What are the most realistic apocalyptic books? I find books portraying widespread pandemics to be most believable. Although zombie books are certainly enjoyable, I have left them out of the poll due to the unlikelihood of their existence (at least I hope). I have listed some of the most popular apocalyptic books below. Please vote from the list and feel free to leave comments. Thanks!
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The unpredictability of human actions turns out to be an advantage when dealing with purely logical aliens. The human emotional wildcard always seems to spoil wicked plans, at least that is the case in the latest episode of Falling Skies, Molon Labe. The human resistance against the alien invasion is able to capture one of the so-called “masters” that seem to be at the top of the alien hierarchy. Unfortunately, the aliens have some new tricks up their sleeves as they are willing to go to great lengths to save their leader. This is the best episode yet. They scaled back on the drama and went full throttle with the action. In fact, the action/battle scenes are very well done and are nearly as good as scenes from a blockbuster movie. Watch this episode through TNT’s website here or you can get on Amazon through the link below:
Additionally, TNT is having a Falling Skies Marathon this Sunday 7/29/12 if you want to catch up on the entire season. Check your local listings.
A famous actress meets a star college football quarterback, they fall in love and adopt a nine-year old girl…the only problem is that the world has ended, a devastating virus has killed 99% of the human population, some portion of the population has become bloodthirsty zombies and most of those that are immune are ruled by psychopathic lunatics. After the Virus by Meghan Ciana Doidge is not your typical love story. In fact, it ranks up there with some of the more violent and gruesome post apocalyptic fiction. The female protagonist is seriously bad ass and is fueled by pent-up anger after suffering a lifetime of abuse. The female perspective provides a uniquely fascinating glimpse into the post apocalypse. The author envisions an evil, twisted world in which surviving women are held captive to be used as “baby factories” to repopulate the earth. Though some of the choices made by characters in the story are questionable, After the Virus is a uniquely entertaining and action packed post apocalyptic adventure. It is well worth picking up on Kindle for $2.99 . Get it through the link below:
Learn more about the author at her web page: http://www.madebymeghan.ca
In TNT’s post apocalyptic, alien invasion series Falling Skies episode 15 Love and Other Acts of Courage, the human resistance finds an unlikely ally when they discover some of the alien invaders are willing to join them in their fight against their “overlords”. This is a good episode that captured my interest. Falling Skies is turning out to be a successful blend of post apocalyptic action/survival and alien science fiction. You could argue that the drama between some of the characters is a little “sappy” or “soap opera” like, but in order for a show like this to be successful, the writers need to appeal to a fairly diverse audience. (read: it can’t be all shooting, killing, blowing stuff up and down and dirty post apocalyptic survival or it would get cancelled) I’m willing to suffer through some “sappy” love story moments in order to get my post apocalyptic kicks in a show with a decent plot line that has a good budget. Watch the full episode on TNT’s website for free through the link below:
Falling Skies Episode 15 Love and Other Acts of Courage
Find out more about the alien invasion at http://www.fallingskies.com
Hostile aliens now control the planet as Falling Skies enters its second season. TNT has created an enjoyable apocalyptic tv show that follows a large group of refugee survivors as they struggle against their alien invaders. While their intentions are not perfectly clear yet, the aliens of Falling Skies have killed almost all of the adult human population and have made the children into their slaves using some type of parasitic lizard. One of the interesting aspects to this series is that the alien invaders do not consist of one particular type of alien. It seems that there is some type of hierarchy of alien beings that are led by creatures that are similar in appearance to “the greys” that have become the typical portrayal of aliens in our modern civilization. Tom Mason (Noah Wyle), is a former college history professor who lost his wife in the invasion and struggles to raise his 3 children alone in the post apocalyptic landscape while providing some historical perspective and guiding the survivors in their struggle. Falling Skies has plenty of action and while some of the acting is a little overly dramatic, it is your best bet for alien invasion apocalypse and science fiction television this summer.
If you need to catch up on the series, The complete first season is available on DVD through the link below:
A business trip to Moscow goes from bad to worse for two friends that get caught in the middle of an alien invasion. First, all of the electronic devices are disabled by a massive microwave pulse from space. Then the aliens start floating down to Earth, at times they glow orange, but they are mostly invisible to the human eye. These aliens are not interested in communication, they simply want to eliminate humans from the planet so that they can harvest the Earth’s resources. This is a decent adventure story. Some of the special effects are interesting, for example, when we get to see the alien’s perspective. It has a decent amount of action. Due to its larger budget, it is slightly better than a SyFy prime time apocalypse movie, but the acting and plot is mediocre at best. Don’t expect The Darkest Hour to blow your mind, but it will serve as entertainment if you have a couple of hours to kill and nothing good is on tv.
