Time Enough at Last - Or Not

by: Jovialis Jill N. Yeung (2013-72341)

I wouldn’t change much of the basic storyline in “Time Enough at Last” since it’s something that can be adapted into almost any era of modern history. Although in my version, the main character would be an avid book-lover in a future dominated by ebooks and tablets. No one appreciates the traditional paper-bound books anymore, and anyone still caught reading using such methods is considered outdated. This is course, saddens the main character as he has to resort to reading in secret to prevent ridicule from his peers.

It is winter time and because of drastic climate change temperatures have dropped to the point that it’s now the coldest winter the earth has experienced in centuries. The power plants and other technological devices are unable to function in such extreme cold and so people’s options for entertainment have become severely limited. The main character is happy, since now no one will question his hobby anymore since there aren’t many options left.  What he fails to realize though that with the failure of power plants, people’s houses are unable to function normally – electricity has been cut off, heaters don’t work, and there’s no way to manually generate enough power to sustain entire cities. Food eventually runs out, people die of starvation or hypothermia, and everything’s frozen over. The main character despairs over the fact that thanks to the frost that has enabled him to enjoy reading without question, people’s basic needs aren’t satisfied, and so society cannot survive at all (that includes him of course). He would’ve rather stuck to using ebooks and tablets if it meant he wouldn’t have to suffer through a slow and painful death. 

In the end, millions of people fall victim to the world's coldest winter yet.