After having written several popular science books, three years ago I decided to try my luck with fiction. how hard could it be? I reasoned arrogantly. well, harder than I thought. but i enjoyed writing sunfall because it’s exactly the kind of book i enjoy reading, even if it doesn’t have zombies, vampires or superpowered teenagers i guess netflix won’t buy the rights.
I’ve always been a fan of “hard sci-fi” from the near future. I prefer science to be credible, and I grew up on books by Arthur C Clarke, Isaac Asimov, and Larry Niven. So when it came to writing my own sci-fi thriller, I felt like I was very well positioned to put in a lot of science and do it well. Setting history two decades from now means I can make a reasonably reliable prediction of what the world might look like and extrapolate today’s science and technology into a plausible future.
You are reading: End of the world books
sunfall also falls into a subgenre of hard science fiction that I would call the doomsday novel. this is broader than apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic fiction, as it also encompasses disaster thrillers involving humanity under threat, whether or not that threat is averted. often the threat comes from science itself, or rather, from humanity’s misuse of it. a good example is oryx and crake by margaret atwood, which paints a picture of scientists playing god and carrying out terrifying experiments with viruses and genetic engineering. as the sun goes down, science is trying to save the world.
So, here are my top 10 science fiction books about the end of the world:
1. Michael Crichton’s Andromeda StrainThis 1969 techno-thriller established Crichton as a sci-fi bestseller. describes a deadly alien microbe, codenamed “andromeda”, being carried to earth by a meteorite and coagulating human blood, causing death within two minutes. Although I’ve never felt comfortable with some of Crichton’s views, which often portrays science as a threat to humanity (think Jurassic Park and Prey), as well as his controversial line on climate change, I can’t help but to admire the man who gave us the movie westworld. And like much of his science fiction work, The Andromeda Strain is an excellent thriller.
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2. lucifer’s hammer by larry niven and jerry pournelleWhen I looked at the sci-fi collection on my shelves before compiling this list, I was amazed at how many the niven books I had. I had also forgotten what classics like ringworld and the mote in god’s eye were. Niven is a master of hard science fiction, and together with Pournelle (another American genius), he wrote this apocalyptic thriller in 1977. A giant comet hits the earth, creating colossal earthquakes, giant tsunamis, and ultimately the beginning of a new ice age a handful of humans struggle to survive.
3. moonseed by stephen baxter baxter is a prolific British writer of hard science fiction who has explored fantastical ideas in physics. Moonseed was the final book in his NASA trilogy, which falls into the “alternate history” category. A space mission returns to earth with a piece of rock containing a mysterious nano-substance called “moon seed” that turns all inorganic matter into moon seed. As the earth begins to disintegrate, a group of scientists desperately tries to save humanity.
4. earth by david brinthis book has parallels to mine. both are set within a few decades, when much of today’s emerging science and technology is part of the backdrop. but brin wrote his book 30 years ago, so he will have more right than me to be a visionary futurologist if his predictions come true. he can only hope we don’t see the central event of the novel, which involves the physicists carelessly dropping the mini black hole they’ve created, threatening the destruction of the earth.
5. quantum night by robert j. sawyerthis is a wonderfully imaginative mix of psychology, quantum mechanics and the meaning of human consciousness. It’s based on the idea of the “quantum mind” developed by physicist Roger Penrose in the late 1980s. The theory isn’t taken very seriously now by scientists, but it’s great sci-fi thriller fodder.
6. station eleven by emily st john mandelthis is the first of two books with post-apocalyptic themes. it’s brilliantly written and hugely engaging. The novel is set after a flu pandemic has killed most of the world’s population, but it is also a story of poignant optimism. a band of actors and musicians travels the united states presenting shakespearian shows for isolated communities of survivors. This subgenre is known as “Cozy Catastrophe” (a term coined by Brian Aldiss) and stands in contrast to the more usual dystopian themes of violence and anarchy (think Mad Max or the Walking Dead).
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7. the drowned world of jg ballard
This 1962 novel depicts a post-apocalyptic future in which global warming has rendered much of the planet uninhabitable. In stark contrast to Season Eleven, it is a dark and depressing story of survivors forced to reinvent their ethical and moral codes as civilization collapses. it is widely considered to be one of the first fictional texts on climate change.
8. kurt vonnegut’s cat’s cradlevonnegut is one of my favorite writers. a scientist, dr. felix hoenikker, dies after inventing a deadly chemical called “ice-nine” that is capable of freezing the entire planet. the ultimately futile race is then on to find it. vonnegut writes with dark humor, lampooning the arms race and the stupidity of mankind. In many ways, this is the exact depressing opposite of my book, in which I emphasize the positive side of humanity’s ingenuity and ingenuity, but I still love it.
9. the year the stardust fell by raymond f jonesanother “threats from space” book. The aftermath of a mysterious bright comet causes civilization to grind to a halt as all transportation and machinery ceases to function and society returns to the stone age. this is sci-fi at its finest: a fast-paced yet thought-provoking thriller.
10. good wishes by terry pratchett and neil gaiman
my list ends with a very funny book. The apocalypse is coming – next Saturday, just before dinner. As the usual pre-apocalypse chaos ensues, an angel and a demon, enjoying a comfortable life among mortals, team up to sabotage the end times. Gaiman says he started the story as a parody of Richmal Crompton’s Just William books and was going to call him William the Antichrist, but in collaboration with Pratchett it became more complex, with several subplots, involving the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. and a 17th century witch named Agnes Nutter.
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