Do you find yourself contemplating the imminent end of the world? Do you wonder how society might reorganize itself to cope with global cataclysm? Have you begun hoarding canned goods and ammunition against possible alien invasion? Visions of the apocalypse and its aftermath began to dominate mass media well before the turn of the millennium. Yet narratives since the year 2000 present decidedly different spins on cultural anxieties, founded in real-world experiences of terrorism, disease, environmental collapse, worldwide conflict and millennial technologies. Many of these concerns have been made metaphorical: zombie hordes embody fear of out-of-control appetites and encroaching disorder. Other fears, like the prospect of human technology turning on its creators, seem more based in reality. This collection of new essays explores apocalyptic themes and narratives in a variety of post-millennial media, including film, television, video games, webisodes and smartphone apps.

[The World of The Hunger Games is an anthology of scholarly but accessible essays on Suzanne Collins's epic trilogy. Spanning multiple disciplines, its contributors probe the trilogy's meaning using theories grounded in historicism, feminism, humanism, queer theory, as well as cultural, political, and media studies. Although the contributors demonstrate diverse critical perspectives regarding Collins's novels, their work has three elements in common: an appreciation of the trilogy as literature, a belief in its permanent value, and a need to share both appreciation and belief with fellow readers. To that end, this anthology's introduction acknowledges the significance of the series as both young adult and trans-generational/trans-genre literature. The 21 essay-chapters that follow the introduction are grouped into four parts. Part I considers the trilogy in the context of ""History, Politics, Economics, and Culture,"" while Part II interrogates ""Ethics, Aesthetics, and Identity"" within the novels. Part III examines issues of ""Resistance, Surveillance, and Simulacra,"" while Part IV looks at some of the ""Thematic Parallels and Literary Traditions"" that readers can find in Collins's narratives. The anthology also includes a core bibliography of dystopian and postapocalyptic works, with emphasis on the young adult category--itself an increasingly crucial part of postmodern culture.]