The third thing was the best however. These kids have a fun teacher as it turns out. I don't know if this assignment had been done already or if it was laying in wait for another time. Apparently the kids had to get into groups and order a list of possible doomsday scenarios from most likely to least likely. My personal opinion on least likely would be 'simultaneous human combustion'. Not even Exit Mundi has thought of that one!
- Fear Death By Water
- The idea behind this blog is to share my opinions about Post-Apocalyptic Literature, Films and Ephemera as well as my random nattering on a regular basis.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Random find....
The third thing was the best however. These kids have a fun teacher as it turns out. I don't know if this assignment had been done already or if it was laying in wait for another time. Apparently the kids had to get into groups and order a list of possible doomsday scenarios from most likely to least likely. My personal opinion on least likely would be 'simultaneous human combustion'. Not even Exit Mundi has thought of that one!
Monday, November 30, 2009
The Road in Review (+ birthday fun)
Jeans
levi's 34/32
Movie tickets
Movies
The Terminator (Special Edition)
Terminator 2 - Judgment Day (Extreme DVD)
Terminator 3 - Rise of the Machines (2-Disc Widescreen Edition)
Books
Another Place to Die by Sam North
Bar None by Tim Lebbon
Chronicles of the Apocalypse: Species (Chronicles of the Apocalypse) (Chronicles of the Apocalypse) Michael McBride
One by Conrad Williams
The Afterblight Chronicles: Operation Motherland Scott Andrews
Hunger by Michael Grant
Malice by Chris Wooding
I think most would agree that most of those things are PA in nature. I got the jeans, the book by Tim Lebbon, the third book in the second Emberverse Series 'The Sword of the Lady' and my bother in law Matt my homebrewin' partner got me a gift certificate to Steinbart's ahhh more 2 Row for me. Also I had been putting the hard sell on my wife Millie. The film adaptation of The Road came out on November 25th. I was so excited. Then came the news that it would only be shown in 31 cities nationwide.
I wasn't too worried. It had been filmed in Oregon so I was pretty sure that chances were fairly high that one of the 31 would be Portland. So good news/bad news. The Road was definitely going to be in Portland is of course the good news. The bad news is that I am extremely bad at navigating cities of any size at all. My upper limit seems to be Salem. More bad news: my birthday always falls at Thanksgiving time (I'm a Valentines Baby ... do the math) so that weekend is always set aside for family gathering so it took more than the normal amount of wheedling to get her to drive me.
She is indeed one of a kind. As soon as I asked her if she would like to go see The Road with me (bunch of 'hint, hint' and eyebrow waggling thrown in for good measure) the first thing she asked me was 'Is this one of those movies where everyone dies?' The most amazing thing is that when I told her 'Why yes, yes it is, but don't worry the director decided not to include the baby cannibalism scene after all' she still agreed to take me. Sweet lady huh?
The movie was of course playing in only one theater but it was at least close by. I, thinking it would be popular because I'm a bit self-centered and think everyone should like the things I like, went onto fandango sure that if I didn't purchase tickets way in advance I'd be assed out. So I ended up going to the 12:15 showing. The plan being that we could go to Todai and have their lunch buffet.
Also wanting to beat the hordes of people who would want to see the show we showed up about a half hour early. We had the glory of being the first people in the theater so had our choice of any seat. We chose the top row right in the middle (done of course so we don't get kicked in the back by mouth breathers). Then we proceeded to watch the place fill up and the show sell out. I bet more people would have been able to see it but the show was in a tiny shoebox theater.
The book was bleak and grey. That is the best description of it. The world was grey. It also seems to be told in a series of anecdotes that are loosely connected. The story has parts that happen in the present, parts in the distant past as well as parts that are in the recent past. It is hard to tell what is what. The movie was the exact same way. If anything the movie is more bleak and more grey than the book. It also had the same sort of disjointed feeling of the book too. As the movie progressed further the whole world contracts until it's just the father, the boy, and the road.
It ran for 112 minutes. The description of 'a father, a son and the road' may seem a bit boring to some. It was fantastic. The best review came from my wife as we were leaving 'huh, that wasn't nearly as boring as I thought it would be. It didn't seem like it was almost 2 hours long.' That is a close second to the large biker type sitting next to me. 'I rather enjoyed the ending. A great upbeat holiday film (hints of sarcasm on that last bit).'
Two parts were better in the movie than they were in the book. The first, the scene with the coke can was great. The man finds the can in a mostly destroyed building and gives it to the boy. He opens it and takes a sip. 'It's fizzy' he says. (Chuckles from the audience). The boy was great in this scene. It completely looked like he had never drank from a can and this was the first time. Great scene and more emotional than the book, for me anyhow. The second was at the end. In the book it didn't seem as ominous as did in the movie. I knew how it ended and everything but it still had me guessing.
The movie reminded me of The Bicycle Thief. This movie as well is about the relationship of a boy and his father and about how he would do nearly anything to keep his son healthy and feed. Ultimately The Bicycle Thief ends on a pretty down note. The man doesn't get his bike back and since it's a 'No Bike, No Work' deal he ends up with no job. It's not too much of a stretch then to say 'No Work, No Food'. Even the movie poster looks similar. Also a big thank you to Gavin, looks like that 'Form and Meaning in Film' class paid off again.
There were some pretty fantastic parts of the movie that were only fantastic because it was filmed in Oregon and because of the mix of people in the theater. The movie is about the journey of a man and his son to the beach. I hope that doesn't spoil anything, it's in the previews and all. Anyhow at the end of the journey they make it to a pretty prominent Oregon Coast landmark the wreck of The Peter Iredale. Pretty sweet to see it and have it fit in so nicely. It's in Ft. Steven's Sate Park.
I also saw pretty good shot of the Broadway Bridge. Great to see a city I'm familiar with all done up PA.
The last nifty thing was only nifty if you happened to be in the 12:15 showing on November 28th. The theater asks over and over to turn your cell phones off and not to text. There is always some jackhole who leaves it on and it rings. That's what happened. But it was awesome! It rang at the part where the father and the boy are sleeping in a car and the father hears a noise and wakes him up. If you were in the theater you were greeted with the ringing phone and the father jerking awake and angrily waving the gun around. So funny. I asked my wife about it and she almost thought it was part of the movie ... but wait it's been many years since the end of the world and no way are there still-working cell phones. Hilarious. I would normally be pissed off but I just couldn't be. So great.
Since the movie started at 12:15 and Todai closed for lunch 3:00, we thought we would have plenty of time to get our glut on. The movie was nearly two hours long and when we got to the restaurant it was 25 minutes until closing. So we still strapped the ol' feedbag on but we had to eat fast.
That as well is a good recommendation. We had no idea how long the movie was until we got to the restaurant and they were closing in 25 minutes. The movie would have been worth missing lunch. Also Todai gives you a free meal on your birthday so what the hell right?
Finally this random musing on a random message board about the looming release of The Road:
'The book is brilliant and I could definitely see Mortensen as the father, as long as they keep it bleak. No action hero nonsense or cutey kid stuff.' Don't worry Random Message Board Poster, the movie is exactly what you want it to be.
** UPDATE: My lovely wife read this posting and gave a bit of crap about spelling, repeated words, and run ons. I think I fixed most of them. Sheesh .... **
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Dark Advent at the Half-way point
I scanned the inside so others might revel in the glory, but the in-law's dial- up is not doing it. I had always suspected it and now I'm sure: dial-up does indeed suck. I'll post it a bit later. It is quite the sight to behold.
This book is very close to The Stand. I loved The Stand and as I mentioned before I lost count of the number of times I have read it. But I cannot be the only person who wonders what Flagg was doing all the time. I know I always wondered what sort of evil shenanigans he was up to. Him and all his friends. The answer lays within the covers of Dark Advent. A school kid revenge by dragging. Random rape and murder is what they would've been up to if Mr. King hadn't pulled the punch. A Flagg-centric version of The Stand would be pretty sweet, Dark Advent will have to do for now though. I hope even greater horrors are awaiting me. I read it so long ago I don't remember what exactly is in store.
