It's Only Temporary [Paperback]

Eric Shapiro (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2005

The world will end in just 10 hours.

After Sean graduates from college, he is ready to begin his life. Silly him for assuming he will have one. Word gets out that humanity is doomed: a giant meteorite has been headed toward the Earth for decades, and the government is ill-equipped to stop it. On the final day of human life, Sean must decide who to spend his precious time with. When he opts to hit the road and reunite with a lost love, he encounters a mad society that is rapidly shredding the trappings of civilization.

It's Only Temporary is a fevered tour of a world on fire. Throw your bookmark away; you will not be able to put this story down...

Editorial Reviews

Review

It's Only Temporary is, perhaps, the best "End of the World" story I’ve ever read. -- Horror of Buried.com

An apocalyptic masterpiece: harrowing, hilarious, disturbing, heartfelt, and suspenseful. Not to be missed! -- James Rollins, best-selling author of Map of Bones

If I gave ratings to the books I review, this one would romp home with five stars. -- Tregolywn Book Reviews

Its powerful, stylish writing and raw emotion will stay with you for a long, long time. -- Tim Lebbon, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Desolation

Visceral. Intense. Edgy. Amazing. -- Fantastica Daily

About the Author

Eric Shapiro's wide array of fiction and nonfiction pieces have appeared in over 75 publications, in print and on the World Wide Web, including The Elastic Book of Numbers (Elastic Press) and Fedora IV (Betancourt & Co.).

Eric's debut, Short of a Picnic (2002), a radical fiction collection about mental illness, enjoyed critical and commercial success, and his screenplay Male Revenge Fantasy received a national award from the International Radio & Television Society in 1998.

Eric lives in Los Angeles with his wife Rhoda. He will not be satisfied with his fiction until the pages literally catch fire . . .

Product Details

• Paperback: 108 pages
• Publisher: Permuted Press (July 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 097655593X
• ISBN-13: 978-0976555933
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,784,433 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Eric Shapiro's acclaimed 2005 novella, "It's Only Temporary," was on the preliminary ballot for the Bram Stoker Award in Long Fiction. He directed and produced the motion picture, "Rule of Three" (2010), which had its world premiere at the Fantasia Festival and its U.S. Premiere at Fantastic Fest before being released on DVD and Netflix Instant. In 2010, Permuted Press published an omnibus collection of Eric's three short novels ("It's Only Temporary," "Days of Allison," and "Strawberry Man") and a handful of selected short stories called "Stories for the End of the World." His newest novel, "The Devoted" (2012), out from John Skipp's Ravenous Shadows, depicts the last day in the life of a suicide cult.

Eric lives in Los Angeles with his wife and producing partner, Rhoda Jordan, and their son, Benjamin Shapiro.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Different Take on the End of the World, January 2, 2007

By 

Charles Glover - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: It's Only Temporary (Paperback)

Hours before the world ends, Sean decides to take the three hour drive to his former girlfriend's house so he can die in her arms. He says goodbye to his parents, takes his dad's gun, and drives off towards his girl's house. He makes some stops that aren't necessary, such as to his favorite diner, where the proprietor shoots at him for walking out with a glass. People act in unbelievable manners at times in this book, and the narrator's description of his mother was a bit offputting.

Then he encounters some villians straight out of Mad Max who are throwing women out of a camper van. He picks up one of the women and they go after the two crazy men. After that situation is dealt with, they go to a house in search of a car (his Explorer ran out of gas) and end up helping a couple deliver a baby. These are a few of the things he stalls around with as he makes his way to his ex.

Along the journey he does plenty of drugs, thinks back to his time dating the girl, and gets in a car wreck. After the wreck, there is a brief "anti-psychotic episode" and the story gets back on track only to get bogged down in a rediculous subplot about wild lions.

Will he make it to the girl's house? You will have to read it to find out. It is a very short book and the print is pretty big, so it won't take long to finish and it is quite entertaining. Except for the part about the lions, which made you wonder if the whole thing was a dream. Shapiro is an author I would check out again.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a Ride, August 9, 2005

By 

Dennis Duncan (Greenfield, Tennessee United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: It's Only Temporary (Paperback)

I started this story about Two hours ago, and I just got finished. I read it in one sitting. I could not tear myself away from it. It grabbed me by the throat on the first page, and I am still trying to catch my breath.

The story takes place on Humanity's last day. A Meteor is heading straight for Earth, and nothing can be done to stop it. The story follows a young man named Sean, and his struggles. His physical struggle to reach is ex girlfriend before the Meteor hits, and his mental struggle to find God, and the meaning of Life. You witness the worlds last few hours through his eyes.

This story made me laugh, almost cry, and laugh some more. It was a true pleasure to read. I have to say that this is one of the best Apocalyptic stories I have ever read. I hated to see this book end. Eric is one heck of a Storyteller. He knows how to write a story that will stay with you long after you finish it.

I recommend Its Only Temporary to anyone that wants to read a adrenaline packed story that is at the same time very deep and beautiful.

It will stay with me for a very long time.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Piecemealed, Home-Sewn Shockfest 2 1/2 stars, December 29, 2007

By 

K. Koval "Kelly" (Somerset, New Jersey USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: It's Only Temporary (Paperback)

Yep, I did it- I ruined the rating of this short story- yes, it's a short story- it's only a hundred pages.

I really, really wanted to like this book- especially after paying full book price for a short story, and after all the glowing reviews.

However, I felt as though there were am series of well-written and sometimes quite shocking scenes kinda home sewn together with the wrong colored string. Like the was no actual plot, just the weak idea of a young man deciding to spend his last moments with his lost love. Beyond that there's no rhyme or reason to any of the happenings in this story.

I wouldn't want to discourage anyone from reading this, as obviously many other's have enjoyed it, but I felt it only fair that I share my opinion and review as well, even if it isn't as glowing at its predecesors.