I recently read the gentlest, most thoughtful post-apocalyptic novel I've ever read. It's about how our lives would change if we simply... ran out of oil. No zombies and no comets. No earthquakes and no viruses... just not enough oil to make our country go. It's called World Made By Hand and it's truly flashlight worthy.
That said, as Shannon Turlington, Blogger at Books Worth Reading, reminds us:
Tsunamis in the Pacific... global climate change... devastating earthquakes... the year 2012 looming on the horizon... there's no end to the number of ways the world can come to an end. But if you're one of the (un)lucky ones to survive the actual big event, then what should you do? As usual, we turn to books for the answer. I selected the following (flashlight worthy) novels for their focus on what comes after the end, rather than the end itself. They attempt to answer the all-important question: Now what?
Enjoy Shannon's post-apocalyptic picks. When you're done, head on over to Flashlight Worthy Book Recommendations for 397 more book lists, including a book list that's all zombies, all the time.
Follow Peter Steinberg on Twitter: www.twitter.com/flwbooks
|
Post a Comment
Oryx and Crake - Margaret Atwood
Absent these, you're list is greatly deficient.
By the way, Percy wrote a post-apocalyptic novel of sorts: Love in the Ruins.
Of course they are just good fun sometimes, too.
The Crystal World
The Drought
The Wind from Nowhere
All by J.G. Ballard
as for the road; what is the point of even reading this? the literary equivalent of a tin of poop or an unmade bed.
actually thar bed is mor interesting and has more meaning.
The Death of Grass (or No Blade of Grass) - John Christopher
Oryx and Crake - Margaret Atwood
Shadow on the Hearth - Judith Merrill
The Forge of God - Greg Bear
Dhalgren - Samuel Delaney
Christopher also wrote A Wrinkle in the Skin and The Long Winter; Wylie (see list I posted below) wrote When Worlds Collide and After Worlds Collide with Edwin Balmer as well as Tomorrow and Triumph; Wyndham (again below) wrote The Day of the Triffids, Out of the Deeps (or The Kraken Wakes) and The Midwich Cuckoos.
#2
Kunstler's also got a great blog: http://www.kunstler.com/index.php . He takes both political parties to task, as well as corporations. He also informs Americans about how their lifestyle is set up to exist only with oil. We drive everywhere because our homes are not near our jobs or schools or groceries. We let our leaders make bad political decisions because Big Oil and the Middle East hold us hostage.
He's also the author of "The Long Emergency," about America's deadly dependence on fossil fuels, as well as a sequel to "World Made by Hand" that just came out; it's called "The Witch of Hebron."
The End of the Dream - Philip Wylie
On the Beach - Nevil Shute
Rebirth (or The Chrysalids) - John Wyndham
Also, I'd like to recommend I Am Legend. The book is a lot different from the movie, you really can't even compare them; they're so different. It was a great book to listen to on CD.