Post apocalyptic fiction - just read The Road by Cormac McCarthy

[polecat]

Wow what a devastatingly bleak story - spent ages thinking about how I would cope etc etc I used to love this kind of thing as a young teenager and I was trying to remember the books I read. There was the Changes Trilogy and Z for Zachariah. I was wondering if anyone could remember anymore?

[polecat]

Anyone? Maybe it is a little early - moscow mule time here in Australia....

[Philomena]

Children of the Dust was a good one. I loved these books too. Who wrote the changes trilogy?

[polecat]

Peter Dickinson I think. Not really post apocalyptic as such but pretty good - England is sent back to Dark Ages when people turn against machines. I can't remember Children of the Dust.

I have to say that the Cormac McCarthy takes it to a whole new level! Way too disturbing for a kid to read.

[NotQuiteCockney]

I hadn't known Cormac McCarthy did SFy things ... I keep reading about him as the natural successor to Hemmingway, which puts me right off.

I loved Z for Zachariah, is that the one with the weirdy twins?

I think some Wyndham is post-apocalyptic, surely The Day of the Triffids fits.

There are a couple of very good post-apocalyptic comic book series on now: Walking Dead (zombies) and Y: The Last Man (weird virus kills all men, except for one).

Oh, and The Stand, by King. I hate Stephen King really, but this one is good. In a way.

[bran]

I read the first book of Children of the star by Sylvia Engdahl when I was a teenager and thought it was great. Not completely bleak though in the way that Z for Zachariah was.

I haven't read The Road but I might give it a go. On the Beach by Nevil Shute was immensely bleak, I was miserable for about a week after I read it.

[NotQuiteCockney]

Oh, and Ballard has done the apocalypse. There's a great apocalyptic (not post so much) story by James Tiptree Jr ...

Oh, and Atwood did a post-apocalyptic book recently.

[polecat]

I dont like Stephen king either but will check out The Stand for when I need a trash fix! I must say I was sad after reading The Road and have annoyed my DH no end with my "when the apocalypse comes, we should...."

[polecat]

I haven't been able to read anything else by McCarthy either...too American or something!

[christie1]

try this one -The Chrysalids by John Wyndham which is definately post-apocalyptic but not so bleak in a strange way. I should reread it myself. The Beach is good too. Actually we studied it in high school (a long long time ago for me). What is too american by the way? just curious.

[Catbabymummy]

I remember Z for Zachariah - that was a good book. I also seem to remember reading a book where after a nuclear war some people had become telepathic due to genetic damage? I think it might have been a short story in an anthology.
The Stand is excellent, I have the unabridge version.

[morningpaper]

yes lots of John Wyndham

Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
On The Beach - Neville Shute
Oryx and Crake - Margaret Atwood

[morningpaper]

Stephen Fry, Making History?

[polecat]

I'll have to read some Atwood, I wanted to read Oryx and Crake when it came out but had forgotten all about it. Christie1 - I'm can't quite explain too American....it is more a flavour or something than actually "American". I guess what NQC said about McCarthy being the new Hemingway and that putting her off....

I'm getting lots of ideas for things to read - was having a dry patch, not really interested in anything. DH is reading the latest Pynchon and loving it - I need something escapist to love!

[TwoIfBySea]

I remember reading a really depressing story when I was a teen about a nuclear war, the main character Danny had been hiding when the bombs fell and returned home to devastation.

Can't recall the name of it though. But I there was a part where, I think it was his older sister, has a baby born without eyes or mouth. Gave me nightmares for months.

The Stand is quite good apart from the ending which I though quite naff but won't say anything else as that would spoil it too much!

[christie1]

When you say Hemmingway I get what you mean by too american. While I read alot of hemmingway and did like it, always found it a bit macho and exagerated for me, like telling tales after too many beers.

I echo the recommendations of handmaids tale (amazing and I am not much of an atwood fan) and on the beach. Handmaids tale has a nice feminist element through it as well to make it even more interesting. Strangely, it was made into an opera in canada. Can't quite imagine that, but we also made a musical out of Lord of the Rings ??? I don't think either did well though.

[Katsma]

Bumping this thread.

Have now read nearly everything on it, and loved them all.

Anyone got anything else to add to feed my post apocalyptic addiction?

[mamama]

It's an amazing book - not the sort I would usually read but Oprah gave me a copy so I had to read it and I'm so glad I did. Now I need to find something similar or read something else of his

[SubOptiMum]

Bumping this incase anyone has anymore suggestions.

I love anything by John Wyndham especially Chrysalids, Kraken Wakes, Day of Triffids but also his rarer stuff- The Web.

Off to buy everything on this list from amazon.

[TheLittlestNarwhal]

The Passage by Justin Cronin was very good, it's a long book but I read it on holiday this summer and found it unputdownable. I believe it is the first of a trilogy so looking forward to the next one.

I have downloaded Oryx and Crake on my kindle so will make my next read after seeing it further up the thread.

[tryingtoleave]

Mara and Dan by Doris Lessing, although I didn't feel it was up to her usual standard.

[nogoodusernamesleft]

narwhal I just finished The Passage, was great wasn't it?! Didn't know it was going to be part of a trilogy though, looking forward to next one now!

[TheLittlestNarwhal]

nogoodusesrnames I definitely read somewhere that he plans two more books in the series, think the next one is to be called The Twelve but no release date yet.

[babycham42]

Reading and enjoying "Hater" by David Moody.

[babycham42]

The next book I have lined up is 'Outpost' by Adam Baker,which looks promising.

I can also recommend some good zombie reads but I know that's not everyone's cup o'tea.

[TheLittlestNarwhal]

Best zombie book I read was 'World War Z' by Max Brooks - that gave me a few sleepless nights!