Cormack McCarthy’s "The Road" – similar works?
Gas Bag
short book, I thought it was extremely well written – brilliantly
crafted. I am trying to find other books (and) movies of this genre,
but it hasn’t been easy.
I’m already well aware of 28 Weeks/Days Later, and I Am Legend, but I
am looking for the more obscure alternative titles, if there are any.
Kurt Busiek
> I have recently read "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy. Although it was a
> short book, I thought it was extremely well written – brilliantly
> crafted. I am trying to find other books (and) movies of this genre,
> but it hasn’t been easy.
> I’m already well aware of 28 Weeks/Days Later, and I Am Legend, but I
> am looking for the more obscure alternative titles, if there are any.
If by "this genre" you mean "postapocalyptic travel stories," the
grandaddy of the genre is THE STAND, by Stephen King, though it
couldn't be more different in style from the McCarthy.
Others include EMERGENCE by David R. Palmer, SWAN SONG by Robert
McCammon, DAMNATION ALLEY by Roger Zelazny, A BOY AND HIS DOG by
Harlan Ellison, most of the stories in THE BOOK OF THE DEAD (edited by
John Skipp and Craig Spector) and the graphic novel series THE WALKING
DEAD by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard.
kdb
David Matthews
"Kurt Busiek" <ku...@busiek.com> wrote in message
news:6b3d62fc-cb89-4a44...@g16g2000pri.googlegroups.com...
kdb
I recall reading a short story by Ray Russell in Playboy magazine many years
ago about a 16 year old girl who along with her dog are the last survivors
on earth. After the death of her dog the girl heads north because she has
never seen snow and wants to before she dies. She has given up hope of
seeing anyone else alive and I remember the story ended with a sad little
poem she writes the last line of which was something like "....and death, my
husband, will claim me for his bride."
Can't remember the title. Ring a bell with anyone?
Dave in Toronto
Michael O'Connor
- Lucifer's Hammer by Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven, about a large
comet that strikes the Earth, and the aftermath. Very highly
recommended; they should have made a movie out of this instead of
making Armageddon and Deep Impact.
- Swan Song by Robert McCammon, about a nuclear war and the
aftermath. More of a horror/supernatural story, but a good read
- The Postman (I never read the book) but by all accounts much better
than the Costner adaptation.
- Warday by Whitley Streiber and James Kunetka, about two writers who
travel across America five years after a limited nuclear war to
document how life has changed. Very highly recommended; I wish
somebody would adapt this into a movie.
Steven J.
> "Kurt Busiek" <k...@busiek.com> wrote in message
"Xong of Xuxan" (her typewriter had a broken "s" key), which according
to a quick internet search was indeed written by Ray Russell.
>
> Dave in Toronto
-- Steven J.
Mark Nobles
And if the travel part is not so important, "Alas, Babylon" is one of
my favorites. It's what Jericho could have been. No zombies.
Bill Anderson
Michael O'Connor
movie was quite effective.
David Matthews
"Steven J." <stev...@altavista.com> wrote in message
news:54b372d4-05df-4f08...@s50g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
-- Steven J.
Thanks!! I think that may be the one. I'd forgotten the typewriter bit but
I'm pretty sure the girl's name was Susan.
Dave in Toronto
tomcervo
> > > I have recently read "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy. Although it was a
> > > short book, I thought it was extremely well written – brilliantly
> > > crafted. I am trying to find other books (and) movies of this genre,
> > > but it hasn’t been easy.
> > > I’m already well aware of 28 Weeks/Days Later, and I Am Legend, but I
> > > am looking for the more obscure alternative titles, if there are any.
>
> > If by "this genre" you mean "postapocalyptic travel stories," the
> > grandaddy of the genre is THE STAND, by Stephen King, though it
> > couldn't be more different in style from the McCarthy.
>
> > Others include EMERGENCE by David R. Palmer, SWAN SONG by Robert
> > McCammon, DAMNATION ALLEY by Roger Zelazny, A BOY AND HIS DOG by
> > Harlan Ellison, most of the stories in THE BOOK OF THE DEAD (edited by
> > John Skipp and Craig Spector) and the graphic novel series THE WALKING
> > DEAD by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard.
Michael Chabon notes that "The Road" is well within the post-
apocalyptic strain of sci-fi, and notes other examples in his new
book, according to the review I read. Problem is, most high-toned
reviewers have no awareness that sci-fi exists--unlike McCarthy, who
will use any genre, even the ones called pulp, to make his point.
tomcervo
Actually I think it might have been invented by Stephen Vincent Benet,
in "By the Waters of Babylon".
L Alpert
"Gas Bag" <shaz...@yahoo.com.au> wrote in message
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art...@yahoo.com
Amnesia Moon Jonathan Lethem
George Peatty
Have not read the McCarthy novel, nor any of the others, but if you want a
really good post-apocalyptic novel, read
- A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller.
Some say it hasn't held up over the years. I am not one of them. The
ending is one of the saddest I've ever read ..
Francis A. Miniter
I fully agree.
I have not yet the sequel he wrote about 10 years ago, "Wild
Horse Woman".
Francis A. Miniter
Joetheone
On Jul 3, 9:12 pm, Gas Bag <shazl...@yahoo.com.au> wrote:
> I have recently read "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy. Although it was a
> short book, I thought it was extremely well written – brilliantly
> crafted. I am trying to find other books (and) movies of this genre,
> but it hasn’t been easy.
> I’m already well aware of 28 Weeks/Days Later, and I Am Legend, but I
> am looking for the more obscure alternative titles, if there are any.
"Good News" by Edward Abbey.
