The Doomsday Report: A Novel [Hardcover]

Rock Brynner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 3, 1998

What if we learned that mass extinction caused by global warming is imminent and inescapable? What if we had no future. . . and we knew it? That's the premise of this provocative, highly topical thriller, an explosive mix of passion, murder, sex, science, and unremitting suspense.

It is 1998 -- or Doomsday minus forty years, according to renowned NASA scientist Dr. Roger Belacqua. When Terry Bancroft, a young assistant editor in New York City, comes across his mysterious, unsolicited manuscript, she realizes that its horrific conclusions must be made public. What she cannot imagine is the staggering impact of The Doomsday Report on her own life and the whole world: By the time it becomes a bestseller, it has sparked a global explosion of decadence, violence, and ruthless terrorism, with Terry Bancroft and those she loves at the very heart of the firestorm.

Part murder mystery, part love story, this novel is an all-too-plausible warning to our fragile, endangered planet.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Beware of novels bearing bibliographies. Here we have not only two pages of citations (and Web sites specializing in ecology and population control) but also instructive quotations introducing each chapterAall of which support the dire warnings of the fictional Belacqua Report: that pollution, nuclear accidents and overpopulation have ruined our planet beyond any hope of recovery. When publisher Franco Sherman and his girlfriend, copy editor Terry Bancroft, rescue the visionary Dr. Belacqua's apocalyptic findings from their slushpile, they uncover a bookseller's dream and nightmare combined. The report hits the bestseller lists with a vengeance, creating a media frenzy, public hysteria and a rising wave of terrorist activity. Only when Bancroft applies some relatively simple math does the (less) horrid truth become clear: Belacqua is either mistaken or a fake. Bancroft's ethical dilemmas, Sherman's topical struggles with his publishing bureaucracy and the efforts of various agencies to smoke out the true state of the planet all fail to put thrills into this tract. Although playwright, historian and novelist Brynner (The Ballad of Habit and Accident) obviously wants to provoke discussion of ecological problems, his horse-pill demands more than a sugar-coating. (June) FYI: The author is the son of the late actor Yul Brynner.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Beginning with a publishing company's conscientious hand-wringing over whether to publish a respected scientist's report predicting the extinction of the human species in the mid-21st century, this novel rapidly degenerates to murder, outrageous depravity, and depersonalized sex, these being the supposed effects of such doomsday reporting. In the midst of this apocalypse blooms an unlikely romance between editorial assistant Terry Bancroft, a crassly smart Generation Xer, and Franco Sherman, the cultured and urbane president and CEO of Commonweal Books. Conveniently, Franco is also a widower with a hole in his heart big enough for Terry to fill. Founded in scientific fact, this engaging though occasionally bizarre novel issues alarms concerning overpopulation and global warming. A historian who uses his story to urge us toward greater international cooperation and better environmental care of our world, Brynner (the son of actor Yul Brynner) includes an interesting bibliography of scientific references. Recommended for large fiction collections.ASheila M. Riley, Smithsonian Inst. Libs., Washington, DC
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; 1st edition (June 3, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688159192
• ISBN-13: 978-0688159191
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,459,754 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I dare you to put this one down!, July 17, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Doomsday Report: A Novel (Hardcover)

First of all, this is a great inside look at the publishing business. There are a lot of big names mentioned that any reader will recognize both from the book world and motion picture world. The Doomsday Report starts in today's time and goes forward, envisioning a world that is affected by a book which accurately predicts the end of humanity through global warming in the next forty years. There is a disturbing scene in which 16 young men and women seize a restaurant and terrorize 26 customers along with over 20 employees in a night of violence filled with unspeakable acts. The horror of the night is captured on video by one of the gang members is shown on television to the point of saturation.

A new craze on the highways replaces road rage - it is called Bomping. Bomping is when you drive down the wrong side of the road at speeds in excess of over 100 miles per hour and see if you can cross over to the far left lane and get back to the right hand lane, catchin! g the next exit. If successful you score 3 points. If not, well the doomsday clock is ticking anyway. If you happen to have a video camera mounted on your dash you can leave a legacy behind you on the news. Of course the book, known as The Belaqua Report is disputed and suspicion starts to grow as to what the motives really are behind the book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Had to force myself realizing that it is only fiction. WOW!, June 25, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Doomsday Report: A Novel (Hardcover)

My respect to Dr. Brynners latest work. In the first place it is his excellence of choosing the right words for a complex content. Those of us who read all his other novels appreciate Dr. Brynners talent of investigative poetry - and me (as probably many others as well) sometimes have to make sure that the Doomsday Report is Fiction. The story seems so real and is well researched in its details. It should make us all think and reflect what's going on on this planet. I couldn't put it down - the last page came too soon. Thank you, Dr. Brynner, for a lesson combined with highend entertainment!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books I have read in a long time, June 18, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Doomsday Report: A Novel (Hardcover)

Entertaining and thought-provoking, The Doomsday Report offers the best of everything: it's a real page-turner, very well written, fascinating and hilariously funny, while challenging the ways you may think about this planet and one of the most important issues humanity has to face: global warming. I couldn't put it down.