I really love reading challenges because of the way it stretches your reading comfort zone, but I've always sucked at actually completing them. This year's Reading Challenge is built around David Bowie's discography. And it's a doozey. So I thought it would be cool to set up a series where we can recommend books to one another that can use against some of the tasks.
Since I'm a sucker for post-apocalyptic and end-times novels, I thought it would be fun to start with those.
Brian Evenson
X doesn’t have a name. He thought he had one—or many—but that might be the result of the failing memories of the personalities imprinted within him. Or maybe he really is called X. He’s also not as human as he believes himself to be.
But when he discovers the existence of another—above ground, outside the protection of the Warren—X must learn what it means to be human, or face the destruction of their two species.
But when he discovers the existence of another—above ground, outside the protection of the Warren—X must learn what it means to be human, or face the destruction of their two species.
An amazing novel that probes deep into what it means to be human and whether what you think you are, and what you truly are, really makes that much difference in the long run. This novella, which takes place in a warren of sorts many, many years in the future, is a follow-up to Evenson's Immobility but works very well as a stand alone.
Can be applied against
- We Are Hungry Men (David Bowie, 1967) - Read a book about a global catastrophe
- Bombers (Hunky Dory, 1971) - Read a book about nuclear war or a book that features an apocalypse
- After Today ( Young Americans, 1975)– Read a book that takes place in the future
- Sunday (Heathen, 2002) – Read a book that is narrated by a survivor of some apocalypse
Can also be applied against
- Future Legend (Diamond Dogs, 1974) – Read a novelette
- Chant of the Ever Circling Skeletal Family (Diamond Dogs, 1974)– Read the last book in author’s bibliography
- Ashes to Ashes (Scary Monsters, 1980) – Read a book that is a follow up or sequel
- Within You (Labryinth, 1986) – Read a book in which a character has multiple ‘personalities’ within themselves
- No Control (1. Outside, 1995) – Read a book that someone recommended to you
- Leon Takes Us Outside (Outside, 1995) – Read a book that contains diary or date entries
Brian Francis Slattery
In the not-distant-enough future, a man takes a boat trip up the Susquehanna River with his most trusted friend, intent on reuniting with his son. But the man is pursued by an army, and his own harrowing past; and the familiar American landscape has been savaged by war and climate change until it is nearly unrecognizable.
Lost Everything is a stunning novel about family and faith, what we are afraid may come to be, and how to wring hope from hopelessness.
Lost Everything is a stunning novel about family and faith, what we are afraid may come to be, and how to wring hope from hopelessness.
Lost Everything takes its readers on a slow, sleepy crawl across the Susquehanna River in a not-so-distant post apocalyptic future where civil war and severe storms, brought about by economic hardships in the face of global warming, threaten to bring the country to its very knees and take the lives of anyone stupid enough to get caught up in between. It's what's left when everything else has been taken. It's what drives a person to continue to fight for their lives when there is really nothing left to live for. It is a powerful and persuasive second look at what might be most important to us. It forces you to reevaluate what you would take with you when you can't take it all. And it pushes you to look at those you love in a painfully new light.
Can be applied against
- We Are Hungry Men (David Bowie, 1967) - Read a book about a global catastrophe
- Bombers (Hunky Dory, 1971) - Read a book about nuclear war or a book that features an apocalypse
- After Today ( Young Americans, 1975)– Read a book that takes place in the future
- Sunday (Heathen, 2002) – Read a book that is narrated by a survivor of some apocalypse
Can also be applied against
- The Prettiest Star (Aladdin Star, 1973)– Read a book with an adjective in the title
- Across the Universe (Young Americans, 1975)– Read a book in which the main character has to travel a long distance
- Red Sails (Loder, 1979) – Read a book that takes place on a ship or boat or features one as a means of transportation
- Move On (Lodger, 1979) – Read a book that features someone who is constantly on the move
- No Control (1. Outside, 1995) – Read a book that someone recommended to you
- Looking For Water (Reality, 2003) – Read a book that features water in some way
- The Next Day (The Next Day, 2013) – Read a book that takes place in the near future
Sandra Newman
In the ruins of a future America, fifteen-year-old Ice Cream Star and her nomadic tribe live off the detritus of a crumbled civilization. Theirs is a world of children; before reaching the age of twenty, they all die of a strange disease they call Posies--a plague that has killed for generations. There is no medicine, no treatment; only the mysterious rumor of a cure.
