1. All the Fiends of Hell by Adam Nevill
Karl, unremarkable, middle aged, and recently divorced, wakes up from a nasty bout of flu to discover his suburban neighbourhood deserted and a strange red glow in the sky. The overwhelming silence is broken only by the distant echo of breaking glass. Thus begins a truly nightmarish journey as our very ordinary man protagonist quickly finds himself fleeing demon-like aliens whose power increases as the red light in the sky creeps over the landscape of a mostly empty Britain. Forced into the role of protector to two orphaned children, Karl struggles to survive both ravening aliens and the odious Bob, a self-important petty criminal and loser described with disturbing recognisability (modern Britain, especially its politics, is replete with self-important losers). Themes of adult responsibility and found family are to the fore in this utterly absorbing, white-knuckle ride through a world made hellish by inexplicable forces. The fact that Neville never fully describes the nature or origin of the alien incursion, which may or not be supernatural, adds to the disorientation and thereby the terror.
2. The Drowned World by JG Ballard
Set decades after increased solar activity has melted the polar ice caps, Ballard’s seminal take on life in an already destroyed world reflects many of the elements later adopted as tropes of the genre whilst also deftly avoiding the heroic narrative. Kerans, our central character is a scientist raised and educated in a base above the arctic circle where the climate is still conducive to human life. As oceans swallowed the continents, the tropical regions of the equator expanded to cover scant remaining land in reptile infested swamps. Whilst Kerans spends his days taking readings and idly canoodling with Beatrice, a fellow scientist, he finds himself increasing fascinated by the encroaching wetlands, something his colleague Dr Bodkin ascribes to the genetic memory of a primordial past. This hypnotic malaise has already claimed one of their team who has wandered off into the swamps. Kerans’ inner debate regarding whether he’ll leave when the team is inevitably evacuated are interrupted by the arrival of Strangman, a professional scavenger with a crew of mercenaries and pet crocodiles, intent on dredging up the treasures of the old world for a profit. To do so, he drains the lagoon where the team live, revealing central London. It is the threat of these interlopers that forms the dramatic edge of Ballard’s tale, as Strangman’s erratic behaviour and increasing interest in Beatrice overcome any nascent attachment to now irrelevant societal rules. It’s to Ballard’s credit that he avoids a turn into action-adventure territory, with Strangman’s brief reign of terror extinguished by military intervention rather than Kerans’ ineffectual attempts at heroism. The climax comes with Kerans flooding the revealed streets once again before surrendering to the lure of the aquatic wilds. Ultimately, Ballard seems to reject Browning’s exhortation against the inevitability of death: ‘do not go gently into that good night’. When faced with inescapable extinction, perhaps it’s better for humanity to embrace it.
3. Swan Song by Robert R McCammon
Often compared with Stephen King’s The Stand, for my money Robert R. McCammon’s Swan Song is an even more entertaining, biblically themed post-apocalyptic epic. In an America plunged into chaos and factional warfare by the aftermath of nuclear armageddon, supernatural powers begin to manifest in the survivors whilst an immortal agent of chaos plots the final destruction of humanity. McCammon demonstrates an enviable gift for crafting a multi-point of view narrative, enabling the reader to perceive his world gone wrong through the eyes of hero and villain whilst understanding the motives of both. He also expertly balances the broad scope of the narrative without sacrificing a breathlessly engaging pace. Possibly the most fun you can have with the end of the world.
4. The Passage by Justin Cronin
It would be easy to describe this book using various mash-up clichés: it’s ‘Bram Stoker meets Cormac McCarthy’s The Road’, or ‘Stephen King’s The Stand meets erm… Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot.’ In truth, Justin Cronin draws on various horror/post-apocalyptic tropes to weave an original and epic tale of love, survival, and hope in a world gone terribly wrong. At first glance, the plot may seem more akin to a B-movie fare than serious novel: a scientific expedition to South America unearths a swarm of bats bearing a gene that mutates humans into vampires when bitten. Nefarious government agencies inevitably conduct experiments on condemned convicts leading to a calamitous, civilisation ending vampocalypse. However, The Passage is elevated beyond any sense of the hackneyed or familiar by the sheer quality of the writing and skilful use of characterisation. The sweeping, decades spanning story is crafted in enviably lyrical prose that flows like the finest blood-wine. I read it in four days, which, at my age, is really saying something.
5. Sea of Rust by C. Robert Cargill
Cargill’s take on the post-apocalyptic tale stands as a unique entry in the genre by featuring no human protagonists. Set decades after a robot uprising resulted in the extinction of humanity, the sentient cybernetic survivors are engaged in an endless struggle to prolong their existence by scavenging technology from the ruins. Aptly named bot Brittle spends her days in search of spare parts, frequently engaging in lethal combat with robot competitors. Yet an even greater threat looms in the form of monolithic AI entities intent on absorbing all consciousness into their own. Brittle’s search for a new power core leads her into contact with an eclectic group of mechanoids, one of whom may hold the key to defeating the AI menace. Sea of Rust employs the shape of a classic fantasy quest to great effect with Cargill conjuring many compelling action set pieces amongst the detritus of a world reduced to the status of global scrapyard. But there’s also plenty of food for thought here too: if we create machines in our own image, will they not also share our weaknesses?
Anthony Ryan is the New York Times best selling author of the Raven’s Shadow epic fantasy novels as well as the Slab City Blues science fiction series. With echoes of The Road, The Feeding is a brilliant post-apocalyptic novel that finds the sweet spot between commercial, literary, and creepy. He was born in Scotland in 1970 but spent much of his adult life living and working in London. After a long career in the British Civil Service he took up writing full time after the success of his first novel Blood Song, Book One of the Raven’s Shadow trilogy. He has a degree in history, and his interests include art, science and the unending quest for the perfect pint of real ale.
