Some good "end of the world" novels?
#26
Thread Starter
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
Argh! Too many choices here. I'm tempted to order On The Beach and Alas, Babylon first as suggested by renaldow.
Other novels mentioned here that interest me especially are this Malevil (too bad it's OOP) and Cat's Cradle - they certainly sound peculiar.
Other novels mentioned here that interest me especially are this Malevil (too bad it's OOP) and Cat's Cradle - they certainly sound peculiar.
#27
Mod Emeritus
Funnily enough....
Originally posted by Seeker
Anyone want to create a compiled list from the two threads (and maybe more) that discuss this?
Anyone want to create a compiled list from the two threads (and maybe more) that discuss this?
Anyone coming fresh to either of the threads please note that this list is compiled from the posts of various DVDTalkers: individual criteria as to what constitutes "end of the world" or "post apocalyptic" (or micro-societies) may vary!
- On The Beach - Nevil Shute
- Alas, Babylon - Pat Frank
- Lucifer's Hammer - Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
- Warday - Whitley Streiber and James Kunetka
- Left Behind (series) -
- Job - Robert Heinlein
- The Twilight of Briareus - Richard Cowper
- Day of the Triffids, Kraken Wakes - John Wyndham
- A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter M. Miller Jr.
- Riddley Walker - Russell Hoban
- The Last Day - Glenn Kleier
- Swan Song - Robert R. McCammon
- Cat's Cradle, Galapogos - Kurt Vonnegut
- The Forge of God - Greg Bear
- In the Day of the Comet, Things to Come, The War of the Worlds, The Time Machine - H G Wells
- The Postman - David Brin
- I am Legend - Richard Matheson
- The Last Ship - William Brinkley
- The Stand, The Dark Tower series,
The Mist - Stephen King - Mister Touch - Malcolm Bosse
- A Gift Upon the Shore - M K Wren
- Malevil - Robert Merle
- The Tripods (series) - John Christopher
- Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand
- This is the way the World Ends - James Morrow
- Amnesia Moon - Jonathan Lethem
- New Madrid Run - Michael Reisig
- The Judgement of Eve - Edgar Pangborn
- The Empire of Time - Crawford Killian
- The Wild Shore - Kim Stanley Robinson
- Good Omens - Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
- The White Plague - Frank Herbert
- Drowned World, Wind from Nowhere - J G Ballard
- Dhalgren - Samuel R. Delany
- Girlfriend in a Coma - Douglas Copland
- Childhood's End - Arthur C Clarke
- The Last Ship - William Brinkley
<small>PS: I closed the original thread and corrected the typo in the subject line - that way searches should work better but no-one will be able to give in to temptation to bump the "duplicate".</small>
Last edited by benedict; 03-14-02 at 12:56 PM.
#28
Banned
Nicely formatted. 
How far does this go? There are so many books based in the "post-apocalyptic" environment. If folks aren't aware, all of Terry Brooks "Shannara" books take place in one, although the books have little to do with that subject, except for the occasional encounter with past "future" technology. I suppose that would count.

How far does this go? There are so many books based in the "post-apocalyptic" environment. If folks aren't aware, all of Terry Brooks "Shannara" books take place in one, although the books have little to do with that subject, except for the occasional encounter with past "future" technology. I suppose that would count.
#29
DVD Talk Hero
Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany
#30
DVD Talk Legend
Originally posted by Tyler_Durden
Argh! Too many choices here. I'm tempted to order On The Beach and Alas, Babylon first as suggested by renaldow.
Other novels mentioned here that interest me especially are this Malevil (too bad it's OOP) and Cat's Cradle - they certainly sound peculiar.
Argh! Too many choices here. I'm tempted to order On The Beach and Alas, Babylon first as suggested by renaldow.
Other novels mentioned here that interest me especially are this Malevil (too bad it's OOP) and Cat's Cradle - they certainly sound peculiar.
#34
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
These threads are great (end of the world book threads). Due to them i've read The Stand and Lucifers Hammer, and am now starting Alas, Babylon. I'm actually making use of the library thats a block from my office. Earth Abides is a great everyone dies read, i always try to sell people on it.
-daveninja.com
-daveninja.com
#36
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Originally posted by Tyler_Durden
Argh! Too many choices here. I'm tempted to order On The Beach and Alas, Babylon first as suggested by renaldow.
Argh! Too many choices here. I'm tempted to order On The Beach and Alas, Babylon first as suggested by renaldow.
#38
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From: Bartertown due to it having a better economy than where I really live.
The Last Ship by William Brinkley
nuclear war happens and a US Destroyer is all that's left because it was out to sea.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...qid=1015939411
nuclear war happens and a US Destroyer is all that's left because it was out to sea.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...qid=1015939411
#41
DVD Talk Gold Edition
thanks to this thread i read Alas, Babylon a few weeks back and have to say i enjoyed it immensely.
looking forward to tracking down more of the titles metioned here.
looking forward to tracking down more of the titles metioned here.
#42
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From: Southern Maryland
Originally posted by Seeker
Oh, and reading the reviews of Malevil made me remember
Earth Abides - George Stewart
Oh, and reading the reviews of Malevil made me remember
Earth Abides - George Stewart
And the writting style left much to be desired.
So read it at your own risk.
P.S. I read another Post Apoc. book about one week after I read Earth Abides. Dies the Fire by S. M. Stirling. Once again not a great one but 50 times better than Earth Abides. At least the people in this book try to do something with their lives instead of just sitting in the waste of past civilization.
I HIGHLY recommend The Stand by Stephen King. One of the Best written.
Last edited by MScottM; 11-01-04 at 08:07 AM.
#43
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 29,850
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From: Bartertown due to it having a better economy than where I really live.
just realized this was an old thread
I can confirm that the previously listed Postman and Last Ship are good
edit:
somehow I overlooked my other post when I was reading through this thread last night
I can confirm that the previously listed Postman and Last Ship are good
edit:
somehow I overlooked my other post when I was reading through this thread last night
Last edited by mikehunt; 11-02-04 at 09:54 AM.
#44
DVD Talk Gold Edition
HIGHLY recommend The Stand by Stephen King. One of the Best written.
But the ending of the book came across to me as very limp and silly.
maybe it was because the set up and middle were so damn good, that the ending couldn't help but pale in comparision, but i was actually pissed off when i finished it.
very let down afterwards.
#45
DVD Talk Hero
For really heavy-duty British 1960s pessimism, read J.G. Ballard. My favorites were the novel The Wind from Nowhere, and the stories "The Voices of Time" and "Deep End".
I also recommend the first 90% of The Postman.
The Empire of Time by Crawford Killian is a cool example of mid-1970s paranoia. The writing is a little clunky (first novel), but it's overflowing with creepy ideas. Time travel is discovered, and it's learned that in 2150 the will be destroyed by a beam from space. So we have to figure out how it happens and stop it from happening.
I also recommend the first 90% of The Postman.
The Empire of Time by Crawford Killian is a cool example of mid-1970s paranoia. The writing is a little clunky (first novel), but it's overflowing with creepy ideas. Time travel is discovered, and it's learned that in 2150 the will be destroyed by a beam from space. So we have to figure out how it happens and stop it from happening.



