[Imperial Historian]

I'm a member of a book-club which mainly read post-apocalyptic themed stuff. Most of the stuff we've been reading recently has been sci-fi and horror, I'd like to introduce a few more fantasy themed books. I've thought of a few books that meet the criteria of post-apocalyptic (even if only loosely), but most of those I've thought of are part of a series which is always a harder sell. Any suggestions for books that would be a good fit?

Here's my list:
Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
The Painted Man by Peter Brett
The Dying Earth by Jack Vance
The Steel Remains by Richard Morgan
Shannara series by Brooks (any suggestions for a starter book to this series which touches on the post-apocalyptic elements but isn't terrible like the sword of shannara? I think he has a new series which covers this area, any good?)
I think the book of the new sun falls into this category, but I've not read it and I'm not sure how reading one of the individual books standalone would work...
I guess books like the lies of locke lamora (though the ruined civilisation is barely touched on) and wheel of time would loosely fit into this category also

Any suggestions for other good books I could squeeze into the the post-apocalyptic theme?

[Baco Xtath]

Not fantasy (and thus of little help) but I would recommend: the Gone-Away World, the Rifter trilogy by Peter Watts, the Ex- books by Peter Clines, The Psalms of Isaac by Ken Scholes (this one is fantasy), everything by Paolo Bacigalupi, the Girl with all the Gifts, the Stories of Ibis, and maybe Echo City. All these are post apocalyptic (well, Bacigalupi's stuff is more dystopian future) though only a couple really qualify as fantasy. Anywho, that's what I got.

[Obdigore]

http://en.wikipedia...._of_the_New_Sun (Shadow of a Torturer is the first book I think) is a great series, but I believe it is more about the decline of the planet and our race, rather than post apocalyptic. I guess it depends on how much leeway you have.

Technically Hitchhikers Guide falls into this, if you are OK with Sci-fi.

Also, I'd go with Prince of Fools my Lawrence, I think it is a much better book than Prince of Thorns.

Technically Magician by Feist counts, although it really isn't touched upon and no one really remembers it.

[amphibian]

Book of the New Sun is indeed post apocalyptic. It's clear when you find out Severian's school is a repurposed spaceship. But it's not a series with a strong theme of discovering what the apocalypse was or getting back to the old way of life.

It's also not everyone's cup of tea and is dense reading.

I would go with the other series mentioned above for a casual book club.

Will think of more later.

Technically, Warhammer 40k books are post apocalyptic too...

[Andorion]

Sanderson's Elantris? Aso, even though I am only halfway through Mistborn, I think that qualifies.

[D'rek]

for Shannara, Voyage of the Jerle Shannara deals with some of the post-apocalyptic elements and is a much less tropey and awful start than Sword (and doesn't really require you to have read any previous Shannaras). I don't know about how the later ones after that fare or how much they delve into the post-apocalyptic history elements.

[Tsundoku]

http://forum.malazan...__1#entry886240

http://forum.malazan...__1#entry376017

[Andorion]

Trust D'rek to find a 2008 thread

[Salt-Man Z]

Andorion, on 20 February 2015 - 03:50 AM, said:

Trust D'rek to find a 2008 thread

I'll put my faith in Sombra, thanks!

[Andorion]

Salt-Man Z, on 20 February 2015 - 04:21 AM, said:

Andorion, on 20 February 2015 - 03:50 AM, said:

Trust D'rek to find a 2008 thread

I'll put my faith in Sombra, thanks!

Oh, right. I need to stop browsing on this phone

[Maark Abbott]

The first ones that spring to mind are Shannara, Thorns and Wheel of Time.

