Post apocolyptic reads

Bore I'd be interested in the synopsis please

So, my copy of 'Down to a Sunless Sea' finally arrived yesterday. I have just finished reading it. It was the 'sad' ending.

I am now almost overwhelmed with feelings of bleakness and desolation.

I will want to read it again (usually do if I enjoy a book - although 'enjoy' is not quite the right word here) but not yet. I'd be happy to send it on to anyone who would like to read it as long as it is returned to me.

If anyone would like a synopsis of the ending let me know and I will pm it.

Skinny - I think maybe we were trying to understand the world by absorbing it through stories. Or something.

I just finished 'The Dark and Hollow Places' by Carrie Ryan which is the third in the 'Forests of Hands and Teeth trilogy. This one was definitely the best out of the three I think, the other two were well-written but lacking something but this one was excellent.

'Night of the Triffids' (thanks whoever recommended it) up next which has a very exciting B-movie style cover .

Also finished Legend by Marie Lu (I finished it the day before yesterday but had to seriously rack my brains to remember the plot which isn't a good sign. I think I enjoyed it whilst I was reading it though) and Flood Child by Diamand which was a very good YA book but I'd love to see it as a properly fleshed out adult book; her world was very intriguing.

The Day of The Triffids is one I've read most recently.

I would love to read some more though. :)

R2 'The Walking Dead' is definitely worth watching imo. Love it!

I also grew up during the Cold War.I absolutely remember a very real threat of nuclear war YouBloody. Really you would have thought it would have made us unable to stomach post-apocalyptic stuff,because I remember it as being a genuinely scary time. Strange innit?

I can't watch Zombie films or tv shows
I can read the bloodiest, spookiest, goriest stories ever with no problems, but if I see it on a screen it scares me too much and I can't get it out of my head when I need to. It is weird, I don't see pictures when I read as such, it's a totally different thing to watching on screen.

Also looking forward to seeing WWZ although it will be in a well lit room of my choosing, no way am I sitting in the dark watching a zombie film with lots of other people (wuss).

Has anyone been watching 'The Walking Dead' TV series, I keep meaning to and have only watched bits here and there when I remember. Is it worth making more of an effort? I have the graphic novels already which I love.

I was 8 in 1989. My interest was sparked by lots of early visits to archaeological excavations with my mum (hobby archaeologist) as a very small child. I was fascinated by all the scraps and remnants that remained of a vibrant and powerful society that was mostly destroyed in Britain. Then my mum gave me a copy of 'Children of the Dust' and my interest was sealed.

I'm looking forward to seeing the Battle of Yonkers on the big screen

Haven't seen that film, always up for some zombie action though.

On the subject of the OP though, I'd be interested to know how many of the post-apocalyptic fans grew up during the Cold War? I turned 16 in 1989 and the threat of nuclear war was a constant presence in my teens. That's what started me off on it.

I am so excited about the World War Z film, YouBloodyWolf.

Naughtily sneaking off subject for the moment,has anyone seen the film 'Zombie Apocalypse' , and is it any good?

SkinnyVanillaLatte - I read Morningstar and really enjoyed it, kind of liked Day by Day Armageddon but found the US survivalist thing a bit tedious in parts. Presumably you've read World War Z? I love that book, hope the movie doesn't screw it up too badly.

After America by John Birmingham is worth a go - the premise is that a vast 'dome' of energy appears out of nowhere one morning over the USA, killing everyone within and blocking access. The rest of the book is about what happens in the rest of the world and with the surviving Americans. The dome thing is a bit of a McGuffin but he handles it well. He did a series called Axis of Time too, about a US battle fleet from about 2030 or so being zapped back to WW2. Sounds kinda cheesy but it really works - you can tell he's having a major geekout with the history, but it's still very character-driven. He's Australian, which adds an interesting perspective.

Sunless Sea stands pretty much alone - it's not really much like anything else. Even in the happy ending one there are a couple of bits that make me cry (one happy, one sad) From my hopeless searches, I think the happy ending copies are much more common than the sad ones, so chances are you would end up with the happy one.
The name SM Stirling is ringing a bell but I can't think what it is of his I've read. I think I thought he was a she too so am off to FF to see

crescent the closest I can think it's to is 'On the Beach', as you say,but more 'action-y' IYSWIM.

I'd have liked the sad ending I reckon,but I'm heartless and bloodthirsty when it comes to reading materials!

Oh dear - maybe I should have emailed first!

Never mind, will see what I get sent and, if it's the 'sad' one, will be happy to pass it on when I've read it.

There's no way to tell which copy they are Bore they all come from private sellers so could be either - the only way is to email and ask them to read the last couple of pages and find out And I'm not risking that much money on the off chance. I'll find it one day, either some seller will actually know which is which or it'll turn up in a charity shop or somewhere.

Amazon have several copies of Down to a Sunless Sea "with the pessimistic ending" - have just ordered one, thanks to recommendations on this thread!

www.amazon.co.uk/Down-Sunless-Sea-David-Graham/dp/0330261843/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1344161194&sr=1-1

Stayed up till Silly O'Clock finishing Down to a Sunless Sea. No stalling on that one! I proper enjoyed it and couldn't put it down once the kids were a-bed and I had a bit of peace.

This morning I am faced by the tip my house is because I was too 'busy' reading to clear up....

Now then,do I invest in a little housework tonight or descend into squalor and start 'Then' by Julie Myerson?......

YouBloodyWolf (love the name!) I really enjoyed the David Moody books.
Have you tried the ZA Recht Morningstar series,or JL Bourne and his Day by Day Armageddon? I recommend!

I'm curious to know what you were going to ask Pom but concerned about spoilers for others! I will let you know if I ever happen across a sad ender. Is there any way of a bookshop being able to find out? What a shame about your library - I would be so lost without mine.Even though the hours have been cut I find a way to still go,around work hours,as I feel our support is so vital.

Has anyone mentioned the Hater books by David Moody? The first one in particular got me incredibly creeped.

He also wrote a zombie series called Autumn which is worth a go - a very low-key, British apocalypse, more quiet desperation and Withnail than shotguns and shopping malls.

Someone recommended On the Beach a few pages back. I'm a massive post-apocalyptic fiction fan but I just couldn't finish it. Too sad.

OOO thank you
They aren't supposed to renew a book with a request on it - they can give someone three days so they have time to bring it back without a fine, but other than that it's supposed to come back. That said, the system doesn't distinguish between copies, so every copy in the county say, will have equal weighting in the request. So if your local library's copy is on loan and a library three miles away is on the shelf, that's the copy that will come.
I wait for the paperback if it's a full price book, the Kindle price drops then. I preorder them and they make a lovely surprise when I switch on and they pop up cos I always forget I've ordered them. That's the one thing I don't like about the Kindle, there's no basket or "save for later" it's either buy or don't buy. And Amazon have no way to watch an author or get a notification when they release a new book, so it can be ages before something pops into my head and I remember to check if there's anything new out.

They closed my local library :( Most libraries will happily order a book for you, technically they can get any book that's in print, although there would be a search fee to pay. Things that are "classics" should be in stock in most areas/counties anyway. Some librarians are lazy lax and will fob you off with excuses though, but if you insist, they are supposed to take the request. I hardly ever pay full price for a Kindle book, there are loads of brilliant ones free and dead cheap out there - if you get a Kindle I can send you a list of the ones I've read - loads of apocalypse and zombies and such like
If you're sure the postage wouldn't be horribly expensive I would love those two when you're done with them, thank you - I gave 12 black bags of books away after I got the Kindle, the house was groaning at the seams, so they had to go, and the Kindle is brilliant for saving space)