*update* Here's the inside cover. Brian Hodge credits it with higher book sales. I bet he's right.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
... and then on to Dark Advent
They all settled in to read. And I regaled them with the fine anecdote of a profoundly bad day. Seventh grade science. Dissection. Sheep eyeballs. A class who hadn't done many dissections. A recipe for disaster? Yes, quite. Started off ok. Then the resident dillhole decides to make fake puking noises. This makes some of the seventh grade girls actually throw up. Gets worse. The same dillhole decides for no reason and completely unprompted that it would be a fantastic idea to LICK one of the years-old-formaldehyde-soaked eyeballs. It turned out poorly for him and the rest of the class when he began projectile vomiting. Now that, friends and neighbors is what you'd call a truly horrific day.
But yesterday was an altogether ok sort of day. The only tiny wrinkle was the third class. They decided Night was a very boring book. (I read it in the eighth grade, it is anything but dull. Stayed with me forever is what it did.) They also wanted to just talk the whole class. They also though I wouldn't do anything. Three randomly assigned detentions later they got the point. After that it was guerrilla warfare. Many kids in the class clearly had read the book Frindle by Andrew Clements. That is another very good book. So is the prank they pull on the teacher. Nicholas Allen reads about the blackbird and how when it chirps it is impossible to tell where it came from. (Doppler Effect I bet). It's true too. It not only works with bird chirps but with loud tongue clicks. So for the last twenty minutes of class I was subjected to loud peeps and clicks and I couldn't be sure who did them. Not the worst thing that can happen. But still annoying. (and also a bit funny).
But the important thing here is that during my tour of hell I was able to finish The Stand and then started Dark Advent by Brian Hodge. I am still only 30 pages into Advent more than 24 hours because well, I spent a good portion of my day punishing my liver.
So a bit about The Stand. I won't talk much about it because I intend (HA) to post about all three books at the same time. This time through I was waiting for the massive trip to Vegas and then the trip back. I remember it being looooong. It was my second favorite portion of the book (the best part is the beginning the filth and chaos). This time it just seemed short. It still has to be the longest dénouement of any book I've read ever. But this time I was able to read it in the time between telling mouth breathers to shut up and read.
Other thing I thought about. Who was the main character? As my college professor friend Gavin Keulks told me in English 101. 'To find the main character ask yourself who changes'. So if I understand it correctly Harold Emery Louder and Larry Underwood share the title. Larry changes from being a real asshole to being an ok guy. Harold Louder changes from being a douche to being an ok guy to being a total asshole. In other words Harold and Larry change places. Just the way I see it.
A side note here. This commitment to read The Stand, Dark Advent and Swan Song is KILLING me. Under the Dome is out. Hard to wait. I guess UTD will wait. Also Advent is great even 30 pages in. Maybe this time the red skinned demon and the flaming grade school children will appear in the book. Or perhaps the cover has nothing to do with the book whatsoever.
More updates as events warrant.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
The Stand at the half way point ...
This trip through the book I've been reading a bit more carefully than I have ever done (I tweeted The Stand for a bit but got bored). I have found WAY more errors than the glaring one I wrote about long ago. It's been more than a year and Mr. King has yet to respond to the open letter. I won't hold my breath. More updates as events warrant.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
The Hopkins Manuscript by R. C. Sherriff
I will try not to spoil anything for those who may want to read it sometime. The basic premise of the book is that the moon is somehow or other getting closer and closer to the Earth and will hit. The reason for the alteration of the moon's orbit is never given so once again I think the crafty 'Alien Space Bats' have been at work. They seem to appear in a lot of sci-fi books.
So the moon hits the earth. I understand that this book is both a satire and also pre-space flight but c'mon! If the moon hits the earth it will do plenty of damage. I'm nearly certain the moon is not mostly hollow and if it was where did all the metal come from?!?
All of that is not the most disturbing part though. I was amazed at how in the face of this global cataclysm the wealthy still treated the poor like garbage. 'Well everyone is dead .. tut tut. By jiggies look a survivor. Oh wait he's a gardener. Let's all not even talk to him.'
All that aside, I did enjoy this book a bunch. I did however enjoy Moonfall by Jack McDevitt better as well as Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. Now don't get me wrong here. I did enjoy the Manuscript, it had that special charm only old books can pull off. I simply think the basic plot has been pulled off a bit better in other works.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
It's Only Temporary
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Of vanity novels and commercials made of win
Also like many of these type of books, a strait to dvd movie will fool you into thinking that it's a good movie. Then as you wade into it the realization starts to settle in. 'Oh my ... I have chosen poorly.' The same thing happens from time to time when I get into a new book. As a completest I power though the book. Now don't get me wrong I don't automatically hate a book when I make the discovery that it's been been independently published. These books run the whole gamut from really terrible and readable only because it's the literary version to Blood Sucking Freaks the best/worst horror movie of all time to absolutely fantastic and completely unforgettable (and not for the faint of heart). The following are either vanity books or are published by a tiny publisher with my verdict on how good or bad they are.
The New Madrid Run by Michael Reisig.
Finishing The New Madrid Run was the genesis of this post. Before I mentioned that self published books range through the whole spectrum from bad to great. This book falls into the middle. Not good, not bad just so-so. I had avoided reading it for quite some time. The reasonings behind this avoidance are many. Firstly: I read a book called The Rift by Walter Jon Williams. The Rift was also about The New Madrid fault. But it was just a local sort of disaster and in no way apocalyptic. The New Madrid Run just looked too similar to me. Secondly, the word 'run' is in the title. That didn't make me literally run from it, it made me think of all those 'Endworld' books. In an earlier post I went on in detail my love of The Executioner books and let's not fool ourselves here: they are Harlequin Romance novels for dudes (Since David Robbins is a pen name for Don Pendlton I'm not surprised). But I outgrew those type of boilerplate books. So it took me a long time to find myself in the mood.
I'm glad I finally got to it though. It was a bit amateurish and the writing a bit ham-handed at times. But I went with it because I'm a game day player and by the time I was about half way through I was completely enjoying it. At times the plot was predictable and the dialogue was pretty stilted. I saw Travis eventually getting together with Christina. I didn't think it would happen so soon though or that they'd nearly make out over the cooling corpse of her boy friend. I also deducted points for Travis standing in front of a mirror and describing himself. That was damn strange. Also, as I read it Nissin started a new Chow Mein Noodle add campaign and the character of the Sensei was so stereotypical all I could see was the Noodle Master in my mind. Voice and all but with swords and not chopsticks. It almost replaced The Chicken Man commercial as my favorite one, but not quite.
I also had a hard time at the beginning of the book too because he so clearly meant it to read as nonfiction ... a cautionary tale. I got over it though. All in all the book made me think of Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse by Victor Gischler A cheesy good time. I recommend it.
Junk Day by Arthur Sellings.
In this book the cause of the end is never spelled out. It follows Bryan as he scavenges and runs into trouble with various bands of rapscallions. I read the book some time ago and I guess I only remember that it was hard to get into and totally unremarkable. I did like the descriptions of the highways being cleared of debris then walled off and fortified then finally taxed and patrolled by men in the employ of the local strong man. This book falls in the middle. I just remember it being slow and a bit tedious. Also I paid way too much for it. It most certainly wasn't worth $23 plus shipping. Worth reading? Yes. I think I may re-wade into it. Give it one more chance before I give up I guess. I paid for it after all.
Once again I was fooled by The Last Man On Earth section at Scifan.com.
