I think the author is talking more 'meta' than this, about the dark side of the deep human desires and archetypes that these stories tap into. It goes far beyon

I think the author is talking more 'meta' than this, about the dark side of the deep human desires and archetypes that these stories tap into. It goes far beyond the near-universal story template of the 'return of the king.' That's just one permutation. What it's really all about is the need for meaning and significance to one's life. There's a light side too. The human need for transcendent, powerful, meaningful motives can inspire amazing achievements. One of my favorite modern crusades-in-the-making is the colonize Mars crowd. I could see it drawing its appeal from much the same psychological basis as ISIS, but channeling that energy in a much more interesting and productive route. I can also imagine the soul searching articles of future Bourgeois critics: "why would upper middle class young people with promising futures give it all up to go try to settle a desolate, airless, radiation-bathed desert and likely die in the process?" Yet I predict they would, and in far greater numbers than we see joining ISIS. The need for meaning and significance can drive people to do the near-impossible and inspire us all, or it can drive them to take a gun and shoot up a school or go join a death cult. I personally suspect we'll see the latter in proportion to the absence of the former. One thing this author doesn't really address is how the appeal of ISIS (and other smaller-scale episodes of apocalyptic-nihilistic violence) is rooted in the banality of our culture, and what we might do about that. We spend an amazing amount of time and energy on worthless bullshit, and an equally amazing amount of energy convincing ourselves it's important.