Your favorite post-apocalyptic stories

[RetroFan]

Would 1984 by George Orwell count? If so, that's my choice.

 

[StillStunned]

Would 1984 by George Orwell count? If so, that's my choice.

More dystopian than post-apocalyptic, I'd say. Perhaps pre-apocalyptic.

 

[TheLobster]

More dystopian than post-apocalyptic, I'd say. Perhaps pre-apocalyptic.

I agree. Post-apocalyptic usually means almost complete absence of any form of government above local level. 1984 is literally the opposite of that.

 

[MillieDynamite]

The story I wrote is set some time after the apocalypse. There is a floating city where the Masters live—a city of decayed buildings with new structures sprouting up between them. The in betweens, the privileged, live in less safety than they realize. They work hard to improve their station, not realizing the deck is stacked against them. The slaves do all the menial work, from house cleaning to cooking to garbage collection to mining from asteroids in their solar system. Early on, it hints that they have the ability to travel through interstellar space and know their lesser worlds out there—a few more advanced worlds. And a lot of worlds are about the same level. A couple, who aren't married to each other, but the woman is married to the leader of the whole mess, plot to run away. The man wants to find a primitive planet so they can be the rulers. Post means after, so anything after the apocalypse fits the criteria.

 

[THBGato]

Epilogue by @AwkwardApple415

Yep. That's a brilliant story.

Love The Chrysalids. I've re-read that several times in my life. I really had that in mind (plus "The Handmaid's Tale") when I wrote On a Wing and a Prayer. Speaking of Atwood, Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood are scary-good too.

Perhaps less well-known (it was only published in 2021) is Moths by Jane Hennigan. The premise isn't a million miles from Y: The Last Man graphic novel series, but told from a female point of view. I also enjoyed The girl with all the gifts recently.

 

[Candy_Kane54]

On the Beach - Nevile Shute

 

[SchnellFick]

I agree. Post-apocalyptic usually means almost complete absence of any form of government above local level. 1984 is literally the opposite of that.

I don't know. It's true that dystopian doesn't have to be post-apocalyptic. But I'm with MillieDynamite that anything after the apocalypse fits. Like Fallout or Hand Maiden's Tale. They can have a working government...

The last one I read and liked, was written by an indie author: Black Forest Wolfman. I even think about making some fan-fiction based on that village...

 

[karina_jayde]

I would hesitate to call it good, but the show Into the Badlands was silly fun. Basically a neo-feudal post apocalypse with swords and martial arts.


To avoid repeating works already mentioned here, switching things up a bit and shouting out cool post apocalyptic RPG settings.

Numenera goes way beyond just post apocalypse. It's a whole new world built upon layers of old civilizations and countless past catastrophes, where ancient tech is indistinguishable from magic. The system itself wasn't my cup of tea but the world was very cool.

Twilight 2000, where you usually play as people (mostly soldiers) who survive a Cold War gone hot in Europe. It's not about winning the war, just struggling to survive and maybe getting home.

Dark Sun is basically a post apocalypse of a standard fantasy world. Does darker twists on the standard fantasy tropes in a magic-wracked wasteland. Basically Middle Earth meets Mad Max (but that's oversimplifying it).

I do have a few outlines and rough drafts for erotica in the genre. Mostly stuff that explores my own breeding kinks but in a post apocalyptic context.