Recommended book for Post Apoc/Fallout/Wasteland fans

Q

Quanti

First time out of the vault
I originally posted this on the Wasteland 2 forums, that is why there are references to the developers and fans.




I just finished a great book, one that I recommend all members of the development team read, as well as all of the fans. It's a fantastic book and resource for anyone interested in foreign affairs, the arms race, the cold war armed forces, and weapons of mass destruction.

The book is The Dead Hand: The Untold Story of the Cold War Arms Race and its Dangerous Legacy by David E. Hoffman. It won the Pulitzer prize in 2010 for nonficiton.

I think it would be an invaluable resource for the team because it is one of the best accounts of the real life arms race in the late cold war, presenting a non fiction source to compare/contrast/inspire with the story and setting in Wasteland. I know that much of the backstory "big picture" writing is probably already finished, but if I were running this project, I would have everybody read the book anyways. Relevant for the project and also for general awareness about the legacy of the arms race, to be sure.

The author presents the real story of the late cold war arms race, including accounts of the massive, secret Soviet Bioweapons program, the relationship between Reagan and Gorbachev, SDI, the Soviet command and control systems, along with other interesting and disturbing history. Much of it comes from declassified sources.

The book also describes several Soviet weapons facilities, and reveals aspects of the nonproliferation problem we deal with today, including several first hand accounts. Almost makes me want to book a flight to Kazakhstan to go explore some of these haunting places.

It is available at Amazon, of course, and the physical book is very cheap right now. Here are the links to the amazon page, the official book website, and David Hoffman's blog at Foreign Policy:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Dead-Hand-Untold-Dangerous/dp/0385524374
http://thedeadhandbook.com/
http://hoffman.foreignpolicy.com/

I hope that others here in the community will find it as informative and relevant as I did.
 
Metro 2033 and 2034 are both post-apocalyptic books. You might have played the game... Set in the metro of Moscow after the apocalypse.

I haven't read them, but apparently 2033 is more action-packed and 2034 is more 'philosophical'.
 
I highly recommend Metro 2033. There's a 'review' of mine in the book thread, but in general, it's a bit philosophically-bent post-apoc book dealing with various issues. As for 'action-packed', I cannot really compare to the sequel since I haven't read it, but there isn't much action really (depending on what you're looking for - dynamic story, yes, bloody, mindless shooting parts, no, not much).
The book is very atmospheric and I believe offers a lot.

However, there isn't anything 'fallouty' in it. It is a post-apoc book, but that's pretty much the only similarity.
 
The Road is a decent book about a Father and his son trying to live off the destroyed world. As they travel, they run into cannibals, starvation, and nightmares. The movie was low-budjet, but was entertaining as well.
 
The Road was a pretty grim movie. Quite depressing really, but good nonetheless.
The Dead Hand was unique to me because it is not post apocalypse fiction.

For me, it was special because it is real history, and is relevant to our foreign policy and diplomatic activities today, while also touching on the real life issues that inspired all of the doomsday stories in fiction like Fallout and the post apoc genre. For this reason, it's a great resource to use in creating fiction grounded in fact, as opposed to "Science!", etc.
 
The Road is awesome. Good film, but the book is, of course, a lot better. Not the easiest book to read though...
 
I personally somewhat disliked The Road, mostly because the unexplained apocalypse is hinted to be divine in nature.

I have no reason to read anything by some religious mouthbreather.
 
The_Noob said:
I personally somewhat disliked The Road, mostly because the unexplained apocalypse is hinted to be divine in nature.

I have no reason to read anything by some religious mouthbreather.
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:liar: everyone likes a good story, and this one had it.
 
I'm suprised no one else has mentioned WOOL by Hugh Howey on these boards. GET THIS ONE. (well, I've mentioned it 3 times in other post apoc book threads but..)
book_wool.jpg

Thousands of them have lived underground. They've lived there so long, there are only legends about people living anywhere else. Such a life requires rules. Strict rules. There are things that must not be discussed. Like going outside. Never mention you might like going outside.

