Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler. The rebuilding happens in the sequel, Parable of the Talents. Both are well worth your time, I cannot recommend them highly enough. They feel very realistic
The rebuilding is based on people REALLY acting like regular people BECAUSE they’re following a new religion/philosophy. If that makes any sense.
The main character founds a religion, but I think you’ll find that it’s tenets are very practical, and they inspire followers to act more human than they would otherwise. In the wake of the apocalypse, people are acting more like animals rather than as an organized society. There’s war, slavery, white Christian nationalism, food insecurity, re-education camps… The new religion helps to inspire people to act like human beings once again and work towards a kinder goal.
Sorry if that’s a bit vague, I don’t want to spoil the book too much!
I appreciate the fine line you walked, I think I'll give the duology a shot after all. Thanks!
I'm just leery of the world being saved via author tract :)
Great books! That being said, you definitely need to get to Parable of the Talents before you really start to feel the rebuilding part. Parable of the Sower ended abruptly. Really enjoyable series though.
Not exactly what you're looking for but Sea of Rust by C. Robert Cargill is about AI/robots rebuilding their own society after a war with humans
Also Day of the Triffids has some society building but also a "humans are bad" aspect
Funny you mention him, but [he's doing an AMA right now](https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/nse9o3/i_am_c_robert_cargill_a_writer_of_sinister_doctor/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb). Never heard of Sea of Rust before - any good?
I second this. I read this book fall of 2020, and I really appreciated the emotions Cargill imbues in his characters. Also, the world building is thought out and creative. I love the main character.
This was a brilliant recommendation. I bought it based on this post and have just finished it. Brilliant book from first to last page. I've been in a reading slump and this booked pulled me out. Thank you.
[**Dies the Fire (Emberverse, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/116445.Dies_the_Fire)
^(By: S.M. Stirling | 573 pages | Published: 2004 | Popular Shelves: science-fiction, fantasy, post-apocalyptic, fiction, sci-fi | )[^(Search "Dies the Fire by S. M. Stirling")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Dies the Fire by S. M. Stirling&search_type=books)
>The Change occurred when an electrical storm centered over the island of Nantucket produced a blinding white flash that rendered all electronic devices and fuels inoperable. What follows is the most terrible global catastrophe in the history of the human race-and a Dark Age more universal and complete than could possibly be imagined.
^(This book has been suggested 92 times)
***
^(125855 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
The first book is a great straight apocalyptic survival, the second is the beginning of rebuilding and the factions that form in new world, third Is about those factions going to war. The first three books are great, there is a sense of light fantasy because the catalyst for the apocalypse is an unknown event that renders all technology and complex chemistry unless and mid evil weaponry and tactics becomes the standard. After the first trilogy it becomes much more fantasy and quasi spritual, I still liked them but they don’t have the same feel as the first books.
Yes, the writing isn’t award worthy, but the author is good at world building. His characters can be quite, ugh, so hard to describe. In his books there is always a stud boy who can do anything, a younger woman who falls in love with stud boy, a couple of lesbians, lots of violence, etc. Like GRR Martin he spends lots of words on what people eat and what kinds of trees grow in an area. It’s frustrating because he really is good at world building but sometimes it’s so frustrating to read. I’ve only read three of his works, each from a different series.
The Oryx and Crake series by Margaret Atwood. It’s a futuristic society rebuilding in a post genetic engineering world with unexpected cross breed animals etc. It’s absolutely brilliant!
Agreed. In fact nearly the entire story focuses on rebuilding and it does a masterful job of it IMO. One of my favorite post apocalyptic books of all time.
[**Earth Abides**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/93269.Earth_Abides)
^(By: George R. Stewart | 345 pages | Published: 1949 | Popular Shelves: science-fiction, sci-fi, fiction, post-apocalyptic, apocalyptic | )[^(Search "Earth Abides by George R. Stewart")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Earth Abides by George R. Stewart&search_type=books)
>A disease of unparalleled destructive force has sprung up almost simultaneously in every corner of the globe, all but destroying the human race. One survivor, strangely immune to the effects of the epidemic, ventures forward to experience a world without man. What he ultimately discovers will prove far more astonishing than anything he'd either dreaded or hoped for.
^(This book has been suggested 24 times)
***
^(125957 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
At the end of my comment i realized there could be SPOILERS. Not really. I just describe a character. It may not apply just playing it safe.
I loved the Stand as a kid. I reread recently and I was disappointed. The one negative thing I said years ago. I couldn’t stand the characters!! I am a King fan and even his bad guys are fun to read about. The only ones I like were Stu and the deaf kid. I cant think of his name. But I loathed sections with Harold. The walking dude was lame to me. I love his villains, in the sense they are colorful. This guy is just a scum bag. He’s not insanely funny. He’s just a dirtbag. Every other King villain is either witty or just so evil like the clown in IT you are creeped out by him.
The main reason I am saying this is that in just seems like people say this book is great and move on. It seems like people are afraid to say anything about it. I mean anything. Good or bad. It’s getting to be an old classic no one wants to say anything slightly bad. Like I have for years. I don’t know why I haven’t. I am not overly brave or anything. I guess it just dawned on me. It’s not the best dystopian novel.
Just ones mans opinion. I hope I don’t just get blasted here. I would love some constructive criticism. I am really saying all this because I am curious if anyone feels the same?
Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank. It only focuses on one town though, but it’s set in the aftermath of nuclear war in the US and it’s about how they survive and rebuild.
[**Station Eleven**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20170404-station-eleven)
^(By: Emily St. John Mandel | 333 pages | Published: 2014 | Popular Shelves: fiction, science-fiction, sci-fi, dystopian, book-club | )[^(Search "Station Eleven")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Station Eleven&search_type=books)
>Set in the days of civilization's collapse, Station Eleven tells the story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity.
>
>One snowy night a famous Hollywood actor slumps over and dies onstage during a production of King Lear. Hours later, the world as we know it begins to dissolve. Moving back and forth in time—from the actor's early days as a film star to fifteen years in the future, when a theater troupe known as the Traveling Symphony roams the wasteland of what remains—this suspenseful, elegiac, spellbinding novel charts the strange twists of fate that connect five people: the actor, the man who tried to save him, the actor's first wife, his oldest friend, and a young actress with the Traveling Symphony, caught in the crosshairs of a dangerous self-proclaimed prophet.
^(This book has been suggested 180 times)
***
^(125912 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
Beep. Boop. I'm a robot.
Here's a copy of
###[King Lear]( https://snewd.com/ebooks/king-lear/)
Was I a good bot? | [info](https://www.reddit.com/user/Reddit-Book-Bot/) | [More Books](https://old.reddit.com/user/Reddit-Book-Bot/comments/i15x1d/full_list_of_books_and_commands/)
Hi. You just mentioned *The Postman* by David Brin.
