I love a good cataclysm. There are some I will be reading, Earth Abides is on the west face of Mt Toberead. As kid I remember when things like Forbidden Planet were still Friday night movies on the TV. So it is that I became a fan of the late great George Pal. You can imagine my excitement to get my hands on a copy of the novel of When Worlds Collide (1933 by Edwin Balmer and Philip Wylie). Now there are some minor religious overtones in the movie version which I attributed to Pal or a producer but when I read the book I realised I owed them a huge apology. It was a very near DNF because a lot of it is written like a sermon about how humanity deserves annihilation (mostly because Jazz exists apparently). I've never encountered so much overt religiosity in SF before. That's like mixing acids and bases, lol.
Hi Jon. Very exhaustive overview I must say. Fascinating subject of course. I'd like to recommend a recently read book and an old classic in the post disaster category if I may. Edmund Coopers The Tenth Planet in which the remnants of a dead Earth arrive at the previously uncharted tenth planet (via Mars) and become a stagnant, unambitious society - until the arrival of a dead astronaut. Then there's Harlan Ellison's A Boy And His Dog - technically a novella - which deals with a brutal and uncompromising journey through post-apocalyptic America. My two penny's worth . . .
I've read Greybeard which as you said was beautifully written, loved it. Earth Abides puzzled me with the way Ish kind of made a half-hearted attempt to teach the children, but seemed to give up pretty quickly. Overall I enjoyed it, but had some issues with it. Station Eleven was scarily prescient when it came out in 2015. I can't stop thinking about that plane that landed at the airport and just parked away from the terminal and nobody ever disembarked... I read A Canticle for Liebowitz a million years ago when I was young and just got another copy so I can re-read it. I remember I loved it at the time, but don't recall much of the story now. Lots of new-to-me titles here, adding to my TBR!! LOL
I will always champion Blood Music by Greg Bear about our world, at least, coming to an end in favour of something very different. And I once found a book called “Dust” ,by Charles Pellegrino, about the Earth’s biosphere apparently turning on humanity unexpectedly.Great video!
Blood Music is awesome! One of the most densely packed (with ideas) by the great Greg Bear. 🙂😉. Recommend Infinity Concerto and the Serpent Mage if you want Greg writing in the Fantasy genre, yet even more densely packed with ideas. 😮
Excellent work putting this together - been looking forward to this one. Got a couple more to add to my tbr now, but pleased to say that most of these I've either already read or own and waiting on my shelf 😁
Very good video. Some other recomendations: Nanotechnology - Moonseed by Stephen Baxter Asteroid impact - Shiva Descending by Gregory Benford & William Rotsler, The Last Policeman trilogy by Ben Winters Alien Invasion - The Last Mile by Tim Waggoner Alien Years by Robert Silverberg The Border by Robert Mccammon The Immaculate Void by Brian Hodge Nuclear War - Swan Song by Robert Mccammon, On The Beach by Nevil Shute Undead - Cell by Stephen King, The Way of All Flesh by Tim Waggoner Also you should have added a category of of some kind of transendence, evolutionary or biological like in Clarke's. Childhood's End or Greg Bear's Blood Music
Great video jon very entertaining . If you like these books may I recommend the black cloud by Fred Hoyle . I do like the sound of seveneves and Lucifer‘s hammer.
Cosmic weather apocalypses are rare but there are some. Radix by A.A. Attanasio has an apocalypse caused by finding itself in the random wake of a wormhole projecting black hole.
I was not familair with Road to Corlay - need to add that one to my list in this sub-genre. Cowper also wrote Kuldesak which takes place a couple thousand years after a holocaust. I was also not familiar with The Deluge by THAT author, but did know of The Deluge by Mark Morris! Not sure I would consider The Handmaid's Tale post-apocalyptic, but certainly dystopian, but who's splitting hairs when it comes to misery. You've hit on a bunch of the well known hits for sure. My current PA collector list (not owned, but to one day be owned!) stands at just under 500 books and is continually growing. The Dog Stars is one of the more recent reads that I really enjoyed. If you want a pulpy Moorcock book then The Ice Schooner is a fun read. Great video. Was looking forward to you running this one out!
Wow 500!!! That is dedication for sure! Fair point re Handmaid's Tale, although one might argue it's a slow-motion end of the world tale, since so few children are born, would be well below the replacement rate. Anyway your point is well made (or maid!). Cheers, thanks for watching 👀!
