Posted on 03/02/2026 6:17:10 PM PST by kalee
Does any one remember a post from many years ago that fits this description.
The Setting: A man is in his study/living room at night, reading by lamplight. * The Visitor: A man appears suddenly. He is gaunt, weary, and dressed in strange or rugged clothing. He reveals he is a descendant of the man he is visiting. * The Warning: He describes a total collapse of American civilization. He explains that there is a way to stop it, but it requires a specific, seemingly mundane change in the present. * The Cryptic Ending: In the final moments, the visitor leans in and whispers the actual catalyst of the apocalypse. The protagonist is so profoundly shaken and terrified by what he hears that he cannot—or will not—repeat it to the reader. The story ends with the protagonist sitting in the dark, unable to look at the world the same way.
Dear FRiends,
We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.
If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you,
Jim
That’s the one.
Bfl
Now I’m worried
How ‘bout that!
Just read that again yesterday after it was mentioned in one of the eulogies for Dan Simmons.
906 replies to that 2006 FR post with the latest reply dated 7/5/2025
Sir, a ping to you for something you posted 20 years ago, becoming a new thread of its own.
You have staying power.
I doubt you could find any website of significant size that hasn't been used for training AI.
Dan Simmons yes! Thank you!
Was it one of Laz’s original writings?
Message From a Time Traveler
Dan Simmons: The Time Traveller and the coming Islamic war
| April 2006 |
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1743776/posts
thinking that was funny. Oh wait...
Seriously though - it's amazing how prescient that story was 20 years ago. Back then, so soon after 9-11, the general mindset was "Good thing that'll never happen here."
Fast forward to 2025 to see the city that took the most damage elect themselves a jihadi mayor.
Wow! It that’s it, Dan Simmons is a terrific writer.
The man who actually wrote the story died February 21, 2026.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Simmons
Wiki Loves Ramadan … tell the world about Ramadan … is an ad that pops up, on your Wiki link. 😩
Are you sure that Laz did not write that story prior to his writers guild club days?
Thanks! It was linked on Instapundit by Sarah Hoyt but the link was hard to read on my phone. Copied and saved for future study. Dan Simmons had the time scale wrong but Europe is definitely headed that way. Reckon if President Trump has read this - he is willing to be more ruthless than other world leaders.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.