And one I love, no travel to speak of, a very different apacolypse to be
"post" of,but never see it mentioned anywhere:
"Galveston" by Sean Stewart
Will in New Haven
wrote:
Galveston is a very fine book but I had a hard time with the opening.
You have to get past a poker game with _impossible_ rules to get into
the book. It will be tough for even non-players because the way they
play is literally impossible to believe if you even think about it a
little. But many non-players won't.
But then it becomes a really good book.
For some value of "post apocolyptic" <The Last Hot Time> by John M.
Ford might qualify and it's a better book than anything mentioned so
far. In my opinion, of course, but I'm right.
--
Will in New Haven
Mike stone
"Francis A. Miniter" <fami...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:R4mdnaRgt5aCBfPV...@comcast.com...
And so depressingly believable.
> I fully agree.
>
> I have not yet the sequel he wrote about 10 years ago, "Wild
> Horse Woman".
>
>
YMMV, but personally I wouldn't bother.
--
Mike Stone - Peterborough, England
Q) In the Roman Civil Wars, why did all the bachelors fight for Sulla?
A) Because they weren't the Marian kind.
Joetheone
"Will in New Haven" <bill....@taylorandfrancis.com> wrote in message
news:d885f1f3-d896-496a...@x35g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
On Jul 4, 8:02 pm, "Joetheone" <joethe...@dontchabespamminme.com>
wrote:
> On Jul 3, 9:12 pm, Gas Bag <shazl...@yahoo.com.au> wrote:
>
> > I have recently read "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy. Although it was a
> > short book, I thought it was extremely well written – brilliantly
> > crafted. I am trying to find other books (and) movies of this genre,
> > but it hasn’t been easy.
> > I’m already well aware of 28 Weeks/Days Later, and I Am Legend, but I
> > am looking for the more obscure alternative titles, if there are any.
>
> "Good News" by Edward Abbey.
> And one I love, no travel to speak of, a very different apacolypse to be
> "post" of,but never see it mentioned anywhere:
> "Galveston" by Sean Stewart
>Galveston is a very fine book but I had a hard time with the opening.
You have to get past a poker game with _impossible_ rules to get into
the book. It will be tough for even non-players because the way they
play is literally impossible to believe if you even think about it a
>little. But many non-players won't.
Gee. If you had problems with the first poker game, the last one...
Of course by then, you're so far into that world that it doesn't matter.
>But then it becomes a really good book.
>For some value of "post apocolyptic" <The Last Hot Time> by John M.
Ford might qualify and it's a better book than anything mentioned so
>far. In my opinion, of course, but I'm right.
--
>Will in New Haven
Uhh--I'm pretty sure it's me that's right.
I'll have to look up your Ford book.
Have you read any of Stewart's others?
I ordered and read all the other titles of his from the library last winter.
I remember I enjoyed them, but for some reason I can't remember a thing
about them.
michael grasberger
> I have recently read "The Road" by Cormack McCarthy. Although it was a
> short book, I thought it was extremely well written – brilliantly
> crafted. I am trying to find other books (and) movies of this genre,
> but it hasn’t been easy.
the movie "stalker" by andrej tarkowskij ( i think you spell him
differently in english) might be right for you.
Jared
>
> - Warday by Whitley Streiber and James Kunetka, about two writers who
> travel across America five years after a limited nuclear war to
> document how life has changed. Very highly recommended; I wish
> somebody would adapt this into a movie.
They also wrote one about a world dying from ecological disaster and
over-population, NATURE'S END, which might be worth a reread in these
days of global warming.
pyotr filipivich
"Francis A. Miniter" <fami...@comcast.net> wrote on Fri, 04 Jul 2008
17:37:10 -0400 in soc.history.what-if :
It is okay. An interesting book set between the last two 'books'
of Canticle. I think in some ways, it might be over long, otoh, it
does tell an epic tale, so you kind of need all those extra pages.
I liked it enough, but not enough to go back to.
tschus
pyotr
--
pyotr filipivich
Most of the intelligentsia haven't studied history, so much
as they've absorbed the Correct Position on "History".
Lyn David Thomas
>> I have not yet the sequel he wrote about 10 years ago, "Wild
>> Horse Woman".
>
> It is okay. An interesting book set between the last two 'books'
> of Canticle. I think in some ways, it might be over long, otoh, it
> does tell an epic tale, so you kind of need all those extra pages.
> I liked it enough, but not enough to go back to.
I tend to agree, incidentally the bbc produced a radio drama based on
the first two books of A Canticle, but left out the third...
--
\/ Lyn David Thomas
tbs48
Kurt Busiek
A terrific book -- set long after the apocalypse, unlike many of the
others, but brilliantly written.
It was quite a shock to realize it was from the author of BREAD AND
JAM FOR FRANCES, which is where I knew him from...
kdb
Ericth...@gmail.com
small town where the easygoing sheriff had managed to keep order after
the bomb dropped, and things were going fairly well...until a gang or
a military unit showed up.
Does anybody remember that one?
Eric Tolle
ver...@hinet.net.au
> I have recently read "The Road" by Cormack McCarthy. Although it was a
> short book, I thought it was extremely well written – brilliantly
> crafted. I am trying to find other books (and) movies of this genre,
> but it hasn’t been easy.
> I’m already well aware of 28 Weeks/Days Later, and I Am Legend, but I
> am looking for the more obscure alternative titles, if there are any.
By total happenstance, I have lately read "The Road", seen I Am
Legend, and read Jeanette Winterson's latest: The Stone Gods. She is
another one who, like McCarthy, isn't a "sci-fi" author, but a writer
who writes beautifully and tells whatever tale needs telling to "make
the point" as an earlier post said. And movies: Children of Men is
absolutely brilliant.