Perhaps one of the best known post apocalyptic novels, Alas, Babylon, written by Pat Frank and released in 1959, paints a grim picture of what life might be like after a full-scale nuclear war between the US and former USSR.
The protagonist, Randy Bragg, a relatively carefree bachelor, is forced to take a leadership role in the survival of his Florida town, Fort Repose, which narrowly escapes destruction from the ultimate in nuclear catastrophes.
Surprisingly, many of the issues presented in Alas, Babylon, over 50 years ago, are still very relevant today. For example, Frank’s writing is clearly influenced by the Civil Rights movement that was gaining momentum during the time that this book was written. Alas, Babylon frequently references the still widespread segregation and racist sentiment that still existed in parts of the southern US during the 1950’s. The book portrays the complete collapse of civilization as the ultimate “leveling” of human beings, as each survivor shares in the struggle to stay alive, regardless of skin color, ethnic origin or social class. Though the Civil Rights movement has certainly altered the landscape of the US in a number of ways, racial tensions continue to be high today, especially with the recent death of Trayvon Martin.
From a survival perspective, the issues associated with a total breakdown of civilization remain the same. Without electricity, public water, law enforcement, medical treatment, transportation, fuel, etc, people are forced to accept more personal responsibility for the safety and survival of their families.
Nuclear tensions have changed in some ways since the end of the Cold War but with more countries in possession of “the bomb” than ever, the risk for a nuclear conflict continues. Alas, Babylon may be a little optimistic in terms of its somewhat “happy ending” but it serves as a reminder to us that we were once very close and that we are never very far away from the ultimate destruction of civilization.
Buy the audiobook through the link below:
Fantastic! Watch the apocalypse through the eyes of a turkey vulture! Cathartes Aura and the Apocalypse Zoo is truly a “one of a kind” post apocalyptic story, written entirely in verse and told from the perspective of a turkey vulture.
The orderly world of caged animals falls into chaos when the zoo is left unattended. The turkey vulture is left to discover its true purpose as nature’s perfectly adapted scavenger, surviving on the death and destruction that is the apocalypse.
Cathartes Aura, written by Eighty Six, stands as a testament to human imagination, which is most certainly one of our few redeeming qualities.
We see the demise of another major character in this episode of The Walking Dead called Better Angels. I have to admit I was a bit surprised at how this one turns out. They are about to wind up the season and it looks like some major trouble is on the way. Post-Apocalyptic TV doesn’t get any better than this! Watch it through the link below.
The Last Pilgrims by Michael Bunker is a well constructed, detailed account of a hypothetical post-apocalyptic future. The story follows the development of two apparently ethically opposed groups the Vallenses and the Ghost Militia, as they struggle to survive twenty years after the collapse of modern civilization in a post-apocalyptic Texas. The Vallenses are peaceful farmers while the Ghost Militia is made up of a group of military men that in many ways are descendants of present day special forces. While they share a similar belief in God and a self-sufficient lifestyle, they fundamentally differ in their beliefs on how to survive. The Vallenses are pacifists. The Ghost Militia are soldiers. In many ways, The Last Pilgrims plays out an internal conflict that I am sure many of us share. While we may long for a peaceful, agrarian lifestyle, it is hard to imagine a world in which such a society could exist without pressure from the more violently-inclined portion of humanity. As it turns out, the Ghost Militia and the Vallenses have formed an unspoken alliance in which the Ghost Militia protects the Vallenses from the more hostile, violent elements and in return the Vallenses share their abundant food and resources. In the new Dark Age of mankind, The Vallenses and Ghost Militia are under constant threat from The Kingdom of Aztlan which is ruthless in its quest to expand its territory, influence and resources. War, spies, traitors and assassins…give a warm welcome to Michael Bunker, the new Tom Clancy of post-apocalyptic fiction.
