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“Schmitt makes a strong case for the various ways in which pessimism may allow us to overcome our anthropocentric preoccupations. This makes his book paradoxically … optimistic: By inviting the reader to imagine a 'world-without-us' instead of a 'world- for-us,' … he offers pessimism 'as a corrective to overly optimistic … inflections of cultural studies' … suggesting that there is in fact a future to behold … . Schmitt’s book … suggests a future path for cultural studies … .” (Wieland Schwanebeck, MEDIENwissenschaft, Issue 3, 2023)

“The author presents theoretical discussion of … a pessimistic future for humanity and also reviews imaginative work in novels and films which explore these areas of experience. Dystopian art forms are, Schmitt shows, strongly present and influential in contemporary culture. … the theoretical ideas presented—andthe related examples of dystopian literature and cinema—set out a significant field of contemporary work, which calls for attention in these hard times.” (Michael Rustin, The Political Quarterly, July 10, 2023)»