I read Nevil Shute's "On the beach" about 60 years ago when the USA and the USSR were locked in the deadly game of international brinkmanship called The Cold War. I lived just a few miles from a major U.S. Air Force airbase and everyone knew we would be one of the first areas hit in the event of thermonuclear war. "On the beach" was absolutely horrifying to my then teen self and I am frightened to this day that our world came so close to the nightmare described in that amazing novel.
@@SciFiScavenger Yes, very depressing but Shute was a very fine writer and some of those images have stuck with me for 60+ years! Enjoyed this segment very much!!!
I remembered I was going to mention On the Beach by Aussie thriller writer Nevil Shute. The book is on Mt. Toberead (surprisingly hard to find in Australia) but I've seen the Gregory Peck movie many times. PS. No alien invasions? I do hope you'll cover them too.
That would have been a good category. I did include The Kraken Wakes, but in the flood category. Alien invasion could be a different video by itself. I read On The Beach years and years agoznremember it being a bit dry (ironically). Cheers Brian, thanks for watching 👀!
Of the ones you mentioned that I have actually read, these are my 5 out of 5 star reads: The Day of the Triffids The Sheep Look Up The Handmaid’s Tale Alas, Babylon Earth Abides The Stand The Scarlet Plague…… And then there’s Dr Bloodmoney, which is my favourite of all the novels you talked about - which means it’s my favourite PKD novel, my favourite apocalyptic read, and in fact it makes my Top Ten in terms of SF reads, probably around # 8 or 9. I just love it. Others I really enjoyed: The Death of Grass Parable of the Sower Riddley Walker Greybeard I have also read: The Kraken Wakes, Flood, The Drowned World, The Postman, I Am Legend, The Girl with all the Gifts, World War Z, The Long Tomorrow, A Canticle for Leibowitz, The Chrysalids, Ice, and Where Late The Sweet Birds Sang; only The Girl with all the Gifts really disappointed me even though a lot of people seem to love that one. Unfinished, in first attempt: Shelley’s The Last Man No I did not like it much: Oryx & Crake Recommended as well: Deluge, by S. Fowler Wright Greener Than You Think, by Ward Moore The Hopkins Manuscript, by R. C. Sherriff When Worlds Collide, and After Worlds Collide, by Philip Wylie and Edwin Balmer ‘48, by James Herbert Aftermath, by Charles Sheffield Goslings (aka World Without Men) by J. D. Beresford Theodore Savage, by Cicely Hamilton Five to Twelve, by Edmund Hamilton The People of the Ruins, by Edward Shanks Nordenholt’s Million, by J. J. Connington A lot of these suggestions come from 1904-1933, as a result of me doing a deep dive into SF’s “Radium Age”. I’m sure I could come up with more books marketed as Horror, if I really took time, but I could only come up with Herbert’s vampire novel, ‘48, off the top of my head.
Oops, can’t do an Edit on this thing, apparently, so let me correct something: Five to Twelve is by Edmund Cooper, not Edmund Hamilton (I blame Cicely Hamilton!).
@@SciFiScavenger Fair enough. That means I’ve got time to sneak in The Man Who Awoke by Laurence Manning, and The Shore of Women by Pamela Sargent. Now I’ll stop.
11:50 - Speaking of flood brought by our own greed, short sightedness and stupidity, I admit I prefer slightly more optimistic outlook like in novels by Kim Stanley Robinson.
You just had to pick one so close to my heart. Thanks for this, I needed this this morning. I would recommend 'The Vortex: An Apocalyptic Thriller (The End Is Here Book 1)' by Ian Fieldman. Yes, he is a newer writer, but the story is amazing and I have the preorder for his next book. From what I have heard through the grape vine, there might be a book 4 and I can't wait.
@@user-mb9ll9wy6g Sorry if I came across as rude (or at least I hope I didn't). Good afternoon to you. I am always happy to see others who have a love for this genre. Happy reading and if you run into anything fun please send it my way.
Hey Jon, how was the run this weekend? Man, I hate this sub-genre of SF. And I was shocked how many books you´ve mentioned I´ve actually read over the decades. Personal faves are Canticle For Leibowitz and Parable of the Sower. Cheers! EDIT PS: I also want to mention Cordwainer Smith´s Instrumentality of Mankind stories which fit IMO into the genre too.