Survivors is a post-apocalyptic BBC television series spanning two seasons from 2008-2010 that follows a group of people struggling to stay alive after a pandemic kills 99% of the human population. I was able to watch the entire series for free when I signed up for a one month trial membership on Amazon Prime. The virus has spared a select few, with little regard to the moral standing of its victims. The main characters, brought together by chance, have diverse backgrounds, ranging from an escaped prisoner to a previously care free heir to a Kuwaiti oil fortune. This small group of survivors struggles to define their moral boundaries in their quest to stay alive. The necessity of violence is constantly in question. Most of the characters are willing to accept that sometimes violence is necessary, at least in the defense of the innocent. On some level, as humans, aren’t we all complicit to the unspeakable acts that have occurred in the defense of the lives of our ancestors? In Survivors, violence is not a forgone conclusion though, as is often the case. Through their hostile encounters with others, it becomes clear that they will need to fight to survive. Survivors is gentler in a number of ways compared to some of the other apocalyptic fiction that I have reviewed. It is “civil” in many aspects. For instance, there are minimal displays of violence. While danger is always present, violence is used sparingly and not gratuitously. The formation of relationships between the characters remains the focus throughout the development of Survivors. I would recommend the Survivors series. While it is not without its flaws, especially in terms of its realism, I found the characters and their relationships to be interesting and story to be very entertaining.
Hunter After the Fall, by John Phillip Backus, is a captivating post-apocalyptic adventure that takes place 15 years after an all out worldwide nuclear war has devastated the planet and killed the majority of its human inhabitants. After surviving the war and subsequent nuclear winter, Hunter, a former special forces operative, has made a home for himself in a long abandoned gold mine nestled into the side of a mountain. The rich detail in which Backus describes Hunter’s rocky mountain home creates the sense that Hunter is truly returning to being one with nature. Hunter’s lifestyle is similar to those that lived throughout North America for thousands of years before the arrival of European settlers. Much like the wolves and bears that roam the area, Hunter is deeply connected to the mountain wilderness. He is able to sustain himself from the abundant resources that the rocky mountain ecosystem provides. Hunter is content with his life until the arrival of Elise, who is the daughter of Hunter’s former commanding officer. Elise is sent by her father to find Hunter and to seek his help in the defence of their community of New Eden, which is in danger of being overtaken by an army of bloodthirsty invaders. In an effort to repay his former commanding officer for saving his life in action, before the nuclear war , Hunter is quick to offer his assistance. The story follows the many adventures of Hunter and his counterpart, the strong and beautiful Elise, as they fight to save New Eden. In Hunter, the first book in his After the Fall series, Backus combines a unique blend of Native American shamanism and post-apocalyptic action that makes for a very thought-provoking and thoroughly entertaining story.
Quite frankly, if it weren’t for the apocalyptic theme in this movie I might have never watched it. That being said, it did capture my interest in an odd way. You might be inclined to walk out of this movie during the first hour or so due to its slow nature, however, I think it is worth watching in its entirety. While I don’t normally comment on specific actors, Melancholia, which is written and directed by Lars von Trier, warrants some mention of the main cast. Kirstan Dunst plays Justine, a young, pretty, mentally ill woman who gets hopeless bogged down in depression and is borderline psychotic. Charlotte Gainsbourg does a remarkable job playing Justine’s sister, Claire. Kiefer Sutherland, taking a dramatic turn from the role of Jack Bauer, plays Claire’s husband, John, a wealthy and uptight amateur astronomer who owns the mansion and surrounding golf course where the story unfolds. Unlike in some other apocalyptic fiction, Von Trier does not rely on the “emergency alert system” or media elements to describe the cataclysmic events as they unfold – it is told almost entirely through the characters with minimal reference to any outside description. Melancholia, it turns out, is the name of a newly discovered planet, which scientists believe is going to come very close to earth in its trip through our solar system. It suffices to say that there is a slight “margin of error” in the scientist’s predictions. Melancholia is more like a work of art than an action movie. It is not blunt. It certainly has some depth and is thought-provoking. While I would not recommend this movie to anyone that has a low tolerance for slow-moving movies, Melancholia does have some unique, indefinable rewards for those that are willing to invest their time and attention.
Lights out, written by David Crawford, follows a group of survivors in Texas after the electric grid goes down. This book was originally released one chapter at a time via the internet, through message boards. Now that the book is available all in one place, you can follow Mark Turner, otherwise known as “Karate Man”, as he struggles to protect and provide for his family in a post-electric world.
The story describes the decline of civilization following an unknown event that disables almost every modern device and shuts down the electric grid. Presumably some type of electromagnetic pulse (emp) event is to blame.
Throughout his book, Crawford illustrates our dependence on electricity and shares a wealth of practical information for those that want to prepare for a disaster event. Lights Out is a highly entertaining story and is must read apocalyptic fiction!
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