# Reccomend Post Apocalyptic Fiction **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 4, 2008, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-post-apocalyptic-fiction/432304 "2008-01-04T19:31:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2008, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-post-apocalyptic-fiction/432304/41 "2008-01-08T13:20:04Z")
Could a mod fix the thread title? It’s buggin’ me. [QUOTE=Zsofia] _Dies the Fire_ is a turd on a stick. It’s like a bunch of drunken SCA people around a fire talking about how, you know, if all the lights went out, you know, _we’d_ be the ones who could cope with it, man. And I’m saying this as somebody who spent some of the best years of her life in the SCA. It’s clunky, it has all the traits of the shitty writing people inexplicably accept in genre fiction like they don’t deserve any better, and when the _bad_ SCA guy showed up I would have thrown it across the room only if I did I would have had nothing to read but that chart of your uterus that looks like a Georgia O’Keefe cow skull. So I had to keep going. I was there for _two hours_ all told because at the last minute I asked if I could get that new vaccine, so I had to wait longer, and let me tell you, it was a hard decision - cervical cancer or this book? [/QUOTE] I haven’t read that book, but I _have_ taken part in just such SCA discussions, with folks who really believe that, come TEOTWAWKI (the end of the world as we know it; Google the acronym and you’ll find some strange folks), we’d be the ruling class because we have home-made armor and know how to fight with wooden sticks. (Which I’ve been doing for many years; but I tend to think that certain other skills would be more useful.) I did read the passage where the bad, evil SCA guy shows how evil he is by arming prisoners and then, wearing chainmail and using a shield and sword, killing them. Seemed like bullshit to me; I could take that guy. And the writing was pretty bad. Not only that, but _Dies the Fire_ sounds to me like a ripoff of the 1981 novel _Ariel_, by Steven R. Boyett. It’s a fun read; a little rough, but quite good considering that he was 21 when he wrote it. Edited to correct coding, and to wish Zsofia good luck with her cervix. Did you get the vaccine? ---
**Author:** ![MarcusF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/67e7ee/32.png) [@MarcusF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MarcusF)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2008, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-post-apocalyptic-fiction/432304/42 "2008-01-08T13:49:14Z")
Is there a pattern with Zsofia and Baldwin? Both been in or around the SCA and hate it, I have had no contact with any recreationists and loved it. ---
**Author:** ![Auntbeast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Auntbeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Auntbeast)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2008, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-post-apocalyptic-fiction/432304/43 "2008-01-08T13:58:25Z")
[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=436228&highlight=dystopian](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=436228&highlight=dystopian) That is a thread I started and got a ton of good responses. I found some really great reads on it. Oryx and Crake I Am Legend The Handmaid’s Tale Parable of the Sower Alas, Babylon -Probably still one of my favs and I went into the thread having read it. Those were probably my favorites, but I’m still on the kick. It’s a fun one. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2008, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-post-apocalyptic-fiction/432304/44 "2008-01-08T14:27:49Z")
[QUOTE=MarcusF] Okay - you didn’t like it. 😃 But, to be fair a lot of people did - including me. The original idea is interesting and well worked through; agreed you either like Stirling’s style (and characters) or you don’t but I would suggest people give it a try. If you do like it, you are going to like it big time and - as it is an extend series (a trilogy already and a quadrology (?) underway) - you are going to have a lot to enjoy. The earlier, complementary series by Stirling, _Island in the Sea of Time_, in which Nantucket is catapulted back to the Bronze Age (certainly apocalyptic for the residents!) is, to my mind, better than \*Dies the Fire \* but, again, if you don’t like Stirling’s style you’ll hate it as well. [/QUOTE] I’m just finishing _Meeting at Corvallis_–the last book in the “later” series. Not “fine literature”–but highly addictive. In alternative history, I can forgive less than subtle characterization if the world is built well. And Stirling’s stuff isn’t as macho as some. He’s got warrior women as well as warrior men! Stirling’s _The Peshawar Lancers_ shows a very different post apocalyptic world–several generations after a huge comet destroyed most of “Western Civilization.” Truly a ripping yarn & definitely in need of a sequel–or prequel. (I agree with most of those here about the “classic” stories in the genre. You know, the artier ones.) ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2008, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-post-apocalyptic-fiction/432304/45 "2008-01-08T14:41:12Z")
