a Novel by Eric Shapiro
Reviewed by Leigh Dragoon

We've all heard this story before. A rogue asteroid is headed toward Earth, and the destruction of all life is imminent. . .unless a band of self-sacrificing loners does something to save us. It's pretty familiar ground that Eric Shapiro's new novel, "It's Only Temporary", published by Permuted Press, treads, except for one thing: there is no intrepid band of saviors. Six weeks ago, the governments of the world announced that no one has any aces up their sleeves. Less than half of one percent of life on the planet is expected to survive impact.

This is situation facing Sean, the book's main character. A recent college graduate, his entire existence has been pared down to a fraction of what it should be. The book opens on humanity's last day. Sean has decided to spend his remaining hours with his ex-girlfriend, Selma, who he still carries a torch for. Saying goodbye to his family, he packs up his Ford Explorer, and begins what should be a 3 hour car trip to get to Selma's house. "It's Only Temporary" follows the events that befall Sean during the course of this car trip.

People, I have to admit that when Mr. Shapiro contacted me and asked me to review "It's Only Temporary", I was not expecting great things. The book's summary didn't grab me. Another killer asteroid story? Oh, joy. In this frame of mind, I opened the book's covers and began to read. As it turns out, I could not have been more wrong. "It's Only Temporary" is extremely well written, and sucked me in immediately.

Two things set this book apart for me. The first is that Mr. Shapiro makes it clear that humanity's destruction is inevitable. Nothing is going to stop the asteroid. There is no deux ex machina ending of hope and defiance in the face of all odds. Very few stories, written, filmed or otherwise, are willing to brave such dark waters.

The book's other major strength lies in the honesty of its characters. Sean is not a saint, and neither are any of the people he encounters. He does drugs, and he can be very selfish and single-minded. He is also loving and brave--many of his actions mean so much because they are literally some of the last actions he will every take, and yet he still choses to make them, even though they endanger him, and will certainly not benefit him directly. People in "It's Only Temporary" go insane, and try to kill each other, and live out their remaining time with their heads in the sand. They also stay strong for each other, and lift each other up, and draw together in love.

I have to say, I've never read a more inspiring, hopeful book about the end of the world. I loved this book, and I wasn't expecting to. That makes it something very special, in my mind.

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