# Good New Post-Apocalyptic Book - Rise Again **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 30, 2011, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-new-post-apocalyptic-book-rise-again/569531 "2011-01-30T18:46:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2011, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-new-post-apocalyptic-book-rise-again/569531/1 "2011-01-30T18:46:01Z")
I know we have a bunch of fellow post-apocalyptic ¶ fiction fans here, so I thought I would let you know that I recently read a good new book in the genre - [Rise Again](http://www.amazon.com/Rise-Again-Thriller-Ben-Tripp/dp/1439165165) by Ben Tripp. It wasn’t the best I’ve ever read, but it was good enough to make me want to recommend it to you all. 🙂 And hey! Sequel in the works! Oh, I guess I should say a bit about the book - the story is about the Zombie Apocalypse (one of my favourite apocalypses) and revolves around the adventures of one of the survivors, a sheriff in a California mountain town who is has gone through three tours of duty in the Middle East. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2011, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-new-post-apocalyptic-book-rise-again/569531/2 "2011-01-30T21:48:58Z")
Thanks, ever so much, for increasing my reading list 🙂 Just finished “Feed,” by Mira Grant, a zombie book that interestingly does NOT involve a post-apocalyptic world, but a world that has adapted to the zombie presence. I recommend it if you haven’t read it yet. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2011, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-new-post-apocalyptic-book-rise-again/569531/3 "2011-01-30T23:14:03Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > It wasn’t the best I’ve ever read Which PA book _was_ the best you’ve ever read? ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2011, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-new-post-apocalyptic-book-rise-again/569531/4 "2011-01-30T23:28:28Z")
> [@Kolga](#): > > Just finished “Feed,” by Mira Grant, a zombie book that interestingly does NOT involve a post-apocalyptic world, but a world that has adapted to the zombie presence. I recommend it if you haven’t read it yet. Feed was very good. I worry for the sequels though. Since Grant killed off the one really good character, Georgia, for what was more or less a cheap thrill. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2011, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-new-post-apocalyptic-book-rise-again/569531/5 "2011-01-30T23:35:29Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Feed was very good. I worry for the sequels though. > > Since Grant killed off the one really good character, Georgia, for what was more or less a cheap thrill. I haven’t read anything about how she’s going to address the sequels. I think the best way for her to do it is introduce some new characters, maybe peripheral ones from Feed, rather than try to focus on the main characters. While Georgia’s character was really great, and it was painful to have her die, I wouldn’t say that’s the only really good one. Because she was the main character, Grant spent a lot more time developing her in depth than she did the others. Given the same focus and work, I think some of the other characters could work out well. I don’t know if Shaun has enough depth, though. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2011, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-new-post-apocalyptic-book-rise-again/569531/6 "2011-01-30T23:49:29Z")
> [@Kolga](#): > > I haven’t read anything about how she’s going to address the sequels. I think the best way for her to do it is introduce some new characters, maybe peripheral ones from Feed, rather than try to focus on the main characters. I don’t know if it was in every copy, but the version of Feed I got had a short section in the back with the first chapter from the sequel and an interview with Grant in how she plans to go in the sequels… [spoiler]You hit it. Shaun’s the new main character and a lot of the beta bloggers who showed up for one page will move into main character slots. Also, Shaun’s hallucinations of Georgia that he started having during the end of Feed will continue.[/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-new-post-apocalyptic-book-rise-again/569531/7 "2011-01-31T00:24:49Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > I don’t know if it was in every copy, but the version of Feed I got had a short section in the back with the first chapter from the sequel and an interview with Grant in how she plans to go in the sequels… > > [spoiler]You hit it. Shaun’s the new main character and a lot of the beta bloggers who showed up for one page will move into main character slots. > > Also, Shaun’s hallucinations of Georgia that he started having during the end of Feed will continue.[/spoiler] I do have that section, but didn’t read it. I’ll go do so now 🙂 The Shaun/Georgia relationship and its end was actually my favorite part, because I have a male friend who I refer to as my brother from another mother, and we have a REALLY close relationship. Other people tend to see us as unhealthily close, although luckily our SOs are understanding. The relationship between Shaun and Georgia reminds me a lot of how my “brother” and I interact, so having it end the way it did actually was painful for me. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-new-post-apocalyptic-book-rise-again/569531/8 "2011-01-31T02:24:28Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > Which PA book _was_ the best you’ve ever read? Good question - my first response is “The Stand” by Stephen King, but “Earth Abides” by George R. Stewart is also very good. ETA: And I’m going looking for “Feed” now. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-new-post-apocalyptic-book-rise-again/569531/9 "2011-01-31T04:10:27Z")
