Post-Apocalypse books

[11B3XCIB]

I am currently reading The Road by Cormac McCarthy. They based a movie on it a few years back. No explanation of what happened, but by the ash and burns, I assume a nuclear incident.

Next in the chute: One Second After by William R. Forstchen, based on a massive EMP disabling all modern electronics, and the subsequent long-term effects of the disaster as starvation, disease and roving gangs of barbarians.

What have ya'll read that is similar?

 

[Tigerstripe]

i watched the movies. it was much faster, maybe not as good.

 

[fiundagner]

looking for any particular flavor? Zombie, Fantasy, Adventure, Realistic?

the postman by david brinn is pretty good, much better than the movie (the movie is ok, but it bears about as much resembleance to the book as the starship troopers movie does to the book)

Alas babylon isnt to bad (not to good eitehr. pretty much middle of the road) , but its dated now

World war Z is excelent

the corvalis series by S.M sterling is pretty good

time travel PA (or pretty close to it) the 1632 series by eric flint

devil on my back by monica hughes

Of course the classic is The Stand by steven king, or possibly the gunslinger series (set years (decades?) after te stand) but its almost as big as war and peace

 

[Parhams0508]

James Wesley, Rawles works: Patriots and Survivors. Very good books, although Patriots has a lot of technical material in it to describe their "hidey-hole," and Survivors will leave you hanging unless you read Patriots right after (Survivors dove-tails into Patriots). The event that sets everything into motion is an economic collapse. I suggest owning these in a non-digital format, as they can be used as a phenomenal resources.

EMP books: Lights Out by David Crawford and 77 Days in September by Ray Gorham. Lights Out is looooong, but a very good read. Sometimes the action is a bit slow. 77 Days is the complete opposite, however; it's very fast-paced and you could probably read it in about three to five days (I read it in three). Lights Out deals with people living in a neighborhood and them coming together as a community to support and protect one another. 77 Days follows a man as he travels on foot from Texas to Montana (I think, it's been awhile since I last read it) after surviving the failed take off of an airliner. Both of these I would own in a digital format.

Enemies: Foreign and Domestic by Matthew Bracken. While not necessarily "apocalyptic" in its nature, it does deal heavily with government control over guns, which could lead to a possible second Civil War. I'm only half way through it, but it's a decent read, if kinda slow. Own it digitally.

 

[Parhams0508]

Oh, and the Walking Dead series in the comic books...SOOOO good! All black and white, so you focus more on the story and character development. Definitely not a children's comic, though. Pick up the first three omnibus collections at your nearest bookstore or comic shop, you won't regret it.

 

[PCShogun]

"Through Darkest America" is a pretty novel book. Nothing like rampant cannibalism, rape, murder, sex, torture, betrayal, and revenge all set in a post apocalyptic America to make a good story.

 

[TheSwampFox]

I have read and second the recommendations of The Road, One Second After, Patriots and Lights Out. Of those I think Lights Out was my favorite.

Another good series is the A New World series by John O'Brien. I've only read the first one but it was good. Kind of a zombie scenario type series.

Next up on my list is
The Pulse by Scott B. Williams
Half Past Midnight by Jeff Brackett

 

[11B3XCIB]

I just started One Second After, and man, it's a page turner. Very realistic. About a small mountain town near Asheville and the after-effects of a nationwide EMP event. It's one thing to be attacked and get news and updates and reassurance (9/11) but to have something happen, all modern technology being wiped out, and have no contact with any authority outside of local law enforcement is something that will turn neighbors into enemies real quick.

I enjoy the zombie movies and books like WWZ, but I am trying to read more realistic scenario books now. I don't know if I'm going to turn myself into a paranoid "prepper", but I feel like some level of preparedness can't be a bad thing. Just being able to survive that first 4 weeks would be a huge step.

My father gave me the original print 6 book set of the Foxfire books. They were printed from Vol 1- Vol 6 from 1972 to 1980. There have been about 6 more printed since then, but they are fantastic books on how to make and produce useful things at a primitive level. Awesome to have in case things do go south.

 

[Parhams0508]

I've heard One Second After is the quintessential EMP book, next to Lights Out. I'll definitely have to get that once I finish E:F&D.

Do yall think that there is a market for a survival/apocalyptic/prepper literature book review blog? I've considered writing one (I did TONS of book reviews in college), but I dunno if it would be worth my time. Survivalblog.com has book reviewers, and so does a couple other similar sites, so I don't know if I'd even add to the discussion.

 

[Dave29461]

This one by Tom Kratman, A State of Disobedience , is more in the Patriot vein. Entertaining and thought provoking.

