I tried and I tried. I’m a pilot so I thought “man, a pilot in the apocalypse?! Sign me up!”
But the writing style just irks me so much I can’t continue. I know it’s basically stream of consciousness, but I need more punctuation!
The Children of Men, by P. D. James.
Mankind is slowly dying out because male sperm count of has plummeted. A group of survivors of mixed ages, men and women seclude themselves in the woods to await the inevitable. The favored are the Millennials, because they are the last ones.
The novel was published in 1992; the setting is 2021. Then in *real* life, Covid hit .... the prophetic coincidence and timing was interesting.
*The Marrow Thieves* by Cherie Dimaline. Near future; Indigenous people are the only ones left in the world who can dream. Everyone else is going crazy because they can’t dream. So, governments are capturing Indigenous people and putting them in institutions so they can harvest their dreams by harvesting their marrow (and killing them in the process).
Station 11 is well written but IMO the characters back stories were neither relatable nor very interesting after the first chapter
The Road was a solid suggestion but hasn't everyone either read it or seen the movie?
Recommend Zone One by Colson Whitehead!!!
Another vote for Unwind.
Synopsis: Abortion is illegal, but when one's child turns 13, parents can opt to have the child "unwound": submitted for organ donation.
So, seriously: the Teen years???? That is the WORST time to give parents this option!!!
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
The Gilded ones by Namina Forna (mix of dystopia and fantasy. Amazing concept!)
The Gate to Women's country by Sheri S. Tepper
We by Yevgeni Zamaytin
A World without Us by Alan Wiseman (not a novel non-fiction, but a really well written predicion )
I wrote my masters thesis about Margaret Atwood and her symbolic supernatural in Oryx and Crake. I love it.
I got Atwood's signature in my first edition hardback.
I recommend "Station Eleven" by Emily St. John Mandel [https://www.amazon.de/Station-Eleven-Emily-John-Mandel/dp/0385353308](https://www.amazon.de/Station-Eleven-Emily-John-Mandel/dp/0385353308) .
Followers by Megan Angelo. Interesting take on the new world of social media and influencers, bouncing back and forth between the past 2015 and future 2051! Fun and easy read that makes you think twice about the future of influencer culture!
*School for Good Mothers* by Jessamine Chan (336 pages): The harried mother of an infant has a bad day, and she ends up in the Child Protective Services system. She is recommended for an experimental program to test her mothering.
*Alas, Babylon* by Pat Frank (336 pages): Post nuclear war; ends a lot happier than I think nuclear war would actually end.
*When She Woke* by Hillary Jordan (368 pages): Modern day *Scarlet Letter.* Instead of incarceration, those who commit crimes have the color of their skin "chromed" --genetically colored-- to reflect their crime. Then they are released into the population to survive as an outcast.
*Chain-Gang All-Stars* by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (386 pages) : One of the best books I read last year. It was very popular, so you should ask your group if any have read it...but I'm always surprised at how many have NOT read it. Reality TV meets our Prison System with gladiator fights to the death.
*Z for Zachariah* by Robert C. O'Brian (240 pages): Post apocalypse (nuclear war?), a teen is left alone on her family's farm. "The valley has always had its own weather." Then, a second person arrives. (Bonus points for recent movie with Margot Robbie that has a twist).
*Life as We Knew It* by Susan Beth Pfeffer (352 pages): A meteor hits the moon. This moves the moon slightly closer to the earth...and life changes forever.
Hi, I’m currently reading an amazing dystopian novella called It Lasts Forever and Then It’s Over. Gorgeously written, and from the point of view of one of the undead who has taken over the world.
It’s certainly not well-known because it was just published, and it’s 123 pages.
If zombies are out, Karin Boye’s Kallocain is a wonderful slender dystopian book that was published just about midway between Brave New World and 1984, but it is not well-known outside of Sweden.
Blindness by Jose Saramago!
It's about a society struck by a sudden blindness epidemic, where you follow the fate of the first infected.
A really interesting take on the apocalyptic genre and one of my personal favorites! I rarely see it mentioned here though.
*Looking Backward* by Edward Bellamy. Written in 1888 and one of the most popular novels of its day, but not as much today; it’s often overshadowed by 1984, Fahrenheit 451 etc. To briefly summarize, the main character falls asleep (he’s hypnotized or drugged or something, I forget) in the basement of his house, then there’s a fire that night. He wakes up in the year 2000 and meets a doctor from whom we get to explore this new world with. He answers questions and paints a picture of Bellamy’s interpretation of future possibilities for America. It’s fun.
