Instructions for the Apocalypse

by Rod Sweet, Tim Williams

Instructions for the Apocalypse is a fictional account of Gareth Gray's final hours of life, which he recorded for his daughter. The diatribe, which outlines an imminent confluence of crises leading to a profound disruption of the global economic system and the abrupt halt of Western civilization, is accompanied with old family album photographs. The isolated and mentally ill Gray presents a singular fictional voice that portrays madness as framed by the contemporary world.

128 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Daniel Garvin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like several others have mentioned, I read this book in one sitting. I loved the initial setup, describing the backstory of this man and the daughter he was talking to. I love multimedia, and especially loved the email fragments, newspaper entry, etc. But I have to say, the idea is better than the execution. The found photos and collaged elements are neat, but I really wish they were tied more into what we were being told. My opinion on these kind of works is really hard to pin down. On one hand I like that an atmosphere is created, and that we fill in the story ourselves based on the old photos, creepy collages, etc. But when I picked up this book, for some reason I wanted to be shown the story. I wanted to see the way the photos connected to his thoughts, the elements and items photographed and cut out and how they were in these stories he was telling. I wanted to be drawn in and guided, as apposed to kind of poking around the periphery of a half formed idea, drawing my own conclusions. There is a place and time for that kind of art, thought provoking, etc, but in this case, with so much obvious detail poured into the work, why not make the details coalesce into an actual idea as apposed to just creating an atmosphere? It's why a show like LOST pissed me off so much, it offered such an interesting setup and progression of answers and then fizzled off when it got too hard or complicated for the creator. Eventually we were told just to make our own conclusions on the vague ending and imagery. A creator has to choose, either they lead you through the story to the answers, or they let you find your own answers. If the object switches part way through the book, it's disconcerting, it leaves you disconnected and ultimately frustrated. And that's where I'm at. Why not pour some more detail into connecting word and image? This book is beautiful and could be a cult classic of sorts, if it had dared to be.

[Mia Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this treasure in a Book Sale branch near my place and bought it for only 150 pesos (approx. $3.34). For a work of graphic design and fiction, this book is amazing. It's what my professor in Graphic Design would call sophisticated minimalist. The accompanying text also complements the design really well. The pairings of the vintage photos and text are not forced like what they did in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. If you're lucky to get your physical copy of this book, read on and relish Gareth Gray's account of his descent to madness. I don't think they have an e-book copy of this book because that would feel very artificial and of course the reading experience would be not as good as holding this crisp beautiful hardbound book in your hands. This is also precisely why physical books will never go out of phase because you cannot fucking read a gorgeous coffee table book in an e-reader.

[Christian Bantz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I easily could have read this book in a couple of hours, but I got distracted for a while and didn't pick it back up for a couple of weeks. That's the type of book this was for me. It's not bad; it just lost my attention for a bit once the interest in multi genre faded.

The multigenre aspect was awesome, with the photos, rules, and voice recordings. It reminded me of Dictee by Theresa Hak Kyung Cha. Both texts made me pause for several minutes to think about what I was taking in.

The main downfall for me was that I didn't see enough of him being "normal" before his descent into madness. It pretty much starts with his madness with the protection against apocylapse. It would have helped to see something from back when he was a professor and his daughter was young. Maybe some notes from his parents or wife. Then they could have had them falling away, and as his loneliness grew, so did his obsessions and insanity.

My favorite part of the book was the way it was made -- the hard cover, thick pages, and stitched binding. It just feels good in my hands.

[Damon Navari · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was intrigued by the entire idea of this illustrated fiction! As an illustrator, I really appreciated the abstract thought and creativity it took to complete this one-of-a-kind book! From spoken word to numbered instructions and back again, the writing in different forms was indeed special, and I stayed interested from beginning to end. Not knowing what to expect from page to page was a new and fun experience.

[Kaitlyn Cook · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can’t honestly say I enjoyed this book, the only thing I really like about it was how fast I was able to read it. However, I was pretty lost for most of the book. I didn’t see how the mixed media tied into a lot of what was being said. I also found reading the rambling parts very tedious. Overall, it could have been worse, but it also could have been A LOT better too.

[Dani · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an utter delight. The found photographs/design perfectly offset the story of Gareth Gray as he delves ever deeper into madness with his instructions on how to survive the coming apocalypse. Sage advice about the relish, though.

[Andrea Trenary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Strange strange book.
I liked the mixed media (if that's what it would be considered) aspect which is why I bought it. It was a quick read (even tho I didn't, it would be).

[Sarah]

I don't even know. There are some interesting ideas and the found photos periodically combined just right with the prose that really worked for me. I also enjoyed the use of the telegram STOP in the prose. But it was still too slight, even with the framing.

[Greg · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the "found photos" and the odd "story". But .. but... How go we survive an apocalypse? Demand relish?

[velma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up based on its cover and I read it in one sitting. The photos and different types of writing contained within really work well together. It felt like a window into the life of Gray.