When her brother begins showing signs of the disease, Ice Cream Star sets off on a bold journey to find this cure. Led by a stranger, a captured prisoner named Pasha who becomes her devoted protector and friend, Ice Cream Star plunges into the unknown, risking her freedom and ultimately her life. Traveling hundreds of miles across treacherous, unfamiliar territory, she will experience love, heartbreak, cruelty, terror, and betrayal, fighting to protect the only world she has ever known.
When her brother begins showing signs of the disease, Ice Cream Star sets off on a bold journey to find this cure. Led by a stranger, a captured prisoner named Pasha who becomes her devoted protector and friend, Ice Cream Star plunges into the unknown, risking her freedom and ultimately her life. Traveling hundreds of miles across treacherous, unfamiliar territory, she will experience love, heartbreak, cruelty, terror, and betrayal, fighting to protect the only world she has ever known.
Sandra Newman has crafted a fascinating and frightful alternate future, one that pulls you straight down into its very heart, though it's the unique language of Ice Cream Star that holds you there tightly. It's heady and ballsy and manages to break every dystopian barrier there is with a sophisticated ease.
Can be applied against
- We Are Hungry Men (David Bowie, 1967) - Read a book about a global catastrophe
- After Today ( Young Americans, 1975)– Read a book that takes place in the future
- Something in the Air (Hours, 1999) – Read a post-pandemic novel
- Sunday (Heathen, 2002) – Read a book that is narrated by a survivor of some apocalypse
Can also be applied against
- Janine (Space Oddity, 1969) – Read a book with a female protagonist
- Across the Universe (Young Americans, 1975)– Read a book in which the main character has to travel a long distance
- Algeria Touchshriek (1. Outside 1995) – Read a book in which the title is the character’s name
- No Control (1. Outside, 1995) – Read a book that someone recommended to you
- Survive (Hours 1999) – Read a book about survival or in which a character beat the odds
- The Stars (Are Out Tonight) (The Next Day, 2013) – Read a book with stars in the title
- God Bless the Girl (The Next Day Extra, 2013) – Read a book written by a female author
- So She (The Next Day Extra, 2013)– Read a book told from a female’s point of view
Benjamin Percy
In this post-apocalyptic reimagining of the Lewis and Clark saga, a super flu and nuclear fallout have made a husk of the world we know. A few humans carry on, living in outposts such as the Sanctuary-the remains of St. Louis-a shielded community that owes its survival to its militant defense and fear-mongering leaders.
Then a rider comes from the wasteland beyond its walls. She reports on the outside world: west of the Cascades, rain falls, crops grow, civilization thrives. But there is danger too: the rising power of an army that pillages and enslaves every community they happen upon.
Against the wishes of the Sanctuary, a small group sets out in secrecy. Led by Lewis Meriwether and Mina Clark, they hope to expand their infant nation, and to reunite the States. But the Sanctuary will not allow them to escape without a fight.
Then a rider comes from the wasteland beyond its walls. She reports on the outside world: west of the Cascades, rain falls, crops grow, civilization thrives. But there is danger too: the rising power of an army that pillages and enslaves every community they happen upon.
Against the wishes of the Sanctuary, a small group sets out in secrecy. Led by Lewis Meriwether and Mina Clark, they hope to expand their infant nation, and to reunite the States. But the Sanctuary will not allow them to escape without a fight.
While The Dead Lands is most certainly a post apocalyptic book, it also reads like an epic fantasy. So much so that at times, I had to remind myself that it was taking place in an undisclosed future (or possibly a very distant past?!) and not some alternate world. Part Station Eleven (sprawling epic, years after an apocalypse, relics of the old world stored in a museum), part LotR (minus the elves and dwarves but with just as many bad ass battles), and part history lesson (Lewis, Clark, and Sacajawea - there are so many parallels), The Dead Lands can sometimes come across as a book that doesn't know exactly what it wants to be. And while there were moments where I felt Percy was trying to take on way too much, or was losing his focus, in the end he did a really nice job pulling it all together.