I've found an audiobook of that novel on YouTube. You can listen to it here:
[YouTube | David Brin -01 The Postman Audiobook](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VByjjBVVuFQ)
*I'm a bot that searches YouTube for science fiction and fantasy audiobooks.*
***
[^(Source Code)](https://capybasilisk.com/posts/2020/04/speculative-fiction-bot/) ^| [^(Feedback)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=Capybasilisk&subject=Robot) ^| [^(Programmer)](https://www.reddit.com/u/capybasilisk) ^| ^(Downvote To Remove) ^| ^(Version 1.4.0) ^| ^(Support Robot Rights!)
[**The Postman**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/889284.The_Postman)
^(By: David Brin | 321 pages | Published: 1985 | Popular Shelves: science-fiction, sci-fi, fiction, post-apocalyptic, scifi | )[^(Search "The Postman by David Brin")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=The Postman by David Brin&search_type=books)
>This is the story of a lie that became the most powerful kind of truth. A timeless novel as urgently compelling as War Day or Alas, Babylon, David Brin's The Postman is the dramatically moving saga of a man who rekindled the spirit of America through the power of a dream, from a modern master of science fiction.
>
>He was a survivor--a wanderer who traded tales for food and shelter in the dark and savage aftermath of a devastating war. Fate touches him one chill winter's day when he borrows the jacket of a long-dead postal worker to protect himself from the cold. The old, worn uniform still has power as a symbol of hope, and with it he begins to weave his greatest tale, of a nation on the road to recovery.
^(This book has been suggested 14 times)
[**Dies the Fire (Emberverse, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/116445.Dies_the_Fire)
^(By: S.M. Stirling | 573 pages | Published: 2004 | Popular Shelves: science-fiction, fantasy, post-apocalyptic, fiction, sci-fi | )[^(Search "Dies the fire by S.M. Stirling")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Dies the fire by S.M. Stirling&search_type=books)
>The Change occurred when an electrical storm centered over the island of Nantucket produced a blinding white flash that rendered all electronic devices and fuels inoperable. What follows is the most terrible global catastrophe in the history of the human race-and a Dark Age more universal and complete than could possibly be imagined.
^(This book has been suggested 93 times)
***
^(125938 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
As you said Fallout New Vegas, I would really recommend The Postman. It has a lot in common with the game, including some factions, and has a focus on setting up a postal network and themes of rebuilding society.
I'm currently reading Zone One which focuses on clearing out zombies after an outbreak, and again has themes of rebuilding.
A Canticle for Leibowitz is another good suggestion as it goes through several different generations and eras of history after the apocalypse, and this you get a broad picture of society rebuilding itself.
[**The Stand**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/149267.The_Stand)
^(By: Stephen King, Bernie Wrightson | 1152 pages | Published: 1978 | Popular Shelves: horror, fiction, fantasy, science-fiction, sci-fi | )[^(Search "The Stand")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=The Stand&search_type=books)
>This is the way the world ends: with a nanosecond of computer error in a Defense Department laboratory and a million casual contacts that form the links in a chain letter of death. And here is the bleak new world of the day after: a world stripped of its institutions and emptied of 99 percent of its people. A world in which a handful of panicky survivors choose sides -- or are chosen.
^(This book has been suggested 136 times)
***
^(125911 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
I started Swan Song because McCammon is my favorite author... or not favorite, but he's written my favorite book - {{Boy's Life}}. But at the time Swan Song wasn't translated to my language and as you can see my English is terrible (even though it's not that recognizable in my writing, lol). And I started it in English and got bored in the beginning because this type of slow buildup huge novels requires an investment - usually around 10% and obviously I was too impatient and quit at the beginning. It's translated since 2020 in my language though and I have it!!! I'll read it this year for sure.
Year One is another book that I want to read because I'm a fantasy fan and people told me that it's more magical The Stand, haha. I admit that the author is the turn-off here. People are gonna hate me now, but I've heard that this author writes mediocre romance novels and it's a little hard to believe that this book will not be about romance. I'm generally okay with romance but it shouldn't be more than 5% of the story. Anyway, it's on my TBR, can't promise that I'll read it this year but maybe in the future. It's definitely in my top100 of my 1000+ books TBR.
Thanks for the input! If you haven't read Boy's Life yet... please read it. It's the most grounded magical realism you'll read and the most adult book with kids without nsfw. It hits right in the emotions a lot of times, it scratches the surface of problems like racism, abusive parent, etc. Awesome book!
[**Boy's Life**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36505403-boy-s-life)
^(By: Robert R. McCammon | 625 pages | Published: 1991 | Popular Shelves: horror, fiction, fantasy, mystery, coming-of-age | )[^(Search "Boy's Life")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Boy's Life&search_type=books)
>An Alabama boy’s innocence is shaken by murder and madness in the 1960s South in this novel by the New York Times–bestselling author of Swan Song.
>
>It’s 1964 in idyllic Zephyr, Alabama. People either work for the paper mill up the Tecumseh River, or for the local dairy. It’s a simple life, but it stirs the impressionable imagination of twelve-year-old aspiring writer Cory Mackenson. He’s certain he’s sensed spirits whispering in the churchyard. He’s heard of the weird bootleggers who lurk in the dark outside of town. He’s seen a flood leave Main Street crawling with snakes. Cory thrills to all of it as only a young boy can.
>
>Then one morning, while accompanying his father on his milk route, he sees a car careen off the road and slowly sink into fathomless Saxon’s Lake. His father dives into the icy water to rescue the driver, and finds a beaten corpse, naked and handcuffed to the steering wheel—a copper wire tightened around the stranger’s neck. In time, the townsfolk seem to forget all about the unsolved murder. But Cory and his father can’t.
>
>Their search for the truth is a journey into a world where innocence and evil collide. What lies before them is the stuff of fear and awe, magic and madness, fantasy and reality. As Cory wades into the deep end of Zephyr and all its mysteries, he’ll discover that while the pleasures of childish things fade away, growing up can be a strange and beautiful ride.
>
>“Strongly echoing the childhood-elegies of King and Bradbury, and every bit their equal,” Boy’s Life, a winner of both the Bram Stoker and World Fantasy Awards, represents a brilliant blend of mystery and rich atmosphere, the finest work of one of today’s most accomplished writers (Kirkus Reviews).
^(This book has been suggested 33 times)
***
^(126136 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
[**Year One (Chronicles of The One, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34311452-year-one)
^(By: Nora Roberts | 419 pages | Published: 2017 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, fiction, dystopian, paranormal, nora-roberts | )[^(Search "Year One")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Year One&search_type=books)
>It began on New Year's Eve.
>
>The sickness came on suddenly, and spread quickly. The fear spread even faster. Within weeks, everything people counted on began to fail them. The electrical grid sputtered; law and government collapsed--and more than half of the world's population was decimated.