Alone by George Washington Paullin III comes in at the very bottom of the scale. The book is unreadable. I only finished it because I paid for the thing and wouldn't let it get the best of me. I had to power through it in a single sitting too. It was like when I had to run a mile in fifth grade. I knew if I stopped I wouldn't start again. Life is just too short and luckily enough so is this book. I recommend that anyone who wants to read this think again and perhaps read the phone directory instead.
I looked for it in my collection of read books and even under the bed. The last place I remember seeing it is at school. I took it to class to allow my students to see what may happen if they refuse to proofread their work. I must have left it there. The book was filled with errors. A couple on each page. In some cases I can overlook the occasional typo. I’ve made plenty myself. I even managed to overlook all the strange errors in '48 by James Herbert because it was a great book and, because to me, it looked as though he had an unfortunate experience with the 'correct all’ feature on microsoft word. Also ’48 has the same basic plot of The Afterblight Series. I should have been prepared for a whole bunch of errors when I noticed one on the back cover. WOW, is all I can say. Do not waste any time or money on this pile of shit.
It’s Only Temporary is one of those rare fantastic books. It is just beyond words. The deal is that a giant asteroid is going to strike the Earth just off the coast of New Zealand. It’s going to hit so hard that it will kill everyone. There are some scientists who think that .00001 or .00002 of the human race will survive. The governments of the world knew about the asteroid for years but chose to keep the knowledge from everyone until there was only six weeks left. Some people keep working some people commit suicide. Everyone deals with the knowledge that the world will end in their own way.
The story reads as a journal of sorts told from Sean’s point of view. He chooses to spend the last six weeks of his life watching television, smoking pot, spanking the monkey almost constantly and also hanging out with his parents. On the final day though he decides to go looking for his girlfriend. So he says his final tearful goodbye to his mom and dad and sets out through a world that has no tomorrow, second thoughts, regrets or punishment.
Bit of trivia about the book. If you preordered it the book came autographed and with a bonus chapter called ‘Speaking of Butler’. I chose wisely and preordered. Well worth it. And the cover -- the asteroid/skull thing is righteous. Also I'm on the fence as to it's 'vanity novel' status.
Monday, October 19, 2009
LMFAO!
Saturday, October 17, 2009
This just in from NASA
Ok then ... I'll just put that on the 'No Shit' pile.
Thing reads like an Onion article. Sheeesh. How much are these guys paid again?
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Similar? I think not.
BTW I can think of only two similarities off hand.
Similarity the First: The Holland Tunnel is traveled through in both.
Similarity the Second: Randal Flagg and The Man with the Scarlet Eye are both evil and possibly demons, both vanish from the story in the same way and appear later in the story.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Fallen Angel
Friday, October 9, 2009
Catching up ... the quick and dirty version
Now to the 'Catching up' part of our program.
Dark December by Alfred Coppel
Fantastic vintage novel. What made it especially good is that it is set in the same part of the world as me. This book is mainly about the journey. The bulk of this novel deals when a Major attempting to find his family in the aftermath of a prolonged nuclear war the United Stated eventually won. I had a problem with the Major walking through the bomb craters and commenting about how his boots crunched over the glass the earth had been turned into. Could that happen? Could you walk through that and live? I don't know. I do know that its a great book with a bittersweet ending. I'm glad that Mr Coppel chose to have a sort of a downer ending. Good for him.
Cataclysm by Don Pendleton
Quite a bit back I was looking through the sci-fi section of one of my local book stores 'Paperback Exchange'. In my possecion was more than a hundred dollars in store credit so I was willing to take a risk with free books. That's when I saw Cataclysm written by who else? My old friend Don Pendelton. I wish I had read it sooner. It was unputdownable. The plot was the same as The Hab Theory but lacked all the strange forbidden archeology tidbits like the weird metal disks and books. Also The Hab Theory ended at the end. Like the last sentence is ' Then the lights went out all over the world. Forever.' or some such. Cataclysm deals with the same sort of deal too. The world has been destroyed before and is about to be destroyed again. But the keeps going and doesn't just stop with that. If you haven't read either The Hab Theory or Cataclysm it would be pretty righteous to read Hab and then read Cataclysm. Had I but known that's what I'd've done.
The Outer Limits: The Vanished by John Peel
Ummmm .... I know this is a kid's book and all and it's very short. Also it's an 'Outer Limits' book so I should have expected some wacky twist. But it was listed on Scifan.com in the 'Last Man' section so I was expecting something other than what I got. Short version ... this wasn't apocalyptic. Don't waste your time or money with it. Since I got it from paperbackswap.com I only lost the time I spent reading it. So good news/bad news: free book but it only took me about an hour to read.
What Niall Saw by Brian Cullen
This book is one of the bleakest (most bleak?) books I've read in a good long time. It's offered as the journal of boy who is seven years and seven days old as the book starts. He gets right into the meat of the story as well. The whole family is under the stairs with their dog (a wolfhound my personal favorite dog breed) because the bombs have fallen. Over the course of the story there are more bomb detonations which Niall describes as 'shakes'. Little by little his situation worsens. They deal with hunger (them and the dog), cabin fever from being sequestered in the closet under the stairs for weeks on end, and roaming scavengers looking for food. About 3/4 of the way into the book they make their escape. The ending stayed with me a very long time. It ranks with When the Wind Blows, Level 7, and On the Beach in terms of downer endings. If you haven't read it yet find it and do so.
Why Do Birds by Damon Knight
This book is apocalyptic but ... I still recommend you avoid it. Avoid it if you're looking for a PA read that is. Sure the world ends. It is an 'end at the end' type book. That wasn't why I don't recommend it. I just hated that Mr. Knight wrote a bunch of I guess mysteries (for lack of a better phrase) that he never solved for the readers. Foreshadowings that were just left hanging. Big ones too. What was the ring? Who was visiting him at night? Where did he come from, the past or somewhere else? How did the aliens overcome the phase shift problem with suspended animation? What did the aliens do with all the people who were in suspended animation? The aliens defiantly swooped in and carted the majority of humans away but were they taken to another planet like in Knowing or did they meet an end like that of the humans from the classic Twilight Zone episode also written by Damon Knight? More questions raised than were answered. Yup ... this is an irritating book I recommend you avoid. Or perhaps I just missed it … who knows?
Why Do Birds was a book that I wished I hadn't finished. I have never stopped in mid-book and tossed it the trash but with this book if I could somehow go back in time and somehow spirit it away, that's what I'd do. The only other book I felt this way about is Blood of the Children by Alan Rodgers. When I think of horror I don't think Stephen King I think Alan Rodgers. Blood of the Children is the most vile book I've read (three times). But if you really feel you must read Why Do Birds, I'm posting it at http://www.paperbackswap.com/ and you can have it for free. Help yourself.
The Plague Trilogy by Jean Ure
These three books are: Plague 99, Come Lucky April, and Watchers at the Shrine. I loved the first one. As it starts out, Plague 99 has two friends, Fran and Harry (short for Harriet), going on a camping trip for a month. They are to have no contact with the outside world whatsoever. Harry is the outgoing one and forces Fran, who is very introverted, to go with them. At the last second Harry breaks her leg and Fran after a bit of convincing goes on without her. When Fran gets back she finds London empty, wild parties going on and that Harry has gone bat-shit-crazy. Also follows the adventures of a young man called Shahid. And of course Shahid eventually meets up with Harry and Fran just before Harry disappears.
Come Lucky April is not nearly as good as Plague 99 but it does have the extra bonus of answering the questions left at the end of the first book. I especially enjoyed the descriptions of London in ruins. Ure does a pretty fantastic job with this. The only thing I don't understand is where did all the man-hating come from? Seriously. Also I never could figure out how they sustain any population under the societal structure. I mean what the hell?