 

[Enjay]

I'm working on John Ross's Unintended Consequences. I haven't formed an opinion of it yet as I'm only a few pages in.
I liked Lights Out and One Second After and have put 77 days in September on my list, thank you.

I've been looking at some of the young adult survival books for my daughter to read, and there aren't many. There's a series by Susan Beth Pfeffer on amazon.com that looks promising, if anyone is interested in such things for their kids/grands.

 

[FunkyMonkey]

Ditto on The Road by Cormac McCarthy. It's one of my favorite books and not just because of the post-apocalypstic setting. Truly a story about a father's love for his child. He also wrote No Country for Old Men and All the Pretty Horses.

Lights Out and One Second After are classics. One Second After actually caused a congressional inquiry it stirred up so many people (kind of like War Games the movie did in the 80s). Patriots reads to me more like a survival manual dressed up as fiction.

Dies the Fire by S.M. Sirling is good. The EMP thing happens and the world devolves into midieval status since, for some unexplicable reason, gunpowder no longer works either. Bit contrived, but necessary for the plot. I figure after awhile all our ammo would run out anyway.

There is a book about an asteroid strike where the only survivors worldwide are on a cruise boat off South Africa. Good read, bit of a different spin. I will edit this post with the name when I can dig it out.

Reading Directive 51 by John Barnes right now. Will report back.

A guy named Glen Tate, who is a mod on TheSurvivalPodcast forums is writing a new series. Heard an interview with him here http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/glen-tate-on-299-days. I'll get them next. His site is here: http://299days.com/. They will be next on my list.

 

[FunkyMonkey]

I don't know if I'm going to turn myself into a paranoid "prepper", but I feel like some level of preparedness can't be a bad thing. Just being able to survive that first 4 weeks would be a huge step.

My father gave me the original print 6 book set of the Foxfire books. They were printed from Vol 1- Vol 6 from 1972 to 1980. There have been about 6 more printed since then, but they are fantastic books on how to make and produce useful things at a primitive level. Awesome to have in case things do go south.

Agree completely. I came to the same conclusion several years ago after a hurricaine shut down my part of the city for 4 days. No power, nothing. Not Katrina, but something on that scale could occur here in SC. Now I'm more prepared - I think I could go live several weeks with my daughter and never leave my apartment unless I wanted to. We like to camp anyway, and a lot of the stuff pulls doubble duty that way.

Anyway, you don't have to be a "paranoid prepper" with a bunker and 10,000 rounds of ammo. Wait, the ammo might be nice. But anyway, you might want to listen to The Survival Podcast

http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/

for some good info. I listen to it while driving in the car. Lots of interesting stuff.

And I have the Foxfire books too. They are great. A guy named Neil Strauss and his book "Emergency" started it out for me.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060898771/?tag=palmettoshooters-20

This is not a novel or a survival manual, but a journalist and writer having some of the same thoughts you have. Good thought-provoking stuff.

 

[Hillbluffer]

Tried to read JWR new book Founders but couldn't get through it. It's not very well written and contains rehashed data from the first two books. Liked his manuals but his fiction is really dreadful

 

[Tigerstripe]

i know, i know, not a book but 2 u tube documentaries that are interesting are sort of sequels to one second after.

the day after, no more oil

the day after no more people.

ah, something like that. you can find them pretty easily.

 

[11B3XCIB]

I'm working my way through a couple more James Wesley Rawles books. One is fiction (Survivors) and the other is "non-fiction"...sort of a guidebook called How to Surive the End of the World as We Know It. It's a cool book, but unless you have a TON of disposable income, you have to figure out which boxes you want to check. I'm settling in on ammo, enough food/water for a few weeks (hopefully months, within the year) and some basic medical supplies. I make a decent earning, but definitely not enough to keep up with the author, who has a huge compound out in the West somewhere with undoubtedly years worth of survival supplies.

 

[Parhams0508]

I'm working my way through a couple more James Wesley Rawles books. One is fiction (Survivors) and the other is "non-fiction"...sort of a guidebook called How to Surive the End of the World as We Know It. It's a cool book, but unless you have a TON of disposable income, you have to figure out which boxes you want to check. I'm settling in on ammo, enough food/water for a few weeks (hopefully months, within the year) and some basic medical supplies. I make a decent earning, but definitely not enough to keep up with the author, who has a huge compound out in the West somewhere with undoubtedly years worth of survival supplies.

Make sure you read Patriots right after Survivors; it will make the ending of Survivors a whole lot more reasonable!

 

[FunkyMonkey]

New set of books coming out 2 at a time look good:

http://299days.com/

I've listened to two interviews with the author, seems like and interesting person. Starts off sort of autobiographical and goes from there.