As a companion to my YouTube videos surveying more than 200 years of apocalyptic fiction, here are photos of more than 180 of the 270+ books and series I discuss, sorted into a variety of categories.
Early astronomical threats (1885-1957)
More astronomical threats (1941-2015)
Early warfare apocalypses (1908-1946)
Early post-WW2 nuclear apocalypses (1947-1955)
More cautionary tales about the hazards of extreme warfare (Wyndham’s ‘Re-Birth’ was titled ‘The Chrysalids’ in the UK) (1947-1959)
Post-apocalyptic dystopias (1968-1977) (the Ellison book contains his story ‘A Boy and His Dog’)
Warfare apocalypses (1984-2008)
Contemplative pre- and post-apocalyptic novels (1933-1959)
Environmental catastrophes from (1901-1964)
Slow-motion environmental catastrophes over millennia (‘The Long Afternoon of Earth’ was titled ‘Hothouse’ in the UK) (1962-1985)
Wordy, wonky and brilliant climate fiction (2004-2023)
Time traveling to the apocalypse (1897-1952)
Serious social and political commentary in apocalyptic form (1912-2017)
Social and political satire in apocalyptic form (1947-2019)
Technology run amok (1904-2012)
…and the robots shall inherit the Earth (1920-2017)
Early alien apocalypses (1897-1980)
Recent alien apocalypses (1985-2023)
Early YA apocalypses (1952-1972)
More YA apocalypses (1968-2013)
Mildly surreal apocalypses (1962-1979)
Challenging, experimental and warped apocalypses possibly written under the influence of hallucinogens (1963-1981) (The PKD novel is Dr. Bloodmoney)
Imagining paths to post-apocalyptic utopias (1985-2023)
Women hunted and controlled by men during or after an apocalypse (1967-1996)
Women making their own post-apocalyptic societies (1963-1995)
When humanity’s seed falters (1964-2014) (the Tiptree book contains the story ‘The Screwfly Solution’)
