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.
I know exactly what book this is. I think. I just can’t remember the title, so I’m going to go to my library’s website and see if they have a list of books I’ve taken out in the last year . . . darn, they don’t. But does this book take place in a European country, and is the main character a man, and as far as he can tell he’s the only person alive, and he travels all over Europe and into England looking for other survivors? And then at the end . . . well, you know . . .
(going to look for title)
ETA: This is driving me crazy. For the past five years or so I’ve been keeping lists of books I’ve read, but the computer that list is on doesn’t work anymore, so I’m googling furiously to figure this out.
For you post-apoc/dystopian fans. I had the book “One Second After” (or later or something) recommended to me as the best book someone ever read. I paid full hard-back price for it, only to discover it is basically a geographic rewrite of “Alas Babylon” by Pat Frank.
OTOH, YAY! new books for my long, long list. Yes, My Big Stolen List of Post-Apocalyptic/Dystopian Fiction Cat Whisperer: I’m with you on Canticle. I don’t understand the fascination. Your description mirrors my experience exactly.
I’m not sure if you’re pulling my leg or asking about another book - we’ve already figured out that the book I was trying to remember was “The Strain” by Guillermo del Toro.
Auntbeast, that is an awesome list! I’m going to have a LOT of reading to do!
I hated One Second After. It committed the cardinal sin of post-apocalyptic fiction, turning the general population into a band of savage rapists within hours of whatever event caused the apocalypse.
I’m about 200 pages into Stephen King’s Under the Dome and it’s about to do the same thing.
There are quite a few threads in here discussing this type of fiction. I’ve been reading it for several years now and every time I think I’ve run out of books, another cool thread pops up. Someone else compiled the list, but I’ve added to it.
Justin Bailey, try reading this type of fiction as a woman. After especially insidious books, I have to fight to not hate men. They can be very hard to read.
I’m not sure I agree this is unrealistic - the stress of an event like a good sale on electronics will turn your average human into a savage. Our civilization is a thin veneer over a bunch of hairless animals.
I’m sorry, but I have a hard time believing that in less than 24 hours after a terrorist attack that blows out the power that huge gangs of people would just start raping random people.