Hi Thorsten, pretty tiring! Slowest 50 miles I've ever done (in a race). Still, nice day out in a beautiful part of the country. Thanks for watching 👀!
@@SciFiScavenger Did you just write 50(!) miles(!) Holy crap. I´ve done walks that far. Or better I had to back in the army, I´ll do 3 to 6 miles walks every day -but FIFTY. Holy....
@ronin47-ThorstenFrank yes, 80km. Pretty hilly too. It was hard work. I've done several at that distance and several even longer (100km, 160km) and for some reason it was a tough day out. 🤷♂️
Soft Apocalypse - 2011 Will Macintosh It's a polarizing novel if you look at Goodreads scores. Occasional one and two stars - But dozens of five stars as well. It's an interesting concept where the story pushes forward as certain groups try to "carry on" as society crumbles around them. It reads like a series of snippets and slices of life. Each few chapters pretty unique although to some the character, anguish and personal struggles might get tiresome. If you read it and soak up the environments and the "slow decay" It's quite plausible and riveting. Definitely worth a shot for anybody. Looking for something slightly different in this genre.
I'm a big fan of S.M. Sterling's "Emberverse" series. One day for no reason at all, though "alien space bats" are suspected, all high-energy reactions stop working. Gunpowder will burn but not explode. Springs will store energy but only to a point. Steam will build pressure but not enough to be useful. Electricity refuses to flow through wires. The first book, "Dies the Fire", is mostly setup where the various factions are initialized with the following two books being mostly the resolution of the question "how do we survive and get along with our neighbors". The next 7 books are an epic quest tale of the original character's children treking across America to recover a macguffin. Magic of a sort returns to the world though it's bound to faith and the variations of it. The final 5 books involve the next generation and how they handle the transition of power and a broadening of the world. Sterling is known for his alternate history work and his tangential Nantucket trilogy is worth a look as the late 90's island is replaced with one from 3000 years prior and the modern day residents have to deal with a pre-christianity world.
@@User_Un_Friendly I've been meaning to read the General series. Picked up the 2nd book at a thrift store a few years back but haven't tracked down the first book yet.
@@SciFiScavenger If you didn't know, Alien Space Bats are a trope of the alternate history genre. Reserved for when the historical divergence is so unlikely to have occurred that it must have been cause by the aforementioned ASBs.
3:30 - This is one of their best. Individual character development as well as the transformation the society goes through is _way_ more realistic than in anything else they wrote.
I really enjoyed Footfall as well. I think Lucifer's Hammer was an early pitch for Footfall, theynwere told to focus on the comet and skip the aliens. It's been many years since I read Lucifer's Hammer, must give another gonat some point. Thanks for watching 👀!
@@SciFiScavenger _Footfall_ is the one with cute elephants who have trouble throwing javelins? I must re-read that one - it was long ago, and I wasn't particularly impressed. I believe it ends in a kind of compromise?
@bazoo513 that's the one! There's also a great example of an Orion spaceship, powered by atom bombs and a pusher plate. It's pretty silly but good fun.
After watching Mad Max 2 for the first time as a teenager, I loved post apocalyptic tales, but I never was particularly interested in the „how“. That might explain why I haven’t read Lucifers Hammer yet, although I own it for about 30 years now. The Road might have been the bleakest book I’ve ever read, but also one of the best. And am I the only one who loved the Postman movie with Kevin Costner?
I don't know if you're the "only" person that loved that Costner movie, but it's a small group! I'm not sure I've ever seen it, will have to look it up. Lucifer's Hammer is great fun, read it! Cheers Michael, thanks for watching 👀!
If you want alien takeover by changing the ecology of Earth, I suggest the series War Against the Chtorr by David Gerrold. The first book (A Matter For Men) is much the best. Originally planned as a trilogy, Gerrold has decided it will comprise six books, with the last two yet to be published. Started in 1983, it's been a long time finishing, probably because it should have stayed as a trilogy.
And likely won't be published sadly. Been decades and the author is too old and those around him claim his brain 🧠 is mush and he's struggling to survive. Unless someone finds manuscripts from 20 years ago..... The series is over. ✅
@@8020Alive That's hard to hear. I really love Gerrold's books, though not the War against the Chtorr. His Star Wolf series is superb, and not to be missed. He pretty much wrote himself into a corner with the last book of the War against the Chtorr, and I've had a morbid anticipation of how he was going to get himself out of making the protagonist into scum...😮😵
@@User_Un_Friendly absolutely agree 💯 - in his prime he's quite talented. STAR hunt (I think it's called that it's the rewrite of yesterday's children or something) Was fascinating to me reading about space dog fighting but with the ships ripping in and out of hyperspace And both sides being blind akin to a submarine battle. Much more realistic than Star wars or Star Trek.
