Apocolyptic/Doomsday/End of the World Books

[BigNaruto]

Can anyone recommend some good ones? Leave out the average ones please.

[Banger]

There's a 4-page thread on post-apocolyptic books here.

The search function is your friend

[Mugwump]

I've often wondered about the popular fascination with apocalyptic fiction. Is the attraction a world where the bothersome burden of personal duty and responsibilities is dissolved? I suspect there are many people who, for various reasons, would like to see the end of, not necessarily the world, but society and all its restrictions. It's the chance of having the car of your dreams; the best clothes - freedom to do and say whatever you like without any consequence.

At the other end of the spectrum you have the religious fixation - the Book of Revelations, Rapture and all that weird and creepy stuff. It’s hard to believe there are people living in comfortable Western societies who just can’t wait to burn in an atomic blaze.

I must admit that I do like one or two novels in this sub-genre - Earth Abides, The Sheep Look Up, I am Legend etc. What this says about me I’ve yet to fathom.

[Ropie]

I've often wondered about the popular fascination with apocalyptic fiction.

I think it's partly the chance to explore a familiar environment in an entirely different but ultimately very plausible state (Day of the Triffids does a very good job of this). But yes, it probably runs much deeper than that too.

[Hobbit]

I've always thought it's a bit more basic than that - certainly one of the attractions for many with apocalyptic tales is to see that humanity survives and to what degree the norms of civilisation continue. The fact that you can put the story down and appreciate what you have is a factor too - the 'my-life-may-be-tough-but-at-least-it's-better-than that' syndrome.

Hobbit

[ArthurFrayn]

I've often wondered about the popular fascination with apocalyptic fiction. Is the attraction a world where the bothersome burden of personal duty and responsibilities is dissolved? I suspect there are many people who, for various reasons, would like to see the end of, not necessarily the world, but society and all its restrictions. It's the chance of having the car of your dreams; the best clothes - freedom to do and say whatever you like without any consequence.

I agree with Mr Wump's above assertion:

I do think there are a number of people in the world who have a fantasy that they would fare better in a world without any kind of structure or restriction, and one in which brute force is given free reign. And the frustration and anger with one's perhaps limited position in the world fuels the desire to see the current world come crumbling down.
Consider how often cool motorcyle crazies appear in end of the world scenarios, at least in the movies.

Such scenarios could also give hope to some that civilization will carry on and rebuild, as in novel like Day of the Triffids.


On a side note, I should add that your fav book, High Rise is a novel at least related to this genre, MW.


Another side note, scrolling over the big PA post, I was surprised that the Ellison novella A Boy and His Dog, was mentioned only once, and that was as part of a huge list.

[Banger]

The draw for me isn't the Mad Max badass factor, it's more a matter of the elegiac, which is why I'm more a fan of the end of the world stories, as they have more of a tragic finality to them.

Then again, mohawked motorcycle samurai are pretty cool too.

[Mugwump]

On a side note, I should add that your fav book, High Rise is a novel at least related to this genre, MW.

Yes, it does - although the breakdown of societal order is limited to the building itself. Ballard's theory that modern, technological "society" is a media construction is pretty fascinating. In many respects I think he's correct. Much of our limited understanding of the world is filtered by a small group of people with private interests. “News” is very much a constructed reality defined by reporters, editors and so forth who impose on it their own standards of importance and relevance. The “reality” of movies and television shows portray human beings as flawless and beautiful (how many people do you see with bad teeth, disfigurement or disability in major roles?) units of consumption who live, for the most part, perfect lives.

Going off topic a touch – I read an interesting (and quite disturbing) piece in The Guardian last month which said that not one major US television broadcaster chose to buy the rights to the disabled Olympics at the last meeting. The reason being: 'Viewers don’t want to see that kind of stuff'.

By the way, High-Rise isn't my favourite novel (I don't know what is, to be honest); but it's certainly in my top 50.