Comments on:

By: Emily

Emily — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 17:53:48 +0000

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer is great. So scary!

By: bdub

bdub — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 20:29:06 +0000

Joelle, Noah’s Castle scared me too, which is why I’ve never forgotten it. I plan on re-reading it now that it’s been republished. You’re very lucky to have John Rowe Townsend as a mentor! I will have to check out Restoring Harmony.

By: Kristin Laughtin

Kristin Laughtin — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 19:32:32 +0000

Glad to hear you’re hanging in there! I pray for swift recovery. In the meantime, some of my favorite dystopias/post-apocalyptic scenarios (outside of the classics like 1984 and Brave New World, etc.):

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson (if you don’t mind vampires)
America Pacifica by Anna North (YA-ish)
Feed by Mira Grant (if you don’t mind zombies, this one is really intelligent and well-done)
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K LeGuin
Spin by Robert Charles Wilson (One of my favorites ever! More of a pre-apocalypse, though; the humans know it is coming but are literally powerless to stop it. Basically, a bunch of aliens put a barrier around Earth that causes time to pass more slowly inside, so 40 years of Earth time is about 4 billion in the rest of the universe. That’s as long as it will take for the sun to expand and engulf our planet. Highly recommended!)

By: Joelle

Joelle — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 15:16:36 +0000

Funny you mention Noah’s Castle as I read it when I was a teen too, and it scared the crap out of me. I missed the bit at the beginning about it being a fictional town in England and was disoriented for the whole book, too.

John Rowe Townsend (now 90) has been my writing mentor for the last twenty years or so! I was excited to see they re-issued it (he sent me a surprise copy). Everyone should read that one! (P.S. Earlier, someone mentioned Nevil Shute and I commented that my first book is dedicated to him…it’s also dedicated to JRT. The people reading this blog have great taste!).

By: bdub

bdub — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 14:31:34 +0000

Noah’s Castle by John Rowe Townsend is a good one. I read it as a teenager in the 80s (it was originally published in 1975, has been recently republished) and have never forgotten it.

Hope your power is restored soon.

By: Sharlyn Lauby

Sharlyn Lauby — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 11:57:36 +0000

A couple of dystopian novels were mentioned often during this election so I’ve put them on my reading list. Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged” and “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood.

By: khaula mazhar

khaula mazhar — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 04:45:42 +0000

So sorry to hear about all the problems so many people are facing
You have to read Children of Men and yes even Hunger Games. It was really good.

By: Siri Kirpal Kaur Khalsa

Siri Kirpal Kaur Khalsa — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 03:27:17 +0000

Thanks for sharing your story. Glad you survived. Truthfully, the whole thing reminds me of my grandmother telling me about her childhood in rural “Missourah.” No electricity, no indoor plumbing, etc. But I think we have it worse than they did. They made their own fun, and didn’t rely on video games and email, which didn’t exist. Instead, they sang songs, told stories, recited poems, read, sewed (which is even worse by candlelight than reading is) and visited with friends. I was personally appalled by the kids who didn’t know what to do with themselves without access to electric toys.

By: Joelle

Joelle — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 02:32:45 +0000

I am a HUGE Nevil Shute fan. My first book is even dedicated to him and I spoke at the International Nevil Shute Conference a couple of years ago. But I have never read ON THE BEACH. We own several copies, but I don’t think I’ll ever read it!

By: Joelle

Joelle — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 02:31:01 +0000

You could probably find a copy of my YA, Restoring Harmony, on the DGLM shelves (or ask Michael). It’s not like big bad dystopia, more like…well, what some people are living through near you! It’s set only 30 years in the future after economic collapse due to the end of oil…no electricity, for one thing!

Otherwise, I’m at a loss. I kind of like the hopeful books and don’t read much dystopia (ironic, I know).

Take care and good luck.