“Even if Earth were hit by an asteroid or some other cosmic catastrophe, humans would still have an infinitely better chance of surviving for hundreds of years underground on Earth than on other planets and moons with poisonous atmospheres and no water, organic matter, or easily exploitable resources.”
—The Dopaminergic Mind in Human Evolution and History, p. 167
SGR 0245+05, a dangerous magnetar within close galactic proximity, shows signs of erupting just as the Earth is in a magnetic reversal and losing its magnetic shield. Professor James Templeton, a brilliant but maligned astrophysicist who alone predicted the eruption of “+05”, is summoned to Washington, DC, by Dr. Jacqueline DeFazio, his former lover and head of NASA’s Space Life Sciences Division, to consult with high-ranking governmental officials about the prospects for a major starquake in “+05”. He tours one of over one hundred American underground mini-cities that were built in the preceding decade based on his scientific predictions and is astounded by the realization that NASA and Dr. DeFazio were following up massively on his predictions of doom, even as they were attacking him in public. The magnetar strikes almost immediately after the high-level briefing and before he and DeFazio can reignite their relationship. Templeton is trapped in DC but manages to return home after a harrowing cross-country trip across a dystopian America in the initial stages of societal collapse. After two hundred years, the restoration of the magnetic shield leads a small number of underground survivors to eventually resurface to a feudal world of warring tribes.
Excerpt from Shield Down
The Texian victory celebration that night featured the current delicacy—kolaches made of soy crust wrapped around grilled lizards and insects—along with salad greens, potatoes, fresh fruit, flavored water, and even a little very aged wine saved for this special occasion. There was music and dancing, and even Bazany shuffled to the rhythm with one of the middle-aged Texian women who, despite her attractive facial features, had a mouth marred by two missing front teeth and a few other decaying ones. At the outset of the evening, Walker had toasted him for his critical help in elevating the military capabilities of the colony, with Walker even suggesting Bazany belonged right up with Sam Houston in the pantheon of Texian heroes. After suffering in isolation for nearly a decade and believing he was the last human on Earth and then just two weeks previously been taken prisoner and almost set loose to die, Bazany was more than elated to take on his new role. Now that he was an honored part of the Inner Space community, the news that a few dozen Ozarkians had had their guts spilled out a few miles up the road didn’t seem to bother him as much as it would have when he still resided at Hades Retreat.
The warring, feudal enclave based more on myth than science that he was now a member of wasn’t exactly what his great-ancestor John Frederick Bazany—or for that matter, James Templeton or Jacqueline DeFazio—had envisioned as the promised land when humans returned to the surface of Earth after the great calamity. But at least humankind had survived the cosmic wrath and escaped the sixth great mass extinction of life on Earth.
The question now was, Would humanity survive itself?
Book reviews
“Author de Berg is a master of the dystopian story. This book, like the author’s other tales, is an intriguing foray into human psychology. His storyline, though set in the future, reflects modern sensibilities and could hold universal appeal.” Carolyn Davis, US Review of Books
“In general, I found [Shield Down] not only enthralling but also gripping, thought-provoking, and informative. … There is nothing I disliked about the book. It will appeal most to ardent fans of sci-fi books.” Kibetius, Online Books
“In general, I found [Shield Down] not only enthralling but also gripping, thought-provoking, and informative. … There is nothing I disliked about the book. It will appeal most to ardent fans of sci-fi books.” Kibetius, Online Books