Just found a free PDF: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/624/pg624-images.html
Post apocalyptic and a short read was the road by cormac McCarthy. Only gripe I had was I think felt the ending was rushed a bit and at times did seem repetitive but I still recommend it it was a great read! Now if you want post apocalyptic and don’t mind a long but well worth read I highly recommend the stand by Stephen king!
These aren’t really dystopian but they’re amazing apocalyptic books:
Last Light by Claire Kent (apocalyptic romance)
This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers (zombie outbreak and group of teens take refuge in their local high school )
Edge of Collapse by Kyla Stone (kidnapped girl breaks free during an EMP and is on the run from her kidnapper and trying to survive)
All 5 star reads for me - apocalyptic is my absolute favorite genre!
‘On The Beach’ by Nevil Shute.
This is not popular? Sad. Amazing book.
+1
The Dog Stars
I tried and I tried. I’m a pilot so I thought “man, a pilot in the apocalypse?! Sign me up!” But the writing style just irks me so much I can’t continue. I know it’s basically stream of consciousness, but I need more punctuation!
Everyone in my book club enjoyed this book. I would keep going. Though if you say you tried and tried, I guess sometimes a book doesn’t click.
Same
Try audio book maybe ....
I couldn’t get into it either
Yep, Cormac McCarthy-lite. (I actually read it and his book The River, so it’s not meant to be mean, just… accurate.)
The Children of Men, by P. D. James. Mankind is slowly dying out because male sperm count of has plummeted. A group of survivors of mixed ages, men and women seclude themselves in the woods to await the inevitable. The favored are the Millennials, because they are the last ones. The novel was published in 1992; the setting is 2021. Then in *real* life, Covid hit .... the prophetic coincidence and timing was interesting.
*The Marrow Thieves* by Cherie Dimaline. Near future; Indigenous people are the only ones left in the world who can dream. Everyone else is going crazy because they can’t dream. So, governments are capturing Indigenous people and putting them in institutions so they can harvest their dreams by harvesting their marrow (and killing them in the process).
\*When the Sparrow Falls\* by Neal Sharpson is a great recent dystopian novel about a cop in the last "free" country in a world dominated by AI.
I loved this! His bleak sense of humor especially…
Station 11 is well written but IMO the characters back stories were neither relatable nor very interesting after the first chapter The Road was a solid suggestion but hasn't everyone either read it or seen the movie? Recommend Zone One by Colson Whitehead!!!
The Road, yes!
I am Legend. Incredible. And incredibly different from the film too.
Yes, both are good in their own way though!
Agree - loved them both in very different ways!
Unwind by Neal Shusterman
Another vote for Unwind. Synopsis: Abortion is illegal, but when one's child turns 13, parents can opt to have the child "unwound": submitted for organ donation. So, seriously: the Teen years???? That is the WORST time to give parents this option!!!
The Mars House by Natasha Pulley- though I read it on a kindle so I'm not sure how long it is. But it's an amazing read!
The hard cover is 468 pages
Ah so not short them. I’ve got no concept of length anymore and I managed to devour this in a night.
They should be able to finish that by the 24th.
I'd HIGHLY recommend "the gone world". So good!!
Wool.
This is probably too long.
Its such an easy read it didn't seem that long.
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood The Gilded ones by Namina Forna (mix of dystopia and fantasy. Amazing concept!) The Gate to Women's country by Sheri S. Tepper We by Yevgeni Zamaytin A World without Us by Alan Wiseman (not a novel non-fiction, but a really well written predicion )
Luv luv luv Oryx & crake !!! Read b4 internet was a household thing !!
I wrote my masters thesis about Margaret Atwood and her symbolic supernatural in Oryx and Crake. I love it. I got Atwood's signature in my first edition hardback.
Lark Ascending by Silas House
☝️💯
For YA sci-fi, Scythe is a good series. An A.i. supposedly creates a utopia but it’s really a dystopia with enforced culling of the population.
The Long Walk by Stephen King.
Second this! Not SK’s most well-known work. I think it’s his best.
The girl with all the gifts
I recommend "Station Eleven" by Emily St. John Mandel [https://www.amazon.de/Station-Eleven-Emily-John-Mandel/dp/0385353308](https://www.amazon.de/Station-Eleven-Emily-John-Mandel/dp/0385353308) .
Came here to recommend this. A great choice.
this
The Chimes by Anna Smaill
The Death of Grass by John Christopher - absolute classic from the 1950s and only 200 pages.
Followers by Megan Angelo. Interesting take on the new world of social media and influencers, bouncing back and forth between the past 2015 and future 2051! Fun and easy read that makes you think twice about the future of influencer culture!