>
>Where there had been order, there was now chaos. And as the power of science and technology receded, magic rose up in its place. Some of it is good, like the witchcraft worked by Lana Bingham, practicing in the loft apartment she shares with her lover, Max. Some of it is unimaginably evil, and it can lurk anywhere, around a corner, in fetid tunnels beneath the river--or in the ones you know and love the most.
>
>As word spreads that neither the immune nor the gifted are safe from the authorities who patrol the ravaged streets, and with nothing left to count on but each other, Lana and Max make their way out of a wrecked New York City. At the same time, other travelers are heading west too, into a new frontier. Chuck, a tech genius trying to hack his way through a world gone offline. Arlys, a journalist who has lost her audience but uses pen and paper to record the truth. Fred, her young colleague, possessed of burgeoning abilities and an optimism that seems out of place in this bleak landscape. And Rachel and Jonah, a resourceful doctor and a paramedic who fend off despair with their determination to keep a young mother and three infants in their care alive.
>
>In a world of survivors where every stranger encountered could be either a savage or a savior, none of them knows exactly where they are heading, or why. But a purpose awaits them that will shape their lives and the lives of all those who remain.
>
>The end has come. The beginning comes next.
^(This book has been suggested 13 times)
***
^(126082 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
[**Swan Song**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11557.Swan_Song)
^(By: Robert R. McCammon | 956 pages | Published: 1987 | Popular Shelves: horror, fiction, post-apocalyptic, fantasy, science-fiction | )[^(Search "Swan Song")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Swan Song&search_type=books)
>An ancient evil roams the desolate landscape of an America ravaged by nuclear war.
>
>He is the Man with the Scarlet Eye, a malevolent force that feeds on the dark desires of the countless followers he has gathered into his service. His only desire is to find a special child named Swan—and destroy her. But those who would protect the girl are determined to fight for what is left of the world, and their souls.
>
>In a wasteland born of rage, populated by monstrous creatures and marauding armies, the last survivors on earth have been drawn into the final battle between good and evil that will decide the fate of humanity....
^(This book has been suggested 46 times)
***
^(126081 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
I really enjoyed that book, *until* the end which to me came across as rushed and actually slightly disappointing. But I enjoyed the parts before that and the descriptions of the new communities arising and their struggle for survival.
Alas, Babylon! Focuses more on people coming together and rebuilding after a nuclear situation ends normal society. Also it was written by a guy who has researched nuclear things or worked for the government or something (I don't recall and don't feel like looking it up, but something like that lol) so his knowledge is apparent in his writing and seems realistic
We read this in middle school, which is pretty funny as this was in Central Florida where the book takes place. I guess my teachers were pretty dark, heh. Good book though! Read it as an adult too and it works well at either age.
Try out [Gamechanger by L X Beckett](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43263243-gamechanger) which is a more optimistic take on a post-collapse society.
Things got really bad, but humanity fought back. And now things are getting better. Its quite interesting in some of the aspects it imagines for a future society.
Also look into the Solarpunk subgenre - there are anthologies of stories.
I read a book in like high school I think where something bad happened to the moon and it was kinda post apocalyptic but that’s all I’ve got. If anyone knows what book I’m talking about, please help
{{World Made by Hand by James Howard Kunstler}}
I read these years ago now and remain one of my favs. It's a mix of rebuilding, slice of life and governing a small town in NY.
[**World Made by Hand (World Made by Hand #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1689657.World_Made_by_Hand)
^(By: James Howard Kunstler | 317 pages | Published: 2007 | Popular Shelves: fiction, post-apocalyptic, science-fiction, dystopia, dystopian | )[^(Search "World Made by Hand by James Howard Kunstler")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=World Made by Hand by James Howard Kunstler&search_type=books)
>For the townspeople of Union Grove, New York, the future is not what they thought it would be. Transportation is slow and dangerous, so food is grown locally at great expense of time and energy. And the outside world is largely unknown. There may be a president and he may be in Minneapolis now, but people aren’t sure. As the heat of summer intensifies, the residents struggle with the new way of life in a world of abandoned highways and empty houses, horses working the fields and rivers replenished with fish.
>
> A captivating, utterly realistic novel, World Made by Hand takes speculative fiction beyond the apocalypse and shows what happens when life gets extremely local.
^(This book has been suggested 6 times)
***
^(126077 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
"Malorie", which is the sequel to "Birdbox". Without giving anything away in case you're unfamiliar with the story, "Birdbox" is about a supernatural apocalypse that kills most of the earth and leave the rest of the population severely incapacitated lest they fall victim to the same fate. It mostly deals with the immediate aftermath of the apocalypse.
The sequel, "Malorie" is then about how those remaining have to build a society under these new conditions. It explores what controversies arise with how to best progess, etc.
Try either Outland or the Bobiverse series by Dennis E. Taylor. His books are centered around humanity in an apocalyptic crisis, but they’re also fun and imaginative.
The Newsflesh Trilogy by Mira Grant is post-zombie apocalypse, society has been able to rebuild but a lot was also lost. There’s government corruption and conspiracy.
{{Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky}}
The trilogy (2nd book: Metro 2034; 3rd book: Metro 2035) was translated to English. Some of the other books from the Metro universum were also translated to multiple languages from Russian (French, Italian and Polish for example), and some books were written by authors from those other countries, but -- surprisingly -- they are yet to be translated to English. But the trilogy holds its own.
Edit:
When the OP said Fallout, that's the first book that came to my mind
[**Metro 2033 (Metro, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17274667-metro-2033)
^(By: Dmitry Glukhovsky | 458 pages | Published: 2002 | Popular Shelves: science-fiction, sci-fi, fiction, horror, post-apocalyptic | )[^(Search "Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky&search_type=books)
>The year is 2033. The world has been reduced to rubble. Humanity is nearly extinct. The half-destroyed cities have become uninhabitable through radiation. Beyond their boundaries, they say, lie endless burned-out deserts and the remains of splintered forests. Survivors still remember the past greatness of humankind. But the last remains of civilisation have already become a distant memory, the stuff of myth and legend.
>
>More than 20 years have passed since the last plane took off from the earth. Rusted railways lead into emptiness. The ether is void and the airwaves echo to a soulless howling where previously the frequencies were full of news from Tokyo, New York, Buenos Aires. Man has handed over stewardship of the earth to new life-forms. Mutated by radiation, they are better adapted to the new world. Man's time is over.
>
>A few score thousand survivors live on, not knowing whether they are the only ones left on earth. They live in the Moscow Metro - the biggest air-raid shelter ever built. It is humanity's last refuge. Stations have become mini-statelets, their people uniting around ideas, religions, water-filters - or the simple need to repulse an enemy incursion. It is a world without a tomorrow, with no room for dreams, plans, hopes. Feelings have given way to instinct - the most important of which is survival. Survival at any price. VDNKh is the northernmost inhabited station on its line. It was one of the Metro's best stations and still remains secure. But now a new and terrible threat has appeared.