The last book Watchers at the Shrine Follows April's son as he escapes the society a decade or so after the events of Come Lucky April. It was good as well. But only because it ended the trilogy I guess. After the events of the second book I would have figured that she might lay off the whole 'men are terrible' bit just on the choice that April makes at the end of it. But no, she goes even further with how men left uncivilized are horrid creatures.
Final analysis. Plague 99 is definitely worth the price and time to read. Come Lucky April is a mixed bag at best but worth it if for no other reason than to wrap up the loose ends from the end of Plague 99. I can say with no doubt that Watchers at the Shrine can be skipped (unless you are like me and insist on completion).
The Postman by David Brin.
I can't praise this book enough. I would have read it much sooner but I am a Johnny Come Lately to the glory that is The Postman. I have only thought of it as the Kevin Costner pile of crap. I had read that he had butchered the book but I thought it has to pretty close to the book right? And it wasn't too far of a stretch for the postman to be the hero who defeats the villain in a stunning display of strength. After all that is how A Meeting at Corvallis and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe ended. I really had no idea just how great it is. I'd say The Postman is easily in my top twenty. I was almost ashamed of myself for letting it sit on The Bookself of Doom for the three years I allowed it to. To be fair I have the copy the Kevin on the front and I'd seen the movie and part of Waterworld. If you are a fan of PA fiction and haven't read this yet it's almost as big a crime as not yet reading The Stand, seriously. Yes, it's that good.
Twilight World by Poul Anderson
This is a nuclear bomb destroys the world type book with a twist. The twist is that inexplicably the weird/crazy/super power type mutations happen in the first generation. No one apparently gets cancer - they all turn into mutants some with powers. About half way through the mutants who are powerful and also smart leave the planet and colonize Mars. They figure that if they stay on Earth the mutations will just get worse so they get while the gettins good. It's a good book if you can suspend your disbelief and the thin nature of the science. I don't expect much from my book other than they be fun to read and not laden with spelling and or grammatical errors.
Year Zero by Jeff Long
The general premise is that a very nasty, super contagious, and uniformly fatal plague is unleashed. It spreads from the tiny island of Corfu in Greece and eventually spreads all across the globe and the last bastion for humanity turns out to be Los Alamos. It starts because Niko, the collector, liked to find artifacts and the best of these in his opinion were sealed vials. He broke them open a give the ol' sniffer sniff to the rarified air of millennia past. But inside of a very intricate puzzle lies four vials filled with a nasty virus. It is invisible and as it kills you it erases you; both you and your memories.
This turned out to be an absolutely fantastic book. Like every other book that is this good and has been left to languish on my shelf. I regret not getting to it much sooner and wonder what other books have been similarly avoided for no good reason. I figure I'll get to them all in good time. I am after all nearly out of books to find and must be content to wait for them to come to me.
The book this most reminded me of was The Dying by Leslie Horvitz. Mainly just the relentless onslaught of the virus and descriptions of deserted cities. I haven't read The Dying in a good long time but as I read it I kept thinking about how it reminded me of that book.
Thus ends the update. I guess it wasn't so quick. But it least I'm caught up and was able to separate two pieces of chafe from the wheat.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
An Anniversary Inspired Contest
The Stand (uncut) by Stephen King
Ill Wind by Kevin J. Anderson and Doug Beason
Plague byGraham Masterton
Afterwar by Janet Morris
Dust by Charles Pellegrino
Shiva Descending by Gregory Benford and William Rotsler
Black Sun by Robert Leininger
The Taking by Dean Koontz
Match the following books to their synopsis:
A)Earth Abides by George R. Stewart
B) Swan Song by Robert R. McCammon
C) Fire by Alan Rodgers
D)Blood Crazy by Simon Clark
E)Dark Advent by Brian Hodge
F)Blakely’s Ark by Ian MacMillan
G)Dust by Charles Pellegrino
H)Eternity Road by Jack McDevitt
I) Skeletons by Al Sarrantonio
1) A crazed geneticist seeks to bring about Armageddon through the magic of science - the dead rise and The Beast is loosed upon the world.
2) The dead fight the living until there is a single man and woman left. Abraham Lincoln gets a chance for vengeance on John Wilkes Booth.
3) Sue Wanda. Fear death by water.
4)Humanity turns into a bunch of neanderthals. Did Stephen king lift the idea from this to write Cell? Perhaps.
5) A quest for the lost treasures of The Roadmakers.
6) The smallest of insects prove to be man's undoing.
7) Much like The Stand but without Randal Flagg
8) A hermit returns to civilization to find it gone. Traces him and his family as they slowly return to the cave.
9) In the aftermath of a plague a young man gets a ticket to paradise.
First one to correctly match all nine gets the prize. Happy reading. Post answers in the comments. Winner announced November 18th.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Loose ends and other ramblings
'The Little girl had the power. She had the power Sam had, or at least something like it.
The power he had used in panic to create an impossible light.
The power he had used and almost killed someone with.
The power he had just used again, dooming the very person he was trying so hard to save.
He was not the only one. He was not the only freak. There was -or had been- one other.
Somehow that realisation was not comforting.'
I of course like to just dive into a good post-apocalyptic book with almost no warning of what lurks within its covers. I didn't read the the inside tease until I was finished with the book and I only looked at the two maps when I was well past the middle of the book.
The only warnings I gave to myself about what was about to unfold was the blurb on the back...
In the blink of an eye. Everyone disappears. GONE.
Except for the young. Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not one single adult. No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what's happened.
Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents—unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers—that grow stronger by the day.
It's a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. Townies against rich kids. Bullies against the weak. Powerful against powerless. And time is running out: On your birthday, you disappear just like everyone else...
and the video preview from the youtubes (since when did books begin to get their own trailer?) and the review from VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates ... I guess whoever they are): 'If Stephen King had written Lord of the Flies, it might have a little like this'.
What I'm getting at is that everything I read or had looked into gave me the impression I was in for a fantastic PA experience. Well I was wrong. I did enjoy the book a great deal. But it wasn't apocalyptic. The first couple chapters give you the impression the event in the book is an earth shattering one. There is a bit of mayhem when the kids discover the adults have all vanished but most of that is the typical 'lets pig out on junk food and drink some beers' type of shenanigans. The bully begins to flex his muscles with no fear of an adult stopping him. The guy even gets a nifty name 'Orc'. Him and a bunch of other ne'er-do-wells take control of the town and demand tribute. And because bullies are notoriously stupid they don't plan ahead and the town is retaken by a group of even stronger and much more vicious bullies from The Coates Academy.
This book is quite a lot like Lord of the Flies, except they were sealed in a bubble and not on an island. Even the bubble scenario has been done quite a bit. Firstly in the book Spin by Robert Charles Wilson the entire Earth is sealed in a bubble. In the bubble time passes very quickly and at the normal rate for the rest of the universe. Secondly it is nearly a carbon copy of the scenario in the comic book Girls by Jonathan and Joshua Luna .... well just the dome bit and not 14 and over going 'poof' and the powers and what not. Other than that it's exactly the same. Also a bit of breaking news here. Apparently Stephen King has a new novel that will be released soon called 'Under the Dome' or 'The Cannibals' depending on the sites you are reading. He said it's deals with the same sort of material as The Stand but more allegorical. Anyhow this is the first sentence from the synopsis 'On an entirely normal, beautiful fall day in Chester's Mill, Maine, the town is inexplicably and suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field.' So it looks as though Mr. King is jumping on the bandwagon. I don't care if he did write the original manuscript in 1980- I am still calling him a bandwagon jumper. I figure he thinks he may just as well get it out there while the getting is good. Stephenking.com has a handy excerpt of it. I won't be reading it though because of the whole me preferring paper deal.
Don't get me wrong though ... Hunger (Gone II) is out and on my list to read. Can't wait.
