Sunday
Oct072007
Some Recent Reads
Sunday, October 7, 2007 at 9:34AM
So it's been a while since the last post again. Here are some of the books I've read over the last few months.
The Road, by Cormac McCarthy. Absolutely fantastic. When I saw that it was an Oprah Book Club pick, I almost skipped it, but that would have been a huge mistake. This book is great; probably one of the most realistic-feeling post-apocalyptic books I've ever read. It's just a story of a man trying to keep his son alive in the aftermath of an un-named apocalypse, but as the father of two myself, I kept wondering how I'd handle those situations. A must read for an fan of post-apocalyptic literature.
Also very enjoyable was World War Z, by Max Brooks. I haven't read too many zombie books yet, but if you're a fan of the genre, then this is another must read. Each chapter is a separate account of how a particular individual survived the recently concluded zombie war. But the accounts are in roughly chronological order, so you can get a good idea of exactly how the war played out. Very authentic-feeling and very interesting. It definitely got me in the mood for more zombie adventures.
Then one that I can't believe I never came across before (because it was written in like 1915) is The Scarlet Plague, by Jack London (yes, that Jack London.) It's a very quick read; I finished it in one Sunday evening, but it's pretty good. I was going to say it fits the formula of the elderly survivor telling stories of the before-times to those around him who were born after the apocalypse, but then now that I think about it, this book is probably the originator of that formula itself.
More recently, I read Plague Year, by Jeff Carlson. This one was just okay to me. The premise was interesting, a world-wide nanoplague that kills everyone who's below a certain altitude. But it never really paid off. I was never really into any of the characters, and the ending felt like it was just a setup for a sequel.
I'm now halfway through Earth Abides, by George Stewart. This one's a classic that I've read before, but I was in the mood for that kind of story so picked it up off my shelf.
I have I am Legend, which I've never read before, on reserve at the library, so that will be my next read, I think.
The Road, by Cormac McCarthy. Absolutely fantastic. When I saw that it was an Oprah Book Club pick, I almost skipped it, but that would have been a huge mistake. This book is great; probably one of the most realistic-feeling post-apocalyptic books I've ever read. It's just a story of a man trying to keep his son alive in the aftermath of an un-named apocalypse, but as the father of two myself, I kept wondering how I'd handle those situations. A must read for an fan of post-apocalyptic literature.
Also very enjoyable was World War Z, by Max Brooks. I haven't read too many zombie books yet, but if you're a fan of the genre, then this is another must read. Each chapter is a separate account of how a particular individual survived the recently concluded zombie war. But the accounts are in roughly chronological order, so you can get a good idea of exactly how the war played out. Very authentic-feeling and very interesting. It definitely got me in the mood for more zombie adventures.
Then one that I can't believe I never came across before (because it was written in like 1915) is The Scarlet Plague, by Jack London (yes, that Jack London.) It's a very quick read; I finished it in one Sunday evening, but it's pretty good. I was going to say it fits the formula of the elderly survivor telling stories of the before-times to those around him who were born after the apocalypse, but then now that I think about it, this book is probably the originator of that formula itself.
More recently, I read Plague Year, by Jeff Carlson. This one was just okay to me. The premise was interesting, a world-wide nanoplague that kills everyone who's below a certain altitude. But it never really paid off. I was never really into any of the characters, and the ending felt like it was just a setup for a sequel.
I'm now halfway through Earth Abides, by George Stewart. This one's a classic that I've read before, but I was in the mood for that kind of story so picked it up off my shelf.
I have I am Legend, which I've never read before, on reserve at the library, so that will be my next read, I think.
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Reader Comments (2)
I love Earth Abides! I have heard mixed things about The Road from people who don't necessarily love the genre, but will give it a look now I think after your review!
Hey there - attempted to send ya an email on this - I've been looking for the name of a book that was read to me in my youth at school. This would have been around or before 1984 or maybe 1985. The basic premise is that everyone over a certain age has died from a plague or disease. There are only kids left. This focuses on probably one boy and 2 girls. I can't really remember all of it, but I've been looking for a while. The boy is starting to get feelings for one of the girls and the other girl gets jealous and I think comes after him or possibly the other girl with a butcher knife. :) That's about it for remembering. Maybe you've read it or have some other ideas on where to look - I've checked all of your links and have been searching other internet databases for a while.
Thanks,
Chris