Can be applied against
- We Are Hungry Men (David Bowie, 1967) - Read a book about a global catastrophe
- After Today ( Young Americans, 1975)– Read a book that takes place in the future
- Something in the Air (Hours, 1999) – Read a post-pandemic novel
- Survive (Hours, 1999)– Read a book about survival or in which a character beat the odds
Can also be applied against
- Andy Warhol (Hunky Dory, 1971) - Read a book that is an homage to something else
- The Prettiest Star (Aladdin Star, 1973)– Read a book with an adjective in the title
- Across the Universe (Young Americans, 1975)– Read a book in which the main character has to travel a long distance
- No Control (1. Outside, 1995) – Read a book that someone recommended to you
Carola Dibbell
Inez wanders a post-pandemic world, strangely immune to disease, making her living by volunteering as a test subject. She is hired to provide genetic material to a grief-stricken, affluent mother, who lost all four of her daughters within four short weeks. This experimental genetic work is policed by a hazy network of governmental ethics committees, and threatened by the Knights of Life, religious zealots who raze the rural farms where much of this experimentation is done. When the mother backs out at the last minute, Inez is left responsible for the product, which in this case is a baby girl, Ani. Inez must protect Ani, who is a scientific breakthrough, keeping her alive, dodging authorities and religious fanatics, and trying to provide Ani with the childhood that Inez never had, which means a stable home and an education.
With a stylish voice influenced by years of music writing, The Only Ones is a time-old story, tender and iconic, about how much we love our children, however they come, as well as a sly commentary on class, politics, and the complexities of reproductive technology.
With a stylish voice influenced by years of music writing, The Only Ones is a time-old story, tender and iconic, about how much we love our children, however they come, as well as a sly commentary on class, politics, and the complexities of reproductive technology.
God, did I get lost in Carola Dibbell's vision of dystopian New York City. Coupons replace cash; swipes and spit tests replace photo ID's; phone calls and messages are received on Boards (which are both personal devices and outdoor, ATM-like machines); and public transportation consists of bubble cars, unreliable wind-powered trams and boats, and hovering magnetized trains. Giant domes encapsulate wealthy neighborhoods as a feeble attempt to protect against the threat of death that lives in every breath. It's a stark and gritty world where babies are conceived in basement laboratories and sold as "viables" in the global underground market.
The Only Ones was one of many post-pandemic novels I had itched to get my hands on. It hinges itself on more than just surviving the unsurvivable. It tackles more than just rebuilding society. Dibbell's novel sticks its hands into the evolutionary food chain and calls into question the roles of man and god.
It's a story about understanding your worth and overcoming your "heritage". It's about embracing motherhood, even if you don't know what that is, and the near-obsessive desire to give your children a better childhood than you had.
The Only Ones was one of many post-pandemic novels I had itched to get my hands on. It hinges itself on more than just surviving the unsurvivable. It tackles more than just rebuilding society. Dibbell's novel sticks its hands into the evolutionary food chain and calls into question the roles of man and god.
It's a story about understanding your worth and overcoming your "heritage". It's about embracing motherhood, even if you don't know what that is, and the near-obsessive desire to give your children a better childhood than you had.
- We Are Hungry Men (David Bowie, 1967) - Read a book about a global catastrophe
- After Today ( Young Americans, 1975)– Read a book that takes place in the future
- Something in the Air (Hours, 1999) – Read a post-pandemic novel
- Sunday (Heathen, 2002) – Read a book that is narrated by a survivor of some apocalypse
Can also be applied against
- Janine (Space Oddity, 1969) – Read a book with a female protagonist
- Kooks (Hunky Dory, 1971)– Read a book about parenthood or that revolves around parenting
- No Control (1. Outside, 1995) – Read a book that someone recommended to you
- Survive (Hours, 1999)– Read a book about survival or in which a character beat the odds
- God Bless the Girl (The Next Day Extra, 2013) – Read a book written by a female author
- So She (The Next Day Extra, 2013)– Read a book told from a female’s point of view
- The Next Day (The Next Day, 2013) – Read a book that takes place in the near future
Edan Lepucki
The world Cal and Frida have always known is gone, and they've left the crumbling city of Los Angeles far behind them. They now live in a shack in the wilderness, working side-by-side to make their days tolerable despite the isolation and hardships they face. Consumed by fear of the future and mourning for a past they can't reclaim, they seek comfort and solace in one other. But the tentative existence they've built for themselves is thrown into doubt when Frida finds out she's pregnant.
