# best post-apocalyptic film/book?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-post-apocalyptic-film-book/200388
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [September 8, 2003, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-post-apocalyptic-film-book/200388 "2003-09-08T21:35:10Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@mogiaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mogiaw)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2003, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-post-apocalyptic-film-book/200388/1 "2003-09-08T21:35:10Z")
anyone have any candidates for best film/book set in post-nuclear war/ other global catastrophe scenario?
My favourite book in this “genré” is A Canticle for Liebowitz but I have a morbid fascination with films/books with this sort of background so please recommend your best/favourite etc.
mogi
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### Author:  [@dinoboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dinoboy)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2003, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-post-apocalyptic-film-book/200388/2 "2003-09-08T21:56:10Z")
I really liked “Alas Babylon” by Pat Frank. As far as plausability goes anyway.
For sheer entertainment: “Road Warrior”
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### Author:  [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2003, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-post-apocalyptic-film-book/200388/3 "2003-09-08T21:57:24Z")
_Steel Beach_ - John Varley
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### Author:  [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2003, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-post-apocalyptic-film-book/200388/4 "2003-09-08T22:42:15Z")
One of single most importan books written in English in the last fifty years–let alone most important postapocolyptic books–is _Riddley Walker_ by Russell Hoban. It’s a book, essentially, about humanity’s inability to live without violence, and without art, and it’s a book that everyone should read at least three times.
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### Author:  [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2003, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-post-apocalyptic-film-book/200388/5 "2003-09-08T23:31:07Z")
Davy by Edgar Pangborn comes to mind. There are also a few stories set in the same world.
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### Author:  [@rolandgunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rolandgunslinger)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2003, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-post-apocalyptic-film-book/200388/6 "2003-09-08T23:43:14Z")
Swan Song By Robert Mcammon(sp?)
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### Author:  [@Atreyu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atreyu)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2003, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-post-apocalyptic-film-book/200388/7 "2003-09-08T23:49:05Z")
For the book category, I’ll second A Canticle for Leibowitz. Excellent read.
For the film category, I’ll nominate [Testament](http://imdb.com/title/tt0086429/), a fairly quiet movie about a neighborhood coping with the aftermath of a nuclear exchange. Haunted me more than _The Day After_ ever did.
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### Author:  [@Slainte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slainte)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2003, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-post-apocalyptic-film-book/200388/8 "2003-09-08T23:51:49Z")
I just finished _Oryx and Crake_ by Margaret Atwood and I quite enjoyed it.
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### Author:  [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2003, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-post-apocalyptic-film-book/200388/9 "2003-09-08T23:55:13Z")
**A Boy and His Dog**
Both the book and the movie.
Actually, **Alas, Babylon** is the best. But, it was taken already.
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### Author:  [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2003, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-post-apocalyptic-film-book/200388/10 "2003-09-08T23:59:03Z")
My very favorite is [Earth Abides](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0449213013/qid=1063065867/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-3150461-8305569?v=glance&s=books) by George Stewart. It deals with the aftermath of a deadly virus eliminating most, but not all, of humans. It was originally written in 1949, so many of the technical details are quite dated now, but the underlying theme of one man who survived, and the rebuilding of society, including mythology, is fascinating and a great read.
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### Author:  [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2003, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-post-apocalyptic-film-book/200388/11 "2003-09-09T00:09:02Z")
For fun and exciting but not necessarily deep and meaningful reads, I recommend **The Stand** by Stephen King and **Lucifer’s Hammer** by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
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### Author:  [@MetalDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MetalDog)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2003, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-post-apocalyptic-film-book/200388/12 "2003-09-09T00:10:14Z")
**When the Wind Blows** - Raymond Briggs
‘Kids’ book. Depressed the heck out of me in the eighties - we all thought it was gonna happen.
[http://www.jpoc.net/books/humour/raymondbriggs/whenwindblows.html](http://www.jpoc.net/books/humour/raymondbriggs/whenwindblows.html)
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### Author:  [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2003, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-post-apocalyptic-film-book/200388/13 "2003-09-09T00:23:55Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by MetalDog \*
> \*\ ***When the Wind Blows** - Raymond Briggs
>
> ‘Kids’ book. Depressed the heck out of me in the eighties - we all thought it was gonna happen.
>
> [http://www.jpoc.net/books/humour/raymondbriggs/whenwindblows.html](http://www.jpoc.net/books/humour/raymondbriggs/whenwindblows.html) \*\*
They made a movie out of that. Saw it in 8th grade. I got in trouble for laughing.