I read about sci-fi book once that takes place on a planet of just Amish people that had a zombie apocalypse. I was trying to find a zombie apocalypse story about Amish people and all I could find was a book based on a title the author made up for a joke xD
Both Postman and War against the Chtorr covered by other posts. Postman is nothing like the horrid movie. Full of ideas, including cyborg super soldiers, an idea lifted from Piper's Cosmic Computer, where sone people pretend they're guided by a genius supercomputer, and a disturbing finale, a movement where women hold themselves responsible for the birth of human monsters, and deciding to enact a (deleted!). Great book, profound impact on me when I read it decades ago. 🥺 War against the Chtorr started off well, books 1 to 3 were eye opening, and grimdark, gritty and dystopian. Book 4 was just WRONG. Recommend skipping it. I think the series came off the rails, and Gerrold couldn't recover. Read his excellent Star Wolf series instead. 😖 Great as usual, Jon. 🫡😉🙂
@@SciFiScavenger Forgot to mention...the people who actually triggered the apocalypse? It wasn't the nuclear war. It was the Survivalist subculture. 😳. The book mentioned how they could have survived the bombs, famine, and the collapse of the economy...if it wasn't for the Survivalists enacting their Darwinian Survival of the fittest philosophy. 😳🤯😵🙄. They raided the remaining enclaves of civilization and Law and order. 😵💫. Yep, Brin at his most ironic best. 😈
I love a good cataclysm. There are some I will be reading, Earth Abides is on the west face of Mt Toberead.
As kid I remember when things like Forbidden Planet were still Friday night movies on the TV. So it is that I became a fan of the late great George Pal. You can imagine my excitement to get my hands on a copy of the novel of When Worlds Collide (1933 by Edwin Balmer and Philip Wylie). Now there are some minor religious overtones in the movie version which I attributed to Pal or a producer but when I read the book I realised I owed them a huge apology.
It was a very near DNF because a lot of it is written like a sermon about how humanity deserves annihilation (mostly because Jazz exists apparently). I've never encountered so much overt religiosity in SF before. That's like mixing acids and bases, lol.
Crossing the streams in Ghostbusters terms! Earth Abides is a great book. Cheers Brian, thanks for watching 👀!
As Moid says, I bloody love the end of the world!
This was a great video! So many things added to my TBR list!
Fantastic, glad you enjoyed it! I enjoyed making it. Thanks for watching 👀!
"...find their friends missing..." Is the most British of phrases. lol
One tries one's best Brian!
I would add The Killing Star by Charles. Pellegrino and George Zebrowski, which is a depressing take on the Fermi paradox and starts with a bang.
Sounds suitably apocalyptic! Thanks for watching 👀!
Hi Jon. Very exhaustive overview I must say. Fascinating subject of course. I'd like to recommend a recently read book and an old classic in the post disaster category if I may. Edmund Coopers The Tenth Planet in which the remnants of a dead Earth arrive at the previously uncharted tenth planet (via Mars) and become a stagnant, unambitious society - until the arrival of a dead astronaut. Then there's Harlan Ellison's A Boy And His Dog - technically a novella - which deals with a brutal and uncompromising journey through post-apocalyptic America. My two penny's worth . . .
Good shouts Kenny, i really want to read the Ellison. I might have it somewhere. Thanks for watching 👀!
I've read Greybeard which as you said was beautifully written, loved it. Earth Abides puzzled me with the way Ish kind of made a half-hearted attempt to teach the children, but seemed to give up pretty quickly. Overall I enjoyed it, but had some issues with it. Station Eleven was scarily prescient when it came out in 2015. I can't stop thinking about that plane that landed at the airport and just parked away from the terminal and nobody ever disembarked... I read A Canticle for Liebowitz a million years ago when I was young and just got another copy so I can re-read it. I remember I loved it at the time, but don't recall much of the story now. Lots of new-to-me titles here, adding to my TBR!! LOL
Excellent, my work here is done!!😀 📚📚📚 thanks for watching 👀!
