The best post-apocalyptic science fiction novels ever written

In this wonderful novel, massive earthquakes cause a geological catastrophe that changes the world’s geography overnight. The upheaval of the ocean floor forms a land bridge that connects the island of Guernsey with mainland Britain. By removing the sea from the English Channel, Christopher creates a peculiar, surreal landscape which, we soon discover, is populated by some peculiar and surreal people. I particularly enjoyed the captain of the grounded ship who tries to run his vessel as though nothing has changed. John Christopher was the grandmaster of the post-apocalyptic genre.

Global pandemics are far more enjoyable to read about than to live through. Probably the most influential novel about a pandemic is Earth Abides, written way back in 1949. The main character, Isherwood Williams, is bitten by a rattlesnake while out in the Sierra Nevada mountains in the west of the USA. After recovering from this, he returns to civilization only to discover that civilization no longer exists because a plague has spread across the world, killing much of the population. The initial chapters of this book are wonderfully evocative and terrifying. Though I must admit that I found the later chapters, when small bands of people try to rebuild society, a bit dull. That’s one of the odd things about this type of fiction – the worse things get, the more fun they are to read about!

Stephen King has acknowledged that Earth Abides was a source of inspiration for his blockbuster novel, The Stand. This is a huge book (1,420 pages in the edition I have) with a vast array of characters. In addition to the pandemic itself, King brings in storylines involving elements of fantasy, religion, and horror. In spite of its immense size, the novel generally manages to keep the story moving along at a brisk pace though. I found the opening chapters by far the best; they convey a creepiness about things being “not quite right” (a dying man driving his car into a petrol station, for example) which, to my mind, is a good deal scarier than the more overtly apocalyptic events towards the end of the book. 

Speaking of first chapters, they really don’t come much better than the first chapter of The Day Of The Triffids. The story begins in a hospital. We learn that there was a dramatic meteor shower the night before. Almost everyone went outside to watch. Bill Masen is a rare exception since he was in a hospital ward with his eyes bandaged. When he takes off the bandages he realises that he is one of the very few people who is still able to see. That would be bad enough. But what is worse – much worse! – is that the world is now infested with huge, walking, stinging, killing plants – Triffids. If you haven’t read this book, you’ve missed a treat. It is an absolute classic of post-apocalyptic science fiction.

Not everyone would agree that this book is a post-apocalyptic novel. After all, it hasn’t got an apocalypse. No plague. No natural disaster. No killer plants. Even so, it has everything else that characterises the genre. Overnight, society falls apart and nothing will ever be the same again. But there is a small band of survivors who are prepared to fight against all odds. So what is the catastrophe that caused this? For reasons which are never fully explained, a foreign power has seized control of Australia. Their army moves in, sets up internment camps, and imprisons the population. A group of teenagers escaped imprisonment because they happened to be camping in the wilderness when the invasion occurred. This book (the first of seven) tells their story. A cracking read. Recommended.