Books

[sync-oz]

So, a bit of a fan of post-apoc fiction, some of the ones that really stand out in my memory were:

- The Road
- Day of the Triffids
- The Kraken Wakes
- Lucifer's Hammer
- I am Legend

Have read so many others that weren't so good IMO.. Anyone else got any good ones?

[TailSwallower]

Books:
- Dr Bloodmoney, or How We Got Along After the Bomb by Philip K. Dick. Fantastic book. I'm sure plenty more of PKDs work could be considered PA, but this is the most obvious choice.
- Slapstick or Lonesome No More! by Kurt Vonnegut. Doesn't dwell too much on the PA aspects of the world, but it's Vonnegut, so it's worth reading.
- The Drowned World by JG Ballard. Not a nuclear apocalypse but an environmental one. Ballard's style isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I loved this book.

Also, just about anything by William S. Burroughs could be viewed as post-apocalyptic (apart from Queer and Junky) because they all seem to exist in this world beyond ours where society has broken down, or at the very least everything is dangerous, everyone is paranoid, nothing is true and everything is permitted. Thus, I think it could be great reading for inspiration (the homophobic, weak-hearted or easily grossed-out need not apply). Notably: Naked Lunch, The Wild Boys, the Red Night Trilogy, and to a lesser extent the Cut Up Trilogy.

PA Books I haven't read but have been meaning to: A Boy and His Dog - Harlan Ellison, Galapagos - Kurt Vonnegut, A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter M. Miller Jr, Roadside Picnic, Damnation Alley - Roger Zelazny.

Comics:
- Scout by Timothy Truman. It's very eighties in some ways, but it's still a fantastic read. In fact, the eighties-ness of it could work as an inspiration for the Wasteland devs.
- Wasteland by Antony Johnston. Personally I could never really get into this series, and I really tried.
- Y the Last Man by Brian K. Vaugn and Pia Guerra. Every man on earth is wiped out except for one. Personally didn't think it sustained itself right up until the end.

[Brother None]

Oh cool, I wanted to put up a books topic but then saw someone already did, good stuff sync-oz.

I always felt there's a bit of a dearth of great post-apocalyptic fiction in writing, compared to films and games. I still need to read the Road and A Canticle for Liebowitz, though.

Dr Bloodmoney is great, got that post-apocalyptic feeling of despair with a little hope just right.

Damnation Alley is alright. Inspired New Vegas' Lonesome Road. It's not outstanding, kind of an adventure book, but it's alright.

The Triffids book is great. It's a weird threat, as threats go, but I love the way the Triffids just kind of slows push forward, constantly pushing humanity out.

[sync-oz]

Hmm I've probably read Dr. Bloodmoney - I've read most PKD - but I don't remember it.. Will have to check my bookshelves. Liked the movie with Peter Sellers though, very strange!

I read A Canticle for Leibowitz recently. It was very good but also very strange - still not sure what I think about it. Definitely worth a read though. Strong religious themes which were - interesting..?

Read Naked Lunch many years ago and remember enjoying it at the time, very odd but quite cool.

And read Roadside Picnic recently which was great, a good adventure vibe to it. Almost added this and Leibowitz to my original list..

All the rest; haven't read (yet) so thanks for the titles; will look into them!

EDIT: Doh of course I'm thinking of Dr Strangelove, which makes me thing I haven't read Dr. Bloodmoney.. Another one for the list!

[TailSwallower]

EDIT: Doh of course I'm thinking of Dr Strangelove, which makes me thing I haven't read Dr. Bloodmoney.. Another one for the list!

Haha, I was going to point that out, but you got it yourself.

I think if you had read it you would remember, because it's fairly different to a lot of his other work. For instance, there's a lot of really great description at the start of the book, and a lot of PKDs work seems to forgo description for paranoid internal monologue.
But yeah, definitely recommend it - should be easy to find a modern edition with a nice-looking cover.

[ThatDearGuy]

I've never read I Am Legend before, but maybe I should as I really liked watching The Omega Man. I have read the Road too, the ending nearly made me cry.

Steven King's The Stand comes to mind. I did not care much for the christian morality or the paranormal stuff, but it was wonderful to read about how all these small groups of people were traveling across ruined cities and highways. Many of books of his Dark Tower series feature similar settings of ruined civilizations.

I read Nevil Shute 'On The Beach' after seeing an Australian miniseries about it that had one of the most dramatic endings I had seen on TV. It is unique because Australia in the series remains untouched by war and people just try to go on with their lives as if nothing happened. But eventually they can't ignore it anymore, and the government starts to urge people to commit euthanasia, as they cannot stop the radioactive atmosphere from closing in on them. It ends with everyone, including some well featured families with young children, committing suicide in some fashion or another, wondering if civilization had been good for anything at all.