I’m a big fan of PA, been a while since I read a good one. Let’s list our faves. The City, Not Long After by Pat Murphy is a fave of mine. So is Vanishing Point by Michaela Rossner. Most of Dhalgren is fun, until the last part with the split narrative. A Canticle for Leibowitz is the granddaddy, I think, written in the 50s. I did not care for McCarthy’s The Road, me. Didn’t think it added much to the genre. I kept thinking of A Boy and His Dog while I read it. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-new-post-apocalyptic-book-rise-again/569531/10 "2011-01-31T04:33:25Z")
And I didn’t care for “A Canticle For Leibowitz.” 🙂 I found it dull and plodding. I always forget to take notes when people recommend PA novels - I’ll remember this time. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-new-post-apocalyptic-book-rise-again/569531/11 "2011-01-31T04:48:53Z")
A HA! I have wishlisted most of these books now (I couldn’t find “Vanishing Point” - it sounds really interesting). ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-new-post-apocalyptic-book-rise-again/569531/12 "2011-01-31T05:20:27Z")
Another excellent recent PA book is _Plague Year_ by Jeff Carlson. It’s about a runaway nanotech disaster - a nice break from zombies and nuclear wars. There’s two sequels, _Plague War_ and _Plague Zone_ but I haven’t read them yet. ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-new-post-apocalyptic-book-rise-again/569531/13 "2011-01-31T06:08:55Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Another excellent recent PA book is _Plague Year_ by Jeff Carlson. It’s about a runaway nanotech disaster - a nice break from zombies and nuclear wars. There’s two sequels, _Plague War_ and _Plague Zone_ but I haven’t read them yet. Is that the one where they can’t go below like, 10,000 feet altitude or something? For zombie books, I don’t think anything beats [Day by Day Armageddon](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1439176671/ref=s9_qpp_gw_p14_ir01?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=05FRAE6RMG9JMX63E62G&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846), and while I liked the sequel I fear it may go a bit into weirdo land. Non-Zombie, I loved Earth Abides, and I’m not sure if Lucifers Hammer fits, but it’s DAMN good too. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-new-post-apocalyptic-book-rise-again/569531/14 "2011-01-31T06:43:58Z")
I liked Day By Day Armageddon and the sequel, but I didn’t think they were all that well written. Of course, I read about them on the Zombie Squad boards, where there are posted some amazingly well-written short stories and serial stories, so maybe I was expecting something different. They’re good, but I didn’t think they were awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-new-post-apocalyptic-book-rise-again/569531/15 "2011-01-31T14:46:41Z")
> [@Tristan](#): > > Is that the one where they can’t go below like, 10,000 feet altitude or something? Yes ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-new-post-apocalyptic-book-rise-again/569531/16 "2011-01-31T15:15:27Z")
You might also like _War Day_ by Whitley Strieber and James Kunetka, a travelogue about the aftermath of a limited nuclear war between the US and USSR; _The Last Ship_ by William Brinkley, about the sole surviving U.S. Navy warship after a fullscale WWIII and the new society its crew struggles to create; and, of course, the classic _On the Beach_ by Nevil Shute, about the slow dwindling of humanity as postwar radiation covers the globe. All very different; all very good. I, too, found _A Canticle for Leibowitz_ dull and plodding. ---
**Author:** ![Anonymous\_Coward](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/94ad74/32.png) [@Anonymous\_Coward](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anonymous_Coward)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-new-post-apocalyptic-book-rise-again/569531/17 "2011-01-31T17:22:53Z")
Well, thanks to this thread I just put in a 60 dollar amazon order including Plague Year and sequel by Jeff Carlson, and Day By Day Armageddon and the sequel. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-new-post-apocalyptic-book-rise-again/569531/18 "2011-01-31T17:50:51Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > You might also like _War Day_ by Whitley Strieber and James Kunetka, a travelogue about the aftermath of a limited nuclear war between the US and USSR; _The Last Ship_ by William Brinkley, about the sole surviving U.S. Navy warship after a fullscale WWIII and the new society its crew struggles to create; and, of course, the classic _On the Beach_ by Nevil Shute, about the slow dwindling of humanity as postwar radiation covers the globe. > > All very different; all very good. > > I, too, found _A Canticle for Leibowitz_ dull and plodding. Another classic is [_Alas, Babylon_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alas,_Babylon) by Pat Frank. ---
**Author:** ![Lady\_of\_the\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@Lady\_of\_the\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lady_of_the_Lake)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-new-post-apocalyptic-book-rise-again/569531/19 "2011-01-31T19:14:12Z")
> [@Tristan](#): > > Is that the one where they can’t go below like, 10,000 feet altitude or something? > For zombie books, I don’t think anything beats [Day by Day Armageddon](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1439176671/ref=s9_qpp_gw_p14_ir01?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=05FRAE6RMG9JMX63E62G&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846), and while I liked the sequel I fear it may go a bit into weirdo land. I’d read this online years ago, or at least the first section. It had been in blog format? I’ll buy it now to finish it. ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-new-post-apocalyptic-book-rise-again/569531/20 "2011-01-31T21:11:28Z")
> [@Lady\_of\_the\_Lake](#): > > I’d read this online years ago, or at least the first section. It had been in blog format? I’ll buy it now to finish it. Yep. As a first novel, it’s not bad. Given the restrictions the author was under, I give him credit for finishing at all. lol The sequal is better written, but a lesser story, imo. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-new-post-apocalyptic-book-rise-again/569531.md?page=2)