The End of the World, but without zombies and such....

[Istvan diVega]

I'm sure this will have been covered before, but I hope it warrants a new thread nonetheless. I'd like your recommendations for dystopic and post-apocalyptic novels - without zombies, vampires and other supernatural, mythical whatnots. Earthquakes, floods, other environmental disasters, nuclear fallout, alien invasions - everything's of interest except those pesky undead critters and their relations.

A short description or a link to a description would be nice, rather than just the title.

I'll start off with a few of my own favourites.

Stephen King's The Stand is admittedly more than a little supernatural, but I love it so I'll make allowance for it.

"When a man escapes from a biological testing facility, he sets in motion a deadly domino effect, spreading a mutated strain of the flu that will wipe out 99 percent of humanity within a few weeks. The survivors who remain are scared, bewildered, and in need of a leader. Two emerge--Mother Abagail, the benevolent 108-year-old woman who urges them to build a community in Boulder, Colorado; and Randall Flagg, the nefarious "Dark Man," who delights in chaos and violence."


On the Beach by Neville Shute:

"After a nuclear World War III has destroyed most of the globe, the few remaining survivors in southern Australia await the radioactive cloud that is heading their way and bringing certain death to everyone in its path. Among them is an American submarine captain struggling to resist the knowledge that his wife and children in the United States must be dead. Then a faint Morse code signal is picked up, transmitting from somewhere near Seattle, and Captain Towers must lead his submarine crew on a bleak tour of the ruined world in a desperate search for signs of life. Both terrifying and intensely moving, On the Beach is a remarkably convincing portrait of how ordinary people might face the most unimaginable nightmare."

Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake:

"Oryx and Crake is at once an unforgettable love story and a compelling vision of the future. Snowman, known as Jimmy before mankind was overwhelmed by a plague, is struggling to survive in a world where he may be the last human, and mourning the loss of his best friend, Crake, and the beautiful and elusive Oryx whom they both loved. In search of answers, Snowman embarks on a journey–with the help of the green-eyed Children of Crake–through the lush wilderness that was so recently a great city, until powerful corporations took mankind on an uncontrolled genetic engineering ride. Margaret Atwood projects us into a near future that is both all too familiar and beyond our imagining."

...and her Year of the Flood:

"Set in the visionary future of Atwood’s acclaimed Oryx and Crake, The Year of the Flood is at once a moving tale of lasting friendship and a landmark work of speculative fiction. In this second book of the MaddAddam trilogy, the long-feared waterless flood has occurred, altering Earth as we know it and obliterating most human life. Among the survivors are Ren, a young trapeze dancer locked inside the high-end sex club Scales and Tails, and Toby, who is barricaded inside a luxurious spa. Amid shadowy, corrupt ruling powers and new, gene-spliced life forms, Ren and Toby will have to decide on their next move, but they can't stay locked away."

J. G. Ballard's The Drowned World:

"The Drowned World imagines a terrifying world in which global warming has melted the ice caps and primordial jungles have overrun a tropical London. Set during the year 2145, this novel follows biologist Dr. Robert Kearns and his team of scientists as they confront a cityscape in which nature is on the rampage and giant lizards, dragonflies, and insects fiercely compete for domination."

Mary Shelley's The Last Man:

"In 2092, the plague struck. Nations fall, humanity dies. Lionel Verney chronicles the fall of nations and the death of humanity until the end. In 2100, Lionel is the last man on earth."

A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr:

"In a nightmarish ruined world slowly awakening to the light after sleeping in darkness, the infant rediscoveries of science are secretly nourished by cloistered monks dedicated to the study and preservation of the relics and writings of the blessed Saint Isaac Leibowitz. From here the story spans centuries of ignorance, violence, and barbarism, viewing through a sharp, satirical eye the relentless progression of a human race damned by its inherent humanness to recelebrate its grand foibles and repeat its grievous mistakes."

Blindness by Jose Saramago. While it doesn't feature The End of the World, its localised breakdown of society is just as unsettling for all that.

"A city is hit by an epidemic of "white blindness" which spares no one. Authorities confine the blind to an empty mental hospital, but there the criminal element holds everyone captive, stealing food rations and raping women. There is one eyewitness to this nightmare who guides seven strangers-among them a boy with no mother, a girl with dark glasses, a dog of tears-through the barren streets, and the procession becomes as uncanny as the surroundings are harrowing."

Enough from me I think; now over to you.

[Rizla]

I'm not a fan of End of the World stuff. I prefer fiction. But seriously (and I am being serious), we now have so many ways to destroy ourselves it's not funny. And Fukishima is out of control...If I want depressing End of the World stories, I read the news. Perhaps for these reasons, I don't like dystopic fiction. Science-fiction used to be about hope. Maybe that's why it's either shallow or depressing these days.

[Istvan diVega]

Thank you sooo much for that awfully useful contribution....

[xg4bx]

Level 7 by Mordecai Roshwald-

''Level 7 is the diary of Officer X-127, who is assigned to stand guard at the "Push Buttons," a machine devised to activate the atomic destruction of the enemy, in the country's deepest bomb shelter. Four thousand feet underground, Level 7 has been built to withstand the most devastating attack and to be self-sufficient for five hundred years. Selected according to a psychological profile that assures their willingness to destroy all life on Earth, those who are sent down may never return.''

[Istvan diVega]

And from 1959, no less. Sounds intriguing, so Amazon got a sale. Thanks!

[davidfor]

End of the world/Post Apocalypse is one of my favourite genres.

"A Canticle for Leibowitz" is great. I think I should put it in the reread list. The follow up, Saint Leibowitz and the Wild Horse Woman is worth the read but not as good.

