Books: End Of The World Scenarios

[acappellasaurus]

I just finished watching 2012. Say what you will (and I know you have) about this movie and this type of movie, but end of the world, mass destruction, big budget apocalypse films are a guilty pleasure for me.

Anyhow, I was just wondering if anyone had good recommendations for books in this same vein. I know there's a fair amount of the post-apocalyptic stuff out there, but what about books showcasing the destruction? I read Robert Silverberg's "The Alien Years" and loved it - not quite nature vs. man, as it was an alien invasion, but close enough.

Any other books I should check out?

 

[DarkHorizon]

One I recently read was Flood by Stephen Baxter. The science seemed a little off, but it is very much about the impact on human civilization, and how it struggles to keep itself going.

His Moonseed is also another interesting end-of-the-world novel, although the cause of that one is a bit more fantastical.

 

[Caliburn24]

It is rather dated now, but I thoroughly enjoyed Jerry Pournelle's Footfall, about an alien invasion of Earth.

The scene where a dying alien watches the humans fight back and thinks to himself how unfair it is that humans evolved with thumbs is one of my favorites.

 

[Nardpuncher]

The Stand

 

[Mistral]

Alas, Babylon-Pat Frank
Emergence-David Palmer
Farnum's Freehold-Robert Heinlein
Lucifer's Hammer-Pournelle
Arclight-Eric Harry
The Last Ship-William Brinkley
Malevil-Robert Merle
The Steel, The Mist, and The Blazing Sun-Christopher Anvil
Plague Year-Jeff Carlson
World War Z-Max Brooks
War of the Worlds:Global Dispatches-ed. Kevin Anderson
Childhood's End-Arthur Clarke
The Stone Dogs-SM Stirling

 

[The Comedian]

Alas, Babylon-Pat Frank
Emergence-David Palmer
Farnum's Freehold-Robert Heinlein
Lucifer's Hammer-Pournelle
Arclight-Eric Harry
The Last Ship-William Brinkley
Malevil-Robert Merle
The Steel, The Mist, and The Blazing Sun-Christopher Anvil
Plague Year-Jeff Carlson
World War Z-Max Brooks
War of the Worlds:Global Dispatches-ed. Kevin Anderson
Childhood's End-Arthur Clarke
The Stone Dogs-SM Stirling

Um, the Draka didn't end the world, they just took it over (Stone Dogs) and anyone who wants to read that should read Marching Through Georgia and Under The Yoke first.

Also the world didn't exactly end in "Childhood's End" either.

More reading:
"Down to a Sunless Sea" by David Graham
"Earthwreck" by Thomas N. Scortia

Both oldies about global thermonuclear war, but quite good.

 

[Silvercrest]

Not exactly a book, but there's always "The Conversation of Eiros and Charmion" by Edgar Allan Poe.

 

[Greg Cox]

The Forge of God by Greg Bear.

The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham.

 

[Pemmer Harge]

The ultimate end of the world has to be Stormbringer by Michael Moorcock. As I recall it's pretty much a happy ending.

 

[Silvercrest]

Well, the sword is happy at any rate.

 

[Andrew_Kearley]

John Christopher's "The Death of Grass", "The World in Winter" and "A Wrinkle in the Skin".

 

[stj]

End of the world can mean the end of humanity on Earth as well as the literal destruction of the planet, I'd say.

Some overlooked thus far are

Kalki by Gore Vidal
Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon
Diaspora by Greg Egan

And if the end of civilization qualifies, Earth Abides by George Stewart

 

[Greg Cox]

And, of course: I AM LEGEND by Richard Matheson.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Earth Abides! Which I read because of recommendations in this very forum. Apparently the first of the post-apocalyptic novels and still sets a very high standard. Utterly believable and fascinating.

And, of course: I AM LEGEND by Richard Matheson.

That was my favorite before I read Earth Abides.

 

[Miss Chicken]

I think nearly all the books I would have mentioned have already been mentioned.

Earth Abides! Which I read because of recommendations in this very forum. Apparently the first of the post-apocalyptic novels and still sets a very high standard. Utterly believable and fascinating.

And, of course: I AM LEGEND by Richard Matheson.

That was my favorite before I read Earth Abides.

I think I must be one of the people who recommended Earth Abides to you. It is a book that I love and I reread every once in a while.

I also liove I Am Legend.

John Christopher's "The Death of Grass", "The World in Winter" and "A Wrinkle in the Skin".

I have read The Death of Grass and A Wrinkle in the Skin and thought both were a great read. I have never read "The world in Winter"

The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham

My favourite Wyndham book.

One that hasn'r been mentioned is The Quiet Earth by Craig Harrison. I pretty certain that I borrowed it many years ago from someone and I wanted to get my own copy after I saw the movie (which is different from the book). However I have never been able to locate it and the only used copy available at Amazon is priced at $2,475!!!

There is also "On the Beach" by Nevil Shute which deals with a group of people in Australia waiting for the fallout of full-blown nuclear war to reach them.

 

[Scout101]

"Dies the Fire" by SM Stirling is another good one, and the start of a series. Enjoyable 'end of the world' type stuff, mostly post-apocolypse survival stuff

 

[Caliburn24]

^I read Dies the Fire and the second book in the series, but sort of gave up after that. Do the later in the series get better? I know there is some kind of crossover with Stirling's Nantucket series at some point.

 

[stonester1]

Roger Zelazny-Damnation Alley

 

[darkwing_duck1]

I'm going to recommend "The World Without Us". It's kind'a sort'a an "end of the world" book, but not quite. It's a science-based look at what would happen to the physical remnants of human civilization should our ability to sustain it collapse. It's interesting to read about how most modern (say, 1960s on) non-metal frame buildings would be gone within 50-60 years. New York City would be an unrecognizeable pile of rubble within the same span or sooner.

 

[Canadave]

I'm going to recommend "The World Without Us". It's kind'a sort'a an "end of the world" book, but not quite. It's a science-based look at what would happen to the physical remnants of human civilization should our ability to sustain it collapse. It's interesting to read about how most modern (say, 1960s on) non-metal frame buildings would be gone within 50-60 years. New York City would be an unrecognizeable pile of rubble within the same span or sooner.

There was also a rather good documentary special along the same lines, called Life After People (I think), which is worth checking out.

I'll also second the recommendation of World War Z, by Max Brooks. It's a pretty stunning take on the idea of a "zombie apocalypse," and it's one of the most realistic treatments of the subject that I know of.

Another, though it's not set on Earth, is Robert Silverberg's expansion of Isaac Asimov's Nightfall. The full novel isn't as good, overall, as the short story, but it's still an engaging read.