The Cell by Stephen King and The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham are both post-apocalyptic novels that describe an apocalyptic event and how humanity tries to rebuild itself in followed. The first recognized work of modern apocalyptic fiction is said to be Mary Shelley's The Last Man, which details the tale of the last man living in a world where humanity has been wiped out by a plague. Although it received harsh criticism and reviews at the time, The Last Man paved the way for the success of novels such as H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds. The two novels are both set in the period in which they were written: The Day of the Triffids is set in the 1950s and Cell is set in the 21st century. Therefore the apocalyptic events described by Wyndham and King are relevant to their times: Cell is about a virus infesting humanity through their cell phones and The Day of the Triffids is about the population being attacked by alien plants after most part of the human race has been destroyed. blinded. If a reader were to perceive these apocalyptic events as "unrealistic", it would only be because they believe them to be anachronistic and therefore the reader does not fully engage with the novels. Reader interpretation, reception contexts of novels, as well as their production contexts are vitally important in judging whether or not the events described by Wyndham and King are "unrealistic." Brian Aldiss, in Billion Year Spree: The History of Science Fiction, commented on The Day of the Triffids by saying that:The Day of the Triffids was totally devoid of ideas but read smoothly, and therefore reached a maximum audience, who enjoyed enjoyable disasters or rather than a 'cozy catastrophe'.The term 'cozy catastrophe' is a term given to......middle of paper......failed to achieve the same result that King has in Cell. In conclusion, when determining whether the events described in Cell and The Day of the Triffids are unrealistic, one must take into account the different attitudes of readers: some may see them as completely far-fetched while others may find them to be a possibility. One must look at the events themselves, the portrayal of the characters, as well as the production contexts of the novels to determine how Wyndham and King intended the events described to be received. Works CitedCell: Stephen King (Hodder, 2007) The Day of the Triffids: John Wyndham (Penguin Books, 1981) A Billion-Year Spree: The Story of Science Fiction: Brian Aldiss (House of Stratus, 2001) "Wyndham, John": John Clute in The Encyclopaedia of Science Fiction: Peter Nichold (ed.) (1979)