The Next Apocalypse: The Art and Science of Survival
4.3 | 50 ratings
Price: 19.68
Last update: 12-30-2025
Top reviews from the United States
- Don Stiermangreat story, great writineThis story is true up to where I am in the book (I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Honduras 50 years ago), and riveting. I have not yet completed the book, holidays and family are getting in the way. Impressive civilizations of ancient Central America had disappeared, and archaeologist Dr. Begley examines the evidence. I am just moving from analysis of the past into projections into the future. Disclosure: I worked on a project with Dr. Begley some 25 years ago and might have co-authored a paper with him. But scientists are usually most critical of other scientists in the manuscript review process, and I did not find one item in the first 200 pages that I would dispute. I used Jared Diamond's book "Collapse" as required reading in an honors class I taught on Central America, If you have not read it, buy a copy.
- D23AMAZING AND SO INSIGHTFULThis is an amazing well thought out book that analyzes past civilizations and what lead up to the collapse. The things that bias our viewpoints based on our own experiences that Dr. Begley helpfully lays out using his own life by example helps us reflect upon interpretations in which are shaped by our own views. I cannot wait to read more from Dr. Begley. This is a MUST READ for sure.
- diduckyIntriguing….In the midst of a global pandemic, I guess it was natural for the title of this book to catch my eye. Survival is key to every element of life, and no more pronounced for humans than within a virus outbreak. Climate change, fuel shortages, there are world-wide problems and consequences looming if not already being dealt with. I was curious what the author, with his credentials as an archaeologist/anthropologist and a teacher of survivor skills (that’s an interesting combination, isn’t it?) would have to say…
And he said a lot, from a global perspective to an individual one. From ‘lost’ civilizations to how to cope with a current crisis on a personal level, the author walked through cause and effect as well as drilling down a problem to its very essence. I enjoyed his analysis as arguments were well-laid out and offered much food for thought. A crisis for one group of individuals may not necessarily mean a huge issue for another. Perspective was key and factored into much of the commentary and conclusions the author made.
Enjoyable on a societal, as well as personal one, the varied insight provided some new ideas as well as a few practical ones. While I wouldn’t view this as a how to manual by any means, it does give a lot of food for thought…
*I happily reviewed this book
**Thank you to NetGalley - BethBEST BOOK of 2021!!Absolutely fascinating!! A must read for everyone on the planet! I bought a copy for everyone for Christmas! Chris Begley is a real life Indiana Jones who delivers a critical message to humanity! A must have! I also bought it on audible!
- Kailey GVA thoughtful non-alarmist approach to apocalypseDr. Begley, through years of experience and a lifelong career in archeology crafts a well thought out and non-alarmist vision of what humanity may face in the next apocalypse. What really matters in the end, he postulates, is not how much stuff we’ve acquired but ultimately how we react as a community.
- Jesse DNothing but communist drivelFirst of all, the writing itself was terrible. This did not need to be a book - it could have been a blog post, or a pamphlet. You know when you were in school and you had to write a 10 page paper, but you only had enough real material for 2 pages? You learned how to stretch out those 2 pages of material by repeating the same talking points over and over and over again in an endless loop, in various different wordings, until you reached your 10 pages? That’s what this book does - it’s about 20 pages of real material, the rest is just fluff.
The second problem with this book is that it’s not even about what it claims to be about. The title is wildly misleading. This is not a book on societal collapse, apocalypses, or prepping. It’s a political book that uses these subjects to justify the author’s far left ideology. I did not buy a book on politics, I did not want to read a book on politics, but that’s what I got. The cover story of supposedly being a narrative about the coming collapse is just a Trojan horse to get sensible people who are concerned for the future exposed to communist thought processes. - Linda C. BisbeeWas on my must read listI keep up with politics and this was recommended.
- JDInteresting bookInteresting read