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A Reader's List for Post Apocalyptic Fiction

This is a list of books that I'm collecting that deal with Apocalyptic themes and events.  Note that I haven't read them all yet, but am collecting them.

Anthem, by Ayn Rand
Recommended; I've read Atlas Shrugged, years ago, but that was a different theme.

The Andromeda Strain, by Michael Crichton (1969)
This is Crichton's debut novel, released in 1969.  It's a classic.

Farnham's Freehold, by Robert Heinlein (1975)
Read this one several times as a youth.  Nuclear holocaust blows Farnham's family into an alternate reality.  Deals with racial themes as well as post-holocaust survival.

Left Behind, by Lehaye & Jenkins (1995)
The theme of the series is interesting, but I couldn't get past the unpolished writing style.  Nevertheless, they do characterize the end of the world as a result of the biblical Rapture.

On the Beach, by Nevil Shute (1962)
Haven't read this one yet, but it was recommended to me as a classic.  A brief read of the synopsis and some reader comments at amazon suggest it's a good book to read.

The Stand, by Stephen King (1978)
This book stands as a Giant among novels.  King's epic tale of the end of the world is plausible, disturbing, well-characterized, and thoroughly vivid.  From a world-building perspective, the tie-ins to the King "metaverse" of the Dark Tower are also excellent, though not so thoroughly revealed here as in other novels (like Insomnia).

Swan Song, by Robert McCammon (1987)
Recommended by Penny, a visitor.  The Amazon review compares it favorably with Stephen King's "The Stand".

The White Plague, by Frank Herbert
Also recommended.  Haven't read this yet.


Last Modified: Monday, December 13, 2004 07:13.