Or you'll get what you wish for.
The book is 6 dollars. 99c on kindle.

I also enjoyed The Old Man and the Wasteland
 
The_Noob said:
I personally somewhat disliked The Road, mostly because the unexplained apocalypse is hinted to be divine in nature.
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[spoiler:09ba518548]I had the same notion at moments, though the point of the whole book is not really in the causes, but consequences.
It is, essentially, a deeply emotional book about bonds and relations between human beings, their actions and reasons behind those, and the whole human nature.
The reason for the apocalypse, whatever it's nature, is never given with purpose, simply because it is irrelevant. Even if it was divine in nature, it shows that God doesn't really care about life down here much, having burned everything, or that humanity has failed him.
I think the film gave a greater notion that it is a religious event, more than the book.
Though that's a completely different issue.

I personally never took the book as a form of religious warning about the looming doom which can perhaps be avoided through our actions (or caused by such). It is already established that humans can and do kill other humans, in every possible way.
What is shown in the book is that they survive, and that humans are capable for something more.
Light is best seen when you're in complete darkness, or something similar, as the saying says, and that's how I looked at it. Human bond and love (in this case, one between father and son) is best emphasized when shown in a completely and utterly scorched and desolated world. [/spoiler:09ba518548]

Spoiler, not because I've mentioned much about the plot itself, but because I do not want future readers to look at the book from my point of view. Each should form their own.
 
I read the dead hand... pretty cool stuff. Its more of an overview of lots of interesting cold war topics though.

If you want to get into really scary stuff... start playing with Google and inter library loan and phrases like Biological Warfare or Chemical Warfare Handbook...

I actually came up with formulas that could be used in my Fallout Detroit (simple for schematics purposes).

Just requires a "my first chemistry set" (like FO3) and input like you would use in a work bench.
 
I'm pretty sure this wasn't intended as a "recommend a post-apoc book" thread, but what the hey :P

What about books that influenced Fallout? Dick's Dr Bloodmoney, Zelazny's Damnation Alley and Zelazny's Lord of Light all did, I think. I didn't read Lord of Light, but Dr Bloodmoney is a classic of post-apoc/mutation fiction, and quite well done if a...little weird? Damnation Alley is nice in atmosphere but more of an atmosphere/action book. I do get how the atmosphere inspired Lonesome Road but it's not a great book.
 
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series are my favourite post-apocalyptic books. Without a usual dark setting, loaded with explosive humour instead.
 
valcik said:
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series are my favourite post-apocalyptic books. Without a usual dark setting, loaded with explosive humour instead.
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:clap: I see what you did there!
 
Guiltyofbeingtrite said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Canticle_for_Leibowitz

Huge fallout influence, in a way, as far as I'm concerned.
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I knew I was forgetting something. Really need to read that book, it was one of the biggest influences, I believe.
 
I'd give my right kidney for someone to make a Fallout-like RPG out of Marek Baraniecki's "Cassandra's Head" "I.P.".

Synopsis: After a nuclear exchange Theo Hornic, a "head-hunter" roams the country seeking out missile bases, from which, years after the war, errant control computers that he seeks to disable fire off nuclear ICBMs, causing automated retaliation and further havoc, while the environment gradually and steadily deteriorates.

Not that I'm aware of any English language edition, though :) But there is a German one from some 14 years back.

And while I can think of post-apo, nothing decidedly close to Fallout's feel comes to mind. Was "The Postman" any good ? ;)
 
I just had a really good pork through Amazon and I can't find a english lang version of Cassandra, and I really really wanted to as it sound bloody epic.
 
I haven't read many apocalyptic books. But I would recommend giving Stephen King's 'The Stand' a read, if you can manage 800 pages (if not don't bother). He can write great things outside of the horror genre.
 
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