Now that I have chronologically matured and my interest in end-of-the-world stories has waned, I still find time for the occasional apocalyptic gem. However, no longer do I thrill in the earth-is-destroyed-by-a-rogue-planet-but-our-gallant-hero-rescues-a-small-town-in-Ohio plots. Rather, I favor the more subtle tale that looks at a not-so-distant future that is not-so-different from the present.

Following is a list, categorized by type of disaster, of a few dystopian books worth looking into. It is only by reading future histories that we can avoid our future mistakes.

Nuclear (and other) disasters
A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M Miller
A nuclear strike “cleans the earth,” technology is reviled and destroyed, but an order of monks preserves scientific knowledge while attempting to rebuild civilization.

Dr. Bloodmoney by Philip K Dick
In the face of a nuclear accident, genetic mutations, a nuclear strike, and loss of technological knowledge, people go about their lives with varying degrees of success.

Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde
Long after an unnamed catastrophe has occurred, a person’s social status is based on which colors he can see. In this droll chronicle, technology is gradually eradicated, with all sorts of machines and tools (even down to spoons) phased out.

Totalitarian governments
Divided Kingdom by Rupert Thomson  
Britain is divided into four republics, families are torn apart, and citizens (based on their personality-type) are assigned to live in one of the republics. Thomas Perry, a civil servant, begins a journey which turns into a nightmare as he illegally travels between zones.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
In a frightening future, women are valued only for their reproductive abilities.

Love in the Time of Fridges by Tim Scott
This amusing story finds the mayor of New Seattle’s zero-tolerance-of-danger policy creating a society based on fear (not to mention the occasional roving pack of intelligent refrigerators).

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
The government controls information as well as an individual’s thoughts and memories.

Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
In this future, thinking is dangerous and books are forbidden.

Ecological emergencies
Forty Signs of Rain by Kim Stanley Robinson
The Arctic ice pack shrinks, bringing about climactic changes and disasters.

Juniper Time by Kate Wilhelm
Environmental neglect leads to a slow social apocalypse.

Technological tragedies
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
In the not-too-distant future the U.S. becomes a conglomerate of corporate-owned states with few laws, and virtual reality dominates people’s lives. When a friend is destroyed by the new drug Snow Crash, Hiro uses his hacking skills to save the day.

Idoru by William Gibson
In 21^st century Tokyo technology is both alluring and dangerous, the rich and the poor are separated by walls, and pop stars marry virtual constructs.

Devilish discrimination
Love in the Ruins by Walker Percy
The U.S. is fragmented, in a state of virtual civil war and anarchy, and people’s souls are becoming alienated from their bodies in this humorous tale.

Population permutations
Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner
More than 7 billion souls swarm across the futuristic earth of 2010. Overcrowding, artificial intelligence, legalized psychedelic drugs, and science tempered with superstition create a complex terrain for the world’s nations to navigate.

The Children of Men by P.D. James
Mass infertility leads slowly towards the end of the human race. 

The Apocalypse
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
Don’t make any plans for Sunday, the apocalypse is arriving Saturday unless the angels of good and evil (who have grown quite comfortable here on earth) can stop it.

Ron

This intriguing idea is the background for the excellent book Things We Didn’t See Coming by Steven Amsterdam.  The book is a series of interconnected stories set over the lifetime of the unnamed narrator as he makes his way through an increasingly inhospitable world. Each story finds him at a different stage in his life and offers up a host of calamities he has to cope with (massive computer failure, floods, and disease) but never states exactly what is causing all the damage. 

In fact, one of the great accomplishments of Things We Didn’t See Coming is that you stop asking yourself why things are going so wrong and become more concerned with the characters and the choices they make.  The author’s spare prose encourages this perception and he carefully crafts each character and situation so they are memorable.    

In the end, it takes a pretty good writer to make you ignore the apocalypse.

Richard

Welcome to Everett! You drove here from Topeka. That’s a long drive. Did you listen to any cool music or audiobooks?
It is a long drive indeed, but I’m a fan of road trips. I listened to two great audiobooks: I am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President by Josh Lieb and T.C. Boyle’s The Tortilla Curtain. I also listened to some of my favorite music including Pavement, Wilco, Radiohead, R.E.M., Neil Young, Warren Zevon, and The xx.

Kansas makes me think of The Wizard of Oz. Can you recommend any favorite Kansas authors or books or movies about Kansas?
I’ve yet to travel from Kansas and not heard, “You’re not in Kansas anymore.” It’s an irresistible response to learning someone is from Kansas. Two great authors more or less from Kansas are Gordon Parks and Langston Hughes. A great book is James Carlos Blake’s Wildwood Boys, a historical novel about the pre-Civil War Kansas-Missouri Border Wars told from the perspective of Bloody Bill Anderson. I love John Williams’ Butcher’s Crossing, set in both Kansas and Colorado. John Williams’ wonderful book Stoner is one of my absolute favorites, but it’s set in Missouri.

Do you have any favorite books or shows with a Washington setting or author?
Two of my favorite television shows are closely associated with Washington: Twin Peaks and Northern Exposure. As for books, I’ve recently become a fan of Spokane author Jess Walter and Olympia author Jim Lynch. The Financial Lives of the Poets and Border Songs are two of the best books I’ve read in the past year.

What’s your favorite book?
My all time favorite is Richard Yates’ Revolutionary Road. Yates is an incredibly underrated writer. My previous favorite book was David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest. The aforementioned Stoner is a recent favorite.

What was your favorite book growing up?
The book that blew my mind as a youngster was Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Its meditation on the great expanses of time and the universe changed the way I thought about the world. The other seminal book of my childhood was To Kill a Mockingbird. I read it the summer after sixth grade and it hooked me on a life of reading.

What’s your favorite movie?
The Coen Brothers’ The Big Lebowski is the greatest movie of the last 25 years. Other favorites are Mulholland Drive, Nurse Betty, Ghostbusters, and No Country For Old Men.

If you were stranded on Jetty Island and could only take three books, what would you take?
Infinite Jest—I’ve been meaning to reread it and it’s really long. Charles Willeford’s Sideswipe. And Thomas Pynchon’s Gravity’s Rainbow — it might be quiet enough to actually concentrate to read it.

With 2010 fast approaching, it is time for the dreaded New Year’s resolution to rear its ugly head. Many people pledge to change their lives by exercising more or improving their finances. Unfortunately, by the time February rolls around the old habits have a nasty way of returning. Why not avoid this depressing cycle of broken promises and increase your chances of success? Resolve to read more short fiction in 2010!

Many people tend to shy away from short stories for one reason or another but really there is a lot to love. A well-crafted short story can capture a specific moment with an intensity not always found in longer novels. When connected by a common theme or place, short stories are great at revealing the complexity of the world and how we interact with it. And hey, they are short, so what do you have to lose by trying some?

The Best American Short Stories of 2009, edited by Alice Sebold, is a great place to start exploring short fiction. Since 1915, this annual series has been dedicated to picking the best stories of the year. If you are interested in other award winners, definitely check out the O. Henry Prize Stories, named in honor of the author, and The PushCart Prize which strives to highlight stories, poetry and essays from smaller presses.

Another great way to introduce yourself to short fiction is by checking out the many genre related anthologies we have. Do you usually read mystery or detective novels?  If so take a look at The World’s Finest Mystery and Crime Stories, Seattle Noir or Killer Year. Is horror or science fiction more your cup of tea? Take time to peruse American Fantastic Tales, On a Raven’s Wing or The Starry Rift and you won’t be disappointed.

So, take the pledge and promise to read a short story or two in 2010. Create an addiction that is actually good for you!

Richard