ABSTRACT
This final chapter looks at the impact of the megafires on narratives within the developing genre of Australian fire fiction. It also, conversely, considers the ways in which fictitious narratives of fire and apocalypse framed the experience of the megafires, and pre-empted and articulated dominant fears and concerns that found expression during Black Summer. The focus is on three themes that feature prominently in apocalyptic and climate fiction, and were encapsulated in responses to the megafires: themes of apocalyptic parenting, no safe place, and that of the new normal and Anthropocene disorder. These themes highlight the scalar difficulties in coming to terms with discrete climate disasters, such as the megafires, and the overarching, planetary phenomenon of climate change.