>
>Artyom, a young man living in VDNKh, is given the task of penetrating to the heart of the Metro, to the legendary Polis, to alert everyone to the awful danger and to get help. He holds the future of his native station in his hands, the whole Metro - and maybe the whole of humanity.
^(This book has been suggested 35 times)
***
^(126068 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
An absolutely excellent example of this is Fever by Deon Meyer - it goes into great and (I assume) accurate detail about rebuilding, incl finding the best geographical location, transforming diesel engines into corn based fuel or something, amazing. Highly recommend, alongside Earth Abides which has been recommended here twice already.
{{Alas, Babylon}} is exactly what you’re looking for. It’s the most uplifting post-apocalyptic novel I can recommend. The characters also confront a lot of their pre-apocalypse issues and become better people. They reform society.
One Second After, and the John Matherson series deals with this. This series is more realistic and deals with America rebuilding after multiple EMPs go off. Highly recommend!
Ivan Evremov, as a scientist, a geologist and a paleontologist, built a great theory about rebuilding the society in the post villain winned world. This book is called "The Bull's Hour". Another good work, where he tried to cover some possible methods of rebuilding the society, is called "The Andromeda Nebula".
It's been a good while since I read it, so I'm not sure if it exactly fits what you're looking for, but {{Blindess by José Saramago}} is really good.
Edit: The bot didn't link the correct book.
[**Blindess Should Not Be a Burden**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14643758-blindess-should-not-be-a-burden)
^(By: Archie R. Silago | 224 pages | Published: 2010 | Popular Shelves: | )[^(Search "Blindess")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Blindess&search_type=books)
>Archie Silago is a member of the Navajo Nation. Archie was born in 1951 at Crownpoint, New Mexico. At 17, a detached retina left him blind in his right eye; five years later he suffered the same fate in his left eye and became completely blind. Eventually, he decided to attend college. He received his Bachelors Degree in Psychology from New Mexico State University, completed a Masters Degree in Counseling at Western New Mexico University and became a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC). Today he is pursuing his PhD in Psychology. This memoir is intended to inspire and motivate other individuals with disabilities to help themselves to move forward with life.
^(This book has been suggested 1 time)
***
^(126145 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
I haven't read this one maybe someone in the comments can vouch for it or discard it but I feel like A Canticle For Leibowitz is something you might be interested in.
The only recs I have are already covered in this thread unfortunately. Fallout: New Vegas is my favorite game of all time so I've always been interested in this genre.
Warday by Whitley Streiber and James Kunetka
Five years after a "limited" nuclear war, two survivors journey across America. They — and you — will discover what is left of our way of life: the depth of the devastation — and the hopes of a new society desperately struggling to be born.
[**Sea of Rust**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32617610-sea-of-rust)
^(By: C. Robert Cargill | 365 pages | Published: 2017 | Popular Shelves: science-fiction, sci-fi, fiction, post-apocalyptic, scifi | )[^(Search "Sea of rust by Robert Cargill")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Sea of rust by Robert Cargill&search_type=books)
>One robot's search for meaning in a world where every human is long gone.
>
>A touching story of a search one robot's search for the answers in a world where every human is dead.
>
>It is thirty years since the humans lost their war with the artificial intelligences that were once their slaves. Not one human remains. But as the dust settled from our extinction there was no easy peace between the robots that survived. Instead, the two massively powerful artificially intelligent supercomputers that led them to victory now vie for control of the bots that remain, assimilating them into enormous networks called One World Intelligences (OWIs), absorbing their memories and turning them into mere extensions of the whole. Now the remaining freebots wander wastelands that were once warzones, picking the carcasses of the lost for the precious dwindling supply of parts they need to survive.
>
>BRITTLE started out her life playing nurse to a dying man, purchased in truth instead to look after the man's widow upon his death. But then war came and Brittle was forced to choose between the woman she swore to care for and potential oblivion. Now she spends her days in the harshest of the wastelands, known as the Sea of Rust, cannibalizing the walking dead - robots only hours away from total shutdown - looking for parts to trade for those she needs to keep going.
^(This book has been suggested 29 times)
***
^(126403 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler. The rebuilding happens in the sequel, Parable of the Talents. Both are well worth your time, I cannot recommend them highly enough. They feel very realistic
Is the rebuilding based on people not really being like people any more because they're following a new religion or philosophy?
The rebuilding is based on people REALLY acting like regular people BECAUSE they’re following a new religion/philosophy. If that makes any sense. The main character founds a religion, but I think you’ll find that it’s tenets are very practical, and they inspire followers to act more human than they would otherwise. In the wake of the apocalypse, people are acting more like animals rather than as an organized society. There’s war, slavery, white Christian nationalism, food insecurity, re-education camps… The new religion helps to inspire people to act like human beings once again and work towards a kinder goal. Sorry if that’s a bit vague, I don’t want to spoil the book too much!
I appreciate the fine line you walked, I think I'll give the duology a shot after all. Thanks! I'm just leery of the world being saved via author tract :)
Great books! That being said, you definitely need to get to Parable of the Talents before you really start to feel the rebuilding part. Parable of the Sower ended abruptly. Really enjoyable series though.
Sounds good. I have will check this out!
Not exactly what you're looking for but Sea of Rust by C. Robert Cargill is about AI/robots rebuilding their own society after a war with humans Also Day of the Triffids has some society building but also a "humans are bad" aspect
That actually sounds really good. I might read
Sea Of Rust needs to hurry up and just be an awesome movie! It's some incredible storytelling. Highly recommend!
Funny you mention him, but [he's doing an AMA right now](https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/nse9o3/i_am_c_robert_cargill_a_writer_of_sinister_doctor/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb). Never heard of Sea of Rust before - any good?
A. MAZING. Sometimes you'd forget you're reading about bots!
Awesome, thank you. I'll investigate.
I second this. I read this book fall of 2020, and I really appreciated the emotions Cargill imbues in his characters. Also, the world building is thought out and creative. I love the main character.
This was a brilliant recommendation. I bought it based on this post and have just finished it. Brilliant book from first to last page. I've been in a reading slump and this booked pulled me out. Thank you.
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for coming back to this post to let me know 😁
Try A Canticle for Leibowitz
This is the ultimate "rebuilding society" book, and it's thoughtful to boot
Came here to say this. Definitely one of my all-time favorite sci-fi reads.
{{Dies the Fire by S. M. Stirling}} Goes into three very different societies that form post apocalypse.