I also remember reading a book about a small group of survivors that were trekking through the USA in a big caravan after a pandemic had killed 99% of the population. The survivors were still suffering from the effects of the virus though, as most of them had lost some of their ability to hear, see, smell.. etc. I keep thinking the book was called "Mister Toots", but Google tells me otherwise. I can't seem to find it anywhere.

[BenGT]

David Brin's "The Postman"

Just throwing it out there. The Costner movie really doesn't do it justice.

[Quarex]

I read "On the Beach" years ago since my girlfriend mentioned owning it after I read about its existence in some Fallout conversation thread online. I know it is not generally considered to be a masterwork of writing, and maybe it is not, but I have never been more crushed and disappointed (in a good way, naturally--and no spoilers) than when the submarine finally reached the destination in America that they had been seeking out for months.

I also heartily recommend the book Michael Stackpole is currently writing about Wasteland 2!

[Flamekebab]

I like the bleakness of the children's book "Brother In The Land". I read it as a child and found it so very saddening. Good stuff!

[ThePlanner]

I highly recommend A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M Miller Jr. I read it a couple of years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Here is the premise (lifted straight from Wikipedia):

"Set in a Catholic monastery in the desert of the southwestern United States after a devastating nuclear war, the story spans thousands of years as civilization rebuilds itself. The monks of the fictional Albertian Order of Leibowitz take up the mission of preserving the surviving remnants of man's scientific knowledge until the day the outside world is again ready for it." (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Canticle_for_Liebowitz)

[Brother None]

Canticle for Liebowitz had a ton of influence on Fallout, in case you want extra reasons to read it.

[BrotherMagneto]

David Brin's "The Postman"

Just throwing it out there. The Costner movie really doesn't do it justice.

This. The book is really, really good.

Swan Song is another good one and a nice throwback to the 80s.

[talkingcock]

I recently came across an indie sci-fi series going by the name of "Wool" that is gaining some attention on Amazon. The series is about people living in silos (think vaults) generations after some catastrophic event. It is actually quite good for something that goes for 99c per novelette (on Kindle).

In fact, I discovered this Kickstarter event through a thread on the author's forum discussing about Fallout.

[God Emperor Charles]

Friends,

I'm going to start this post by pissing a few people the righteous hell off!!!!! I saw Costner's, "The Postman" in the theater the weekend it was released and loved it so much I had to stop at a book store on the way home to pick up Brin's original text. When I got home, I kicked back on the couch, turned on the light and did not move from there until I finished the book about 8-10 hours later. I HATED THE DAMNED BOOK!!!!! It was SOOOOO predictable. I mean he get's to the college and they take him in to have an "interview" with their leader the "Super-computer". I had this voice screaming in my head, "IGNORE THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN!!!!". I was RIGHT!!!! Brin also stole the super-soldiers from an old early 70's Gene Roddenberry t.v. movie. So, for me THE MOVIE STILL ROCKS!!!! That said, let's move on. I have Shute's"On the Beach", but have not read it. I picked it up at a local book fair (readers PARADISE!!!!) about 3 years ago. Still on my nightstand next to my bed, one day I will get to it. Someone mentioned Robert R. McCammons, "Swan Song". I have it but have not read it. Will get to it eventually. "Day of the Triffids" by John Wyndham is a classic. I picked it up about 3 years ago (if that) and could not put it down. So much better than that silly early 60's movie. And you may not know it, but there was a 2001 sequel that was written by Simon Clark entitled, "The Night of the Triffids". This one deals with Bills son, David on a forced trip to America where he escapes from his captors, befriends native Americans who can move among the Triffids effortlessly, and brings down an old enemy of his fathers. Great piece of story telling. Also, try "One Second After", by William R. Forstchen. It's a hyper-realistic look on the effects of an electro-magnetic pulse attack on the U.S.. It will make you question your survivability potential. As to Zelazny's "Damnation Alley"... I read the version printed in, "The Last Defender of Camelot" short story collection many years ago. However, it has recently come to my attention that this may be a truncated version of the story. I liked what I read well enough, though I 'd certainly get the longer version if it exists and if I can find it. "The Stand" by Stephen King... I read the original publication, and was not enthused. I would read the expanded edition if I ever managed to get it. But I think the T.V. mini-series with Gary Sinise is good enough. As to Ben Affleck directing a re-make... why? To whoever mentioned the "Scout" comics by Tim Truman, I agree. I collected them and read at least the first 10. I don't know if I ever completed my collection. I know I don't have Scout's Wedding Album. That may (or may NOT) be the only hole in my Scout collection. Though I do have the one album ever released by Tim Truman and the Dixie Pistols. Never opened. Jerry Aherns "The Survivalist" was a good after the war series that he envisioned as an ongoing sci-fi series, but the publisher marketed it to the "Men's Adventure" set. It even had the hero and his team going into suspended animation for 500 years just a few books into the series to await the return of a fleet of shuttles also carrying hundreds of people in suspended animation. If you want air combat in your post-apocalyptic fiction, then try Mack Maloney's series, "The Wingman". The 1st would have been a great stand alone novel all by itself. But the rest of them were great as well. I had a discourse with him a few months ago after hearing him on Coast to Coast AM with George Noory, and he tells me he may be bringing the series back in some way. But that's all I'll say about that. Now... for those of you who feel the need to flame me for saying how much I loved Costner's movie and hated Brin's book, "The Postman"... you may begin. CKB.