I was going to mention **The Handmaid’s tale** by Atwood as well, I had to study that for A-level and it was a great read - although it’s getting a bit too uncomfortable to reality for me at the moment. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2008, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-post-apocalyptic-fiction/432304/46 "2008-01-08T14:43:37Z")
[QUOTE=MarcusF] Is there a pattern with Zsofia and Baldwin? Both been in or around the SCA and hate it, I have had no contact with any recreationists and loved it. [/QUOTE] No, no – I wouldn’t keep doing it if I didn’t like it. But there are many silly aspects to my chosen hobby. ETA: I just realized you were talking about hating _Dies the Fire_; sorry. I haven’t read the whole book, but did in fact dislike what I read; both stupid and badly written. Kind of a personal wankfest for the author, I think. Has anybody mentioned _Lot’s Daughter_? Actually, I think that was one of a series of short stories, by Ward Moore (and I may be wrong about the author, too). In the 1950s and '60s, the possibility of WWIII knocking civilization to smithereens overnight was a constant background for science fiction stories. In the 1960s there was a remarkable series of novels by J.G. Ballard, depicting various world-ending (or at least world-changing) scenarios: _The Wind From Nowhere_; involves a wind. From nowhere. _The Burning World_, vt _The Drought_. _The Drowned World_; heightened output by the Sun melts all the ice and turns much of the Earth into sweltering tropics. (It occurs to me that part of that book, where they’re blocking off and draining a section of a flooded city to recover some of what’s left of the past, is echoed in a passage in Kim Stanley Robinson’s _Blue Mars_.) _The Crystal World_; really strange one involving some phenomenon that is crystallizing both plants and animals. This is from memory; hope I’ve got it right. I guess these might be considered apocalyptic rather than post-apocalyptic. I remember a novel called (if I remember) _Riddley Walker_, set in Britain; that was pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Purl_McKnittington)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2008, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-post-apocalyptic-fiction/432304/47 "2008-01-08T14:51:33Z")
[QUOTE=MarcusF] Is there a pattern with Zsofia and Baldwin? Both been in or around the SCA and hate it, I have had no contact with any recreationists and loved it. [/QUOTE] I liked it a lot, and I dabble in SCA-like things. I guess I have the ability to be vastly amused by the more obsessed folks idiosyncrasies, though. Or I find it easy to just nod and smile. I agree with others that it’s not great literature, though. It’s just addictive, like potato chips. The beginning while they’re all trekking hither and yon on bicycles is pretty annoying, though. ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2008, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-post-apocalyptic-fiction/432304/48 "2008-01-08T15:03:16Z")
I prefer Post Toasties, myself. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2008, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-post-apocalyptic-fiction/432304/49 "2008-01-08T15:03:48Z")
[QUOTE=Baldwin] I did read the passage where the bad, evil SCA guy shows how evil he is by arming prisoners and then, wearing chainmail and using a shield and sword, killing them. Seemed like bullshit to me; I could take that guy. And the writing was pretty bad. [/QUOTE] If you recall, they weren’t just prisoners - they were cops and soldiers. Every time somebody said something like, “I’m involved in an organization where we do fighting that’s as close as you can come to hardcore medieval combat without getting killed!” I had to stifle my gales of laughter so the nurses wouldn’t think something weird was going on in Examining Room 4. One assumes the author has _seen_ SCA combat? And yeah, I guess that familiarity with the reenactor set does breed some dislike of the book - trust me, most of those Blessed Be types? They’re going to be the first ones we eat. (And there’s gonna be a _lot_ of calories on 'em, too, so it will be a very efficient use of our time and effort.) ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2008, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-post-apocalyptic-fiction/432304/50 "2008-01-08T15:15:17Z")
PS - yes, I did get the vaccine, but I’ll have to pay for it myself - I asked about it last year, when I was 26 (the last “recommended” year) and they didn’t have it yet, and I forgot about it, and now I’m too old and the insurance will probably not cover it. Also, my arm hurts, and I have to go back for two more shots. Worth it, though, if it does what it’s supposed to do. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2008, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-post-apocalyptic-fiction/432304/51 "2008-01-08T15:47:34Z")
