Most Common Apocalypse In Post-Apocalyptic Books
One of the most important themes of post-apocalyptic books is disaster. This is the point where the story begins, and the nature of the apocalypse determines the tone of the entire book. Authors have come up with numerous creative, gruesome and shockingly vivid ways of bringing humanity to the brink of extinction; some of them inspired by reality others by pure imagination.
Nuclear Warfare
This is by far the most popular means of killing off the human population. Ever since atomic bombs were dropped during World War II, the threat of nuclear extinction has been rife in the minds of many. Post-apocalyptic books take advantage of this by creating a world where nuclear war has already taken place.
Hordes of people are killed during the initial blast and many more die as a result of the ensuing radiation. The books usually pick off during the nuclear winter that results due to the devastating climatic effects of the bombs. Post-apocalyptic nooks such as Dream Caster, Warday and On The Beach take this route.
Alien Invasion
It is said that there is no greater fear than the fear of the unknown. With major advancements in science over the last couple of decades, the possibility of extraterrestrial life has shifted from fantasy to possible reality. This comes as a double-edged sword. These alien beings, if intelligent enough, might be beneficial to us or pose as a serious threat; post-apocalyptic books tend to lean to the latter.
In these narratives, the aliens come to earth either searching for valuable resources that have since been depleted from their home planets, looking for alternate living quarters, to gather a labor force or in the sheer quest of universal domination. Whatever their reason, humanity is always on the losing end. Outlanders, The Forge of God and The War of The Worlds are some of the novels that believe in aliens.
Pandemic
Infectious diseases have killed more people in history than any other agent. Many people believe that a major outbreak in the future will wipe out most of humanity; post-apocalyptic books tend to agree with them. In this apocalypse, an incurable highly-infectious disease quickly chokes the world leading to massive deaths. In some cases, the disease turns its hosts into zombies who infect the rest of the population by attacking and biting them. Earth Abides and Eternity Road are books in this category.
Deadly Impact
Scientists agree that in the past, a huge comet plunged into the earth killing off the majority of the dominant species at the time. Impact by bodies such as comets and asteroids are a real threat even now and post-apocalyptic books theorize such an event occurring. In this scenario, a huge heavenly body strikes the earth annihilating most of its inhabitants and leaving the survivors to fend for themselves in an extremely harsh environment. Lucifer's Hammer beautifully narrates the aftermath of a deadly impact.
Ecological Imbalance
Nature maintains a delicate balance. If disturbed, a catastrophic ripple effect might systematically wipe off life as we know it. In post-apocalyptic books, there is a shift in this ecological balance. This is usually due to over-population, pollution or changes in the sun leading to an ice age. This results in loss of life due to the depletion of resources. In The Drift and The Winter of The World are both set in the aftermath of an ecological apocalypse.
Post-apocalyptic books strive to place the reader in a world riddled by catastrophe. They therefore take fact and decorate it with fiction to give the audience a vivid picture of what would happen if things went terribly wrong.
William is the publicist of Dream Caster. He is a new publiscist and is always looking for advice, tips, tricks and ideas. He thought writers could use some tips about writing. If you are interested in some post-apocalyptic books, take a look at this site. Or you can take a look at this other website for more books in general.
William Yatscoff
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