(Well, I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help it. When I saw those cars being bounced down the street by the blast, I thought they were supposed to be sheep.)
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### Author:  [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2003, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-post-apocalyptic-film-book/200388/14 "2003-09-09T00:28:18Z")
_Alas Babylon_ takes it for, IMO, a realistic portrayal of life for the survivors. Everything from the die-off of diabetics to the longong for coffee and sewing needles was spot on. Too many such yarns get i.e. _Lucifer’s Hammer_ get all wrapped up in shooting it out w/ the post-apocalypse bad guys. Though looters and scavengers would be a factor, they would be only one of many challenges the survivors would face.
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### Author:  [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2003, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-post-apocalyptic-film-book/200388/15 "2003-09-09T01:01:44Z")
_Alas Babylon_–book
_The Day After_–made for TV movie.
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### Author:  [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2003, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-post-apocalyptic-film-book/200388/16 "2003-09-09T04:41:07Z")
I second The Stand - I’ve read it about 4 times now, and watched the 8 hour miniseries twice. It is, in my opinion, a departure for Stephen King from what he usually writes, and I think he did an excellent job with it. (The ending, as with most Stephen King novels, is weak, but up to the last bit, it is an outstanding read.)
After the last thread like this, I ordered Swan Song and Lucifer’s Hammer, and read them both, and I would recommend both of them as well. Earth Abides is another perennial favourite in this category. A Canticle For Liebiwitz is also recommended, but it didn’t suit me very well. I found it to be a very dry, tough read, and just didn’t entertain me very much.
I read a post-apocalyptic novel with a black robot who looks after the city after most of the people died, but I can’t remember the name of it. It might be Mockingbird - I’m not sure.
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### Author:  [@Skeezix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skeezix)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2003, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-post-apocalyptic-film-book/200388/17 "2003-09-09T04:54:15Z")
I’ll posit one I only finally managed to track down earlier this year, [Threads](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090163/). Makes **The Day After** feel like a walk in the park.
It was originally comissioned by the BBC, but ended up getting only a limited theatrical release, initially, for various reasons. From what I recall, the biggest problem was that the producers/director refused to toe the official line, in regard to the ability of the goverment to function in the aftermath of a large scale nuclear war.
It doesn’t paint a pretty picture.
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### Author:  [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2003, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-post-apocalyptic-film-book/200388/18 "2003-09-09T05:22:28Z")
Please, please, please…
[SIZE=4]TELL US ABOUT THE STORY AND WHY YOU RECOMEND IT!!![/size=4]
I hate it when someone starts a “recomendation” thread and it ends up being just a list of name that people spit out without giving any reason or description.
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### Author:  [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2003, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-post-apocalyptic-film-book/200388/19 "2003-09-09T05:28:50Z")
I’ll third _ **The Earth Abides** _ in the book category.
For film I’ll go for\*\*\* The Quiet Earth\*\*\*, an obscure NewZealand film. [http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0089869/combined](http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0089869/combined) The user comments say:
“This film is a lost gem. Not many have seen it and those who have mostly love it … if you like ‘last man on earth’ type movies than this is the one for you. It has one of those ending that will leave you dazzled and puzzled. It doesn’t try and tie up all the loose ends and questions like a lot of films do. Its much like a Kubrick film in that respect.”
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### Author:  [@Skeezix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skeezix)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2003, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-post-apocalyptic-film-book/200388/20 "2003-09-09T05:37:39Z")
Ah, I _thought_ I’d bookmarked a couple similar threads. Some further suggestions for those like **mogiaw** (and m’self) with a morbid fascination for the subject at hand:
[Post-apocalyptic novel recommendations?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=145182&highlight=postapocalypse)
[Recommend some post-apocalypse tales](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=127176)
[Upon Preview]
Fair 'nuff, **Muad’Dib**.
The film **Threads** is, basically, the story of a young woman living in, IIRC, Sheffield, who survives a large nuclear exchange between the USSR and the US (which dates the film, but in no way detracts from it, IMO) including direct strikes on the nearby chemical plant and US airbase.
It follows her, in large jumps, through ten years after the apocalypse, showing the breakdown of society in a fairly realistic (and exceedingly grim) manner.
Better? 😛
[sub]In all fairness, I agree that long lists of book/movie titles with no discussion at all is pretty counterproductive, in these types o’ threads.[/sub]
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