I will always champion Blood Music by Greg Bear about our world, at least, coming to an end in favour of something very different. And I once found a book called “Dust” ,by Charles Pellegrino, about the Earth’s biosphere apparently turning on humanity unexpectedly.Great video!
Blood Music is awesome! One of the most densely packed (with ideas) by the great Greg Bear. 🙂😉. Recommend Infinity Concerto and the Serpent Mage if you want Greg writing in the Fantasy genre, yet even more densely packed with ideas. 😮
Yes I'd like to read Blood Music, I'm holding out for a 1st edition with a particukar cover but no dice so far. Thanks for watching 👀!
Yes, excellent book. I don't read much contemporary SF but I'm glad I scratched my Greg Bear itch with that one.
@kennyrh9269 it's 40 years old! That's vintage now amigo!
@@SciFiScavengerBlimey, that's a shock. The date on that one passed me by at a supersonic rate.
Excellent work putting this together - been looking forward to this one. Got a couple more to add to my tbr now, but pleased to say that most of these I've either already read or own and waiting on my shelf 😁
Go to the top of the class! Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching 👀!
Very good video.
Some other recomendations:
Nanotechnology - Moonseed by Stephen Baxter
Asteroid impact - Shiva Descending by Gregory Benford & William Rotsler, The Last Policeman trilogy by Ben Winters
Alien Invasion - The Last Mile by Tim Waggoner
Alien Years by Robert Silverberg
The Border by Robert Mccammon
The Immaculate Void by Brian Hodge
Nuclear War - Swan Song by Robert Mccammon, On The Beach by Nevil Shute
Undead - Cell by Stephen King, The Way of All Flesh by Tim Waggoner
Also you should have added a category of of some kind of transendence, evolutionary or biological like in Clarke's. Childhood's End or Greg Bear's Blood Music
Great suggestions, thank you, and thanks for watching 👀!
Great video jon very entertaining . If you like these books may I recommend the black cloud by Fred Hoyle . I do like the sound of seveneves and Lucifer‘s hammer.
I almost included Black Cloud but decided not to for some reason. Perhaps it didn't quite fit a category. Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching 👀!
Cosmic weather apocalypses are rare but there are some. Radix by A.A. Attanasio has an apocalypse caused by finding itself in the random wake of a wormhole projecting black hole.
Nice, good shout! Thanks for watching 👀!
Doomsday fiction! Perfect for my morning coffee ☕️ recently read The Furies by Keith Roberts. Nothing like giant wasps to bring an end to Wiltshire 🐝
I really enjoyed The Furies, looking forward to reading more of his work. Cheers, thanks for watching 👀!
Furies is so good!
Fun, well done video!
Cheers Jake! I enjoyed putting it together. Gotta love the end of the world! Thanks for watching 👀!.
I was not familair with Road to Corlay - need to add that one to my list in this sub-genre. Cowper also wrote Kuldesak which takes place a couple thousand years after a holocaust. I was also not familiar with The Deluge by THAT author, but did know of The Deluge by Mark Morris! Not sure I would consider The Handmaid's Tale post-apocalyptic, but certainly dystopian, but who's splitting hairs when it comes to misery.
You've hit on a bunch of the well known hits for sure. My current PA collector list (not owned, but to one day be owned!) stands at just under 500 books and is continually growing. The Dog Stars is one of the more recent reads that I really enjoyed. If you want a pulpy Moorcock book then The Ice Schooner is a fun read. Great video. Was looking forward to you running this one out!
Wow 500!!! That is dedication for sure! Fair point re Handmaid's Tale, although one might argue it's a slow-motion end of the world tale, since so few children are born, would be well below the replacement rate. Anyway your point is well made (or maid!). Cheers, thanks for watching 👀!
I read Nevil Shute's "On the beach" about 60 years ago when the USA and the USSR were locked in the deadly game of international brinkmanship called The Cold War. I lived just a few miles from a major U.S. Air Force airbase and everyone knew we would be one of the first areas hit in the event of thermonuclear war. "On the beach" was absolutely horrifying to my then teen self and I am frightened to this day that our world came so close to the nightmare described in that amazing novel.
Hi Mike, yes I read that too many years ago. Rather depressing if i remember rightly. Thanks for watching 👀!
@@SciFiScavenger Yes, very depressing but Shute was a very fine writer and some of those images have stuck with me for 60+ years! Enjoyed this segment very much!!!
