ENDWORLD and WILDERNESS: THEIR UNIVERSE EXPLAINED

David Robbins
© 2017

In recent weeks some new readers have asked for more info on the Endworld Universe. I’ll get to a few of their specific questions after bit. First, the Endworld Universe explained.

The ‘universe’ currently consists of seven series that form a genealogical timeline. Three of the series are set in the past, two in the present, and two more in the future. All connected by bloodlines.

Imagine your own. There’s you and your father and your grandfather     and your great-grandfather, and on back it goes. Project ahead. There’s you, your kids, your grandchildren, and on into however many generations your family tree persists.

That’s the basic concept. The main characters in the series in the past are the ancestors of the main characters in the series set in current continuity and the series set in the future.
[The first books in WILDERNESS and ENDWORLD. That guy on the left is the great, great, great, great, great, great....you get the idea....grandfather of that guy on the right.]




Here’s the breakdown:

                                                       ENDWORLD UNIVERSE

      PAST                                          PRESENT                                       FUTURE
WILDERNESS series                      DOOMSDAY                                 ENDWORLD series
      (75 books)                                     (1 book)                                         (29 books)
BLOOD FEUD series                 A GIRL, THE END OF                     BLADE series
      (2 books)                               THE WORLD, AND                               (14 books)
WHITE APACHE series                 EVERYTHING
      (10 books)                                  (1 book so far)
   

One of the most asked questions is about the sequence. Do they have to be read in any particular order? Absolutely not. The Past and Present series stand alone. The series set in the past make no mention of anything having to do with the series in the present or the future. (With a single notable exception. More shortly.) The series set in the present do foreshadow some of the things to come, but it’s only when we get to the series set in the future that we discover the links connecting everything.
 [Two of the PAST series. WHITE APACHE and BLOOD FEUD]




Although the Future series can be read as stand-alone’s, there is a sequence to the stories. Here’s the reading order for ENDWORLD and BLADE:
  
ENDWORLD 1 through 14
BLADE 1 through 3
ENDWORLD 15 through 19
BLADE 4 through 6
ENDWORLD 20
BLADE 7
ENDWORLD 21
BLADE 8
ENDWORLD 22
BLADE 9
ENDWORLD 23
BLADE 10
ENDWORLD 24
BLADE 11 and BLADE 12
ENDWORLD 25 through 27
BLADE 13
FRONTIER STRIKE
ENDWORLD 28 and 29

That last book, FRONTIER STRIKE, is pivotal. It directly links ENDWORLD to WILDERNESS. It connects the future to the past. You might say it is the linchpin to the entire timeline.
 [The two PRESENT series. DOOMSDAY and A GIRL, THE END OF THE WORLD AND EVERYTHING]

Now for a few of those questions:

Why call it a ‘Universe’? It’s a common convention for interrelated books, comics and movies. Just a few examples. ‘The Marvel Universe’. The DC universe”. The STAR WARS universe’. And so on.

Why a ‘genealogical universe’, of all things? Why not? Plus, as the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction site astutely notes, one of the ‘persistent patterns’ that ‘dominate’ my writing are ‘primal family values’.

Why mix genres? I mean, you have Westerns and science fiction and contemporary. Why not do them in a single genre? Because the stories don't fit in only one genre. Keep in mind that some people don’t like to mix genres. A lot of readers who, for instance, like Westerns or Science Fiction will ‘only’ read Westerns or Science Fiction. I want readers in whichever genre to enjoy the books on their own merits.

Then why bother creating the EU? Because it’s fun. Because it adds an extra layer---multiple layers, actually---to the series. Because those in the know get a little extra kick in the knowing.

Besides, who wouldn’t want to create their own universe? Just look at the Book of Genesis. :)
 [The first BLADE and the linchpin to everything, FRONTIER STRIKE}