Star Phoenix Base

The title “Star Phoenix Base” comes from the novel After Calamity, a story about what might at first seem to be a fantastic world of the future … and yet one that is all too possible. Writer David L. Brown created After Calamity motivated by his desire to bring to life the possible results of the many dangers such as overpopulation, resource depletion, and climate change are leading humanity and our only home, the Planet Earth.

The title refers to a fictional starship built to carry survivors from an Earth devastated by environmental and social disasters to a new beginning in interstellar space. Set in the late 21st century — not at all too far distant in time — the story describes a world that has been destroyed by global warming, famine, plagues, and social breakdown. Against this background of disaster at a time called Calamity, in which billions have died and untold numbers of species have become extinct, a story of courage, hope and resolve plays itself out as a group of desperate survivors strive to escape from the destroyed Earth.

This novel provides a warning about the errors of humanity’s ways and the dangers that face our species — and indeed all life on Earth — in the uncertain future that lies ahead. It is an exciting adventure story that will not only entertain, but may cause some readers to think more deeply about present social and environmental trends.

What makes this story different is that the frightening future it portrays is all too possible, for the gloomy future it describes is based on extrapolation of present trends. All those dangers — population growth, global warming, resource depletion, species extinction, climate change, and the breakdown of human civilization — are actually beginning to take place now. The author wrote the original story in 1995 and the manuscript remained in his files for a decade. Then, he noticed that many of the things he had predicted were beginning to come true … his fictional future was beginning to take shape in the real world. It was then that he decided to publish the book, and to create the StarPhoenixBase.com web site to make more people aware of the terrible dangers that face humankind and Planet Earth.

The novel is intended to both entertain and inform. On the first level it is an exciting adventure with an interesting cast of characters and dramatic action that proceeds to an heartstopping conclusion. As a cautionary tale of the future that may await humankind should we fail to heed the many warning signs of global distress, it is a grim reminder that all may not be well for our children and grandchildren.