by Emily Temple. Flavorpill - Aug 6, 2012
This week marks the release of The Dog Stars, the debut novel by adventure writer Peter Heller, a stunning, hope-riddled end-of-the-world story about a man and his dog nine years after almost everyone else on earth has been eradicated. We think this novel is bound to become a classic, and it got us thinking about a few of the greatest apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic novels of all time. Click through to check out the books that — to our minds — make up the best of the best in end of the world lit. And as ever, if we’ve left off your own personal favorite, add to our list in the comments!
The Stand, Stephen King
Considered by some to be Stephen King’s best novel, topic be damned, this 1978 tour de force still rings totally current — and terrifying — today. After all, a superflu that kills 99.4% of the world’s population? Didn’t we just hear that Captain Trips Swine Flu is back? Unlike zombies (probably), this kind of thing could totally happen, and soon, which has us shaking slightly in our sanitary gloves. Plus: good versus evil! The power of fate! The wavering compass of humanity! Can’t beat it.
On the Beach, Nevil Shute
After World War III has devastated the planet with atomic detonations, a few survivors in Australia await the end they know is rolling towards them in the toxic clouds. But when an American submarine captain hears a signal from what was once Seattle, he sets off in hopes of finding survivors. Beautifully rendered, terrifying and a dyed-in-the-wool page-turner, we recommend this classic to everyone.
Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood, Margaret Atwood
These two glorious novels tell the story of the same dystopic future, albeit from wildly different perspectives — in Oryx and Crake, Snowman, possibly the last man on earth, shepherding the Children of Crake in the new bio-wasteland marked with strange new animals: liobams, Mo’Hairs, rakunks. In The Year of the Flood, Atwood plumbs the underbelly of the pre-disaster world, imagining the story of Ren and Toby, members of the God’s Gardeners. Both books are complex and beautiful, their apocalyptic world chillingly close, their characters real as can be.
Full list at Flavorpill
The Stand, Stephen King
Considered by some to be Stephen King’s best novel, topic be damned, this 1978 tour de force still rings totally current — and terrifying — today. After all, a superflu that kills 99.4% of the world’s population? Didn’t we just hear that 
On the Beach, Nevil ShuteAfter World War III has devastated the planet with atomic detonations, a few survivors in Australia await the end they know is rolling towards them in the toxic clouds. But when an American submarine captain hears a signal from what was once Seattle, he sets off in hopes of finding survivors. Beautifully rendered, terrifying and a dyed-in-the-wool page-turner, we recommend this classic to everyone.
Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood, Margaret Atwood
These two glorious novels tell the story of the same dystopic future, albeit from wildly different perspectives — in Oryx and Crake, Snowman, possibly the last man on earth, shepherding the Children of Crake in the new bio-wasteland marked with strange new animals: liobams, Mo’Hairs, rakunks. In The Year of the Flood, Atwood plumbs the underbelly of the pre-disaster world, imagining the story of Ren and Toby, members of the God’s Gardeners. Both books are complex and beautiful, their apocalyptic world chillingly close, their characters real as can be.
Full list at Flavorpill
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