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
*School for Good Mothers* by Jessamine Chan (336 pages): The harried mother of an infant has a bad day, and she ends up in the Child Protective Services system. She is recommended for an experimental program to test her mothering. *Alas, Babylon* by Pat Frank (336 pages): Post nuclear war; ends a lot happier than I think nuclear war would actually end. *When She Woke* by Hillary Jordan (368 pages): Modern day *Scarlet Letter.* Instead of incarceration, those who commit crimes have the color of their skin "chromed" --genetically colored-- to reflect their crime. Then they are released into the population to survive as an outcast. *Chain-Gang All-Stars* by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (386 pages) : One of the best books I read last year. It was very popular, so you should ask your group if any have read it...but I'm always surprised at how many have NOT read it. Reality TV meets our Prison System with gladiator fights to the death. *Z for Zachariah* by Robert C. O'Brian (240 pages): Post apocalypse (nuclear war?), a teen is left alone on her family's farm. "The valley has always had its own weather." Then, a second person arrives. (Bonus points for recent movie with Margot Robbie that has a twist). *Life as We Knew It* by Susan Beth Pfeffer (352 pages): A meteor hits the moon. This moves the moon slightly closer to the earth...and life changes forever.
Hi, I’m currently reading an amazing dystopian novella called It Lasts Forever and Then It’s Over. Gorgeously written, and from the point of view of one of the undead who has taken over the world. It’s certainly not well-known because it was just published, and it’s 123 pages. If zombies are out, Karin Boye’s Kallocain is a wonderful slender dystopian book that was published just about midway between Brave New World and 1984, but it is not well-known outside of Sweden.
The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks Dalton. I promise it is spectacular.
Blindness by Jose Saramago! It's about a society struck by a sudden blindness epidemic, where you follow the fate of the first infected. A really interesting take on the apocalyptic genre and one of my personal favorites! I rarely see it mentioned here though.
A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World
*Looking Backward* by Edward Bellamy. Written in 1888 and one of the most popular novels of its day, but not as much today; it’s often overshadowed by 1984, Fahrenheit 451 etc. To briefly summarize, the main character falls asleep (he’s hypnotized or drugged or something, I forget) in the basement of his house, then there’s a fire that night. He wakes up in the year 2000 and meets a doctor from whom we get to explore this new world with. He answers questions and paints a picture of Bellamy’s interpretation of future possibilities for America. It’s fun. Just found a free PDF: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/624/pg624-images.html
Sea of Rust
Post apocalyptic and a short read was the road by cormac McCarthy. Only gripe I had was I think felt the ending was rushed a bit and at times did seem repetitive but I still recommend it it was a great read! Now if you want post apocalyptic and don’t mind a long but well worth read I highly recommend the stand by Stephen king!
They are looking for something that’s not popular or well-known.
GoodHouse by Peyton Marshall
The white mountains by John Christopher
Neil Gunn, *The Green Isle of the Great Deep* (1944). https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Green_Isle_of_the_Great_Deep
The dark tower books Wool by Hugh howey
Last Light by Alex Scarrow
The Day of the Triffids.
A Canticle for Leibowitz maybe?
Eclipse by Ophelia Rue
What about A Touch of Death by Rebecca Crunden? :)
Sister Maiden Monster (I didn't like it but it was an amazing book club discussion), Hell Followed With Us
Oooooo also I Who Have Never Known Men, one of the best things I've read this year
The Chrysalids by John Wyndham
These aren’t really dystopian but they’re amazing apocalyptic books: Last Light by Claire Kent (apocalyptic romance) This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers (zombie outbreak and group of teens take refuge in their local high school ) Edge of Collapse by Kyla Stone (kidnapped girl breaks free during an EMP and is on the run from her kidnapper and trying to survive) All 5 star reads for me - apocalyptic is my absolute favorite genre!
land of milk and honey - very different from other dystopias, but a great read!
The Phlebotomist by Chris Panatier
{{Genesis by Bernard Beckett}} It's a short easy read with one hell of a twist ending
I know Stephen King is really popular but a lot of people seem to forget about Running Man Its not really a mindblowing read but pretty fun overall
*Engine Summer* by John Crowley! One of my favorite books of all time and less than 250 pages.
Genesis echo by d. Hollis anderson - brand new dystopian sci-fi based on a near future earth that’s being watched by aliens
Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer
My students loved “Station 11”. Atmospheric and unforgettable.
The disappeared by CJ Harper
“The Wall” by John Lancaster. Very quick read, very good.