Terrified of the unknown but unsure of their ability to raise a child alone, Cal and Frida set out for the nearest settlement, a guarded and paranoid community with dark secrets. These people can offer them security, but Cal and Frida soon realize this community poses its own dangers. In this unfamiliar world, where everything and everyone can be perceived as a threat, the couple must quickly decide whom to trust.
A gripping and provocative debut novel by a stunning new talent, California imagines a frighteningly realistic near future, in which clashes between mankind's dark nature and irrepressible resilience force us to question how far we will go to protect the ones we love.
Terrified of the unknown but unsure of their ability to raise a child alone, Cal and Frida set out for the nearest settlement, a guarded and paranoid community with dark secrets. These people can offer them security, but Cal and Frida soon realize this community poses its own dangers. In this unfamiliar world, where everything and everyone can be perceived as a threat, the couple must quickly decide whom to trust.
A gripping and provocative debut novel by a stunning new talent, California imagines a frighteningly realistic near future, in which clashes between mankind's dark nature and irrepressible resilience force us to question how far we will go to protect the ones we love.
Edan has done something wonderful within a somewhat "been there, read that" genre. As a fan of post-apocalyptic and dystopian literature, I've experienced just about every end-of-the-world scenario. From meteors to zombies to plagues,.. and while there is nothing wrong with that, I have a deep appreciation for the slow, unobtrusive way in which Edan ushered in hers. How scary to imagine growing up in a world where, little by little, we are pushed back towards the dark ages. Internet and electricity are spotty at best, colleges teach its students to farm, people trade gold for the silliest trinkets.
Through California, Edan addresses our biggest fears as she offers its characters the opportunity to rebuild society, and right past wrongs. Will they continue down the dark path that brought about their own undoings or move humanity forward in new and unexpected ways?
For the record, had my husband and I been characters in this book, fleeing the same dying city, we'd be dead within a week of exposure to the elements, dehydration, and us stupidly gorging out on poisonous berries or some ridiculously dumb infection by hangnail. We're just not cut out for the end of the world as we know it. Do you think it's too late to influence my kids into becoming crunchy granolas? This novel makes me fear for their future.
Through California, Edan addresses our biggest fears as she offers its characters the opportunity to rebuild society, and right past wrongs. Will they continue down the dark path that brought about their own undoings or move humanity forward in new and unexpected ways?
For the record, had my husband and I been characters in this book, fleeing the same dying city, we'd be dead within a week of exposure to the elements, dehydration, and us stupidly gorging out on poisonous berries or some ridiculously dumb infection by hangnail. We're just not cut out for the end of the world as we know it. Do you think it's too late to influence my kids into becoming crunchy granolas? This novel makes me fear for their future.
- We Are Hungry Men (David Bowie, 1967) - Read a book about a global catastrophe
- After Today ( Young Americans, 1975)– Read a book that takes place in the future
Can also be applied against
- Janine (Space Oddity, 1969) – Read a book with a female protagonist
- Kooks (Hunky Dory, 1971)– Read a book about parenthood or that revolves around parenting
- Somebody Up There Likes Me (Young Americans, 1975) – Read a book that is written in third-person
- The Secret Life of Arabia (Heroes, 1977)– Read a book in which the protagonist is keeping secrets
- No Control (1. Outside, 1995) – Read a book that someone recommended to you
- Algeria Touchshriek (1.Outside, 1995) – Read a book in which the title is the character’s name
- Survive (Hours, 1999)– Read a book about survival or in which a character beat the odds
- God Bless the Girl (The Next Day Extra, 2013) – Read a book written by a female author
Clayton Smith
Three years have passed since the Jamaicans caused the apocalypse, and things in post-Armageddon Chicago have settled into a new kind of normal. Unfortunately, that "normal" includes collapsing skyscrapers, bands of bloodthirsty maniacs, and a dwindling cache of survival supplies. After watching his family, friends, and most of the non-sadistic elements of society crumble around him, Patrick decides it's time to cross one last item off his bucket list. He's going to Disney World. This hilarious, heartfelt, gut-wrenching odyssey through post-apocalyptic America is a pilgrimage peppered with peril, as fellow survivors Patrick and Ben encounter a slew of odd characters, from zombie politicians and deranged survivalists to a milky-eyed oracle who doesn't have a lot of good news. Plus, it looks like Patrick may be hiding the real reason for their mission to the Magic Kingdom...
A post-apocalyptic novel that makes fun of itself and every book or film that's ever come before it? Uh, yes please!