I remembered I was going to mention On the Beach by Aussie thriller writer Nevil Shute. The book is on Mt. Toberead (surprisingly hard to find in Australia) but I've seen the Gregory Peck movie many times.
PS. No alien invasions? I do hope you'll cover them too.
That would have been a good category. I did include The Kraken Wakes, but in the flood category. Alien invasion could be a different video by itself. I read On The Beach years and years agoznremember it being a bit dry (ironically). Cheers Brian, thanks for watching 👀!
18/46. 39%. Got some reading to do! Great video! Fun and fast paced.
A passing grade, barely, Richard must try harder! 😀 so many books, so little time. Thanks for watching 👀!
Wow 🤯 u read all these!! Crazy! 😅 i better get caught up
Not all of em! Quite a few though, over the years. Thanks for watching 👀!
Of the ones you mentioned that I have actually read, these are my 5 out of 5 star reads:
The Day of the Triffids
The Sheep Look Up
The Handmaid’s Tale
Alas, Babylon
Earth Abides
The Stand
The Scarlet Plague……
And then there’s Dr Bloodmoney, which is my favourite of all the novels you talked about - which means it’s my favourite PKD novel, my favourite apocalyptic read, and in fact it makes my Top Ten in terms of SF reads, probably around # 8 or 9. I just love it.
Others I really enjoyed:
The Death of Grass
Parable of the Sower
Riddley Walker
Greybeard
I have also read: The Kraken Wakes, Flood, The Drowned World, The Postman, I Am Legend, The Girl with all the Gifts, World War Z, The Long Tomorrow, A Canticle for Leibowitz, The Chrysalids, Ice, and Where Late The Sweet Birds Sang; only The Girl with all the Gifts really disappointed me even though a lot of people seem to love that one.
Unfinished, in first attempt: Shelley’s The Last Man
No I did not like it much: Oryx & Crake
Recommended as well:
Deluge, by S. Fowler Wright
Greener Than You Think, by Ward Moore
The Hopkins Manuscript, by R. C. Sherriff
When Worlds Collide, and After Worlds Collide, by Philip Wylie and Edwin Balmer
‘48, by James Herbert
Aftermath, by Charles Sheffield
Goslings (aka World Without Men) by J. D. Beresford
Theodore Savage, by Cicely Hamilton
Five to Twelve, by Edmund Hamilton
The People of the Ruins, by Edward Shanks
Nordenholt’s Million, by J. J. Connington
A lot of these suggestions come from 1904-1933, as a result of me doing a deep dive into SF’s “Radium Age”. I’m sure I could come up with more books marketed as Horror, if I really took time, but I could only come up with Herbert’s vampire novel, ‘48, off the top of my head.
Oops, can’t do an Edit on this thing, apparently, so let me correct something: Five to Twelve is by Edmund Cooper, not Edmund Hamilton (I blame Cicely Hamilton!).
Wow fantastic! I shall have a proper read of that later, its feeding time at the zoo here. Cheers Seth, thanks for watching 👀!
@@SciFiScavenger Fair enough. That means I’ve got time to sneak in The Man Who Awoke by Laurence Manning, and The Shore of Women by Pamela Sargent. Now I’ll stop.
@@sethball2475tap the three dots on the right, if you're on an iPad, like me. 🙂😉
I love when Worlds Collide. Of course, I read it when young, In between Heinleins juveniles. 😉🐶
11:50 - Speaking of flood brought by our own greed, short sightedness and stupidity, I admit I prefer slightly more optimistic outlook like in novels by Kim Stanley Robinson.
Yes and he has a bunch of em. I must get around to reading Ministry for the Future, meant to be good. 👍
You just had to pick one so close to my heart. Thanks for this, I needed this this morning.
I would recommend 'The Vortex: An Apocalyptic Thriller (The End Is Here Book 1)' by Ian Fieldman. Yes, he is a newer writer, but the story is amazing and I have the preorder for his next book. From what I have heard through the grape vine, there might be a book 4 and I can't wait.
It's afternoon..
@@user-mb9ll9wy6g Depends on where you live. I live in the US, so it is morning here.
@@tallaaron1115 Good morning to you! (I know about relativism).
@@user-mb9ll9wy6g Sorry if I came across as rude (or at least I hope I didn't). Good afternoon to you. I am always happy to see others who have a love for this genre. Happy reading and if you run into anything fun please send it my way.