[ThundarTheOrk]

Nope, I agree with you. Loved "The Postman" in movie form, but not in book form. I struggled with "Lucifer's Hammer" until after the comet hit, then it was good. Mack Maloney's "Wingman" series is my favorite of the post-apocalyptic genre, to be honest tho', he kind of went off the rails after the 6th book "Freedom Express" and completely lost me with the alternate universe. Hated that. I really would like to see someone make a movie out of the first one. Someone like (and I know people are going to riot after I say this), Michael Bay. The books are not Shakespeare by any stretch of the imagination, and Michael Bay would do it justice. Another good series that is kind of PA is "The Rings of the Master" by Jack Chalker.

2 cents worth.

ThundarTheOrk
GamerTag: Thundar The Ork

P.S.
A good PA cartoon is Thundarr The Barbarian

[BrotherMagneto]

Lucifer's Hammer has the added benefit of one of the best-named Russian characters in jingoistic cold war American literature: Pieter Jakov.

In fact if I can make Russian characters in WL2 I might have to have an honorary Jakov descendant in my party!

[venceremos]

It's very strange to me that nobody seems to have mentioned George R. Stewart's Earth Abides, a 1949 post-apocalyptic SF-novel. It tells of a world sparsely populated with humans after a deadly disease kills most, seeing events unfold from a single person's perspective. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Abides

[BrotherMagneto]

It's very strange to me that nobody seems to have mentioned George R. Stewart's Earth Abides, a 1949 post-apocalyptic SF-novel. It tells of a world sparsely populated with humans after a deadly disease kills most, seeing events unfold from a single person's perspective. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Abides

And its own spiritual successor, "The Stand" by Mr. Stevie King.

[Krakrok]

Wolf and Iron Gordon R. Dickson 1991
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Peddlers travel the highways in an armed peddler wagon.

Warrior Donald E. Mcquinn 1991
Wanderer Donald E. Mcquinn 1994
Witch Donald E. Mcquinn 1995
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This series is awesome. It's basically Fallout with creches but much farther in the future and in the Pacific Northwest. It has Indian tribes verses knights in castles verses some crazy Church verses a group of soldiers from the past (w/ our modern weapons). Nuke holes turned into mines from the past. Indians verses grenade launchers. Coke symbols as gems in sword hilts. Freakin' awesome.

Black Sun Robert Leininger 1991
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A giant sunspot covers the sun and some scientist guy travels to LA to save his new girlfriend's kid.

The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara
- Ilse Witch Terry Brooks
- Antrax Terry Brooks
- Morgawr Terry Brooks
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All of Shannara Series is actually post apoc but doesn't focus on it. The three books from the series below focus a little bit more on the past though.

Running With the Demon Terry Brooks
A Knight of the Word Terry Brooks
Angel Fire East Terry Brooks
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This is another series by Brooks which is post apoc or something along those lines. Demons take over the world instead of it being nuked. Kind of a hard read. Got better.


Ariel Steven R. Boyett
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Kind of feels like a mission from Wasteland or Fallout. Find the bad guys and take them down.

[sync-oz]

I just finished Margaret Atwood's "The Year of the Flood" - very good and I recommend it. Quite heavy though, dark and grim. This is set after a plague outbreak but with a lot of flashbacks to the dystopian future before the plague.

Was thinking about Leibowitz some more too. It was apparently three short stories and I think this shows. I loved the first part and was disappointed when the whole book wasn't following that plot line. The other parts were good too, and with some time to think about it it's definitely a great book, very thought provoking. I think a lot of the religious themes went over my head but I enjoyed all the parts of it now I look back. But don't be surprised if the change between stories is a wrench!