[QUOTE=Zsofia] … - trust me, most of those Blessed Be types? They’re going to be the first ones we eat. … [/QUOTE] Stop! I need to breath. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Purl_McKnittington)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2008, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-post-apocalyptic-fiction/432304/52 "2008-01-08T16:04:55Z")
[QUOTE=Zsofia] And yeah, I guess that familiarity with the reenactor set does breed some dislike of the book - trust me, most of those Blessed Be types? They’re going to be the first ones we eat. (And there’s gonna be a _lot_ of calories on 'em, too, so it will be a very efficient use of our time and effort.) [/QUOTE] Yeah, the Blessed Be types drove me absolutely wild. Both in real life and in the book, though I find them slightly more tolerable in real life. Maybe I haven’t run into the truly hardcore ones in real life though – or maybe I’m just really intimidating with my agnosticism. Yeah, that’s it. _Riddley Walker_ is pretty good, too, though many find it frustrating to read. It’s in a speculative version of what English could develop to after the apocalypse, and it’s written kind of stream of consciousness style. Reading the most challenging parts aloud helps, but it’s pretty slow going all the same. ---
**Author:** ![joemama24\_98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ce7236/32.png) [@joemama24\_98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joemama24_98)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2008, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-post-apocalyptic-fiction/432304/53 "2008-01-08T18:00:04Z")
you will probably also enjoy Swan Song, by Robert R. McKammon. Very similar in writing style, with a similar “mystical” element to the story line. [Swan Song](http://www.amazon.com/Swan-Song-Robert-McCammon/dp/0671741039/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1199815157&sr=8-2) ---
**Author:** ![Atrael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Atrael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atrael)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2008, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-post-apocalyptic-fiction/432304/54 "2008-01-08T18:22:24Z")
A bit off topic, but if you didn’t like that particular series by Stirling, do give [_The Conquistadors_](http://www.amazon.com/Conquistador-Alternate-History-S-M-Stirling/dp/0451459334/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1199816592&sr=1-3) a try. I couldn’t get through any of that stupid series, but I did like that stand alone book a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2008, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-post-apocalyptic-fiction/432304/55 "2008-01-08T20:18:38Z")
Gwyneth Jones (not the opera singer) has written a fascinating series beginning with _[Bold As Love](http://www.boldaslove.co.uk/)_. This particular apocalypse has mostly damaged the (former) UK and Europe. And our main characters are trying to save the world–with love & rock & roll. It’s about time for me to reread these fascinating books. I picked up a copy of the first one at Half Price Books & have diligently sought out the sequels. Perhaps they are considered “too British” for us Yanks? Am I the only Doper who’s read them? ---
**Author:** ![MrFantsyPants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@MrFantsyPants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrFantsyPants)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2008, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-post-apocalyptic-fiction/432304/56 "2008-01-08T21:13:42Z")
One of the best such novels I have read is [This is The Way The World Ends](http://www.amazon.com/This-World-Ends-James-Morrow/dp/0156002086/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1199826744&sr=8-1) by \* James Morrow\*. One of the most emotionally affective books I’ve read. Highly recommended. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2008, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-post-apocalyptic-fiction/432304/57 "2008-01-09T03:24:13Z")
I guess you could describe _After Worlds Collide_ as post-apocalyptic. But when it takes place, Earth has been totally destroyed and the book is entirely set on a different planet, so it’s really more a story of colonizing a new world. ---
**Author:** ![Coil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Coil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coil)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2008, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-post-apocalyptic-fiction/432304/58 "2008-01-09T11:21:37Z")
I liked Dies the Fire and the sequels. I have not been a member of the SCA. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-post-apocalyptic-fiction/432304.md?page=2)