In remote Antarctica, the radio transmitter which Byrd and two colleagues, Puckett and Joyce, used to stay in touch with their base fails.

Byrd realises she may be the last person left alive, but nevertheless decides to make a dangerous trip to a powerful radio transmitter in the hope of reaching outside aid.

In The City the virus results in a massive decrease in population – although large numbers of people appear most of these quickly disappear.

The previously boundless cityscape begins to reduce in size with intangible but impassible boundaries contracting on the remaining population.

The quote describes the belief of many African tribes that humans can be divided into three categories: Those still alive on earth, the recently departed (sasha), and the dead (zamani).

The Brief History of the Dead received favourable reviews from various publications, including Publishers Weekly,[2] Salon,[3] and the Library Journal.

[5] On January 13, 2004, filmmaker Chris Columbus was set to direct and produce the film adaptation for Warner Bros. Pictures with David Auburn writing the screenplay.