A Subtle Armageddon A SubtleArmageddon Category:  Science Fiction Publisher: Writers Club Press ISBN-10:  595203043 Type: Fiction Pages: 156 Copyright: December 7, 2001 ISBN-13: 9780595203048 A Subtle Armageddon follows in the tradition of C.S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien in defending traditional values in an increasingly secular culture. It deals with the plight of the last man on Earth, who ought to have had it easy. But he is not the last being on Earth, and the battle for final control of humanity rages around and within him. Inevitably, he learns from rather than controls his environment as intended by his creators. He becomes the opposite of what he was intended to be, as the natural world teaches the lessons it was meant to teach without regard for whatever order humanity attempts to force upon it. What follows is the prologue: Deep in the bowels of a long forgotten place a female form lay, naked and unmoving. It appeared unaware of its surroundings, the eyes staring blankly at the soothing whiteness of the ceiling above. Likewise the figure was unaware of the procedure just completed, the sole procedure for which she had been created. She remained motionless for several moments, as the light which emanated from above verified the success of the action. Once informed that all was as it should be the woman rose and left the room. For months this biological necessity roamed the corridors and rooms of the building she was in, eating and sleeping as need be, and having regular checkups. Things were no different than before in that respect. It was never bothered that she should be clothed; she never went outdoors, and the internal atmosphere kept her warm and comfortable. Further, clothing was basically just a sign of one's station in life. This woman's rank did not matter. There were, for now, no men. Neither were there other women, and there could be no more after her. This woman was the means towards the end she carried, beyond which there was nothing. It had taken time, much time, as the process went on, fertilizations and then instant destructions as the products failed to meet the standards set. Finally the right combination was hit upon, and promptly put in storage until a female body had matured. The day came that the woman was lying on a table in the room where the original procedure had taken place. The swelling in her abdomen was scanned and deemed fit. The woman was oblivious to the scanning, and to the low mechanical whirring and humming going on around her. She was in no pain, as had been proscribed. The woman lay without moving or making any sound, until her eyes gently closed to the eternal sleep. The mechanical noises went on for a few minutes longer. Then came a quiet which might have been forever. There was the briefest impulse of failure, that perhaps the time had not been right, or the carrier too weak to have been effective with the task. Finally the silence was broken by the shrill screams and harsh coughs of the male infant.

A Good Last Man
The world of the last man, as presented in Charles Martin Cosgriff's `A Subtle Armageddon', is an intriguing one. Sometimes bitter, at other points obscure, but often profoundly moving, it is a fascinating story. It tells of nature, or perhaps even supernature, reclaiming humanity. Humanity, through its representative in this one soul, seems happy with this final victory over what I presume to be sheer materialism. Or at the least, raw and naked power imposed upon a half willing, half uncaring population simply for the sake of exercising it.
I could feel what the man was feeling as he learned more about the reality around him than his rival, the vaguely evil `entity', was willing to allow. The book does once or twice read like a college lecture sounds, this usually when the author appears to believe an explanation necessary for some situation the man stumbles upon. But even these passages heighten the reader's experience of his emotion.
The last line of the story, which of course will have no impact without having read the whole story, is a classic.