The Sword and Laser discussion

I noticed that Goodreads had created a new feature, where it's possible to create challenges to a group. While I was playing around with this feature I tried to come up with a good challenge.
In recognition of 2012 and the Mayan calendar I thought that I would create a bit of a reading challenge for myself, by reading a number of books containing either the end of the world or at least a threat to the world.
However I quite soon ran out of suggestions.
All I could come up with was:
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe and
Good Omens.

...before I drifted into the Dystopian territory, but as that's not what I want, I'm asking for your help.
What suggestions do you have for me?

Elizabeth Bear's Edda of Burdens trilogy is about the Ragnarok, the apocalypse in Norse mythology. If you're not into series the first book, All the Windwracked Stars, works as a stand alone.

The classic, which mostly still holds up, is Earth Abides, where the humans get struck down by a superflu in the 1940s and their cities all rust away.

The Killing Star has aliens making thoroughly sure that humans aren't headed into deep space.

Because it falls into the why did the earth, or in this case civilization, gets destroyed try Dies the Fire the first book in a series also no one writes the end of days like Pournelle and Niven.

Kris wrote: "Because it falls into the why did the earth, or in this case civilization, gets destroyed try Dies the Fire the first book in a series also no one writes the end of days like Pournell..."

Yeah, I forgot Dies the Fires is kind of like that.

I hear that it is a theme that runs a lot through his works.

Kris wrote: "also no one writes the end of days like Pournelle and Niven."

Yeah, my first thought for this was Lucifer's Hammer by Niven & Pournelle - I started it as a teen after reading and loving The Mote in God's Eye and liked it, but never finished it for some reason (maybe I didn't want the world to end!). Basically a hard sci-fi version of the 'a meteor is going to collide with Earth!!' scenario.

Another book I started when a teen and never finished - King's The Stand. What I read of it certainly *seemed* headed towards end of the world-ness.

Mars hates our world, of course, so you could read the Wells classic
The War of the Worlds for the prototype of alien invasion stories.

J.G. Ballard loves to destroy the world - he's done several variations - global flood in The Drowned World, strange crystals enveloping everything in their path in The Crystal World, and global drought in, er, The Drought.

Frank Herbert wrote The White Plague about a bio-engineered threat to humanity (meaning to read it) -- but that brings up the question if you want to include threats-just-to-humanity or if the threat has to be to the entire world. Multiple choice apocalypses!

Thank you for the suggestions.
With The War of the Worlds I realized that The Fall of Hyperion should probably qualify as well.
As I don't want to spend the whole time up until December 21th in a permanent glum, I think that is enough to make a list for the challenge.
I also did a face-palm and then a search of listopia and found this, which may interest someone else as well; http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/39..., but I always prefer personal recommendations.
Once more, thank you for your help.

I would suggest Stephen King's The Stand. I read it long before the "unabridged" version came out but if I were to pick it up today I would probably go for that one.

On the "stay away from" - I know I'm in the minority and don't throw the stones - but I really did not enjoy The Road.

If you want a YA set after the destruction of the world try Mortal Engines or also try Obernewtyn and The White Mountains.

Also I am Legend is worth reading. I believe P.K.Dick wrote some but I can't recall them as of now.

Alas, Babylon is dated but still a great read.

Not necessarily an end of the world novel, more like end of the galaxy, but Peter F. Hamiltons Night's Dawn trilogy is fairly Apocalyptic and awesome.

You want the end of the world without dystopia? What about apocalypse and complete destruction, with no big brother societies coming after?

Jenny wrote: "You want the end of the world without dystopia? What about apocalypse and complete destruction, with no big brother societies coming after?"
Yes, that was what I was looking for.
It doesn't actually have to be the end of the world or civilization, but there should at least be a realistic threat.
I can't come up with books that are near misses, but a few films that come to mind is; The Day the Earth Stood Still, Armageddon or Deep Impact, but I'll take the end of civilization such as in
The War of the Worlds.
It will work with the end of a galaxy or the universe, but it doesn't have to be completely bleak though. In The Restaurant at the End of the Universe the universe comes to an end, but I wouldn't call it a sad story (except for Marvin).

So Dystopian wasn't what I was looking for.

I wonder... I'm halfway through Swan Song. Air Force One goes down in the first chapter, in worldwide nuclear annihilation. But then it kind of turns into the Stand.

How about The Stand, Earth Abides, and On the Beach.

Martin wrote: "Jenny wrote: "You want the end of the world without dystopia? What about apocalypse and complete destruction, with no big brother societies coming after?"
Yes, that was what I was looking for.
It ..."

So can it be the aftermath of the end of the world?

I liked The Passage by Justin Cronin

Planet of the Apes comes to mind again now. And I again suggest I am Legend. It's pretty much end of the world stuff.

The Forge of God by Greg Bear ends the world pretty definitively.

I'm working my way through Far North, which seems a pretty good fit for end of the world.

I'm surprised no one mentioned Footfall by Niven. Or the Horseclans books by Franklin Robert Adams

In a totally different vein, I found The World Without Us fascinating.

Most of the ones I came in to mention are already mentioned, but I'll toss A Canticle for Leibowitz onto the pile.

Clarke's Childhood's End probably should also be on there.

Dennis, I will echo A Canticle for Leibowitz. It is amazing how often that book comes to mind in a lot of situtations.

One of the more unusual end-of-the-world books I've read is Millennium. I read it a long time ago, so I can't remember if the writing is really good, but the idea behind it is pretty cool and original.

Michael wrote: "I would suggest Stephen King's The Stand. I read it long before the "unabridged" version came out but if I were to pick it up today I would probably go for that one."

I would add an emphatic "avoid at all costs" Stephen King's The Stand, ESPECIALLY the unabridged version. Wow, talk about bloated and clumsy.

A better-written version of the end-of-the-world scenario as presented in The Stand is The Passage.

In a similar vein (nyuk nyuk) the vampire apocalypse by Del Toro and Hogan The Strain is the first few days of the end of the world.

Also, World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War

Oh, if you can find it, the Philip Jose Farmer novel Dark is the Sun does "end of the world" one better by placing the action on Earth at the end of the universe, many billions of years hence.

There's also Stephen Baxter's Evolution -- which I found kind of depressing but very much worth reading.

There was one I read when I was teenager, Exit Earth. Had some good parts, and some WTF parts.

I'd also recommend The Road. When I was in middle school I read one called The White Fox Chronicles. I need to reread it and see if it holds up.

Michael wrote: "I would suggest Stephen King's The Stand. I read it long before the "unabridged" version came out but if I were to pick it up today I would probably go for that one.

On the "stay a..."

I agree with the stay away from The Road myself. The writing just didn't appeal...

here's the big list on GR http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/18...

Z for Zachariah. Totally needed therapy after reading that in year seven. Was pretty depressing.

November elections.

How about Alas Babylon by Pat Frank, even though I never read it.

FertileSpade wrote: "This sounds like a lot of fun so if its ok with you, i'm going to steal your idea and do it too! 2 of the books mentioned are on my shelf and i've been meaning to get to them. I am Legend & White P..."
You're welcome to "borrow" the idea and don't worry... the end isn't until December 21. :-)

An end-of-the-world book I've rarely seen discussed, but I felt was well worth reading: Arslan. There's an interesting discussion here of this book.

Ends Of Man Anthology is coming out next month.

http://zharmae.com/index.php?option=c...

Or Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse. The first couple stories are a little weak, but there are some masterpieces in the second half. My detailed review of each story in the anthology: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...