For years I have had a fascination with post-apocalyptic fiction. Even as a child, I found the concept of the world coming to an end to be an inevitable conclusion to the destruction our kind inflicts upon our planet on a daily basis. Additionally, the ways in which humans approach scientific research can be a little mind boggling at times and downright frightening at others. Not to say that I am anti-progress, but we don’t always balance our progress with caring for Mother Earth or for other humans. And with these laissez faire attitudes, it feels like Karma waits at the ready to bite us in the ass.

I often joke about my enjoyment of post-apocalyptic fiction representing my preparations for the downfall of civilization. A catastrophic event primer, if you will. I’m not sure I am always joking when I make this quip to others about some of my favorite books. When you start to explore the genre, an array of possibilities presents itself: zombies, nuclear war, catastrophic events, technological malfunction or corruption (Skynet, anyone?), government take-over or collapse, alien invasion, pathogens run amuk, genetics experiments gone awry, depletion of resources or environment, or events related to religious prediction.

How new is the genre?

Literature featuring apocalyptic themes emerges further back than some might be currently conceptualizing. Of course, the Christian Bible, along with other religious texts, features significant sections outlining end times, as does the mythology from many cultures. Sources credit Mary Shelley’s The Last Man, a story about a civilization-ending plague, with setting the stage for the genre as we know it. Edgar Allen Poe and H. G. Wells tackled end of the world subjects in their writing as well. Although the modern format of this genre existed for decades before either World War or the Korean War, the horrors of war and the looming threat of nuclear holocaust seems to have ignited literary imagination in the 1950s, with an outpouring of novels forcing us to consider the downfall of society.

Throughout the decades, into the 21st century, the genre expanded and seems to represent a significant portion of creative offerings. Wikipedia’s page on apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction includes references to all types of media, including films, television programs, music, video games, manga, and comics. Although I have enjoyed many of the items listed in the article, as a writer, I prefer to lose myself deeply into the world of written fiction.

By and large I do not constantly reread books I’ve already consumed, but I make exceptions for these two dense and complex novels. I wish I had kept an accurate count, but I know I’ve read each of them every couple of years for the last 25 years or so. Interestingly, every time I read each novel, I tune in to some new aspect of the writing and come away with fresh perspectives.

The Stand

The Stand by Stephen King first hit bookstores in 1978. Since I was only about four or five years old, I remained unaware it existed. King, being in the earlier stages of his career and less able to dictate how he wanted his creation handled, felt the pressure of the publishing company to ensure it would sell and cut 400 pages. In 1990 King and Doubleday released an updated and unabridged version of the novel; during college, I discovered this version and fell in love with the characters and the story line itself. Although I had previously read Carrie, Christine, and Different Seasons, this book turned me into a Stephen King Fan and I have since read most of his written works. Although this sounds odd, given the book features a super-bug eliminating 97% of the population of the world, I wanted to live in the book with the characters and share their experiences. As I have aged and grown as a reader and a writer, I have learned this feeling signals to me I’ve found a treasure.

The Stand features an array of carefully crafted characters, many of whom grow in significant ways throughout the novel. Although the bulk of the main characters hail from either the Midwest or the Northeast, King includes one Southern main character, Stuart Redman. Stu, a factory worker hailing from East Texas, emerges as one of the leaders of the community of survivors who traveled to Boulder, Colorado following supernatural visions. Although King portrays Stu as a blue-collar, down-to-earth, humble man, he never resorts to any of the stereotypical Southern caricatures. As a Southerner who tires of people equating our accents, colloquial language, or plain living to denote a lack of intelligence, I appreciate King highlighting Stu’s common sense and problem solving skills in addition to being a good listener and a kind man.

Swan Song

Interestingly, Swan Song by Robert McCammon tied with Stephen King’s Misery for the Bram Stoker Award after their publications in 1987. My husband provided me with a copy of Swan Song early in our college dating days in the mid 90s. I honestly think he was tired of me re-reading my worn-out copy of The Stand. As with The Stand, Swan Song begins with a world-impacting disaster, in this case: nuclear holocaust. McCammon features supernatural elements in the story, as King does in many of his works, but like King, McCammon focuses on his complex characters. Their relationships with one another and their reactions to the destruction and disease wrought by the fallout of the country being bombed weave an intriguing story which is difficult to put down. As with The Stand, the bulk of the characters in Swan Song seem to be from the Northeast or the Midwest; my memory doesn’t bring to mind any Southern characters, but I feel McCammon would have created well-rounded characters as well.

Trigger Warning: Each book features scenes in which women are vulnerable to or experiencing some form of sexual assault. Swan Song features a scene in which a young man narrowly escapes being assaulted.

What fictional worlds do you envision yourself navigating as you read?

Which characters draw empathy from you? Do authors portray your neck of the woods or characters hailing from those areas well?