Building a SciFi/Fantasy Library discussion

Well title says it all pretty much. I'm looking for a good post apocalyptic book. I read The Stand by Steven King, I liked it, although I didn't enjoy the religious theme.I read I Am Legend, enjoyed it VERY much, and also Earth Abides, which I also liked a lot. And recently The Road, which was pretty good.
I want a certain amount of realism in a book, so no "the lightning strikes the computer and brings it back to life" nonsense :). Bring it on people! And thanks :)

Well IMHO the best of the best is A Canticle for Leibowitz.

As far as graphic novels go, V for Vendetta is at the top of the post-apocalyptic heap. Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead series is also extremely good.

I have also heard, but not confirmed for myself, that The Postman is a solid read as well.

Lucifer's Hammer by Niven and Pournelle is also excellent.

I too love this sub genre, the Postman is a great read much superior to the movie. A few other gems, Eternity road by Jack McDevittEternity Road, Hothouse by Brian AldissHothouse, Alas Babylon by Pat FrankAlas, Babylon, The Drowned World by J.G BallardThe Drowned World, Dies the fire by S. M. StirlingDies the Fire, Islands in the sea of time by S. M. StirlingIsland in the Sea of Time, A wrinkle in the sun by John ChristopherA Wrinkle in the Sun. These are a good start.

Happy "end of the world" reading!

Thanks for all the answers guys, I think I have enough books to pick from now hehe. Oh and I probably should have mentioned I'm not really into graphic novels :) but thanks for the quick answers.

Greyweather wrote: "Well IMHO the best of the best is A Canticle for Leibowitz.

As far as graphic novels go, V for Vendetta is at the top of the post-apocalyptic heap. Robert Kirkman's [boo..."

You have excellent taste, my friend. "V For Vendetta" made an EXCELLENT movie and "Canticle" is one of my all time favorite sci-fi classics. Kind of "Fahrenheit 451" meets "On The Beach" meets "Name of the Rose"....

[author:Stephen H. Turner|518861]
The Last Voyage of the Cassiopeia
Almagest: The Adventures of MarsShield
3700
The Avedon Question

How post-apocalyptic are we talking? Millions of years into the future where the sun is dying?

Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe.

Well, you can't get any more post-apocalyptic than "The Last Question" by Isaac Asimov! Pre-apocalyptic, DURING the apocalypse and AFTER...it can't be beat for sheer classic impact! Check THAT one out!

Stephen H. Turner

If you aren't snotty about kids' books, This Time of Darkness is excellent.

I'll second Dies the Fire. If you like that, there are a further five books in the Emberverse universe (A Meeting at Corvallis, The Protector's War, The Sunrise Lands, The Scourge of God, and The Sword of the Lady), plus The High Kind of Montival on the way.

If you start the Emberverse stuff, you can start with either Dies the Fire or, as I did, The Sunrise Lands. The second series starts with that book. It's set 20 years post-Protector's War, and gives you enough backstory that you can easily grasp the world. I read the second three books first, followed by the first three. Just a quirk of pricing and budget. :)

Hiero's Journey is an old favorite of mine. Sort of a cross between SF and F, with a hero searching for ancient tech and mutated beasties on his trail.

There's also:
Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood
The Visitor by Sheri Tepper
Wolf And Iron by Gordon R. Dickson
Warrior, Wanderer, and Witch by Donald E. McQuinn
The Folk of the Fringe by Orson Scott Card
Farnham's Freehold by Robert Heinlein
Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang by Kate Wilhelm
Into the Forest by Jean Hegland
the Holdfast Chronicles by Suzy McKee Charnas
The Gate to Women's Country by Sheri Tepper
The Shore of Women by Pamela Sargent
Daybreak 2250 A.D. by Andre Norton
Califia's Daughters by Leigh Richards
Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler
Maximum Light by Nancy Kress

and, for a different take on the 'adventuring in the ruins of man's civilization', I really enjoyed
Breed to Come by Andre Norton.

Farnham's Freehold is one of the vilest books ever written. The usual Heinlein badness with a hefty dose of cannibalism on top.

One post apocalyptic book that I thought was very realistic is . The details are quite vivid.

Reading the original post, this is probably not exactly what you have in mind, but the Shannara series (The Sword of Shannara) and Death Gate Cycle (Dragon Wing) are post-apocalyptic, even though they read like fantasy.

Daniel wrote: "Thanks for all the answers guys, I think I have enough books to pick from now hehe. Oh and I probably should have mentioned I'm not really into graphic novels :) but thanks for the quick answers."