Start your day with the end of the world! Cheaper than good coffee. Cheers Aaron for the suggestion and thanks for watching 👀!
Hey Jon, how was the run this weekend?
Man, I hate this sub-genre of SF. And I was shocked how many books you´ve mentioned I´ve actually read over the decades.
Personal faves are Canticle For Leibowitz and Parable of the Sower.
Cheers!
EDIT PS: I also want to mention Cordwainer Smith´s Instrumentality of Mankind stories which fit IMO into the genre too.
Hi Thorsten, pretty tiring! Slowest 50 miles I've ever done (in a race). Still, nice day out in a beautiful part of the country. Thanks for watching 👀!
@@SciFiScavenger Did you just write 50(!) miles(!) Holy crap. I´ve done walks that far. Or better I had to back in the army,
I´ll do 3 to 6 miles walks every day -but FIFTY. Holy....
@ronin47-ThorstenFrank yes, 80km. Pretty hilly too. It was hard work. I've done several at that distance and several even longer (100km, 160km) and for some reason it was a tough day out. 🤷♂️
@@SciFiScavenger Respect!
Anthony Burgess- The End of the World News.
Good shout, don't know that one, thanks for watching 👀!
I liked SevenEaves as well but I thought part 3 was the least of it.
Yeah plenty agree with you. He could've easily ended the book there.
@@SciFiScavenger Well, it was not so much that it could have ended there, it was just that I did not think the quality of the 3rd act was as good.
@@Montie-Adkins it was very different in character from the main section. I liked it. Could've been a separate book. 👍
It's the end of the world and I feel fine!
I found myself humming that tune a few times as I was editing this! Thanks for watching 👀!
Soft Apocalypse - 2011 Will Macintosh
It's a polarizing novel if you look at Goodreads scores. Occasional one and two stars - But dozens of five stars as well.
It's an interesting concept where the story pushes forward as certain groups try to "carry on" as society crumbles around them.
It reads like a series of snippets and slices of life. Each few chapters pretty unique although to some the character, anguish and personal struggles might get tiresome.
If you read it and soak up the environments and the "slow decay" It's quite plausible and riveting.
Definitely worth a shot for anybody. Looking for something slightly different in this genre.
Hi Alison, that sounds interesting! Thanks for watching 👀!
I'm a big fan of S.M. Sterling's "Emberverse" series. One day for no reason at all, though "alien space bats" are suspected, all high-energy reactions stop working. Gunpowder will burn but not explode. Springs will store energy but only to a point. Steam will build pressure but not enough to be useful. Electricity refuses to flow through wires. The first book, "Dies the Fire", is mostly setup where the various factions are initialized with the following two books being mostly the resolution of the question "how do we survive and get along with our neighbors". The next 7 books are an epic quest tale of the original character's children treking across America to recover a macguffin. Magic of a sort returns to the world though it's bound to faith and the variations of it. The final 5 books involve the next generation and how they handle the transition of power and a broadening of the world.
Sterling is known for his alternate history work and his tangential Nantucket trilogy is worth a look as the late 90's island is replaced with one from 3000 years prior and the modern day residents have to deal with a pre-christianity world.
Hi Jack,.That sounds, forgive me, batty! I'd never heard of those books, thanks for the tip. Thanks for watching 👀!
+1 to that series 🎉
Not to be missed
I actually prefer the Draka series, and LOVE the General series. Raj Whitehall is one of the greatest characters in fiction. ❤⚔️
@@User_Un_Friendly I've been meaning to read the General series. Picked up the 2nd book at a thrift store a few years back but haven't tracked down the first book yet.
@@SciFiScavenger If you didn't know, Alien Space Bats are a trope of the alternate history genre. Reserved for when the historical divergence is so unlikely to have occurred that it must have been cause by the aforementioned ASBs.
3:30 - This is one of their best. Individual character development as well as the transformation the society goes through is _way_ more realistic than in anything else they wrote.
I really enjoyed Footfall as well. I think Lucifer's Hammer was an early pitch for Footfall, theynwere told to focus on the comet and skip the aliens. It's been many years since I read Lucifer's Hammer, must give another gonat some point. Thanks for watching 👀!
@@SciFiScavenger _Footfall_ is the one with cute elephants who have trouble throwing javelins? I must re-read that one - it was long ago, and I wasn't particularly impressed. I believe it ends in a kind of compromise?
