Best Post-Apocalypse Novel

[the sandman]

So. The sandman is a big fan of post-apocalypse literature. These are my dozen favorites, help me narrow down which is the best.

[Tiberius]

I prefer 40k books... they technically occur after two apocalypses.

Also, no Left Behind?

[The_L]

I picked the one that I am familiar with.

[the sandman]

Nov 21, 2010 19:28:10 GMT -5 Tiberius said:

I prefer 40k books... they technically occur after two apocalypses.

Also, no Left Behind?

"Left Behind" is pure shit. I won't have it mentioned in the same sentence as the word "literature."

And while the 40K books are technically post-apoc, by that standard so is Star Trek and the Shanara books. Gotta draw the line somewhere.

[SimSim]

I voted for The Road. Of the books listed, I've only read that and The Stand. I preferred it to The Stand. I Am Legend is on my to read list. I know nothing about the other books.

[MaybeNever]

I Am Legend is great simply because the very moral of it raises questions about whether or not it's really post-apocalypse at all.

I haven't read most of those (although "Earth Abides" appears on the list twice), but my favorite treatment of a world beyond mankind is the 1920 Sara Teasdale poem There Will Come Soft Rains. Bradbury's story based on the poem is quite excellent as well, and I was stoked to see a reference to it in Fallout 3.

[the sandman]

Heh, I never noticed I listed it twice. Silly sandman, kicks are for heads.

[Napoleon the Clown]

It's so good it needed to go on there twice?


[edit]Personally, I love The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. LeGuinn. Technically a post-apocalypse book.

[Carnivore_Rabbit]

I had read "the Postman", "The Stand", and "Swan Song" at about the same time in the mid to late '80's, but my favorite will always be "Swan Song" so it gets my vote.

[CtraK]

I'm not sure how many of these I've even read, actually, but the real answer is Chapter 11 of H.G. Wells' The Time Machine.

...or maybe I'll just read some of these and then answer. I'll start with The Stand and get back to you all in December... 2019.

[The_L]

Nov 21, 2010 20:42:59 GMT -5 MaybeNever said:

I Am Legend is great simply because the very moral of it raises questions about whether or not it's really post-apocalypse at all.

I haven't read most of those (although "Earth Abides" appears on the list twice), but my favorite treatment of a world beyond mankind is the 1920 Sara Teasdale poem There Will Come Soft Rains. Bradbury's story based on the poem is quite excellent as well, and I was stoked to see a reference to it in Fallout 3.

"Today is August 26, 2126...Today is August 26, 2126...Today is August 26, 2126..."

[Dan]

I've always liked books where (nearly) everyone dies, preferably right a the start. Yet I haven't read any of the books in the list.

I'm quite partial to John Wyndham - not only The Day of the Triffids, several of his other books deal with the end of civilisation. The Kraken Wakes is probably the best known, after DotT.

John Christopher has also written a few in the same genre, mostly for younger readers. (I wouldn't call them children's books per se, but others might.) Empty World is one that I read as a teenager and have never forgotten. His best-known "adult" book is one I have not read, The Death of Grass.

And as a Brian Aldiss fan, I can't not mention his Greybeard.

[brainy]

I voted for "The Road." I've only read it and "The Stand" so I'm not sure my vote has much validity. As far as other stories, "By the Waters of Babylon" by Benet has always been a favorite of mine. I read it in high school and had to do a writing assignment on it, rewriting the story of the humans as civilization fell. That was a lot of fun, and I did pretty well too

I know there is full text online, but I can't seem to find it atm.

[Bezron]

What about Battlefield Earth? Yeah, the movie was a tribute to Scientology, but the book is damn good.

[Ian1732]

You forgot World War Z.