Well, I am currently reading "Y: The Last Man." Yes, it is a graphic novel, but I believe the last book left at the end of our world will be a comic book! :>)

Stephen wrote: "Well, you can't get any more post-apocalyptic than "The Last Question" by Isaac Asimov! Pre-apocalyptic, DURING the apocalypse and AFTER...it can't be beat for sheer classic impact! Check THAT one ..."

I just reread "The Last Question." One of my favorite Asimov short stories. Just wonderful.

Here is a list for you in no particular order. A few may be stretching the definition a bit as well. Some of these are fairly old and may be dated but they are still good reads.

1. Phoenix Without Ashes (1975) - Edward Bryant & Harlan Ellison
2. Double Planet (1988) - John Gribbin & Marcus Chown
3. The Day the Earth Froze (1963) - Gerald Hatch
4. Masters of the Fist (1989) - Jerry Pournelle
5. A for Anything (1959) - Damon Knight
6. Afterwar (1985) - Janet Morris
7. Emergence (1984) - David R. Palmer
8. Population Doomsday (1970) - Don Pendleton
9. Alongside Night (1979) - J. Neil Schulman
10. On the Beach (1957) - Nevil Shute
11. The Muller-Fokker Effect (1971) - John Sladek
12. The Azriel Uprising (1982) - Allyn Thompson
13. The Lord's Pink Ocean (1972) - David Walker
14. The Last World War (2003) - Dayton Ward

Actually, most of these are fairly old. I need to pull out my more recent copies to add to the list!

I have a Silly question. Is there any book Related to "The Road Warrior" (Mad Max)?

I second: The Postman! One of my favorites perfect compliment to Walter M. Miller Jr.'s A Canticle for Leibowitz!

Greyweather wrote: "Well IMHO the best of the best is A Canticle for Leibowitz . . . I have also heard, but not confirmed for myself, that The Postman is a solid read as well."

Bookbrow wrote: "I too love this sub genre, The Postman is a great read much superior to the movie."

Nevil Shute's On the Beach is also "during the apocalypse" read of the best sort -explores what people would do if they knew the end had already arrived for most of the human race and that their certain untimely end was inevitable too. If a community has only several weeks to live, what does it do? How do individuals make decisions? What's the most noble way to respond to such a situation? Those are the questions that are explored and answered in this story.

Another story that examines near future response to a failed economic and polticial infrastructure is Jean Hegland's Into the Forest.

No single event precedes society's fall in Into the Forest. There is talk of a war overseas and upheaval in Congress, but it still comes as a shock when the electricity runs out and gas is nowhere to be found. Two Northern California sisters consume the resources left in their house, waiting for the power to return. What happens to them while they wait and how they respond is the flip side/darker feminine side of Shute's optimistic coin.

No such thing as a silly question! But sorry, no post apocalyptic fiction book that Mad Max was based on either.

George Miller (writer/director) and screenwriter James McCausland wrote the movie/screenplay partly out of Miller's experience as an ER doctor and partly
out of McCausland's observance of the '73 oil crisis.

McCausland says in a dec 4, 2006 article titled Scientists' Warnings Unheeded that :
George and I wrote the script based on the thesis that people would do almost anything to keep vehicles moving and the assumption that nations would not consider the huge costs of providing infrastructure for alternative energy until it was too late.

As far as I can tall all the madmax books are movie spin-offs published after the movie was released.

Believe it or not, George Miller also produced and wrote the screenplay for Babe based on the book Babe: The Gallant Pig by Dick King-Smith.

That's a pretty wide ranging talent!

*Kashi* wrote: "I have a Silly question. Is there any book Related to "The Road Warrior" (Mad Max)?"

it is amazing to consider that the same man had a hand in both the mad max and the babe movies. for many years i just assumed that it was two men with the same name, they seemed so far apart from each other. but no!

I'm surprised nobody mentioned "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy. Of course he's not a sf writer, but this book is certainly post-apocalyptic, and a brilliant piece of literature to boot.

I haven't read it but Good Omens is supposed to be a post apocalyptic book infused with some hilarious humor if the reviews are to be believed. Not many book could fit that description so I'm sure to check that one out.

I actually read both Good Omens and The Road already hehe. I love Gaimans weird...well I guess you could call it humor, and I enjoyed the book quite a bit actually.
The Road was...interesting. Very very very bleak but then again the world as we know it just ended. Sure wouldn't want to be in a cold place like in the book when that happens.