Clayton Smith knocks it out of the park - The Magic Kingdom's parking lot, to be exact - with this hilarious tale of two BFF's who've managed to survive the apocalypse (which was brought about by Jamaican 'Flying Monkey Missiles' if you can believe it) by apparent sheer dumb luck. Time and time again I found myself wishing I could hop inside Clayton's world and tag along with these guys.Sprinkled throughout with pop culture references and served with a heaping dose of well written dialogue, I'm naming APOCALYPTICON the must-read book of 2014 for fans of post-apoc literature. Give yourself a break from all the end-of-the-world doom and gloom, and get your read on with this insanely incredible post apocalyptical novel with a huge heart. And HELLO?! Have you seen the cover? If my review's not enough to make you pick this thing up.... that cover sure as hell should be!
Clayton Smith knocks it out of the park - The Magic Kingdom's parking lot, to be exact - with this hilarious tale of two BFF's who've managed to survive the apocalypse (which was brought about by Jamaican 'Flying Monkey Missiles' if you can believe it) by apparent sheer dumb luck. Time and time again I found myself wishing I could hop inside Clayton's world and tag along with these guys.Sprinkled throughout with pop culture references and served with a heaping dose of well written dialogue, I'm naming APOCALYPTICON the must-read book of 2014 for fans of post-apoc literature. Give yourself a break from all the end-of-the-world doom and gloom, and get your read on with this insanely incredible post apocalyptical novel with a huge heart. And HELLO?! Have you seen the cover? If my review's not enough to make you pick this thing up.... that cover sure as hell should be!
Can be applied against
- We Are Hungry Men (David Bowie, 1967) - Read a book about a global catastrophe
- Bombers (Hunky Dory, 1971) - Read a book about nuclear war or a book that features an apocalypse
- After Today ( Young Americans, 1975)– Read a book that takes place in the future
Can also be applied against
- We Are the Dead (Diamond Dogs, 1974) - Read a zombie novel
- Somebody Up There Likes Me (Young Americans, 1975) – Read a book that is written in third-person
- Across the Universe (Young Americans, 1975)– Read a book in which the main character has to travel a long distance
- Never Let Me Down (Never Let Me Down, 1987) – Read a book in which a character places their faith in something
- No Control (1. Outside, 1995) – Read a book that someone recommended to you
- Survive (Hours, 1999)– Read a book about survival or in which a character beat the odds
- The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell (Hours, 1999) – Read a dark comedy
Eric Shonkwiler
Years from now, America is slowly collapsing. Crops are drying up and oil is running out. People flee cities for the countryside, worsening the drought and opening the land to crime. Amid this decay and strife, war veteran David Parrish fights to keep his family and farm together. However, the murder of a local child opens old wounds, forcing him to confront his own nature on a hunt through dust storms and crumbling towns for the killer.
Shonkwiler's sparse prose moved patiently across the page, building tension as it went, as raw and cutting as the dust storms that plagued his characters in this "apocalyptic western" debut. Nothing I read in the following eleven months even came close. It's a bleak tale of the beginning of the end of the world. Of a family man who feels the weight of everyone's worries on his shoulders. Of this man who, regardless of consequence, is determined to make sure everyone is alright, even if it means hurting the ones he cares about most. It's a tale of survival as much as it is one of destruction. And Shonkwiler pulls it off effortlessly. It's a killer read. It does all of the things you want it to and some of the things you don't. And that's what makes it so powerful. That's what makes it THE one.
Can be applied against
- We Are Hungry Men (David Bowie, 1967) - Read a book about a global catastrophe
- After Today ( Young Americans, 1975)– Read a book that takes place in the future
Can also be applied against
- Please Mr. Gravedigger (David Bowie, 1967)– Read a book about murder, or that prominently features a murder
- Somebody Up There Likes Me (Young Americans, 1975) – Read a book that is written in third-person
- No Control (1. Outside, 1995) – Read a book that someone recommended to you
- Thru These Architect’s Eyes (1.Outside, 1995) – Read a book that uses punctuation oddly
- The Next Day (The Next Day, 2013) – Read a book that takes place in the near future
If you like this post and would be interested in seeing more like this one, let me know!
David Bowie Reading Challenge: Post Apocalyptic and End-Times Tasks
Reviewed by vivien
on
January 13, 2017
Rating:
Reviewed by vivien
on
January 13, 2017
Rating:
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