@bazoo513 that's the one! There's also a great example of an Orion spaceship, powered by atom bombs and a pusher plate. It's pretty silly but good fun.
@@bazoo513 it's AWESOME! Seriously, I love it. It's frankly superb, and while it seems silly, the science is more than merely sound.😉
After watching Mad Max 2 for the first time as a teenager, I loved post apocalyptic tales, but I never was particularly interested in the „how“. That might explain why I haven’t read Lucifers Hammer yet, although I own it for about 30 years now. The Road might have been the bleakest book I’ve ever read, but also one of the best. And am I the only one who loved the Postman movie with Kevin Costner?
I don't know if you're the "only" person that loved that Costner movie, but it's a small group! I'm not sure I've ever seen it, will have to look it up. Lucifer's Hammer is great fun, read it! Cheers Michael, thanks for watching 👀!
Yes. The book is awesome, and incredibly good. The movie was as bad as Waterworld. 🤮 Read the book, you'll be blown away by the poignancy. 😢
@@SciFiScavenger Skip it, Jon, it's bad. Having loved the book for decades, I'm horrified by the movie. 🤮😖
@@User_Un_Friendly I liked Waterworld too 😉
@@SixStringSamur4i 😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣
If you want alien takeover by changing the ecology of Earth, I suggest the series War Against the Chtorr by David Gerrold. The first book (A Matter For Men) is much the best. Originally planned as a trilogy, Gerrold has decided it will comprise six books, with the last two yet to be published. Started in 1983, it's been a long time finishing, probably because it should have stayed as a trilogy.
I've heard of it, haven't read it. Didn't realise it was still ongoing. Cheers Eric, thanks for watching 👀!
And likely won't be published sadly. Been decades and the author is too old and those around him claim his brain 🧠 is mush and he's struggling to survive.
Unless someone finds manuscripts from 20 years ago..... The series is over. ✅
@@8020Alive That's hard to hear. I really love Gerrold's books, though not the War against the Chtorr. His Star Wolf series is superb, and not to be missed. He pretty much wrote himself into a corner with the last book of the War against the Chtorr, and I've had a morbid anticipation of how he was going to get himself out of making the protagonist into scum...😮😵
@@User_Un_Friendly absolutely agree 💯 - in his prime he's quite talented.
STAR hunt (I think it's called that it's the rewrite of yesterday's children or something) Was fascinating to me reading about space dog fighting but with the ships ripping in and out of hyperspace And both sides being blind akin to a submarine battle.
Much more realistic than Star wars or Star Trek.
@@8020Alive Do try the other books. He gets further into the Morthans and their culture and philosophy, and even gets a Morthan second officer..😳🤯😵💫
Where did books #7 and #8 go on the video?
Ah, i was too clever for my own good there. 7 8 and 9 are all in one hit, The Aftermath is currently a 3 book series.
Apocalypse only means revelation, btw..
I read about sci-fi book once that takes place on a planet of just Amish people that had a zombie apocalypse.
I was trying to find a zombie apocalypse story about Amish people and all I could find was a book based on a title the author made up for a joke xD
I'd read a book about Amish vs zombies. 100%. Thanks for watching 👀!
Both Postman and War against the Chtorr covered by other posts.
Postman is nothing like the horrid movie. Full of ideas, including cyborg super soldiers, an idea lifted from Piper's Cosmic Computer, where sone people pretend they're guided by a genius supercomputer, and a disturbing finale, a movement where women hold themselves responsible for the birth of human monsters, and deciding to enact a (deleted!). Great book, profound impact on me when I read it decades ago. 🥺
War against the Chtorr started off well, books 1 to 3 were eye opening, and grimdark, gritty and dystopian. Book 4 was just WRONG. Recommend skipping it. I think the series came off the rails, and Gerrold couldn't recover. Read his excellent Star Wolf series instead. 😖
Great as usual, Jon. 🫡😉🙂
That does sound quite different to the movie! Thanks for the tips, and thanks for watching 👀!
@@SciFiScavenger Forgot to mention...the people who actually triggered the apocalypse? It wasn't the nuclear war. It was the Survivalist subculture. 😳. The book mentioned how they could have survived the bombs, famine, and the collapse of the economy...if it wasn't for the Survivalists enacting their Darwinian Survival of the fittest philosophy. 😳🤯😵🙄. They raided the remaining enclaves of civilization and Law and order. 😵💫. Yep, Brin at his most ironic best. 😈