What are your thoughts on post apocalyptic stories?

Discuss the March 2017 Book of the Month, Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel.
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Lennycat
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Re: What are your thoughts on post apocalyptic stories?

Post by Lennycat »

I'm also a big fan of post-apocalyptic/dystopian novels. Sometimes our reality feels like it is just on the edge of this kind of catastrophe. It's interesting to see how each author has their own version of how "the end" will come.
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Post by Kalin Adi »

Do you think that civilization will collapse one day?
If yes, then due to what will that happen or how much time will it take?

I'm not a fan of this type of stories. When I read a book about it, it's because someone recommended it a lot to time. However, the fact that society will continue changing is unavoidable, that resource will be scarce in some areas too, but I do not think that everything will collapse entirely and at the same time. Besides, to say when it is going to happen, it's absurd! We do not have the power to see the future.
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Post by JanieReads »

It turns out, I LOVE post-apocalyptic books. I didn't think I was the type but something about the genre has just spoken to me recently. I like how everyone's true nature comes to the forefront when everything in the world has fallen apart and has to be rebuilt. I like to follow the thought process on those hard decisions and think about what decision I would make in the same scenario.

I believe that one day our world will be in that situation, especially with the nuclear weapons that are now so vital to all our countries. Nothing good can come from that. Although I do hope that our leaders realize the risks and don't act rashly.
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Post by eelavahs-jay »

I think the concept of a post-apocalyptic world is overdone in movies. I haven't read many books that fall under this genre as I just find them too predictable. Some bing too much on shock value and it's never a good thing when that takes precedence over moving the story along.
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Post by Anjum »

I like this genre too. There are always endless possibilities.
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Post by inaramid »

At the rate that humanity is going, yes. There are a lot of things to like about post-apocalyptic stories. Right now, I'd rather see a post-apocalyptic story set in a fantasy world with a completely established history that somehow collapsed or got destroyed.
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Post by Sakilunamermaid »

I'm a fan of post apocalyptic books, I like to see what government they come up with and the communities they remake. The different causes of the worlds fall is also another topic that greatly varies from book to book.

The end of civilization and the beginning of the Apocalypse will probably be due to banks closing/ emp, all electronic equipment not functioning. I think it will be sudden and that no kind of preparation will be enough. But then I'm intrigued by conspiracy theories, so I hope I'm wrong.
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Post by jvez »

I've never been a fan of post apocalyptic themes. Perhaps because the ones I've read before all seem to follow the same plot progression. And as for real life, I'd rather look forward to a better future than think of a possibility of worldwide destruction.
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Post by Julie Green »

I like the genre too. It's interesting to explore the impact of extreme situations on human behaviour - we see the same attributes in even slightly alarming situations so there always feels a sense of truth in the reactions depicted in disaster movies.
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Post by kelvinmwaniki17 »

I can't say I love post-apocalyptic stories but I think it would be interesting to see the effects of extreme human behavior on our world.
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Post by angiejack456 »

I love this genre of books, but they have to be well-written. Some of the societies that are set up in this post-apocalyptical just aren't believable. For example in the widely popular Divergent Series, I could never wrap my brain around the idea that a group of people would purposefully divide themselves into factions. Hasn't history proven that segregation was not a successful choice?

When a plot is well set up with believable characters, these are some of my favorite reads. I love seeing the choices individuals make in a world that is so different from our own.
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Post by srividyag1 »

Some apocalyptic fiction deals with migrating to other planets and survival in a different sort of environment all together. Some deal with utter lawlessness or totally authoritarian kind of world. But almost all deals with society as a whole. It shows how we've evolved for the worse. Though evolution in its Normal course should have provided Earth with a more sophisticated species, we're regressing into degenerates in almost all apocalyptic stories. We're driven by fear and basic survival instincts. The thought itself is scary. What about the progress we've made in terms of gender equality and equality of culture and race? What about the scientific progress? What about the evolution of new thoughts? Somehow, the view of the future is bleak and it scares me. I love to read this genre out of curiosity though.
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Post by Sreneeboyd2 »

This book wasn't as dynamic and filled with action packed scenes. It was definitely subtle. I love a good post apocalyptic book. Especially the ones that could actually happen. I like the books that are far in the future after the fact and I like the books that tell the story of how it happened. I have recently found a small series that seem to outline one that could be devastating and could actually happen and I cannot seem to get the scenario out of my mind. I keep asking myself what would happen to me and my family in similar situations. But that is what a good book does. It keeps you thinking after you've finished.
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Post by unamilagra »

I have been a fan of these dystopian-type books since reading Brave New World in high school. I didn't realize there was a whole genre for it at the time though! It's hard to say what will happen in the future for the human race. There are so many ways things could go wrong that it's hard to imagine something apocalyptic not happening.
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Post by cbelmonte »

I'm not typically a fan of dystopian/post-apocalyptic stories; however, I find myself reading them more and more often, as they're becoming more mainstream and popular. Station Eleven really broke the mold for me on this genre and I found myself haunted by this book long after reading it. Some other books in the genre -- like Severance, which I finished last year -- really left me feeling cold. I think from the start the premise has to be believable and scary enough that the risks lead characters need to take to preserve their lives feel warranted. Most of the action scenes in post-apocalyptic novels tend to fall short with me.

Personally, I don't believe this is a possibility for our society, as I think we'll destroy ourselves much more quickly than fading out from sickness.
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