Hello all
For July, we have opted for the theme of The End of the World.
Now this was proposed as a horror theme, and I expect the more morbid among us may relish bleak stories about the Earth blowing up and taking everyone with it :D . But for those of us who like a little less grim outcome it could also just be about the end the of human civilisation as we know it (ie post apocalyptic) or (for those of us who like a happy ending) about preventing the end of the world entirely.
Sci-fi and horror obviously cover this theme extensively with stories of asteroid impacts, plagues, alien invasion, nuclear war etc Supernatural horror might add to that with zombie viruses, demonic invasions, the rapture and so forth.
But for those less inclined to horror, sci-fi can also include stories set after Earth’s destruction and explore the challenges for those who flee to space without going into the horror part. And fantasy can involve stories about chosen ones who set out to stop the end of the world.
As always, below are some examples to set the scene, but as always you are free to read what you wish however strictly or loosely it fits the theme and come and tell us about it on the day.
- The Last Man, (1826) by Mary Shelley – one of the first dystopian fiction stories, about a black plague causing the near extinction of humanity.
- Earth Abides, (1949) by George R Stewart – another plague almost wipes out the world story. Often appears in lists of best sci-fi of all time.
- I am Legend, (1954) by Richard Matheson – a plague turns most humans into vampires, and story follows the last human left standing.
- The Stand, (1978) by Stephen King – a plague wipes out most of humanity, and the anti-Christ starts to rally survivors around him.
- Tales of the Dyling Earth, (2000) by Jack Vance – far future where Earth is dying, and humans need to evacuate the planet.
- The Road, (2006) by Cormac McCarthy – a bleak story about a father and son crossing a post-apocalyptic wasteland in search of a better life.
- Life As We Knew It, (2006), by Susan Beth Pfeffer – More bleak than scary story about a family trying to survive after an asteroid impact ends civilisation.
- Project Hail Mary, (2021) by Andy Weir – an astronaut wakes to find his crew dead and memory loss except for a vague understanding he is on a mission is to save the Earth, if he can just remember what. I promise, despite the opener, this is rather upbeat for an end of the world story. The audiobook is fantastic.
