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Original poster

Does this book exist? Help please.

95 replies

ColonelBrandonsBiggestGroupie · 02/07/2011 21:31

So - I want a book.

I want it to be a huge and well written and gripping post-apocolyptic novel.

I want to not have read it already and that is where the problem starts!

Have read-
The Stand - the best imho
The Handmaid's Tale - liked it
The Road -didn't think much of it
Cell - better 2nd time around but not a patch on The Stand
I Am Legend - ok
The Knife Of Never Letting Go series - v good
Brother In The Land - loved it as a teen
On The Beach - liked
The Passage - liked a lot and will read again before the next one comes out
Oryx And Crake - didn't like much
The Flood - liked a lot

SO does what I want exist please? :)

OP posts:
Original poster
ColonelBrandonsBiggestGroupie · 09/07/2011 16:54

Have read Full Dark, No Stars.

Thanks for the link.

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HarderToKidnap · 09/07/2011 16:43

Stephen King's new hardback got released two days ago or so, "Full Dark, No Stars". It's the long story/novella type he does so well.

Have got "The Hunger Games" to on my to-read pile.

I started a similar ish thread last year which has some excellent suggestions www.mumsnet.com/Talk/adult_fiction/1029959-Apocalytpic-dystopia-fiction

Original poster
ColonelBrandonsBiggestGroupie · 07/07/2011 17:04

Thank you -Somebody recommended that to me before and I'd forgotten, so thanks for reminding me.

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Pakdooik · 07/07/2011 16:49

Try "A Canticle for Leibowitz"

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Canticle_for_Leibowitz

Original poster
ColonelBrandonsBiggestGroupie · 05/07/2011 17:39

Read THT - is 'Surfacing' another Attwood?

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hugeleyoutnumbered · 05/07/2011 17:05

surfacing margret attwood
handmaids tale

Original poster
ColonelBrandonsBiggestGroupie · 05/07/2011 17:02

Ta.

So - the library didn't have ANY of the ones that dp went in for and couldn't even order most of them.

I HATE spending money on fiction because so much of it is so, so rubbish - but I may have to get Riddley Walker from Amazon.

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Tigerbomb · 04/07/2011 23:22

Brian Lumley's Necroscope Series is pretty good, especially the first couple of books

Not post apocolyptic in any way but still a great read

Original poster
ColonelBrandonsBiggestGroupie · 04/07/2011 22:31

Ooh the Doris Lessing could be worth a try. The Johnny Gun one looks interesting too.

I didn't like the Tractors one, although I admit I didn't finish it. I found it annoying rather than funny, sorry.

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osd · 04/07/2011 21:54

Its a war novel Jonny got his gun, read it with persuasion amazing very moving and disturbing. DH is in Navy so these books speak to him, and that book was amazing and moving and it scared me and made me think hard about sacrifice for war. Sorry but it hit me and i am grateful for that experience.

Death and the penguin and clay machine gun are Russian i think and very challenging and a bit trippy i guess also made me think.

Also just read a short history of tractors in ukraine. Very funny.

PaisleyLeaf · 04/07/2011 21:53

Doris Lessing's 'Mara and Dann'?

Original poster
ColonelBrandonsBiggestGroupie · 04/07/2011 21:46

Have read Girlfriend In A Coma. Not heard of t'other'un before.

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osd · 04/07/2011 21:44

DH has a view Jonny got his gun and Girlfriend in a coma, he read them ages ago and never forgot them.

Original poster
ColonelBrandonsBiggestGroupie · 04/07/2011 21:40

Read The Golem, East Of Eden and Insomnia.

Thanks for the other suggestions though.

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osd · 04/07/2011 21:36

Steinbeck, East of Eden, amazing.
Victor Pevelin, The Clay Machine Gun
The Golem, European Classics
Insomnia, King
Andrey Kurkov, Death and the Penguin
I have read a lot more but these are my favorites. Also have a look in the library see if they can suggest things or look at amazon they have people who have bought what you have and have bought this, i find that helpful.

Lara2 · 04/07/2011 21:23

Can't really say that I was that impressed by John Twelve Hawks 'Traveller'. I read it right before 'The Passage' and it paled into insignificance by comparison. The characters are too two dimensional and I found I just didn't care if lived or died.

Original poster
ColonelBrandonsBiggestGroupie · 04/07/2011 21:17

I've read it! Not as good as some of her others but not bad - it gets a bit silly in places but I forgave her overall. I really liked The Ninth Life Of Louis Drax.

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melpomene · 04/07/2011 20:58

The Rapture, by Liz Jensen? I haven't read it (yet), but I've read some of her other books and found them vivid, gripping and funny too.

Original poster
ColonelBrandonsBiggestGroupie · 04/07/2011 20:56

Failed totally with Jonathon Strange - I just found it really boring.

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Original poster
ColonelBrandonsBiggestGroupie · 04/07/2011 20:55

Sorry: that sounded really ungrateful.

Thank you for taking time to answer and ignore me because I am an ultra-fussy and grouchy reader.

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Original poster
ColonelBrandonsBiggestGroupie · 04/07/2011 20:54

Read Under The Dome - read everything by SK. You MUST finish The Dark Tower. They are superb!

read a lot of JH's but don't like him much. King writes 'real' characters whilst JH writes cardboard cutouts imho. And King writes for emotions whilst JH writes for shock/schlock value. Not read 'The Magic Cottage' though.

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ahshutupayourface · 04/07/2011 20:53

If you liked The Stand, which I loved in my twenties (would like to read it again to see if I still do...) Under the Dome is meant to be that huge by Stephen King, or there is his gunslinger series (loved them but never finished the last few). They are also called Dark Tower. If you like S.K. I recommend loads of his earlier stuff. James Herberts "If" and "The magic cottage" are also great x

ahshutupayourface · 04/07/2011 20:53

and Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, loved most of it, didn't finish it, would like to speak to someone who did!

ahshutupayourface · 04/07/2011 20:49

If you liked The Stand, which I loved in my twenties (would like to read it again to see if I still do...) Under the Dome is meant to be that huge by Stephen King, or there is his gunslinger series (loved them but never finished the last few). They are also called Dark Tower. If you like S.K. I recommend loads of his earlier stuff. James Herberts "If" and "The magic cottage" are also great x

Original poster
ColonelBrandonsBiggestGroupie · 04/07/2011 20:46

Have read King's Dark Tower series lots of times - I love it and you're right, I should have listed it.

I Am Legend was a bit clunky, I thought - some good bits but the ending felt a bit contrived and so did the 'fitting in the title' thing.

Must try the Hunger Games ones.

No to Zombie stuff and pictures - but thank you anyway.

Read and enjoyed The Book Thief but not the sort of thing I'm after now.

Cheerful Yank :( :( :( God I love that book. If I had to save that or the complete works of Austen from a burning bookcase, Janie might have to die. :( Grin

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