Apocalyptic fiction

Some of my favorites, in no particular order:

The Postman, David Brin (ignore the Costner film!)
On the Beach, Nevil Shute
World War Z, Max Brooks
Lucifer's Hammer, Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle

 

I have read and loved the first 4, and am halfway through WWZ...

I also enjoyed One Second After - by William Forstchen

 

How is "A Canticle for Leibowitz" not listed yet?

 

Because only two people posted some titles, neither of which was you, and (I am assuming for SpencerNY here) neither of which has read the book yet? He asked for us to share, which you are now doing.

EDIT: I see Uppa90 added a title too.

 

This sounds fantastic, I'm getting it!

@Ismitje: I stayed away from "The Postman" because I watched the movie as a kid, is the book worth chancing?

 

I went the other way: stayed away from the movie because I like Brin's work quite a lot. I don't know how it would read if you pictured the movie throughout, but I enjoyed the book.

 

Warday - published 1984

Warday

If you haven't already read it yet. This is from the 80s.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Warday-Journey-Onwards-Whitley-Strieber/dp/0340366494"]Amazon.com: Warday and the Journey Onwards (9780340366493): Whitley Strieber, James W. Kunetka: Books[/ame]


Warday was published in 1984 and gave a technically realistic depiction of the aftermath of limited nuclear war between the US and USSR. In this book that attack takes place in 1988, and is told from the notes of two journalists traveling the country 5 years later trying to figure you what happened.

I don't read much fiction, but this is a book I someday plan to read again. (It has been about 25 years now.)

Wikipedia link here.

 

The Passage by Justin Cronin is excellent.

Almost finished World War Z, really enjoying it.

 

Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang, Kate Wilhelm
The Wild Shore, Kim Stanley Robinson


I love a good post-apocalypse. Hate Lucifer's Hammer for the Captain Insano politics (demonization of environmental concerns and the urban poor), but it's a pretty good story and even 30 years after reading it for the first time, I remember some scenes vividly.

 

After the Zap Michael Armstrong
The novels Signal to Noise and A Signal Shattered by Eric Nylund offer a more literal version of the end of the world.
Given my tastes, there must be several more in addition to ones others have mentioned, but I'll to look to remember them.

 

Agreed. I met him last summer and he really has the next two books planned out. What's great is how he focuses on the intimite details of the survivors.

 

I loved the book so of course the movie pissed me off to no end. If you like this genre then you should give the book a try because it is really great.

But like Ismitje says, it will be interesting for you to read the book while picturing the terrible movie in your head.

 

The Time Machine by HG Wells

and for adolescent lit, there's The Giver by Lois Lowry and The Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick.

Stay away from Into the Forest by Jean Hegland.

 

Yeah, it's a good one. Brin destroys the Earth entirely, if I remember aright in a book called Earth.

 

I'm surprised at no mention of DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS by John Wyndham.

 

That reminds me that he also wrote an novel variously called The Kraken Wakes or Out of the Deeps in which sea creatures form another world bring about the end of civilization.

 

Do you mean the 80's version? I loved that too.

Get WWZ & the Passage!! I promise you'll like it.

 

I am listening to the World War Z audiobook right now. It is cool because all of the roles are read by different people so it is like listening to a play.