[Abyss]

Some excellent suggestions upthread, so let me throw you a few others...
Don McQueen's MOONDARK trilogy, WANDERER, WARRIOR and WITCH. It's more sf than fantasy but there are definite fantasy elements. The central plot line involves a post apocalypse nomad tribe prince trying to salvage his people and a group of 21st century soldiers who are woken from suspended animation and pulled into the power games. Along the way there are war dogs, berserkers, hidden weapons caches, shark cults and other fun stuff. It's surprisingly well written and I've always expected the author, a retired marine, to move to bigger things but it seems he hasn't despite some other work being pub'd.
On the graphic novel front, consider Y:THE LAST MAN for one of the more original apocalypses and a generally well written story about the one man who survives an all male die off.
David Brin's THE POSTMAN is a solid post apocalypse survivor novel. And the movie never happened, just so we're clear.
There's King's THE STAND of course which is arguably the original flu-pocalypse doorstopper.
S M Stirling's DIES THE FIRE series is pure sf all electronics stop working apocalypse series. I haven't read it yet but Stirling tends to deliver quality.

[Nicodimas]

One Second After is good, if that meets your criteria.
Swan Song
Dark Tower
The Road
World made by hand

This post has been edited by Nicodimas: 20 February 2015 - 05:50 AM

[polishgenius]

Just to say: The Book of the New Sun isn't post-apocalyptic, it's dying Earth. A related genre perhaps, but not the same one.

Although I see OP is counting the actual Dying Earth, in which case BotNS might also fit the bill. You definitely can't read the books standalone, but they're not that long altogether, so...


If dying Earth does work, then Viriconium by M John Harrison is probably the best bet for just one book. Technically it's a collection of shorts and novellas but it's available in one collected edition (that's not too long). It does split opinion, but I think it's phenomenal.

Parts of The Book of All Hours by Hal Duncan are post-apocalyptic, though (a) it's a very weird apocalypse and ( I'm not sure that's suitable material for a book club.

[Andorion]

Technically, in SF Alastair Reynolds entire Revelation Space arc is post apocalyptic

[heavymetaltroll]

Sean Williams is a must if you can sell short series'. The Books of the Change trilogy, starting with The Stone Mage and the Sea is pure fantasy, with a comprehensive post apocalyptic theme slowly revealed throughout. And The Books of the Cataclysm focuses on the fall of the modern world from a very fantasy point of view, essentially a prequel to The books of Change but also a stand alone series' in its own righgt.

[polishgenius]

I knew I'd forgotten something big and obvious when I typed my earlier post, and I had.


Nnedi Okorafor's Who Fears Death. Set in a magical, post-apocalyptic Africa. It's an amazing book; I think it's as important a work as something like Dune (even though it's not had nearly the same splash, obviously). Though since you're looking for books for a book club, I should note that it comes with a boatload of trigger warnings about rape and female circumcision/genital mutilation, if there's anyone who would be bothered by that.



I'm not sure if the setting in Zoo City by Lauren Beukes quite qualifies as post-apocalyptic, but it's close- certainly it's set in a broken Johannesburg.


Both the above books are unquestionably fantasy, and standalone (there is a prequel coming out to Who Fears Death, but the original stands fine without).

[acesn8s]

Abyss, on 20 February 2015 - 05:41 AM, said:

S M Stirling's DIES THE FIRE series is pure sf all electronics stop working apocalypse series. I haven't read it yet but Stirling tends to deliver quality.

There's also the Nantucket series where the Island of Nantucket is transported back to the bronze age. While it is not post apocalyptic, it has that modern civilization surviving in a hostile environment, with limited resources.

[Abyss]

acesn8s, on 20 February 2015 - 01:26 PM, said:

Abyss, on 20 February 2015 - 05:41 AM, said:

S M Stirling's DIES THE FIRE series is pure sf all electronics stop working apocalypse series. I haven't read it yet but Stirling tends to deliver quality.

There's also the Nantucket series where the Island of Nantucket is transported back to the bronze age. While it is not post apocalyptic, it has that modern civilization surviving in a hostile environment, with limited resources.

Yep... i think the two are tangentially linked... the same event starts off both series.

[Nicodimas]

A canticle for Leibowitz is pretyy good too