books
through the charlotte ahlin
Is it just me, or is it getting a little... apocalyptic in here? I don't know if anyone has been checking the news lately, but at this rate I'm worried I won't have time to enjoy mine.The Maid's Story-Styleretrograde antifeministdystopian police stateprior toclimate changetakes you and me underwater. It's a scary time to be human (and an embarrassing time to be an American). The good news is that you still can.become a big nuisanceto the forces of hatred and injustice. The bad news is... everything else. So if it has to betaking a breakFrom the constant stream of scary news, here are some fun, heartwarming, and oddly hopeful books about the end of the world.
Look, I'm not saying it's time to move on from "How can we save the world?" to "well there are someadvantagefor the imminent end of mankind?" It's time to vote, organize and make some noise. Giving up all hope is not a particularly useful strategy for major political change, and it certainly won't wake you up in the morning. But if you constantly imagine disasters , horrors, and zombie wastelands, these books can help you overcome some of those fears (and have a good laugh along the way):
"Station Eleven" by Emily St. John Mandel
Of course, a super flu wiped out most of humanity and civilization as we know it collapsed. But the Traveling Symphony is still on the move, bringing music and the works of Shakespeare to the scattered enclaves of survivors. That's because "surviving is not enough". Even in this dark future of disease, violence, and scary cults, people still fall in love, make art, and find new ways to get beyond mere survival.
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
the apocalypse ingood omensIt's not due to a pandemic outbreak or ecological meltdown or even zombies: it's good old-fashioned Judeo-Christian Judgment Day. The restless angel Aziraphale and the demon genius Crowley are responsible for initiating the end times, but there's only one minor setback: they've misled the Antichrist.good omensit's a hysterically funny take on metaphysical bureaucracy and an absurd (but heartbreaking) story of doomsday.
"A Hundred Apocalypses and Other Apocalypses" by Lucy Corin
Why settle for just one apocalypse when you can have a hundred? Lucy Corin's witty and explosive collection of short (and very short) fiction explores the many, many different ways the world could end. It's ridiculous, weird and hopeful at the same time that Corin's "apocalypses" can spell the devastating end of a relationship.othe total destruction of the planet (basically the same thing).
"Zona uno" de Colson Whitehead
There was a zombie apocalypse, etc., etc. But now the plague has finally receded and Americans are starting to rebuild. That means repopulating Manhattan, clearing out what's left of the undead, and dealing with the stragglers: those near-catatonic individuals obsessed with their past lives.Zone Einsis a tongue-in-cheek spin on the classic zombie story. There's a lot of horror and instances of post-apocalyptic stress disorder, but there's also a plot that weakens many of the jaded zombies.
"Cat's Cradle" by Kurt Vonnegut
I hesitate to callcat beda "fun" book. It's hilarious, yes, but in a bitter, deadpan, "we're all going to die" kind of way. So if irony and dark humor is your thing, pick up Kurt Vonnegut's (arguably) most disturbing book about religion and madness and a deadly chemist capable of freezing all the liquids on the planet at once. You'll never take running water for granted again.
"The fifth season" by N.K. jemisin
The "silence" ofthe fifth seasonIt's not exactly Earth as we know it. It is an alternate world, or Earth in the far future, plagued by seismic activity and cycles of violent destruction. The apocalyptic season has just begun. Earthquakes threaten to devastate the countrycenturies.But none of that matters to Essun. Her family has already been torn apart and she herself will break the ground if it means finding her daughter again. Essun's determination will carry her through the most unnatural of natural disasters as the world crumbles around her.
"Book M" by Peng Shepherd
The shadows of people begin to disappear. It's spreading like a plague. The Shadowless gain strange new powers, but at a terrible cost: the loss of all their memories. And when that happens to Max, she flees before he poses a threat to her husband, Ory. But Ory refuses to give up on Max. Even in the midst of bandits, war, and a terrifying shadow cult, Ory will stop at nothing to find his wife and find a cure for oblivion.
Oryx e Crake de Margaret Atwood
Like all good post-apocalyptic "love stories" by Margaret Atwood,Orix e Crakethis will make you very uncomfortable and very angry with most of the men in your life. But it will also offer a startling glimpse into a future invaded by genetically engineered creatures, lush beautiful nature and very human emotions of heartbreak, love and loss.
"The Lost World" by Nick Harkaway
The world has been decimated by the "Go-Away War". Go-Away Bombs are capable of destroying everything in their path without leaving a single piece of rubble behind. But there's a catch: "Go-Away" bombs create swirling storms of "things" that take the form of what you're thinking or what you're afraid of. Despite this uniquely gruesome premise,the deceasedWorld is an incredibly fun adventure in a desert where two friends try to protect what's left of humanity from fantasy ghosts and predatory corporations.
'Herr. Burns: A Post-Electric Work by Anne Washburn
mister burnsit's technically a play, but no catalog of post-apocalyptic fiction is complete without it. Civilization has fallen, you know, but people still gather around the campfire to retell their favorite episode.The Simpsons.Over time, as humans begin to rebuild, this episode seeps into oral history and becomes a darkly hilarious demonstration of the power of storytelling.
"Gelo" by Anna Kavan
Our anonymous narrator wanders a frozen, post-apocalyptic landscape in search of a fragile, silver-haired woman. But someone else is also looking for this woman: a man named Warden. He must not find her first.esis an achingly beautiful, slightly mind-bending novel that forces you to question the motivations behind the classic story of the man who saves a girl from the apocalypse.
"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams
Nobody can make you laugh at the apocalypse like Douglas Adams. Early on in the ill-named first novel in Hitchiker's trilogy, planet Earth explodes to make way for a hyperspace bypass. That's where the fun begins in this series of utterly nonsensical, utterly brilliant novels about finding meaning in a meaningless universe.
"The Parable of the Sower" by Octavia Butler
parable of the sowerrequired reading foroneliving this present moment in history. I don't know how Octavia Butler managed it, but she accurately predicted our current state of ecological and economic catastrophe, with a demagogic president, rampant income inequality, and California wildfires.parable of the sowerit's about the collapse of civilization. But it's also about Lauren, a young woman with extreme empathy who is determined to create something.novoworld for you and everyone else who still wants to build something beautiful. It is a book full of very real horrors and immense hope. Read it. You will not regret.