Look for posting of:
Monday, August 24, 2009
The Machine Stops
Last week I went on my yearly sporting event viewing with the fam. I guess I have to do this once a year to spend some quality time with my father-in-law. It's not a big deal really. Anyhow I went to the annual viewing of the local baseball team. The Salem-Keizer Volcanoes. I had a pretty good time. We got some general admission seats so I got to sit in camp chair. Let me tell you this was way better then a box seat or a seat in the bleachers. Great time was had by all.
I even brought the book I was starting to the game because we got there early and I get bored way too quickly. Anyhow I sat there reading for a bit and relaxing. That's when I saw it. There was this old dude giving me the old stink eye. I couldn't figure it out. Was he grumpy because I was reading at a ball game? Was he upset because I had smuggled in some Mike 'n' Ikes and Lemonheads? What was his deal? It freaked me out so much I left to get a soda.
Now my wife prefers diet soda so that's what I got. I couldn't help but notice the soda jerk didn't give me a lid or a straw. I asked him and it sounded to me like he said he was out. Fine whatever... I went back to my chair and sat down picked up my book again and continued to read. The whole no lid thing really bugged me. My wife being a thinking sort suggested I go to a different counter and get a the straw/lid combo from them. Great idea I say. When I stand up though my book falls and hits the cup. DAMN IT! Now the ballpark has made me scuff my book.
I keep going though. I really want that lid/straw. I get to the other snack bar and ask them for the lid/straw. Guess what? Seems the knuckle-dragging mouth-breathing fugitives from evolution who are regular attendees of the ballpark (also the same sort who kick the backs of theater seats) can't be bothered to throw their trash in the proper place (and the ball park doesn't want to hire someone to do it) so the result is that the park is no longer giving out the lid/straw combo with the drinks. JUMPING JESUS ON A POGOSTICK! That's got to be the third most important element of a successful beverage enjoying occasion (#1 being the beverage and #2 being the cup). And when I got back the old guy was still giving me the ol' hairy eyeball. WTF. Hard to read when when someone is staring at you.
Woooo got that out of the way. That was a full-on Rick Emerson style rant. Wow. Anyhow the point being here is the book I started was Ill Wind by Kevin J. Anderson and Doug Beason. It was a great book. Took me about a week to read it though. Not because it was a bad or boring book but because that week was very busy. First was the whole ball game issue. I should have known it would be a long reading process. I also had to contend with a bit of bottling my home brew and four days on the Columbia River attempting to catch the wily salmon. Not to worry I succeeded at both of those things quite handily.
On to the book discussion now. In Ill Wind by Anderson and Beason (and yes I had to keep telling people it wasn't about farts much like I had to tell my brother-in-law Matt that The Elegance of the Hedgehog had nothing to do with Ron Jeremy) the end comes about from 'The Petroplague'. After a large oil tanker 'The Zoroaster' hits the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco Bay and begins to spill out a giant oil slick it looks like it's going to be the worst disaster the world has seen. Not to worry however because a crafty scientist has bioengineering a microbe that eats petroleum. Neet huh? Of course things go from bad to worse when the microbe gets out of control and eats everything that is petroleum based. It doesn't take much time at all and the world is back in the Dark Ages again.
It's a great book and if I had to compare it anything else I would say it is sort of a mixture of Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle and the Emberverse Series by S. M. Serling. The portion of Hammer I'm talking about is the simple scientists attempting to save what technology there is and using a bunch of improvised weapons to do the job properly. Yes I am perfectly aware of all the negative reviews saying Niven and Pournell are two racist bastards. Whatever. I for one think Lucifer's Hammer was pretty terrific (Tee double e double r double i double c c c ... woot). The portion of the Emberverse Series I saw was just the fact that machines didn't operate any longer and some scientists mentioning that new Dark Ages may descend on the Earth. The Emberverse Series is pretty fantastic in its own right as well. All the PA type stuff happens in the first book 'Dies the Fire' and the rest of the books just go into nation building. The part about the series that bugged me about the series and it not that they don't take advantage of methods of energy that are not fossil fuels or the Alien Space Bats whatever. I had a big problem with everyone all over the Earth at the same time deciding 'Hey I know lets all make armor, swords and crossbows... It'd be great to live in castles too.' I kept expecting them to do it in Ill Wind as well. Well hats off to Anderson and Beason for avoiding that particular pitfall and providing my with an outstanding diversion from everyday bordom.
Oh ya ... the old stink eye dude. Seems the place we chose to set up our camp chairs was also the place where the opposing team (The Canadians? Maybe?) came on the field. The old guy was just wanting to make sure he gave them an 'attaboy' and wish them luck. Wasn't about me at all.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Apocalypse by Suicide
-Stan Lee, writer, editor, & former Marvel Comics chairman
That is Stan Lee talking there. I guess he never saw The Happening, the M. Night Shyamalan pile. Now if Night had ran the movie to it's logical conclusion a world like the one in the Collectors would be the result.
That being said, this is a fantastic book and would be an excellent addition to any PA library. Even mine.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
My Apocalyptic Library
Some of these are dystopian. I also included some books from the zombie and vampire canons and some from the ‘machine turning against man’ genre too. I do not include any dystopian novels in the ‘read’ section of the library. Some in the not read are dystopian. I left them in there because I need to find the cause of the ‘anti-utopia’. It all depends on the cause. If the cause was a world ending event it goes in the read list and if it is just a simple ‘society in which conditions of life are miserable and characterized by poverty, oppression, war, violence, disease, pollution, and/or the abridgment of human rights, resulting in widespread unhappiness, suffering, and other kinds of pain’ well then it’s not PA and will be dealt with as such.
My library (books, comics, movies, music and artwork) had been woefully out of date. Updating took me longer than I expected. But after all it had been a couple years since I updated so I wasn’t surprised.
Also I didn't get these overnight. This is ... well I guess a labor of love. My library started out from a very small and humble beginning. I only had The Stand by Stephen King, Swan Song by Robert R. McCammon, Fire by Alan Rodgers and The Dying by Leslie Horvitz. Then I discovered the interwebs and began collecting in earnest.
This list represents about 8 years of book store combing and looking at different websites. This search on eBay has been good for finding books I hadn't heard of before. Scifan has an After the Apocalypse - Post-holocaust - Apocalypse theme, an End of the World/End of Man theme as well as The Last Man theme. Very helpful.
At first I used Emptyworld to find books but soon my library was far more vast than the one there. The bulk of these books were from little used book stores in different towns. I absolutely cannot pass up a used book store and will stop at each and look around a bit. Lately it seems I have run out of books to find. A good thing too because I am running out of room to keep them. I find the best results for finding new PA books come from Paperbackswap.com. I have to wait but the books are free and I have plenty to read.
Books
Read: (Confirmed Apocalyptic/Post-Apocalyptic)
Aldiss, Brian Greybeard
Aldiss, Brian Who can Replace a Man?