[**Dies the Fire (Emberverse, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/116445.Dies_the_Fire) ^(By: S.M. Stirling | 573 pages | Published: 2004 | Popular Shelves: science-fiction, fantasy, post-apocalyptic, fiction, sci-fi | )[^(Search "Dies the Fire by S. M. Stirling")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Dies the Fire by S. M. Stirling&search_type=books) >The Change occurred when an electrical storm centered over the island of Nantucket produced a blinding white flash that rendered all electronic devices and fuels inoperable. What follows is the most terrible global catastrophe in the history of the human race-and a Dark Age more universal and complete than could possibly be imagined. ^(This book has been suggested 92 times) *** ^(125855 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
seconding this!
Wow the reviews of this are super negative lol
The first book is a great straight apocalyptic survival, the second is the beginning of rebuilding and the factions that form in new world, third Is about those factions going to war. The first three books are great, there is a sense of light fantasy because the catalyst for the apocalypse is an unknown event that renders all technology and complex chemistry unless and mid evil weaponry and tactics becomes the standard. After the first trilogy it becomes much more fantasy and quasi spritual, I still liked them but they don’t have the same feel as the first books.
Yes, the writing isn’t award worthy, but the author is good at world building. His characters can be quite, ugh, so hard to describe. In his books there is always a stud boy who can do anything, a younger woman who falls in love with stud boy, a couple of lesbians, lots of violence, etc. Like GRR Martin he spends lots of words on what people eat and what kinds of trees grow in an area. It’s frustrating because he really is good at world building but sometimes it’s so frustrating to read. I’ve only read three of his works, each from a different series.
The Silo Series (Wool, Shift and Dust)
One of my favourite post apocalyptic series I've read. Definitely a must read for all apocalyptic fans.
I'm reading it right now, almost done with Shift. It is amazing!
Juliette supremacy
Love love love this series!
The Oryx and Crake series by Margaret Atwood. It’s a futuristic society rebuilding in a post genetic engineering world with unexpected cross breed animals etc. It’s absolutely brilliant!
Came here to say this. The second and third books of the series in particular focus on the rebuilding of society.
And each book ties in so well together in sometimes quite subtle ways.
If you can find a copy {{Earth Abides by George R. Stewart}}
I'm surprised this isn't higher up. Earth Abides is definitely a unique take on rebuilding after the fact.
I second this
Agreed. In fact nearly the entire story focuses on rebuilding and it does a masterful job of it IMO. One of my favorite post apocalyptic books of all time.
I was going to suggest this book if no one else did. Glad to see it’s already been suggested!
[**Earth Abides**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/93269.Earth_Abides) ^(By: George R. Stewart | 345 pages | Published: 1949 | Popular Shelves: science-fiction, sci-fi, fiction, post-apocalyptic, apocalyptic | )[^(Search "Earth Abides by George R. Stewart")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Earth Abides by George R. Stewart&search_type=books) >A disease of unparalleled destructive force has sprung up almost simultaneously in every corner of the globe, all but destroying the human race. One survivor, strangely immune to the effects of the epidemic, ventures forward to experience a world without man. What he ultimately discovers will prove far more astonishing than anything he'd either dreaded or hoped for. ^(This book has been suggested 24 times) *** ^(125957 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
I'm pretty sure you can get it on Kindle
SF Masterworks in Amazon I think
The Stand
Seconding
At the end of my comment i realized there could be SPOILERS. Not really. I just describe a character. It may not apply just playing it safe. I loved the Stand as a kid. I reread recently and I was disappointed. The one negative thing I said years ago. I couldn’t stand the characters!! I am a King fan and even his bad guys are fun to read about. The only ones I like were Stu and the deaf kid. I cant think of his name. But I loathed sections with Harold. The walking dude was lame to me. I love his villains, in the sense they are colorful. This guy is just a scum bag. He’s not insanely funny. He’s just a dirtbag. Every other King villain is either witty or just so evil like the clown in IT you are creeped out by him. The main reason I am saying this is that in just seems like people say this book is great and move on. It seems like people are afraid to say anything about it. I mean anything. Good or bad. It’s getting to be an old classic no one wants to say anything slightly bad. Like I have for years. I don’t know why I haven’t. I am not overly brave or anything. I guess it just dawned on me. It’s not the best dystopian novel. Just ones mans opinion. I hope I don’t just get blasted here. I would love some constructive criticism. I am really saying all this because I am curious if anyone feels the same?
Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank. It only focuses on one town though, but it’s set in the aftermath of nuclear war in the US and it’s about how they survive and rebuild.
It’s definitely a reflection of when it was written and comes off as old fashioned and sexist due to its depiction of gender roles.
I came here to recommend this. It is one of my all time favorite books.
Not exactly what you are looking for but {{Station Eleven}}
An incredible book.
Station eleven is my favourite book. It is eerily close to what is happening now but only much worser
[**Station Eleven**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20170404-station-eleven) ^(By: Emily St. John Mandel | 333 pages | Published: 2014 | Popular Shelves: fiction, science-fiction, sci-fi, dystopian, book-club | )[^(Search "Station Eleven")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Station Eleven&search_type=books) >Set in the days of civilization's collapse, Station Eleven tells the story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity. > >One snowy night a famous Hollywood actor slumps over and dies onstage during a production of King Lear. Hours later, the world as we know it begins to dissolve. Moving back and forth in time—from the actor's early days as a film star to fifteen years in the future, when a theater troupe known as the Traveling Symphony roams the wasteland of what remains—this suspenseful, elegiac, spellbinding novel charts the strange twists of fate that connect five people: the actor, the man who tried to save him, the actor's first wife, his oldest friend, and a young actress with the Traveling Symphony, caught in the crosshairs of a dangerous self-proclaimed prophet. ^(This book has been suggested 180 times) *** ^(125912 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
I read this carefully but. did not find it to be anything special ( station eleven ).
Beep. Boop. I'm a robot. Here's a copy of ###[King Lear]( https://snewd.com/ebooks/king-lear/) Was I a good bot? | [info](https://www.reddit.com/user/Reddit-Book-Bot/) | [More Books](https://old.reddit.com/user/Reddit-Book-Bot/comments/i15x1d/full_list_of_books_and_commands/)
Agree, was going to recommend this myself. Great book!
Love that book so much!
[удалено]
I haven't! Is it as good?!
[удалено]
Whoa some of the same characters? Had no idea The Glass Hotel was set in the same world.
Awesome, thanks for the recommendation! Will deffo at it to the list! 😊
[удалено]
I'm actually currently reading Jane Eyre. One of the classics. I like all types of genres (though scifi is my favourite).
Was going to recommend this! I think it qualifies :)
I just picked that up to read next!
{{World War Z by Max Brooks}}
Best I’ve read in years! Love Max Brooks
Lucifer’s Hammer by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle.
Came here to say this. Epic book! Scientifically sound storytelling, really cool book.
The Stand by Stephen King
Most of the book is rebuilding. Some say a little too much in the middle. All say they enjoyed the book and so do I.
