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I’m a FReeper of the apocalypse (sign up date) but I’m still awaiting word from the other 3. So far, nuthin.
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George Orwell gets the trophy, as far as I’m concerned.
Not only was his apocalyptic vision inventive, it was also enormously prescient, even if his timing was off by a few years.
No Earth Abides? No Terminator? Bah!
Detroit should be on that list.
As he described the various calamities (Such as a tidal wave washing across Florida from the Atlantic to the Gulf) the hostess (who, with her husband, were planning to move to Florida in next year) turns to her husband and says in her finest "dumb blonde" voice (She's no dumb blond) "Vin, that's going to put a real damper on our Florida plans!"
I just fell out laughing!
When I sent them a card for their housewarming, I did this Photoshop for the front:
Lucifer’s Hammer.
Alas Babylon!
Did they include modern day Detroit?
On Dec 21st 2012, the last Twinkie on a store shelf will disappear. The entire Mayan end of world prophecy involves Twinkies. Really, that’s all.
This list is a load of steaming horse-dung.
Especially listing the Bible as the reason for it all: “the desire for a clean slate motivates end-of-the-world imaginings.”
And where’s Waterworld? Terminator? The Matrix? I Am Legend? On The Beach? 1984?
As my daughters would say: “Buffy? Really? Seriously?”
I always enjoyed “The Omega Man” with Charlton Heston.
They forgot Al Gores Undeniable Spoof. But then nobody really believes it.
For me, it is The Stand. I’ve read it at least 10 times. Post-apocalyptic fiction is actually my favorite genre. My top five are, in order, The Stand,, The Passage, The Hunger Games Trilogy, Lucifer’s Hammer and Swan Song. My husband says I’m morbid, but I’ve been reading every post-aplocolyptic book I can find since I was in high school many, many moons ago.
Wells' character jumped past it into the future.
So that would be the first post-apocalyptic world in fiction I became acquainted with.
After that, there were many, Dr. Strangelove..., A Canticle for Leibowitz, Lucifer's Hammer, Trinity's Child, Planet of the Apes, The Day After, Nuclear Winter (scientific papers, but perhaps not quite as scientific as they were thought to be), The Stand, The Road, The Book of Eli, The Road Warrior, On the Beach, Damnation Alley, Nightfall, The Last Ship, and others.
Of them all, I'd have to say my favorite remains The Stand. I liked the book that Eli was carrying (which made the ending better)... Planet of the Apes remains a favorite (actually, the whole earlier series of movies, too), and The Last Ship, though it may not have been a common book, was an interesting read.
And then there are the Mack Bolan series, The Executioner, and other serial novels much like reading Louis L'Amour Westerns, which were fine for 'snack' reading.