Story concept

[cypher_lee]

I was wondering if you guys could help me. I had an idea for a story a couple of days ago that i've been tossing around in my mind rather aimlessly, but i'm not sure if something like it has been done before (probably millions of times).

If anyone could point out when and where the idea has been used before i would appreciate it greatly. It's not so much a story as a general concept idea i had, so on its own it sounds a bit silly, but nevermind.

The basic gist of the concept, the 'what if', so to speak, is that, all across the world, children have ceased to be conceived. No matter what doctor's try to do, women everywhere are unable to get pregnant. The human species is inevitably going to die off and the story could focus on the implications this would have and how we, as a dying species, would react to the situation in terms of science, illness, technology etc.

I know it sounds kinda cheesy, but before i start thinking too much about it, if people could point out that this idea has been done to death, i would be forver thankful. Like i don't have enough work at the moment without this dumb idea floating around as well.

Thanx guys.

[JANE007]

I'm not exactly sure if it has already been done, if so, i'm not aware of a book like this. I just wanted to tell you that I think it's a great idea (regardless) and you should definitely pursue it!

Good Luck!!
:)

[David McAfee]

I saw a movie when I was a kid where the aftermath of a nuclear war had left all the women on Earth sterile. In the movie people lost all respect for life and reverted to an almost "Mad Max" sort of mentality. I don't remember what it was called, and I don't know if it was based on a book.

[aspiringwriter]

Sounds interesting to me...I don't think it's been done before.

[WannabeWriter]

If there's any plot done revolving around infertility, I don't think it's done on a global scale.

[E.G. Gammon]

There is a novel about this already called THE LAST GENERATION by Steffan Postaer and it was recently announced - August 5 to be exact - that a primetime drama series based on the book is in development at NBC:

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/cgi/newswire.cgi?id=6953 (The sixth paragraph down)

The book's official description:

It's not Armageddon. There are no meteorites. No evil aliens. No warfare of any kind. But no one is being born. What would the world be like if people could not have babies anymore? Just what would the last generation... do? Feel how it is being part of... The Last Generation. It's not the end of the world, just the end of us.

The Last Generation is written as a series of stories within a story – all twisting and turning around one another, eventually delivering the reader to the same provocative conclusion. What would happen if there were no more children being born and the human population slowly died out?

[Solatium]

I think P. D. James's The Children of Men was based on this premise, but I couldn't give you the details; I haven't read it.

[sunandshadow]

Pregnancy and Infertility Themed SF (http://psychcentral.com/psypsych/Pregnancy_in_science_fiction)

[Unimportant]

sunandshadow's list includes some iconic books, but I think there's room for one more. Most deal with a futuristic society that has evolved due to infertility, and what life is like in that new society. A novel dealing with the transition -- how near-future science, medicine, ethics, and society deal with a sudden crisis using current/projected reproductive and cloning technology as well as the plethora of embryos and embryonic cell lines in storage -- could be very interesting indeed.

[Garpy]

PD James has definitely done that concept. The Children of Men follows a woman who miraculously is the only pregnant woman. Other than that I don't know of any other concepts like that. I'm sure there's room for two ;-)

[Cathy C]

I was going to say Brave New World, but it was on the list --- a pretty comprehensive one it is, too! Thanks, sunandshadow! I'll have to bookmark that page.

[sunandshadow]

I didn't make the list, I just found it by googling. I was trying to remember the name of a book I read recently which had human colonists on a planet which had been previously inhabited by aliens (now extinct). The planet had high radiation levels, causing reproductive problems, and the answer turned out to be the creation of a third sex like the extinct native aliens used to have. But that book is not on the list, so I still don't know what it was called. :faint:

[azbikergirl]

Actually, that's a problem that a particular people in one of my novel WIPs has! Great minds think alike? hahaha

[circusrunaway]

This isn't exactly what you mentioned, but my friend's universe has a race where the females can only have one child. It brings up some pretty interesting, complex topics because of it- like the issue of polygamy and what other races think about it, and what happens when one of the girls of that race is raped.
I think, even if it's been done before, you could definitely do something new, unique, and profound with your idea!

[inexperiencedinker]

My WiP is about fertility, but not infertility. Mine is a warped story though...definitly from a twisted mind....Hey, stop talking about me like that!!....I wasn't....!
hehe

Seriously though, it would be a REALLY interesting read. I would definitely pick it up.