OMG, my favorite book for almost 20 years was Swan Song by Robert R. McCammon! 2000 pages, but worth every one! I promise that you will love it cover to cover. I still have a copy and every one I lend it to returns it with praise. His best novel, and deeply, completely engaging and entertaining. Gets 5 stars everywhere!

I recently read One Second After by William Forstchen which is post-apocalyptic, set in more recent times but many more that are listed in the past posts are better. This one is more commercial and full of holes. My all-time favorite so far was Dies the Fire and I compare all other of this genre to it.

Regolith is about surviving the largest asteroid strike in 65 million years.

I wanted to second Carolyn's addition of
Oryx and CrakeOryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood
As well as, Into the Forest by Jean HeglandInto the Forest
All three are extremely high quality, well written books.

Just read a new book by Ian Fraser, The Depths of Deception. The Depths of Deception Kept my attention. Very well written. Ingenious plotting. This has a bite and a bit of an anti-Americanism which pale in comparison to the quality of the whole work.

You might also try my book, The Angel & the Brown-eyed Boy The Angel & the Brown-eyed Boy a romance set against the background of a dying world which will blow up the next morning. "Tomorrow morning, a nuclear holocaust will destroy the planet. Two people carry the keys to survival: A teenage boy and an an intergalactic traveler." Also has a bite.

I second The Postman, On the Beach, and if you're up for something a bit off the beaten trail, give In Watermelon Sugar a try -- it's poetic, evocative, weird and (I think) post-apocalyptic.

And I wouldn't be doing a very good job of being an indie author if I didn't at least mention my first novel, The Amadeus Net. (Also a "dystopia".)

I read "In Watermelon Sugar" many, many years ago. I loved it, but it never occurred to me that it was an SF book--I thought it was just another "Brautigan Book"--a category of its own, including especially "Trout Fishing in America." Would you classify that book as SF too?

I didn't put The Postman on my original list because it had already been mentioned, but I did really enjoy reading it (and I liked the movie too, for what that's worth = )

Since I posted back in January, I've read the book Far North, and it is really excellent. I gave it 5 stars, which is quite rare for me.

I've also heard good things about The Children's Hospital, but haven't had a chance to read it yet.

Gerald wrote: "I read "In Watermelon Sugar" many, many years ago. I loved it, but it never occurred to me that it was an SF book--I thought it was just another "Brautigan Book"--a category of its own, including e..."

I would, but I have a pretty broad take on what constitutes. The story is set in a post-apocalyptic world, and I pretty much consider those SF. It's a beautifully written book, isn't it?

Life As We Knew It
The Dead and the Gone
This World We Live In

These are a great post-apocalyptic trilogy. I read all 3 in about a week.

Kelly wrote: "OMG, my favorite book for almost 20 years was Swan Song by Robert R. McCammon! 2000 pages, but worth every one! I promise that you will love it cover to cover. I still have a copy an..."

"Swan Song" sounds fantastic! I just added it to my wish-list.

Mark wrote: "Gerald wrote: "I read "In Watermelon Sugar" many, many years ago. I loved it, but it never occurred to me that it was an SF book--I thought it was just another "Brautigan Book"--a category of its o..."

Yeah, I remember loving it, but I don't remember it being in a post-apocalyptic world! I'll get to the library and check it out. What's your take on "Trout Fishing," my favorite Brautigan book?

I don't think I've seen any mention of The Death of Grass yet. Brilliant post-apocalyptic novel/novella, highly recommended. In some ways, it is what The Road tries to be, only much better. Where I found The Road exaggerated and unrealistic, The Death of Grass is neither, and therefore much more frightening. It explores several moral questions, but does not presume to give us all the answers, but works by letting us be surprised and shocked by our own answers.

Evan wrote: "How post-apocalyptic are we talking? Millions of years into the future where the sun is dying?

Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe."

Very good suggestion in my opinion!

I just started reading The Walking Dead. First volume

Not sure if these were mentioned yet.


The Day of the Triffids
The Chrysalids

Also, these are YA but quite good, in my opinion.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth
The Dead-Tossed Waves

Irwin wrote: "I just started reading The Walking Dead. First volume"

Read that last week on the beach. Good, quick read. Have to get Volume 2.

I've just read a few of the Paolo Bacigalupi stories set in a decaying future world beset by the effects of human shortsightedness. He addresses a number of important environmental issues in very interesting ways. I am going to read his highly touted debut novel, The Windup Girl. If it is anywhere near as good as his short fiction, then I'll be very happy.

I also second A Canticle for Leibowitz.