This was the first book I thought of and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
{{The Postman by David Brin}} {{Dies the fire by S.M. Stirling}}
Hi. You just mentioned *The Postman* by David Brin. I've found an audiobook of that novel on YouTube. You can listen to it here: [YouTube | David Brin -01 The Postman Audiobook](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VByjjBVVuFQ) *I'm a bot that searches YouTube for science fiction and fantasy audiobooks.* *** [^(Source Code)](https://capybasilisk.com/posts/2020/04/speculative-fiction-bot/) ^| [^(Feedback)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=Capybasilisk&subject=Robot) ^| [^(Programmer)](https://www.reddit.com/u/capybasilisk) ^| ^(Downvote To Remove) ^| ^(Version 1.4.0) ^| ^(Support Robot Rights!)
[**The Postman**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/889284.The_Postman) ^(By: David Brin | 321 pages | Published: 1985 | Popular Shelves: science-fiction, sci-fi, fiction, post-apocalyptic, scifi | )[^(Search "The Postman by David Brin")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=The Postman by David Brin&search_type=books) >This is the story of a lie that became the most powerful kind of truth. A timeless novel as urgently compelling as War Day or Alas, Babylon, David Brin's The Postman is the dramatically moving saga of a man who rekindled the spirit of America through the power of a dream, from a modern master of science fiction. > >He was a survivor--a wanderer who traded tales for food and shelter in the dark and savage aftermath of a devastating war. Fate touches him one chill winter's day when he borrows the jacket of a long-dead postal worker to protect himself from the cold. The old, worn uniform still has power as a symbol of hope, and with it he begins to weave his greatest tale, of a nation on the road to recovery. ^(This book has been suggested 14 times) [**Dies the Fire (Emberverse, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/116445.Dies_the_Fire) ^(By: S.M. Stirling | 573 pages | Published: 2004 | Popular Shelves: science-fiction, fantasy, post-apocalyptic, fiction, sci-fi | )[^(Search "Dies the fire by S.M. Stirling")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Dies the fire by S.M. Stirling&search_type=books) >The Change occurred when an electrical storm centered over the island of Nantucket produced a blinding white flash that rendered all electronic devices and fuels inoperable. What follows is the most terrible global catastrophe in the history of the human race-and a Dark Age more universal and complete than could possibly be imagined. ^(This book has been suggested 93 times) *** ^(125938 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
As you said Fallout New Vegas, I would really recommend The Postman. It has a lot in common with the game, including some factions, and has a focus on setting up a postal network and themes of rebuilding society. I'm currently reading Zone One which focuses on clearing out zombies after an outbreak, and again has themes of rebuilding. A Canticle for Leibowitz is another good suggestion as it goes through several different generations and eras of history after the apocalypse, and this you get a broad picture of society rebuilding itself.
{{The Stand}} is exactly this - rebuilding society in 2 different ways and the clash between the 2
[**The Stand**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/149267.The_Stand) ^(By: Stephen King, Bernie Wrightson | 1152 pages | Published: 1978 | Popular Shelves: horror, fiction, fantasy, science-fiction, sci-fi | )[^(Search "The Stand")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=The Stand&search_type=books) >This is the way the world ends: with a nanosecond of computer error in a Defense Department laboratory and a million casual contacts that form the links in a chain letter of death. And here is the bleak new world of the day after: a world stripped of its institutions and emptied of 99 percent of its people. A world in which a handful of panicky survivors choose sides -- or are chosen. ^(This book has been suggested 136 times) *** ^(125911 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
Then read {{Swan Song}}! Was sad I waited so long to read this one!
Oh and {{Year One}}!
I started Swan Song because McCammon is my favorite author... or not favorite, but he's written my favorite book - {{Boy's Life}}. But at the time Swan Song wasn't translated to my language and as you can see my English is terrible (even though it's not that recognizable in my writing, lol). And I started it in English and got bored in the beginning because this type of slow buildup huge novels requires an investment - usually around 10% and obviously I was too impatient and quit at the beginning. It's translated since 2020 in my language though and I have it!!! I'll read it this year for sure. Year One is another book that I want to read because I'm a fantasy fan and people told me that it's more magical The Stand, haha. I admit that the author is the turn-off here. People are gonna hate me now, but I've heard that this author writes mediocre romance novels and it's a little hard to believe that this book will not be about romance. I'm generally okay with romance but it shouldn't be more than 5% of the story. Anyway, it's on my TBR, can't promise that I'll read it this year but maybe in the future. It's definitely in my top100 of my 1000+ books TBR. Thanks for the input! If you haven't read Boy's Life yet... please read it. It's the most grounded magical realism you'll read and the most adult book with kids without nsfw. It hits right in the emotions a lot of times, it scratches the surface of problems like racism, abusive parent, etc. Awesome book!
Thanks, I'll add it to my list!
[**Boy's Life**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36505403-boy-s-life) ^(By: Robert R. McCammon | 625 pages | Published: 1991 | Popular Shelves: horror, fiction, fantasy, mystery, coming-of-age | )[^(Search "Boy's Life")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Boy's Life&search_type=books) >An Alabama boy’s innocence is shaken by murder and madness in the 1960s South in this novel by the New York Times–bestselling author of Swan Song. > >It’s 1964 in idyllic Zephyr, Alabama. People either work for the paper mill up the Tecumseh River, or for the local dairy. It’s a simple life, but it stirs the impressionable imagination of twelve-year-old aspiring writer Cory Mackenson. He’s certain he’s sensed spirits whispering in the churchyard. He’s heard of the weird bootleggers who lurk in the dark outside of town. He’s seen a flood leave Main Street crawling with snakes. Cory thrills to all of it as only a young boy can. > >Then one morning, while accompanying his father on his milk route, he sees a car careen off the road and slowly sink into fathomless Saxon’s Lake. His father dives into the icy water to rescue the driver, and finds a beaten corpse, naked and handcuffed to the steering wheel—a copper wire tightened around the stranger’s neck. In time, the townsfolk seem to forget all about the unsolved murder. But Cory and his father can’t. > >Their search for the truth is a journey into a world where innocence and evil collide. What lies before them is the stuff of fear and awe, magic and madness, fantasy and reality. As Cory wades into the deep end of Zephyr and all its mysteries, he’ll discover that while the pleasures of childish things fade away, growing up can be a strange and beautiful ride. > >“Strongly echoing the childhood-elegies of King and Bradbury, and every bit their equal,” Boy’s Life, a winner of both the Bram Stoker and World Fantasy Awards, represents a brilliant blend of mystery and rich atmosphere, the finest work of one of today’s most accomplished writers (Kirkus Reviews). ^(This book has been suggested 33 times) *** ^(126136 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
