, I’d like to delve into this niche category of speculative fiction a bit deeper by taking a look at an example: the BBC program “Survivors”.

“Survivors” originally aired from 1975 to 1977. The creator was Terry Nation. In 1976, Nation published a novel with the same title. In 2008 and 2010, the BBC aired a remake of “Survivors”, giving the show a contemporary feel.

I’ve read the novel and seen the remake and will focus on those for the discussion here.

“Survivors” begins with a pandemic that wipes out almost all of the human race in a matter of a few weeks. The main character, Abby Grant, survives the virus and sets out to find her son, who was away at school. Along the way, she meets other survivors and they decide to band together in order to make survival easier.

Right away, one can see the focus in a cozy catastrophe is on the aftermath and not on the destruction of humankind.

Of course there has to be a villain. The TV series and novel sport two villains. These bottom feeders are also interested in survival, but not in the same way as our intrepid heroine. These guys survive by taking advantage of others and the situation. 

In the TV series, one hoards goods and uses his shotgun to chase others away. He also uses his weapon to enforce his control over people. He has a gang which does his bidding. The other villain enslaves people and forces them to mine coal. He then uses the coal to barter for goods. Winters can be chilly in Britain.

In the novel, the villains have different modus operandi but their goal is the same: to take advantage of the chaos by exploiting others in order to survive.

We have a catastrophe and then we have survivors. One group wants to rebuild civilization and make it better than it was; the other, is only interested in survival by means of exploitation and power.

Depending on which group gets the upper hand, determines whether the story has a utopian or dystopian mood.

The novel, in this case, has a decidedly dystopian feel. Things just don’t go well for the home team. So much so, they decide to leave Britain for the Continent. The TV series ended on a cliffhanger, not being renewed for a third season. I felt the TV version shaded to the hopeful and was not as bleak as the novel.

I think “Survivors” is a good introduction to the cozy catastrophe sub-genre. Check it out. The book is out of print and a bit difficult to find, but not impossible.

Comments are always welcome!