Apocalyptic books similar to Left Behind?

Question

I'm a big fan of end-of-the-world stories, especially the religious kind. I picked up Left Behind from my library, and uh...it sucked.

First off, there was way too much preaching, it read like a church sermon in a lot of places, and I had to skip over to the actual plot parts. And way too much "If you're not a born-again Christian fighting for the Lord, you'll burn in h**l. Yes, even you Gandhi". Made me kinda sick.

Secondly, it didn't make much sense. I mean, all the "good" Christians vanished in a split second, miracles happening left and right, and people were going "uh duh must be something sciency-sounding. maybe like uh quantum physics."

So anyways, are there any good alternatives, a bit less preachy and more "realistic"? Thanks!!!

Answer 1

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

It is an un-stoppable read, has great characters, its about a father and son surviving after a near apocalypse.

Won the Pulitzer in 2007

ALSO - The Stand by Stepehn King is excellent!!

Answer 2

Well, On the Beach by Nevil Shute is a great book. But not religious. I read it in high school and it still scares me. I think it might be the only book that ever truly disturbed me.

Answer 3

You might be interested in the Dies the Fire books written by SM Stirling. In these, a mysterious incident causes electricity, motors and gunpowder not to work and mankind is thrust back into pre-Industrial times and must learn how to survive. The books detail the survival efforts of three clans with differing philosophies and does include religion to some extent, but isn't "preachy". The three clans include a wiccan philosophy and a Christian clan. The wiccan clan does include some witchcraft, but I don't think most people would object to its inclusion in these books, and, as I said, they aren't presented as being preachy - it is simply the way they are, and it works well in these stories.

If you would like to read them, the books are:

Dies the Fire

1. Dies the Fire (2004)

2. The Protector's War (2005)

3. A Meeting at Corvallis (2006)



Change

1. The Sunrise Lands (2007)

2. The Scourge of God (2008)