The obvious book missing from your list is John Wyndham's The Day of the Triffids. Or does a Triffid fall into the "zombie..." category? The Chrysalids is another from him.

George Turner's The Sea and Summer (that's the title on my copy) was one of the last paper books I reread. It is an interesting tale split between some people in the future looking back how the fall happened.

Hugh Howey's Wool is the latest one I have read. Remnants of humanity living in an underground silo. An excellent read. The rest of the series is in my TBR list.

[DiapDealer]

Earth Abides by George R. Stewart

Earth Abides is a 1949 post-apocalyptic science fiction novel by American writer George R. Stewart. It tells the story of the fall of civilization from deadly disease and its rebirth. Beginning in the United States in the 1940s, it deals with Isherwood "Ish" Williams, his companion/common-law wife Emma, and the community they establish. The survivors live off the remains of the old world, while learning to adapt to the new. Along the way they are forced to make tough decisions and choose what kind of civilization they will build.

The Dog Stars by Peter Heller

Hig somehow survived the flu pandemic that killed everyone he knows. Now his wife is gone, his friends are dead, and he lives in the hangar of a small abandoned airport with his dog, Jasper, and a mercurial, gun-toting misanthrope named Bangley.

But when a random transmission beams through the radio of his 1956 Cessna, the voice ignites a hope deep inside him that a better life exists outside their tightly controlled perimeter. Risking everything, he flies past his point of no return and follows its static-broken trail, only to find something that is both better and worse than anything he could ever hope for.

[DrNefario]

Here are a few off the top of my head. Maybe more detail later when I've refreshed my memory.

A couple of recent reads:

After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall - Nancy Kress. The nature of the Fall itself is kind of part of the story (and not all that satisfying, I thought). The bulk of the story is about the last remnants of humanity going back in time to kidnap children. Won the nebula for best novella, and was nominated for a hugo in the same category. I kind of liked it.

Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang - Kate Wilhelm. Hugo winner from the late 70s. Eco-catastrophe where things just stop being able to reproduce. Interesting, but didn't blow me away.

A couple of older books I can't remember so well:

Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham. Pretty well-known. Deadly alien(?) plants on the loose, and mass blindness. I think The Chrysalids is also post-apocalyptic, and that was one of my favourites for a long time.

Engine Summer - John Crowley. I can't remember a whole lot about this one except that I really liked it. I think it's post-nuclear.

I guess there's also Wool. I suspect you're aware of that one.

[AlbertaCowboy]

I really enjoyed "Wolf of Shadows" by Whitley Streiber when I was a young'un. It's a YA book about nuclear winter.

A +1 for "Day of the Triffids" too. I haven't thought about that one in years!

[AlbertaCowboy]

Originally Posted by davidfor

End of the world/Post Apocalypse is one of my favourite genres.



Hugh Howey's Wool is the latest one I have read. Remnants of humanity living in an underground silo. An excellent read. The rest of the series is in my TBR list.

I've heard so much about "Wool" that this thread finally made me skip on over to the Kobo store. With the SEPT50 coupon, I got the "Wool Omnibus" (Books 1-5) for $3.14.
Maybe I'll start that one tonight!

[steven522]

End of the world without zombies? You need to dig up some "classic" science fiction, then:

Hothouse by Brian Aldiss - Originally serialized as 5 novelettes. It tells of a far distant future where Earth is tidally locked to the sun and plants and insects have become the more dominant species.

Look for some works by Alexander Key (This is more of a young-adult read, but still highly entertaining) -
The Golden Enemy tells of a future world where a giant mutant bear awakens to try try and bring about mankinds final destruction.
The Incredible Tide tells of a post WWIII Earth where most of the continents have been sunk into the oceans.

The Logan's Run series by William F. Nolan (Logan's Run, Logan's World and Logan's Search) takes place in a future where the young have taken over and everyone must report to a "sleepshop" euthanasia center at their 21st birthday. Those who do not are considered "runners" and are hunted down by the "sandmen". The first book was the basis of the movie but is more world-spanning than the films limited locations.

And I also suggest Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham if you have not already read this one. A world-wide meteor shower causes blindness in all who observe it and gives the Triffids (a semi sentient mobile plant bred for their oil) a chance to rise up and take over the Earth.

[Apache]

Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucifer%27s_Hammer
This is about a comet hitting the Earth.
Footfall also by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Footfall
In this one the Earth is invaded by aliens with a herd instinct.
Both are good well written books.
Apache

[Pablo]

Originally Posted by davidfor

The obvious book missing from your list is John Wyndham's The Day of the Triffids.

You beat me to it. A book I always come back to.

[covingtoncat73]

The Last Policeman by Ben Winters. It is not like the Sci-Fi suggestions above but I really enjoyed it. Would you still do your job if everything was ending in 6 months (due to an asteroid)? The sequel, Countdown City is out, too. The End of the World meets Noir.

Oooooh, oooooh! The Children of Men by P.D. James!


The Not Yet by Moria Crone. Dystopia set in New Orleans! Highly recommended.

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett!

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by Apache

Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucifer%27s_Hammer
This is about a comet hitting the Earth.
Footfall also by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Footfall
In this one the Earth is invaded by aliens with a herd instinct.
Both are good well written books.

Yes, both are very good reads. I reread "Footfall" almost by accident recently. I went looking for the novel by Niven and Pournelle about a comet hitting earth, saw this on my shelf and thought that was it. I started reading it before I realised my mistake. But, it was a good mistake. Of course, I then had to hunt down the other novel whose name I couldn't remember.

And David Brin's "Postman" has just come to mind. It is about a drifter who accidentally restarts the postal service after an apocalypse. Very enjoyable, but I'm always a little dissatisfied by how Brin ends his novels. Though this is a collection of stories rather than a novel. And don't let the movie put you off it.