Allen, Rodger MacBride and Kotani, Eric Supernova
Anderson, Kevin J. and Beason, Doug Ill Wind
Anderson, Poul Twilight World
Anderson, Poul Vault of the Ages
Andrews, Scott The Afterblight Chronicles: School’s Out
Andrews, Scott The Afterblight Chronicles: Operation Motherland
Andrews, Scott The Afterblight Chronicles: Children's Crusade
Anthony, Piers Battle Circle
Armstrong, Jennifer and Butcher, Nancy Fire-Us I: The Kindling
Armstrong, Jennifer and Butcher, Nancy Fire-Us II: The Keepers of the Flame
Armstrong, Jennifer and Butcher, Nancy Fire-Us III: The Kiln
Armstrong, Michael After the Zap
Asimov, Isaac (ed) After the End
Asimov, Isaac (ed) The Last Man on Earth
Atwood, Margaret Oryx and Crake
Bacigalupi, Paolo Ship Breaker
Bacigalupi, Paolo The Drowned Cities
Backus, John Philp Hunter: After the Fall
Ballard, J. G. The Burning World
Ballard, J. G. The Drowned World
Bandy, Franklin The Farewell Party
Bark, Jaspre The Afterblight Chronicles: Dawn Over Doomsday
Barnhart, Len Reign of the Dead
Barnhart, Len Reign of the Dead: Apocalypse End
Barrett, Neal Jr. Through Darkest America
Barrett, Neal, Jr. Dawn’s Uncertain Light
Bear, Gregg Blood Music
Benford, Gregory and Rotsler, William Shiva Descending
Bennett, Margot The Long Way Back
Berk, Howard The Sun Grows Cold
Berman, Mitch Time Capsule
Birmingham, John Without Warning
Birmingham, John After America
Blackburn, John A Scent of New-Mown Hay
Bloch, Robert Fear Today – Gone Tomorrow
Bonham, Frank The Forever Formula
Bosse, Malcolm Mister Touch
Bourne, J. L. Day By Day Armageddon
Boyett, Stephen R. Ariel
Boyett, Stephen R. Elegy Beach
Brackett, Leigh The Long Tomorrow
Bradley, Darin Noise
Brennan, Thom Pavlov's Dogs
Brennan, Thom Omega Dog
Briggs, Raymond When the Wind Blows
Brin, David The Postman
Brockmeir, Kevin The Brief History of the Dead
Brooks, Max The Zombie Survival Guide
Brooks, Max World War Z
Budrys, Algis Some Will Not Die
Cameron, Kenneth M. Power Play
Carlson, Jeff Plague Trilogy I Plague Year
Carlson, Jeff Plague Trilogy II: Plague War
Carlson, Jeff Plague Trilogy III: Plague Zone
Charles, Robert Night World
Christopher, John A Wrinkle in the Skin
Christopher, John Empty World
Christopher, John The Death of Grass
Christopher, John Tripods 0: When the Tripods Came
Christopher, John Tripods I: The White Mountains
Christopher, John Tripods II: The City of Gold and Lead
Christopher, John Tripods III: The Pool of Fire
Clark, Simon Blood Crazy
Clark, Simon Stranger
Colander, Valerie Mieman Neena Gathering
Collins, Suzanne The Hunger Games
Collins, Suzanne Catching Fire
Collins, Suzanne Mockingjay
Coppel, Alfred Dark December
Crace, Jim The Pesthouse
Cronin, Justin The PassageCrowther, Peter
The Longest Single Note and Other Strange Compositions
Cullen, Brian, What Niall Saw
David James F. Footprints of Thunder
DelToro, Guillermo and Hogan, Chuck The Strain
DelToro, Guillermo and Hogan, Chuck The Fall
DelToro, Guillermo and Hogan, Chuck The Night Eternal
Dick, Philip K. Dr. Bloodmoney or How We Got Along After The Bomb
Dickson, Gordon R. Wolf and Iron
Dickson, Gordon R. In Iron Years
Dilouie, Craig Tooth and Nail
Disch, Thomas M. The Genocides
Drake, David and Mosiman, Billie Sue (ed) Armageddon
DuPrau Jeanne The First Book of Ember: The City of Ember
DuPrau, Jeanne The Second Book of Ember: The People of Sparks
DuPrau, Jeanne The Third Book of Ember: The Prophet of Yonwood
Dvorkin, David Central Heat
Eckert, Allan W. The Hab Theory
Ehrenhaft, Daniel The Last Dog on Earth (Doggy Apocalypse)
Elliott, Richard The Burnt Lands
Elliot, Richard The Sword of Allah
Ewing, Al The Afterblight Chronicles: Death Got No Mercy
Falkner, Brian The Tomorrow Code
Federbush, Arnold Ice!
Ferguson, Brad The World Next Door
Fingerman, Bob Pariah
Forstchen, William R. One Second After
Foster, Alan Dean Terminator Salvation
Frank, Pat Alas, Babylon
Franklin, H. Bruce (ed) Countdown to Midnight
Frenkel, James (ed.) Bangs and Whimpers: Stories About the End of the World
Gischler, Victor Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse
Glavinic, Thomas Night Work
Graham, David Down to a Sunless Sea
Grant, Michael Gone
Guha, Anton-Andreas Ende: A Diary of the Third World War
Gunther, Max Doom Wind
Haiblum, Isidore Transfer To Yesterday
Harris, Brian World War III
Herbert, Frank The White Plague
Herbert, James ’48
Hoban, Russell Riddley Walker
Hodge, Brian Dark Advent
Horvitz, Leslie The Dying
Hoy, Jeffrey J. The Long and Winding Road
Hoyle, Trevor The Last Gasp
Hubbard, L. Ron Battlefield Earth
James, P. D. The Children of Men
Jaros, James Burn Down the Sky
Jaros, James Carry the Flame
Johnson, Jeremy Robert Angle Dust Apocalypse
Jones, D. F. Earth has been Found
Kane, Paul The Afterblight Chronicles: Arrowhead
Kane, Paul The Afterblight Chronicles: Broken Arrow
Kane, Paul The Afterblight Chronicles: Arrowland
Keene, Brian City of the Dead
Keene, Brian The Conqueror Worms
Keene, Brian Dead Sea
Keene, Brian The Rising
Keene, Brian Unhappy Endings
King, Stephen Cell
King, Stephen The Stand (both cut and uncut versions)
Knight, Harry Adam Death Spore
Konkoly, Steven The Jakarta Pandemic
Koontz, Dean The Taking
Kunstler, James Howard World Made By Hand
Lanier, Sterling E. Hiero's Journey
Lanier, Sterling E. The Unforsaken Hiero
Laumer, Keith Catastrophe Planet
Lebbon, Tim Bar None
Lebbon, Tim The Nature of Balance
Leichter, Larry R. Epidemic!
