The fantasy is always that one can stave off tragedy through preparation: if only one has enough lead time and enough resources, and a place to hide out with one’s loved ones, one can stay safe while the world goes up in flames. In Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (2014), the protagonist Jeevan gets an early warning phone call about the epidemic that will eliminate majority of the world’s population and is able to do his shopping before the rest of the world realizes […]