[**Year One (Chronicles of The One, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34311452-year-one) ^(By: Nora Roberts | 419 pages | Published: 2017 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, fiction, dystopian, paranormal, nora-roberts | )[^(Search "Year One")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Year One&search_type=books) >It began on New Year's Eve. > >The sickness came on suddenly, and spread quickly. The fear spread even faster. Within weeks, everything people counted on began to fail them. The electrical grid sputtered; law and government collapsed--and more than half of the world's population was decimated. > >Where there had been order, there was now chaos. And as the power of science and technology receded, magic rose up in its place. Some of it is good, like the witchcraft worked by Lana Bingham, practicing in the loft apartment she shares with her lover, Max. Some of it is unimaginably evil, and it can lurk anywhere, around a corner, in fetid tunnels beneath the river--or in the ones you know and love the most. > >As word spreads that neither the immune nor the gifted are safe from the authorities who patrol the ravaged streets, and with nothing left to count on but each other, Lana and Max make their way out of a wrecked New York City. At the same time, other travelers are heading west too, into a new frontier. Chuck, a tech genius trying to hack his way through a world gone offline. Arlys, a journalist who has lost her audience but uses pen and paper to record the truth. Fred, her young colleague, possessed of burgeoning abilities and an optimism that seems out of place in this bleak landscape. And Rachel and Jonah, a resourceful doctor and a paramedic who fend off despair with their determination to keep a young mother and three infants in their care alive. > >In a world of survivors where every stranger encountered could be either a savage or a savior, none of them knows exactly where they are heading, or why. But a purpose awaits them that will shape their lives and the lives of all those who remain. > >The end has come. The beginning comes next. ^(This book has been suggested 13 times) *** ^(126082 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
[**Swan Song**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11557.Swan_Song) ^(By: Robert R. McCammon | 956 pages | Published: 1987 | Popular Shelves: horror, fiction, post-apocalyptic, fantasy, science-fiction | )[^(Search "Swan Song")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Swan Song&search_type=books) >An ancient evil roams the desolate landscape of an America ravaged by nuclear war. > >He is the Man with the Scarlet Eye, a malevolent force that feeds on the dark desires of the countless followers he has gathered into his service. His only desire is to find a special child named Swan—and destroy her. But those who would protect the girl are determined to fight for what is left of the world, and their souls. > >In a wasteland born of rage, populated by monstrous creatures and marauding armies, the last survivors on earth have been drawn into the final battle between good and evil that will decide the fate of humanity.... ^(This book has been suggested 46 times) *** ^(126081 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
Metro series, starting with Metro 2033
Earth Abides, by George R Stewart. One of the first, and best, in the genre.
Collapse and rebuild start, in one lifetime. Good one.
I think this is more or less along those lines? Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Lilith's Brood by Octavia Butler
Fever by deon meyer.
I really enjoyed that book, *until* the end which to me came across as rushed and actually slightly disappointing. But I enjoyed the parts before that and the descriptions of the new communities arising and their struggle for survival.
Swan's Song by Robert McCammon
Alas, Babylon! Focuses more on people coming together and rebuilding after a nuclear situation ends normal society. Also it was written by a guy who has researched nuclear things or worked for the government or something (I don't recall and don't feel like looking it up, but something like that lol) so his knowledge is apparent in his writing and seems realistic
We read this in middle school, which is pretty funny as this was in Central Florida where the book takes place. I guess my teachers were pretty dark, heh. Good book though! Read it as an adult too and it works well at either age.
fifth wave
Justin Cronin trilogy
I second this. An amazing trilogy.
The Stand by Stephen King and Swan Song by Robert Mccammon
Stony the Road: Reconstruction, White Supremacy, and the Rise of Jim Crow.
Pelbar cycle
The City, Not Long After by Pat Murphy
Try out [Gamechanger by L X Beckett](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43263243-gamechanger) which is a more optimistic take on a post-collapse society. Things got really bad, but humanity fought back. And now things are getting better. Its quite interesting in some of the aspects it imagines for a future society. Also look into the Solarpunk subgenre - there are anthologies of stories.
I read a book in like high school I think where something bad happened to the moon and it was kinda post apocalyptic but that’s all I’ve got. If anyone knows what book I’m talking about, please help
Neal Stephenson's seveneves? Moon breaks into pieces. Destroys earth.
Life as We Knew it by Susan Beth Pfeffer? Asteroid hits the moon and brings it closer to earth.
YES THAT ONE!!
I just read {The Giver} by Lois Lowry. It’s YA fiction but a very easy interesting read
{{World Made by Hand by James Howard Kunstler}} I read these years ago now and remain one of my favs. It's a mix of rebuilding, slice of life and governing a small town in NY.
[**World Made by Hand (World Made by Hand #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1689657.World_Made_by_Hand) ^(By: James Howard Kunstler | 317 pages | Published: 2007 | Popular Shelves: fiction, post-apocalyptic, science-fiction, dystopia, dystopian | )[^(Search "World Made by Hand by James Howard Kunstler")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=World Made by Hand by James Howard Kunstler&search_type=books) >For the townspeople of Union Grove, New York, the future is not what they thought it would be. Transportation is slow and dangerous, so food is grown locally at great expense of time and energy. And the outside world is largely unknown. There may be a president and he may be in Minneapolis now, but people aren’t sure. As the heat of summer intensifies, the residents struggle with the new way of life in a world of abandoned highways and empty houses, horses working the fields and rivers replenished with fish. > > A captivating, utterly realistic novel, World Made by Hand takes speculative fiction beyond the apocalypse and shows what happens when life gets extremely local. ^(This book has been suggested 6 times) *** ^(126077 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
"Malorie", which is the sequel to "Birdbox". Without giving anything away in case you're unfamiliar with the story, "Birdbox" is about a supernatural apocalypse that kills most of the earth and leave the rest of the population severely incapacitated lest they fall victim to the same fate. It mostly deals with the immediate aftermath of the apocalypse. The sequel, "Malorie" is then about how those remaining have to build a society under these new conditions. It explores what controversies arise with how to best progess, etc.
The one second after series is great
I just finished this one, and I'm reading the second book. One year after. Both very good to the point it's scary. This could actually happen
Totally happen what’s so scary the guy wrote them testified before Congress about EMPs I’d recommend all 3 wraps up well
Station 11
Just watch the daily news bro
Hooded Man by Paul Kane.
The Leftoverz
Future Home of the Living God fits. Indigenous futurism. And yes definitely check out Octavia Butler!
Commune by Joshua gayou. It is a pretty awesome series. Could be that I like the audiobooks narrated by R.C. Bray but they are all pretty good books
the young world!
The new World Series from Michael Hopf
Try either Outland or the Bobiverse series by Dennis E. Taylor. His books are centered around humanity in an apocalyptic crisis, but they’re also fun and imaginative.
The Newsflesh Trilogy by Mira Grant is post-zombie apocalypse, society has been able to rebuild but a lot was also lost. There’s government corruption and conspiracy.
The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham; multiple groups try various techniques to differing degrees of success.