Leinger, Robert Black Sun
Levene, Rebecca The Afterblight Chronicles: Kill or Cure
Llewellyn, Edward Prelude to Chaos
London, Jack The Scarlet Plague
Long, Jeff Year Zero
Macaulay, David Motel of the Mysteries
Maclay, John (ed) Nukes: Four Horror Writers on the Ultimate Horror
MacMillan, Ian Blakely’s Ark
Maine, Charles Eric Survival Margin
Maine, Charles Eric The Tide Went Out
Mano, D. Keith The Bridge
Masterton, Graham Famine
Masterton, Graham Plague
Matheson, Richard I am Legend
Mayhar, Ardath The World Ends in Hickory Hollow
Mayhew, Vic and Long, Doug Fire Ball
McBride, Michael Species
McCammon, Robert R. (ed) Under the Fang
McCammon, Robert R. Blue World
McCammon, Robert R. Swan Song
McCarthy, Cormac The Road
McDevitt, Jack Eternity Road
McDevitt, Jack Moonfall
McPhee, James Survival 2000 I: Blood Quest
McPhee, James Survival 2000 II: Renegade War
McPhee, James Survival 2000 III: Frozen Fire
Miller Walter M. Jr. A Canticle for Leibowitz
Miller, Walter M., Jr. (ed) Beyond Armageddon
Mitchell, Elizabeth (ed.) After the Flames Vol. II
Moody, David Hater
Moorcock, Michael The Ice Schooner
Moore, Ward Greener Than You Think
Morrow, James This is the Way the World Ends
Mullen, Mike Ashfall
Mullen, Mike Ashen Winter
Murphy, Pat The City, Not Long After
Nation, Terry Survivors
Navarro, Yvonne Final Impact
Navarro, Yvonne Red Shadows
Niven, Larry and Pournelle, Jerry Footfall
Niven, Larry and Pournelle, Jerry Lucifer’s Hammer
Nix, Garth Shade’s Children
North, Sam Another Place to Die
Nourse, Alan E. The Fourth Horseman
Nutman, Philip Wet Work
O’Brien Robert C. Z for Zachariah
O’Quinn, Bob The Bermuda Virus
Oppegaard David The Suicide Collectors
Page, Thomas The Hephaestus Plague
Palmer, David R. Emergence
Pangborn, Edgar Davy
Pellegrino, Charles Dust
Pendleton, Don Cataclysm
Pfeffer, Susan Beth Life As We Knew It
Pfeffer, Susan Beth The Dead and The Gone
Pfeffer, Susan Beth This World We Live In
Pfeffer, Susan Beth The Shade of the Moon
Pinborough, Sarah Breeding Ground
Pinborough, Sarah Feeding Ground
Pohl, Frederick (ed.) Nightmare Age
Pournelle J. E. (ed.) There Will Be War (vol. VIII) Armageddon
Pournelle J.E. (ed.) There Will Be War (vol. I)
Pournelle, J. E. (ed.) There Will Be War (vol. IX) After Armageddon
Pow, Tom The Pack
Prochnau, William W. Trinity's Child
Ransom, Bill Burn
Reaves, Michael and Perry, Steve Dome
Recht, Z.A. Plague of the Dead: The Morningstar Strain book 1
Recht, Z.A. Thunder and Ashes: The Morningstar Strain book 2
Recht, Z.A. with Brennan, Thom Survivors: The Morningstar Strain book 3
Reeves-Stevens, Garfield Bloodshift
Reisig, Michael The New Madrid Run
Rhinehart, Luke Long Voyage Back
Robbins David Fox Run: Endworld 01 (I will only get just the one)
Robinson, Spider Telempath
Rodgers, Alan Fire
Roshwald, Mordecai Level 7
Ruskin, Ronald The Last Panic
Sargent, Craig The Last Ranger
Sarrantonio, Al Skeletons
Sellings, Arthur Junk Day
Shapira, Eric It’s Only Temporary
Sherriff, R. C. The Hopkins Manuscript
Sheffield, Charles Aftermath
Shiel, M. P. The Purple Cloud
Shute Nevil, On The Beach
Siegel, Barbara, Siegel, Scott The Burning Land (Firebrats, No 1)
Siegel, Barbara and Siegel, Scott Survivors (Firebrats, No 2)
Siegel, Barbara Thunder Mountain (Firebrats, No 3)
Sigler, Scott Infected
Sigler, Scott Contagious
Silverberg, Robert Time of the Great Freeze
Simak, Clifford D. City
Skipp, John and Spector, Craig The Bridge
Smith, Guy N. Warhead
Smith, Mitchell Snowfall
Spurrier, Simon The Afterblight Chronicles: The Culled
Stephens, J. B. The Big Empty I
Stephens, J. B. The Big Empty II: Desolation Angles
Stephens, J. B. The Big Empty III: Paradise City
Stephens, J. B. The Big Empty IV: No Exit
Stern, D.A. Black Dawn
Stewart, George R. Earth Abides
Stirling, S. M. Emberverse I: Book I: Dies the Fire
Stirling, S. M. Emberverse I: Book II: The Protector’s War
Stirling, S. M. Emberverse I: Book III: A Meeting at Corvallis
Stirling, S. M. Emberverse II: Book I: The Sunrise Lands
Stirling, S. M. Emberverse II: Book II: The Scourge of God
Stone, Del Jr. Dead Heat
Strieber, Whitley and Kunetka, James War Day
Strieber, Whitley Wolf of Shadows
Sutton, Henry Vector (not apocalyptic but here because the same event that spawned this also spawned The Stand)
Tevis, Walter Mockingbird
Townshend, James E. Postamble
Tucker, Wilson The City in the Sea
Tucker, Wilson The Long Loud Silence
Tucker, Wilson The Year of the Quiet Sun
Ure, Jean Plague
Ure, Jean After the Plague
Ure, Jean Watchers at the Shrine
Van Pelt, James The Summer of The Apocalypse
Varley, John Slow Apocalypse
Vonnegut, Kurt Jr. Cat’s Cradle
Wilhelm, Kate Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang
Williams, Conrad One
Wilson, Colin Spider World I: The Desert
Wilson, Colin Spider World II: The Tower
Wilson, Colin Spider World III: The Fortress
Wilson, Colin Spider World IV: The Delta
Williams, Paul O. The Pelbar Cycle I: The Breaking of Northwall
Williams, Paul O. The Pelbar Cycle II: The Ends of the Circle
Williams, Paul O. The Pelbar Cycle III: The Dome in the Forest
Williams, Paul O. The Pelbar Cycle IV: The Fall of the Shell
Williams, Paul O. The Pelbar Cycle V: An Ambush of Shadows
Williams, Paul O The Pelbar Cycle VI: The Song of the Axe
Williams, Paul O The Pelbar Cycle VII: The Sword of Forbearance
Wren, M. K. A Gift Upon the Shore
Wyndham, John The Day of the Triffids
Yarbro Chelsea Quinn False Dawn
Yarbro, Chelsea Quinn Time of the Four Horsemen
Young, Janine Ellen The Bridge
Zahn, Timothy Terminator Salvation: From The Ashes
Zelazny, Rodger Damnation Alley
Not Read Yet:(I don’t know if these books belong in the ‘Apocalyptic Fiction Canon’. Will delete or line out these if they don’t ‘hold up’)
Adams, John Joseph (ed) Wastlands, Stories of the Apocalypse
Adrian, Chris The Children's Hospital
Aldiss, Brian Galaxies Like Grains of Sand
Aldiss, Brian Hothouse
Amis, Martin Einstein's Monsters
Applegate, K. A. Remnants I: The Mayflower Project
Armstrong, Michael Agviq
Atwood, Margaret The Handmaid's Tale
Auster, Paul In The Country Of Last Things
Ballard, J. G. The Atrocity Exhibition
Ballard, J. G. The Crystal World
Barjavel, Rene The Ice People
Barnes, John Mother of Storms
Benford, Gregory Matter’s End
Benford, Gregory Timescape
Blish, James The Triumph of Time
Blish, James They Shall Have Stars
Blish, James Vor
Bloodstone, John Thundar Man of Two Worlds
Bodeen, S. A. The Compound
Bowen, John After the Rain
Braziel, James Snakeskin Road
Brinkley, William The Last Ship
Brown, Jerry Earl Under the City of Angels
Brunner, John No Future In It
Brunner, John Now Then!
Brunner, John The Day of the Star Cities
Brunner, John The Infinitive of Go
Brunner, John Total Eclipse
Burdick, Eugene and Wheeler, Harvey Failsafe
Burkett William R., Jr. Sleeping Planet
Butler, Octavia E. Parable of the Talents
Butler, Octavia E. Parable of the Sower
Butler, Octavia E. Clay's Ark
Card, Orson Scott The Folk of the Fringe
Christopher, John Pendulum
Christopher, John The Long Winter
Christopher, John The World in Winter
Clemens, Suter P. Two Journeys
Cravens, Gwyneh and Marr, John S. The Black Death
Crichton, Michael The Andromeda Strain
Danvers, Dennis Circuit of Heaven
Danvers, Dennis End of Days
David James F. Thunder of Time
DeCandido, Keith R. A. (adapted) Resident Evil: Genesis
Dick, Philip K. and Zelazny, Roger Deus Irae
Dick, Philip K. The Penultimate Truth
Dickinson, Peter The Changes: A Trilogy
Dickson, Gordon R. No Room For Man
Dickson, Gordon R. Time Storm
Dietz, William C. DeathDay
Dietz, William C. EarthRise
Dietz, William C. Resistance: The Gathering Storm
Doyle, Arthur Conan The Pioson Belt
Dubois, Brendan Resurrection Day
DuPrau, Jeanne The Fourth Book of Ember: The Dimond of Darkhold
Elwood Roger and Kidd Virginia (ed) The Wounded Planet
England, George Allen Darkness and Dawn
Farmer, Philip Jose The Wind Whales of Ishmael
Farren, Mick The Armageddon Crazy
Frost, Jason The Warlord
Gardener, John The Dancing Dodo
Grant, Michael Hunger (Gone Book II)
Grant, Michael Lies (Gone Book III)
Griffin, Russell M. Century’s End
Haldeman, Joe The Forever War
Hand, Elizabeth Glimmering
Hand, Elizabeth Winterlong
Harris, Marilyn The Portent
Harrison, Harry Make Room! Make Room!
