Two years ago, Justin Cronin burst onto the literary scene with his critically-acclaimed blockbuster novel The Passage. As soon as most readers turned the final page, they were immediately ready to see what Cronin had in store next.
Now The Twelve is coming soon, and the wait is almost over. In the second book of this apocalyptic trilogy, three survivors of the destructive plague that threatens to end humankind forever must carry the burden of an entire species’ survival.
To herald this highly-anticipated upcoming publication, we asked Justin to send us his five favorite apocalyptic tales. His choices are eclectic and diverse, and he even threw in one extra, for good measure.
Earth Abides by George Stewart (1949). The granddaddy of modern apocalyptic fiction, Stewart’s novel tells the story of a handful of survivors of a global pandemic as they join together to form a new civilization amid the ruins of the old. Its racial and sexual politics are outdated, and the whole thing has an unpleasant whiff of eugenics, but the novel’s graceful writing and keen scientific observations of a world without people more than compensate for these shortcomings. I loved it as a kid, love it still, and included a quick homage to it in The Passage.
On the Beach by Nevil Shute (1957). Humanity’s last survivors in Australia await their demise as the radioactive cloud of a global nuclear conflict heads toward them. A book that actually changed people’s minds about the ‘winnability’ of thermonuclear war, the story would be unremittingly bleak if not for the dignity with which the survivors, including the crew of an American submarine, grapple with their fates.
The Children of Men by P.D. James (1992). The concept at the heart of James’s novel—for no discernible reason, humanity has lost the ability to reproduce—is one of the most strikingly original in apocalyptic fiction. The story’s most eerie detail: in a world without children, women heap their unrequited maternal love on large, life-like dolls. The film is also excellent, though very different and considerably darker.
The Stand . King’s epic masterpiece of the conflict between good and evil in a post-pandemic America. Enough said.
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury (1950). A boyhood favorite, Bradbury’s vignettes of human settlement of our closest celestial neighbor turns darkly apocalyptic when the colonists realize—uh-oh!—that an atomic war back home means there’s no Earth to go back to. The final story, “The Million Year” picnic, is a perfect morsel of dramatic irony.
And no list would be complete without:
The Old Testament. Don’t forget the story of Noah, God’s big do-over. At least it has a happy ending.
NOOK owners: go to shop and search for “Justin Cronin“ to pre-order this highly-anticipated apocalyptic novel.
