apocalyptic fiction
I go through occasional jags of reading apocalyptic fiction. I think I'm getting ready to go through another one, because we've been talking about preparedness issues lately, and that invariably inspires a reading kick. So, some of my favorite examples of the genre are:
- Alas, Babylon (Pat Frank): set in the middle of the nuclear crisis between the United States and Russia, nuclear war breaks out. A small group in Florida lives in a non-radioactive area, and must find skills they didn't know they had to get along. This is mildly dated (it was first published in 1959) so the attitudes towards women are a bit distracting, but it's still very much worth reading.
- Lucifer's Hammer (Larry Niven): a very large comet is threatening to hit the earth, and again, ordinary people must pull it together if they're going to survive. Long, but a fairly quick read. My only quibble with the book is that it focuses on the immediate aftermath, and stops just when the world building is getting really, really cool. This would have been ripe for a sequel.
- Dies the Fire, The Protector's War, and A Meeting at Cornwallis (not out yet; will be released in September): The main idea here is that all the electricity and explosive decides in the world stop working; what happens next? (Yes, it takes three books to explain that; S.M. Stirling is often very long-winded.) There's a little bit less survivalism and a little more war than I'd like in these books, but they're fun and the world-building is superb. My only real quibble is that it's not so much about ordinary folks figuring out how to survive; many of Stirling's characters are SCA geeks and other folks who would have a leg up in such a situation, and it feels a little like he stacks the deck in favor of his characters. Then again, those kinds of folks would have a leg up if the world decides to end, so.
Anyhow, anyone else enjoy reading about the end of the world (or, at least, as we know it) and have recommendations to make about what to read?
- Alas, Babylon (Pat Frank): set in the middle of the nuclear crisis between the United States and Russia, nuclear war breaks out. A small group in Florida lives in a non-radioactive area, and must find skills they didn't know they had to get along. This is mildly dated (it was first published in 1959) so the attitudes towards women are a bit distracting, but it's still very much worth reading.
- Lucifer's Hammer (Larry Niven): a very large comet is threatening to hit the earth, and again, ordinary people must pull it together if they're going to survive. Long, but a fairly quick read. My only quibble with the book is that it focuses on the immediate aftermath, and stops just when the world building is getting really, really cool. This would have been ripe for a sequel.
- Dies the Fire, The Protector's War, and A Meeting at Cornwallis (not out yet; will be released in September): The main idea here is that all the electricity and explosive decides in the world stop working; what happens next? (Yes, it takes three books to explain that; S.M. Stirling is often very long-winded.) There's a little bit less survivalism and a little more war than I'd like in these books, but they're fun and the world-building is superb. My only real quibble is that it's not so much about ordinary folks figuring out how to survive; many of Stirling's characters are SCA geeks and other folks who would have a leg up in such a situation, and it feels a little like he stacks the deck in favor of his characters. Then again, those kinds of folks would have a leg up if the world decides to end, so.
Anyhow, anyone else enjoy reading about the end of the world (or, at least, as we know it) and have recommendations to make about what to read?
