End of the World Novels: A Top 10 (Edit)

[Bill Hicks]

(Edit - 7/18/09) Changed one book in the Top 10 to reflect a new favorite.

As I mentioned in my review of "Summer of the Apocalypse," I loves me some end of the world fiction.  So, to help my fellow LATOC-ers find some good reading material while awaiting the crash, here is a list of my personal Top 10 EOTW novels (with two sentence reviews!).  Some are new, some are classics.  All are awesome.

1).  The Stand - Stephen King (1978, 1990).  Superflu decimates America and sets off a classic good vs. evil battle.  The 1990 version added more than 500 previously deleted pages to this epic and is worth every word.

2).  On the Beach - Nevil Shute (1957).  Survivors of World War III await certain death Down Under.  The best of the classic nuclear war aftermath novels.

3).  The Road - Cormac McCarthy (2006).  A man and his son struggle to survive while wandering through an utterly depleted landscape.  An EOTW novel even Oprah can love!

4).   World War Z - Max Brooks (2006).  Zombies fucking rule in Brooks's faux oral history.  This one manages the rare feat of being truly funny and truly scary while also including a little social commentary.

5).  I Am Legend - Richard Matheson (1954).  The original Last Man on Earth battles vampires while holed up in his barricaded home.  I damn Will Smith to hell for cinematically trashing this visionary novel.

6).  The Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham (1951).  Killer plants may not seem so scary, but YOU try battling them after everyone you know has been blinded by a mysterious comet.  The opening sequence of this sci-fi classic was chillingly reproduced at the beginning of the movie 28 Days Later.

7).   Summer of the Apocalypse - James Van Pelt (2006).  '06 was a great year for ETOW fiction as this is the third on the list.  As I mentioned in my review, this story of the aftermath of a supervirus might be the most moving such story ever told.

.  Earth Abides - George R. Stewart (1949).  Starts out as a Last Man Alive story before turning more philosophical and ruminating on the nature of future generations of survivors.  Holds up very well even after 60 years.

9).  Random Acts of Senseless Violence - Jack Womack (1994).  Societal breakdown as seen through the eyes of a 12-year-old-girl.  Though not about Peak Oil, the way America crumbles in this visionary novel is chillingly similar to many PO believers' nightmares.

10).  Lucifer's Hammer - Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle (1977).  Just your standard comet-hits-earth-and-survivors-battle-it-out action novel, but very well written.  My favorite moment is when the surfer dude catches a ride on the tsunami only to get swatted by a skyscraper.

If anyone else has recommendations or thoughts on the books above, I'd love to hear them.  Happy reading!   

[StrangeFire]

I'd also add Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank, and Oryx and Crake (Margaret Atwood). Both excellent reads--especially the Atwood book.

[Bill Hicks]

I'd also add Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank, and Oryx and Crake (Margaret Atwood). Both excellent reads--especially the Atwood book.

Babylon just missed the Top 10 for me, as did War of the Worlds, War Day and Nature's End.  Only so many slots!

I've never read Oryx and Crake.  Thanks for the recommendation.

[DAllen]

How about the Deathlands series by James Axler?  Takes place about 100 years following WWIII.  Reads somewhat like a Louis Lamar western.  Some SiFi thrown in, but human nature is universal.  Complete trash, but entertaining.   

[Bill Hicks]

How about the Deathlands series by James Axler?  Takes place about 100 years following WWIII.  Reads somewhat like a Louis Lamar western.  Some SiFi thrown in, but human nature is universal.  Complete trash, but entertaining.   

Haven't read that one either, many thanks for the heads up!   

[davzee101]

5).  I Am Legend - Richard Matheson (1954).  The original Last Man on Earth battles vampires while holed up in his barricaded home.  I damn Will Smith to hell for cinematically trashing this visionary novel.

How do you feel about the Vincent Price version? It's been one of my favorite movies since I first saw it when I was eleven.

[Taylor 2673 A.D.]

"Parable of the Sower" by Octavia E. Butler; not explicitly P.O., but a very likely representation.

[mtlouie]

You absolutely must add the 'Dies the Fire' trilogy by S.M. Stirling.  The first book is absolutely not recommended for someone with heart problems.

[DAllen]

Once again, I recommend Man's Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl.  If you had to wake up every morning for three years in Auschwitz and become a better person for it, anything PO throws at your way will be a walk in the park on a beautiful spring day.

[Petey_Canuck]

Just finished The World Without Us. Very entertaining. A refreshing look at the end of the world and WE know it!

[Bill Hicks]

5).  I Am Legend - Richard Matheson (1954).  The original Last Man on Earth battles vampires while holed up in his barricaded home.  I damn Will Smith to hell for cinematically trashing this visionary novel.

How do you feel about the Vincent Price version? It's been one of my favorite movies since I first saw it when I was eleven.

Haven't seen that one.  It was a bit before my time.     The Charleston Heston version (Omega Man) was cheesy, but had its moments.

[Bill Hicks]

Just finished The World Without Us. Very entertaining. A refreshing look at the end of the world and WE know it!

I really liked that one, too.  In fact, The History Channel's version of it was on just last night. 

Doesn't really count as a novel, though.  More like speculative nonfiction.

[Bill Hicks]

You absolutely must add the 'Dies the Fire' trilogy by S.M. Stirling.  The first book is absolutely not recommended for someone with heart problems.

Doggone it, that one has escaped me, too.  My reading list grows longer...   

[consumer #37450000]

I enjoyed Cell by Stephen King.  Very entertaining, cell phone signals turn people into telepathic Zombies. YAY!  I don't know if it could make the top ten list but I thought it was fun to read.

[BenjaminTheDonkey]

Cat’s Cradle.  A bit whacky perhaps, but more truthiness than most reads.