Need a good end of the world type of book. Nukes, comet, virus whatever.

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Mermaidman

Diamond Member
Sep 4, 2003
7,987
93
91
There was one where a bacterium designed to clean up oil spills gets loose and proceeds to digest all petroleum and rubber based products in the world. Unfortunately, I forgot the title :eek:

There's also an alien invasion novel called Footfall (Niven?) that I really enjoyed. Not quite end-of-the-world, but close.
 

xboxist

Diamond Member
Jun 25, 2002
3,026
1
71
Originally posted by: pyonir
Originally posted by: BaboonGuy
that Ice 9 book by Vonneguht!!

"Cat's Cradle" by Kurt Vonnegut

Also

"Alas, Babylon" by Pat Frank

"Alas, Babylon" is my suggestion. In a more indirect manner, "the Stand" is wonderful too. I know you've already read this, but I feel like I should plug the greatness of this book whenever the opportunity arises. heh

 

waggy

No Lifer
Dec 14, 2000
68,145
10
81
sigh.

now i will have to read some of those.
heh getting tired of my star wars or fantasy books anyhow!
 

thedarkwolf

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 1999
9,000
109
106
Originally posted by: xboxist
Originally posted by: pyonir
Originally posted by: BaboonGuy
that Ice 9 book by Vonneguht!!

"Cat's Cradle" by Kurt Vonnegut

Also

"Alas, Babylon" by Pat Frank

"Alas, Babylon" is my suggestion. In a more indirect manner, "the Stand" is wonderful too. I know you've already read this, but I feel like I should plug the greatness of this book whenever the opportunity arises. heh


I know I said it in my post but since you are plugging The Stand again I'll plug McCammon's Swan Song again. If you haven't read it check it out. Its kind of Stand like except with nukes.
 

CinderElmo

Senior member
Jun 23, 2000
732
0
0
Originally posted by: Mermaidman
There was one where a bacterium designed to clean up oil spills gets loose and proceeds to digest all petroleum and rubber based products in the world. Unfortunately, I forgot the title :eek:

"Ill Wind" Kevin J. Anderson & Doug Beason :)
 

Lounatik

Golden Member
Oct 10, 1999
1,845
1
0
McCammon, Robert Swan Song
Nukes and atleast as good as The Stand if not better

Oh, hell yeah I agree to that one. I think McCammon is an extremely underrated writer.
He went off the deep end and decided to stop writing after "Gone South" but on his webpage, some member of his fan club had been keeping in touch with him and he now has a new book out.Just a fantastic writer with some neat storylines(Wolf's Hour is my favorite)


As for the Streiber/Kunetka books. I thought they were very interesting,if not kinda dry reads.



Peace


Lounatik
 

UlricT

Golden Member
Jul 21, 2002
1,966
0
0
Originally posted by: EyeMWing
I love writing about the end of the world - you can do it in so many sick and twisted ways. My english teachers find it disturbing, yet entertaining. I have a short story around here that I wrote for Creative Writing where the teacher actually wrote "You have issues, but they're such amazingly detailed and intriguing issues that I'm going to use this as a sample"

Apparently she had a stack of angst-filled stories about male/female relations, one about homosexual relationships (I found that one to be very interesting. It captured the essence of "Holy crap, my best friend is gay and just killed himself because I wouldn't let him tap my ass") and one detailing only two minutes of time from the perspective of the pilot of a B-2 loaded with a nuclear weapon inbound to a North Korean target. The minute before they drop the bomb, and the minute after. I'll post it if anyone's interested.

A link would be nice.. yes :)
 

Queasy

Moderator<br>Console Gaming
Aug 24, 2001
31,796
2
0
Originally posted by: Mermaidman
There's also an alien invasion novel called Footfall (Niven?) that I really enjoyed. Not quite end-of-the-world, but close.

Yep, Niven. Footfall was kind of goofy from the alien perspecting yet interesting from some of the science perspective.

 

EyeMWing

Banned
Jun 13, 2003
15,670
1
0
Originally posted by: UlricT
Originally posted by: EyeMWing
I love writing about the end of the world - you can do it in so many sick and twisted ways. My english teachers find it disturbing, yet entertaining. I have a short story around here that I wrote for Creative Writing where the teacher actually wrote "You have issues, but they're such amazingly detailed and intriguing issues that I'm going to use this as a sample"

Apparently she had a stack of angst-filled stories about male/female relations, one about homosexual relationships (I found that one to be very interesting. It captured the essence of "Holy crap, my best friend is gay and just killed himself because I wouldn't let him tap my ass") and one detailing only two minutes of time from the perspective of the pilot of a B-2 loaded with a nuclear weapon inbound to a North Korean target. The minute before they drop the bomb, and the minute after. I'll post it if anyone's interested.

A link would be nice.. yes :)

I went ahead and gave it it's own thread an hour or two ago.
 

GagHalfrunt

Lifer
Apr 19, 2001
25,297
2,000
126
Originally posted by: Queasy
Originally posted by: Mermaidman
There's also an alien invasion novel called Footfall (Niven?) that I really enjoyed. Not quite end-of-the-world, but close.

Yep, Niven. Footfall was kind of goofy from the alien perspecting yet interesting from some of the science perspective.


Footfall was both Niven and Pournelle, the same duo that did Lucifer's Hammer. Wasn't all that great a book, it was like the world was getting invaded by elephants from a kids book. The did some other excellent books though, both The Mote in God's Eye and The Legecy of Heorot were better than Footfall.
 

CarlKillerMiller

Diamond Member
Jul 14, 2003
3,099
0
0
If you REALLY know your way around the english language, Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pyncheon is an AMAZING book, but a hard read.
 

FoBoT

No Lifer
Apr 30, 2001
63,089
12
76
fobot.com
Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt
The did some other excellent books though, both and The Mote in God's Eye The Legecy of Heorot were better than Footfall.

The Mote in God's Eye is a good book
 

Arkitech

Diamond Member
Apr 13, 2000
8,356
3
76
this post ROCKS!!! I was just looking around for something to read lately, I'm heading out to the library tomorrow and stocking up on a few books.
 

thedarkwolf

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 1999
9,000
109
106
Originally posted by: Lounatik
McCammon, Robert Swan Song
Nukes and atleast as good as The Stand if not better

Oh, hell yeah I agree to that one. I think McCammon is an extremely underrated writer.
He went off the deep end and decided to stop writing after "Gone South" but on his webpage, some member of his fan club had been keeping in touch with him and he now has a new book out.Just a fantastic writer with some neat storylines(Wolf's Hour is my favorite)


As for the Streiber/Kunetka books. I thought they were very interesting,if not kinda dry reads.



Peace


Lounatik


Picked up Speaks the Nightbird when it first came out and its great. I've read all of McCammon's books and have most and Wolf's Hour is my favorite aswell. I've read it 3 times sofar and am do for a 4th. I put off reading The Wolf's Hour for a long time just because it sounds so goofy but its damn good. McCammon has another book finished but has no plans to publish it. I can't remember what its called but its about a Russian circus troop during WWII. He had given up on publishing Speaks the Nightbird aswell so hopefully we will get lucky. I don't think I can go another 10 years without another new McCammon book.
 

Wintermute76

Senior member
Jan 8, 2003
364
0
0
Originally posted by: FallenHero
The Forge of God

Forge of God was good, I liked the concluding book better, Anvil of Stars , both by Greg Bear ,IIRC

In Forge, the Earth gets destroyed by an alien race, in Anvil of Stars we get revenge :D