Harry, Eric L. Arc Light
Harvey, Gareth The Holtzmann Plague
Heinlein, Robert A. Farnham’s Freehold
Heinlein, Robert Tomorrow, the Stars
Herbert, James Domain
Hjortsberg, William Grey Matter
Hoch, Edward D. The Fellowship of the Hand
Hoyle, Fred and Hoyle, Geoffrey The Inferno
Hoyle, Fred October the First Is Too Late
Ingrid, Charles The Marked Man Omnibus
Johnson, Annabel and Edgar The Danger Quotient
Jones, Dennis Barbarossa Red
Joseph, Mark Deadline Y2K
Kavan, Anna Ice
Knight, Damon (ed.) Elsewhere x3
Kollin, Dani and Kollin, Eytan The Unincorporated Man
Kress, Nancy Probability Moon
Kube-McDowell, Michael P. Alternities
Laidlaw, Mark Dad’s Nuke
Lance, Kathryn Pandora’s Genes
Laumer, Keith Assignment in Nowhere
Laumer, Keith The Big Show
Lee, Linda One By One
Leiber, Fritz The Wanderer
Leinster, Murray The Wailing Asteroid
Lewis, Richard The Spiders
Lieberman, Robert Perfect People
Little, Bentley The Revelation
Llewellyn, Edward The Bright Companion
Lowery, Lois Gathering Blue
Lundwall, Sam J. 2018 A.D.
Mace, David Fire Lance
Maguire, Gregory I Feel Like The Morning Star
Maine, Charles Eric Alph
Maloney, Mack Wingman
Manning, Laurence The Man Who Awoke
Marsden, John Tomorrow When The War Began
McQuay, Mike Pure Blood
McQuinn, Donald E. Warrior
McQuinn, Donald E. Wanderer
Merle, Robert Malevil
Merril, Judith Shadow on the Hearth
Miklowitz, Gloria D. After the Bomb
Miklowitz, Gloria D. After the Bomb: Week One
Mitchell, Syne The Changeling Plague
Monteleone, Thomas F. The Time Connection
Monteleone, Thomas F. The Time-Swept City
Moorcock, Michael Dying For Tomorrow
Moorcock, Michael The Land Leviathan
Moorcock, Michael The Time Dweller
Moorcock, Michael The Warlord of the Air
Moore, C. L. and Kuttner, Henry Earth’s Last Citadel
Moore, C. L. Doomsday Morning
Moore, Ward Caducus Wild
Moris, Janet (ed.) Afterwar
Nolan, William F. (ed.) California Sorcery
Nolan, William F. Impact-20
Norton, Andre No Night Without Stars
Norwood, Warren C. Shudder Child
Nowlan, Philip Francis Armageddon 2419 A.D.
Nunes, Claude Inherit the Earth
Offutt, Andrew J. Evil is Live Spelled Backwards
Olan, Susan Torian The Earth Remembers
Ouellette, Pierre The Deus Machine
Pangborn, Edgar The Company of Glory
Peters, Ralph The War After Armageddon
Pournelle, J. E. There Will Be War vol. II Men of War
Pournelle, J. E. There Will Be War vol. VII Call to Battle
Randall, Marta For Those Who Favor Fire
Roberts, Keith Kiteworld
Ryan, Carrie The Forest of Hands and Teeth
Scortia, Thomas N. and Robinson, Frank M. The Prometheus Crisis
Scortia, Thomas N. Earth Wreck!
Self, Will The Book Of Dave
Sharpe, Matthew Jamestown
Sheckley, Robert Hunter/Victim
Sheckley, Robert The 10th Victim
Sheckley, Robert Victim Prime
Sheffield, Charles Starfire
Shelly, Mary The Last Man
Skipp, John Mondo Zombie
Smith, Dean Wesley and Weaver, Christopher The Tenth Planet
Smith, George H. Doomsday Wing
Smith, Guy N. Killer Crabs
Smith, Stephanie A. Other Nature
Spinrad, Norman No Direction Home
Stahler, David Jr. Truesight
Sterling, Bruce Heavy Weather
Stirling, S. M. Emberverse II: Book III: The Sword of the Lady
Stone, George Blizzard
Strieber, Whitley and Kunetka, James Nature’s End
Sullivan, Tim The Parasite War
Suter, Clemens P. Two Journeys
Swindells, Robert Brother In The Land
Takami, Koushun Battle Royale
Teppler, Sheri S. The Visitor
Tremayne, Peter The Ants
Tucker, Wilson Ice and Iron
Van Vogt, A. E. Empire of the Atom
Vance, Jack Tales of the Dying Earth (omnibus)
Varley, John Steel Beach
Wallace, Patricia The Taint
Ward, Dayton The Last World War
Warner, Douglas Death on a Warm Wind
Washburn, Mark Nightwind
Weinbaum, Stanley G. The New Adam
Wells, H. G. In the Days of the Comet
Wells, H. G. The Food of the Gods
Wells, Robert Candle in the Sun
Westerfeld, Scott Pretties
Wienbaum, Stanley G. The Black Flame
Wilhelm, Kate Juniper Time
Wilhelm, Kate Listen, Listen
Wilhelm, Kate, Welcome, Chaos
Williams, Gordon Revolt of the Micronauts
Williams, Gordon The Microcolony
Williams, Gordon The Mirconauts
Wilson, Steve The Lost Traveler
Winter Douglas E. (ed.) Revelations
Wren, Thomas The Doomsday Effect
Wylie, Philip The End of the Dream
Wylie, Philip Triumph
Wyndham, John Jizzle
Zamyatin, Yevgeny We (dystopian)
Comics/Grapic Novels:
Battle Royale
Dead Enders
Doom Patrol
The Stand
Tribes: The Dog Years
Walking Dead
Wasteland
Y the Last Man
Movies:
9
12 Monkeys
20 Years After (or Like Moles, Like Rats)
28 Days Later
28 Weeks Later
A Boy and His Dog
Apocalypse and The Beauty Queen
Autumn
By Dawn’s Early Light
Carriers
Children of Men
Deep Impact
Def-Con 4 (AVI)
Delicatessen
Dessert Punk (Full Series)
Doomsday
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Epidemic
Ever Since The World Ended
Fail Safe
Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America
Hardware
I am Legend
Jeremiah (Full Series)
Knowing
Last Night
Le Dernier Combat (AVI)
Logan's Run
Mad Max
Mad Max 2 (The Road Warrior)
Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome
Meltdown: Days of Destruction
Miracle Mile
Night of the Comet
Panic In The Year Zero
Pulse (English version)
Pulse (Japanese version)
Sacrifice
Soylent Green
Supernova
The Day After
The Day After Tomorrow
The Earth Dies Screaming
The Fire Next Time
The Handmaid’s Tale
The Happening
The Last Man
The Last Man On Earth
The Last Mimzy
The Noah
The Omega Man
The Plague
The Postman
The Quiet Earth
The Screwfly Solution
The Shape Of Things To Come
The Stand
Thundar (Complete series)
Tooth and Nail
Tycus
When Worlds Collide
Z for Zachariah (AVI)
Art:
Natural Selection (545/750) by Paul Sloan
Music:
Wastelander, Wardrive