If you liked the Stand a lot, you might also like The Passage by Justin Cronin. I had mixed feelings on this one, but it was pretty solid in terms of its world building aspects.

BTW, I know there is a Night Shade Books collection of Baciagalupi's short stories called Pier Nine though I do not know more about it. All I remember from reading the back text is that it has the Sturgeon Award-winning story "The Calorie Man."

Other post-apocalyptic classics that have not been mentioned:

"A Boy and His Dog" by Harlan Ellison
Damnation Alley by Roger Zelazny
This Immortal by Roger Zelazny

Paul wrote: "Lucifer's Hammer by Niven and Pournelle is also excellent."

Just finished reading this novel. Abit slow at the start but once it gets going it gets real good.

Wow, lots of suggestions. I would recommend Terry Brooks' Armageddon's Children

The Road, it's amazing!

Chris wrote: "I've just read a few of the Paolo Bacigalupi stories set in a decaying future world beset by the effects of human shortsightedness. He addresses a number of important environmental issues in very ..."

The stories you are talking about have been put together in a collection called Pump Six and Other Stories by Paolo Bacigalupi and it is excellent.

At the risk of annoying some people, and only because the thread has asked for realistic Post-Apocalyptic fiction, I would like to mention my novel Tinker’s Plague set 100 years after the generators stop turning do to the exhaustion of fossil fuels and environmental degradation.
When a book fits the criteria it fits the criteria whether you’re the author or not.
Tinker’s Plague:
Tinker's Plague

Greyweather wrote: "Well IMHO the best of the best is A Canticle for Leibowitz.

As far as graphic novels go, V for Vendetta is at the top of the post-apocalyptic heap. Robert Kirkman's [boo..."

Are you sure you can call "V for Vendetta" post-apocalyptic? DYSTOPIC, yes, post-apocalytptic....I don't know....Remember, the world REALLY changes after the apocalypse, as in nearly unrecognizable....and "V's" world isn't really all THAT different from the world as it is!

HOWEVER, (shameless plug time) another title you might want to try is MY series of novels, starting with [book:The Last Voyage of the Cassiopeia|1041538], the first in a series of novels telling a story about life on Earth long after a third world war and the adventures and scores of phenomena the characters encounter in their travels. Check it and its sequels out....

....And "Liebovitz" is a great choice for a post-ap classic....

V for Vendetta does not meet any criteria for post-apocalyptic. Dystopic and possibly PRE-apocalyptic, yes.

I've expanded on my previous list and also included a link to a web site that is all about the end.

Post-Apocalyptic Fiction (in no particular order)
1. Phoenix Without Ashes (1975) - Edward Bryant & Harlan Ellison
2. Double Planet (1988) - John Gribbin & Marcus Chown
3. The Day the Earth Froze (1963) - Gerald Hatch
4. Masters of the Fist (1989) - Jerry Pournelle
5. A for Anything (1959) - Damon Knight
6. Afterwar (1985) - Janet Morris
7. Emergence (1984) - David R. Palmer
8. Population Doomsday (1970) - Don Pendleton
9. Alongside Night (1979) - J. Neil Schulman
10. On the Beach (1957) - Nevil Shute
11. The Muller-Fokker Effect (1971) - John Sladek
12. The Azriel Uprising (1982) - Allyn Thompson
13. The Lord's Pink Ocean (1972) - David Walker
14. The Last World War (2003) - Dayton Ward
15. I Am Legend (1954) - Richard Matheson
16. Three Californias Trilogy - Kim Stanley Robinson
- The Wild Shore (1984)
- The Gold Coast (1988)
- the Pacific Edge (1990)
17. Eternity Road (1997) - Jack McDevitt
18. The Postman (1985) - David Brin
19. A Canticle For Leibowitz (1959) - Walter M. Miller, Jr.
20. Earth Abides (1949) - George R. Stewart
21. Lucifer’s Hammer (1977) - Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
22. All Fools Day (1966) - Edmund Cooper
23. Blood Crazy (2001) - Simon Clark
24. Famine (1981) - Graham Masterton
25. The Day of the Triffids (aka Revolt of the Triffids) (1951) - John Wyndham
26. The Kraken Wakes (aka Out of the Deeps) (1953) - John Wyndham
27. The Long, Loud Silence (1952) - Wilson Tucker
28. This Is the Way the World Ends (1985) - James Morrow
29. Malevil (1973) - Robert Merle
30. No Blade of Grass (1980) - John Christopher
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More lists;
http://www.empty-world.com/book_index...