IMHO, On the Beach by Nevile Shute (SP??) is one of the best books of all time…definatly the best post-apoc book of all time…but really not a good read for anyone with suicidle tendacies…
Plot Synapsis…Its after WW3 and all of the northern hemisphere is destroyed by nuclear bombs or nuclear fallout…only Australia and some of the South of the Equator areas remain…the fallout is heading toward AUS and everyone knows when they are going to (begin to) die…the government gives out cyanide pills…
Moderator’s Note: If there were a nuclear war, there might only be one moderator left, and he’d have to move threads in all the forums, not just Great Debates. Even from MPSIMS to Cafe Society. But he’d do it…the Last Moderator, a lonely yet defiant figure, standing against the forces of chaos and barbarism.
Ugh…now it’s starting to sound like a Kevin Costner movie…that was a pretty good book, though.
What would have been the point? IIRC The entire planet was screwed, so even if you stayed in the shelter for years there would be nothing to come out to.
The planet would recover eventually. Perhaps they could have sought shelter in mine shafts? And to maintain the population they could bring the women. I think a ratio of ten women to each man should be sufficient. And they could take animals to breed und slaughter…!
The scene of the submarine going around the U.S. west coast is one of my favorite literary scenes of all. I have read this book about 10 times, give or take a few.
I like just about all of Nevil Shute’s books . . . I recommend moving on to his less apocalyptic fare, such as A Town Like Alice and The Far Country, as well.
I found the book well-written, thoughtful, frighteningly believable and somehow capable of portraying dignity in the face of inevitable apocalypse. I normally don’t like “downer” books or movies, but really, really enjoyed this book.
It’s a well-written book, and a well-made movie, but personally, I agree with BlahMan. Some people could have been saved. Yes, the radiation levels would be higher than normal. But after a year or two, they would be low enough to spend enough time out of the caves (or wherever) to allow a little farming, after scraping the top layer of soil off of the fields.
I prefer the philosophy of “Galaxy Quest.” “Never give up, never surrender!”
This news item -
tells the story of a woman who was about to shoot herself rather than be burned alive when she was saved at the last minute. Not only did she give up when help was on the way, but, as it turned out, she did not really need any help. Her cabin and two of her dogs came through the fire unharmed. (She had shot the third one to “save” it from the fire.)
So never surrender and never give up! You don’t know what will happen in the next minute.
Like I said why didnt they try to find a way around the inevitable demise (sp?) If I was there I woulda found the deepest mine shaft there and tried to set up a self sufficiant community (including meat crops ie cows…I THINK cows can live off of Shrooms [which pretty much lives off of human waste…] ) Add an unlimited source of energy (ie a nat gas line running through a ‘Ballard Fuel Cell’ [see www.ballard.com…] and a way to get h20 and you [theoretically] have an unlimited supply of life…) My point?..I have NO idea please tell me…
-Blah
I love melancholy stories. I’d also recommend a little-seen Canadian movie of a couple of years ago called Last Night. The premise is that the world is going to end at midnight; everybody knows this as a fact, although it’s never really explained. Also, it never gets dark. We follow several people as they spend their last few hours in their own ways; we see the best in some and the worst in others. One character is a gas company manager who spends his last evening personally calling every customer and thanking them for their business.
Yes, in 1959, with Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, and Fred Astaire, in a non-dancing, non-singing role (as best I recall - it’s probably been forty years since I saw this movie).
Good book. I read it about 20 years ago. It was the first fiction I read where all the main characters die. That in itself was utterly compelling. I would have much preferred a happier ending. The prevailing tone of desperation is unforgetable.
Well, I never read the book but according to the comments here I should. I did see the movie however.
I agree with BlahMan. I would have tried to survive regardless. Either on the sub or in a mine shaft. And I would definatly take a ratio of 10 females to one male to umm…continue the species…yah…only to continue the species…(thank you very much, Johnny L.A. and vibrotronica for the “Dr. Strangelove” refs. Side Note: Blockbuster Video called “Dr. Strangelove” one of the top 10 movies of all time recently. Ive been to about 7 Blockbusters so far and none of them carried it at all…)
Another side note: There is a sequel to the movie On The Beach, called On the Beach 2. How do you make a sequel to a story where all the humans in the entire world die? Has anyone seen this movie?
