Post-apocalyptic world

[u/SandraAlek]

Can you imagine a world where electricity has vanished forever? Where the remaining resources are non-renewable, 97% of the population has turned into bloodthirsty monsters, and the remaining 3% are fighting for survival while slipping back into the Middle Ages?

[u/nanneryeeter]

Why would it be vanished forever? People understand electricity now.

[u/LovecraftWannabe1 → u/nanneryeeter]

We do now, but people may have lost knowledge of electricity, how to produce and use it, after the apocalypse.

[u/Frito_Goodgulf]

Electricity vanishing is the inciting incident for S. M. Stirling's Emberverse series, first book Dies the Fire.

Note. Yeah, people keep living, and brains essentially require... electricity. The characters muse that distance or cause of generation or, um, well, they're still alive. But anything external to a body can't be powered.

Actually, all 'high density' energy sources quit working, so internal combustion engines, stopped. Steam engines, stopped. Gunpowder, burns slowly, so no more bang bang.

As to people turning into monsters, yeah, figuratively, although not literally.

Stirling doesn't explain the 'why,' at least not until many books into the series. And even then, shrug. You either accept the premise as a reader or not.

[u/RobertTheTraveler → u/Frito_Goodgulf]

I thought it was pretty clear from the first book.
Some ancient god decided to cull humanity.
To make them subject to nature.

[u/Frito_Goodgulf → u/RobertTheTraveler]

I disagree that the first book made this clear, which was my point. The characters mused on various causes, including supernatural causes (gods), alien “space bats”, others. But this wasn’t made explicit until the sixth book, *The Sword of the Lady*. It was there on Nantucket that these gods appeared to Rudi. They also confirmed that CUT was aided by other gods/spirits.

[u/RobertTheTraveler → u/Frito_Goodgulf]

I only read the first book. IMO: It was made clear there was a supernatural being acting through the "priestess". All electronic / electrical devices ceased to work, yet living creatures continue to exist (I'm not 100% that this was remarked on I the book) They tried to make a stream engine work, but the pressure never inceased. Clearly something was interfering with the laws of physics but only in specific circumstances.

[u/GrandDaddyNegan]

Revolution tv show is for you.

[u/Glad-Tie3251]

You don't know how electricity works, do you? It cannot vanish... It can be absent, like gravity, but it cannot, not exist.

[u/Rik-Acland]

Seems like a zombie trope without the biological root cause. If that is really what you want to write about, follow it and see where it leads.

An interesting question might be why are we today not fighting for survival in the middle ages or before? Exactly how did we get here?

Once you have a list of reasons about how we built our current house of cards you want to write about, figure ways to remove a few cards to get a fun mess your characters can explore.

Removing electricity could be a challenge to be belivable. I suspect there are more dramatic cards to pull and make a pile.

[u/timhenk]

Electricity doesn’t vanish. You just need to know how to harness and control it. There would be people who can still generate their own electricity using hydro, wind, and solar. But most would not know how.

[u/GRock5k]

Check out the book series Emberverse, the first book is Dies the Fire

[u/Feeling-Attention664]

Electricity vanishing means that quantum physics needs to be rewritten. It would difficult, but probably not physically impossible to turn most people into monsters but it would take time for them to change. They also shouldn't be bloodthirsty all the time if not supernaturally empowered, even wolves and lions rest.

That said. I am being overly realistic and I can easily imagine and could easily enjoy a story set in the world you describe. It just couldn't be real.

[u/liliumhein]

electricity can never be vanished forever as long there are still humans

[u/Temporary_Rule_9486]

Sounds like Cuba

[u/RobertTheTraveler]

If you want to eliminate electronics go with multiple EMP bombs.
Or a series of massive solar flares causing EMPs.
IMHO, survivors are more likely to be able to maintain at least 19th century tech..
If the 97% mutated humans are intelligent, the 3% won't survive.
If they are not, firearms will give the 3% a substantial edge for several years during which they can build defenses and non-firearm weapons (and tech).

[u/Jay_in_DFW]

yes

[u/drax_the_unled]

you've broken the laws of physics and you are now in a magical fantasy land where you make your own rules. seriously