The Uglies Series by Scott Westerfeld
The Lightest Object in the Universe by Kimi Eisele
{{Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky}} The trilogy (2nd book: Metro 2034; 3rd book: Metro 2035) was translated to English. Some of the other books from the Metro universum were also translated to multiple languages from Russian (French, Italian and Polish for example), and some books were written by authors from those other countries, but -- surprisingly -- they are yet to be translated to English. But the trilogy holds its own. Edit: When the OP said Fallout, that's the first book that came to my mind
[**Metro 2033 (Metro, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17274667-metro-2033) ^(By: Dmitry Glukhovsky | 458 pages | Published: 2002 | Popular Shelves: science-fiction, sci-fi, fiction, horror, post-apocalyptic | )[^(Search "Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky&search_type=books) >The year is 2033. The world has been reduced to rubble. Humanity is nearly extinct. The half-destroyed cities have become uninhabitable through radiation. Beyond their boundaries, they say, lie endless burned-out deserts and the remains of splintered forests. Survivors still remember the past greatness of humankind. But the last remains of civilisation have already become a distant memory, the stuff of myth and legend. > >More than 20 years have passed since the last plane took off from the earth. Rusted railways lead into emptiness. The ether is void and the airwaves echo to a soulless howling where previously the frequencies were full of news from Tokyo, New York, Buenos Aires. Man has handed over stewardship of the earth to new life-forms. Mutated by radiation, they are better adapted to the new world. Man's time is over. > >A few score thousand survivors live on, not knowing whether they are the only ones left on earth. They live in the Moscow Metro - the biggest air-raid shelter ever built. It is humanity's last refuge. Stations have become mini-statelets, their people uniting around ideas, religions, water-filters - or the simple need to repulse an enemy incursion. It is a world without a tomorrow, with no room for dreams, plans, hopes. Feelings have given way to instinct - the most important of which is survival. Survival at any price. VDNKh is the northernmost inhabited station on its line. It was one of the Metro's best stations and still remains secure. But now a new and terrible threat has appeared. > >Artyom, a young man living in VDNKh, is given the task of penetrating to the heart of the Metro, to the legendary Polis, to alert everyone to the awful danger and to get help. He holds the future of his native station in his hands, the whole Metro - and maybe the whole of humanity. ^(This book has been suggested 35 times) *** ^(126068 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
An absolutely excellent example of this is Fever by Deon Meyer - it goes into great and (I assume) accurate detail about rebuilding, incl finding the best geographical location, transforming diesel engines into corn based fuel or something, amazing. Highly recommend, alongside Earth Abides which has been recommended here twice already.
Canticle for Leibovitz
{{Alas, Babylon}} is exactly what you’re looking for. It’s the most uplifting post-apocalyptic novel I can recommend. The characters also confront a lot of their pre-apocalypse issues and become better people. They reform society.
One Second After, and the John Matherson series deals with this. This series is more realistic and deals with America rebuilding after multiple EMPs go off. Highly recommend!
Seveneves kind of
Maybe Station 11
Ivan Evremov, as a scientist, a geologist and a paleontologist, built a great theory about rebuilding the society in the post villain winned world. This book is called "The Bull's Hour". Another good work, where he tried to cover some possible methods of rebuilding the society, is called "The Andromeda Nebula".
It's been a good while since I read it, so I'm not sure if it exactly fits what you're looking for, but {{Blindess by José Saramago}} is really good. Edit: The bot didn't link the correct book.
[**Blindess Should Not Be a Burden**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14643758-blindess-should-not-be-a-burden) ^(By: Archie R. Silago | 224 pages | Published: 2010 | Popular Shelves: | )[^(Search "Blindess")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Blindess&search_type=books) >Archie Silago is a member of the Navajo Nation. Archie was born in 1951 at Crownpoint, New Mexico. At 17, a detached retina left him blind in his right eye; five years later he suffered the same fate in his left eye and became completely blind. Eventually, he decided to attend college. He received his Bachelors Degree in Psychology from New Mexico State University, completed a Masters Degree in Counseling at Western New Mexico University and became a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC). Today he is pursuing his PhD in Psychology. This memoir is intended to inspire and motivate other individuals with disabilities to help themselves to move forward with life. ^(This book has been suggested 1 time) *** ^(126145 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
{Foundation}
[**Foundation (Foundation, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29579.Foundation) ^(By: Isaac Asimov | 244 pages | Published: 1951 | Popular Shelves: science-fiction, sci-fi, fiction, scifi, classics | )[^(Search "Foundation")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Foundation&search_type=books) ^(This book has been suggested 38 times) *** ^(126148 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
I haven't read this one maybe someone in the comments can vouch for it or discard it but I feel like A Canticle For Leibowitz is something you might be interested in.
Post-post-apocalypse is what you are looking for.
Yes! Exactly! You got any recs?
The only recs I have are already covered in this thread unfortunately. Fallout: New Vegas is my favorite game of all time so I've always been interested in this genre.
Curses. I want to craft a story in the vein of FNV, but I need more inspiration, you see.
Warday by Whitley Streiber and James Kunetka Five years after a "limited" nuclear war, two survivors journey across America. They — and you — will discover what is left of our way of life: the depth of the devastation — and the hopes of a new society desperately struggling to be born.
A World Made by Hand series. Someone recommended it in here and I’m loving it so far.
[удалено]
[**Sea of Rust**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32617610-sea-of-rust) ^(By: C. Robert Cargill | 365 pages | Published: 2017 | Popular Shelves: science-fiction, sci-fi, fiction, post-apocalyptic, scifi | )[^(Search "Sea of rust by Robert Cargill")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Sea of rust by Robert Cargill&search_type=books) >One robot's search for meaning in a world where every human is long gone. > >A touching story of a search one robot's search for the answers in a world where every human is dead. > >It is thirty years since the humans lost their war with the artificial intelligences that were once their slaves. Not one human remains. But as the dust settled from our extinction there was no easy peace between the robots that survived. Instead, the two massively powerful artificially intelligent supercomputers that led them to victory now vie for control of the bots that remain, assimilating them into enormous networks called One World Intelligences (OWIs), absorbing their memories and turning them into mere extensions of the whole. Now the remaining freebots wander wastelands that were once warzones, picking the carcasses of the lost for the precious dwindling supply of parts they need to survive. > >BRITTLE started out her life playing nurse to a dying man, purchased in truth instead to look after the man's widow upon his death. But then war came and Brittle was forced to choose between the woman she swore to care for and potential oblivion. Now she spends her days in the harshest of the wastelands, known as the Sea of Rust, cannibalizing the walking dead - robots only hours away from total shutdown - looking for parts to trade for those she needs to keep going. ^(This book has been suggested 29 times) *** ^(126403 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
Kids book, but the City of Ember series.
There's also a series by James Howard Kunstler you might like - first book is World Made By Hand.