Pandemic fiction

[wesleycrusher]

I just finished reading The Things that Keep Us Here by Carla Buckley, which is about a pandemic and the response of an average middle class family. They storyline was interesting, although the writing was rather simplistic (made it a fast read) and there were some minor plot holes that I could ignore for the overall survival theme.  It didn't go into much detail of the science behind anything or creating a vaccine- it was focused on the one specific family's story.

It made me want to see what else is out there in this genre.  Any recs? 

I remember in middle school reading The Girl Who Owned a City, I may go back and read that, too.

[minzy]

Station Eleven immediately comes to mind.

Not quite a pandemic but similar before and after themes - Under the Dome.

[rainbowchip]

I second Station Eleven. The Passage series by Justin Cronin might count too.

I haven't read it yet but my manager recommended to me The Jakarta Pandemic. He said he enjoyed it.

[snshne322]

Does The Road fall under that category? I do NOT recommend it though. I recommend you stay away. I hated that book so much.

I did enjoy Station Eleven.

[minzy]

I haven’t read it, but a friend really liked American War by Omar El Akkad. It’s not quite a pandemic in the public health sense, but apparently it’s about a US civil war that starts in 2075 over climate change, told through the perspective of a family.

[Vespasia]

Oct 4, 2018 15:22:19 GMT -5 minzy said:

I haven’t read it, but a friend really liked American War by Omar El Akkad. It’s not quite a pandemic in the public health sense, but apparently it’s about a US civil war that starts in 2075 over climate change, told through the perspective of a family.

I read this. It was really well done but pretty heavy. It's all the more depressing because it seems plausible. There actually is a major pandemic in the book too. 

[charlatti]

The Book of M, sort of supernatural/magical realism maybe plus pandemic. Definitely Station Eleven.

[leeba25]

The Book of the Unnamed Midwife. I can’t recommend it enough— such a harrowing, amazing (though awful) story, and beautifully written. It’s not an easy read ... I think of it as a cross between the Handmaid’s tale, The Road, and The Stand ... Oh, yeah, The Stand is another one that would fit your bill.

[ufcasey]

Feed by Mira Grant

It's a zombie thing started by a virus, though the focus is on a brother/sister team who are reporters looking into the cause of it. While this was not the best book, it did have one of THE MOST emotional moments I have read in a book. Actually I listened to the audiobook and I HIGHLY recommend listening to it too. Or at least just listening to chapter 25 only anyways. I still get goosebumps just thinking about it.

Oh and another vote for Station Eleven.

[pixy0stix]

I can't believe The Stand was mentioned so far down the thread! LOL!

[aurora]

Oct 5, 2018 14:00:51 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

I can't believe The Stand was mentioned so far down the thread! LOL!

It was the first one I thought of! An excellent choice.

I also liked Justin Cronin's trilogy. It was interesting to learn that the whole story was inspired by his daughter asking him for a bedtime story with a girl hero. He ended up developing and writing a lot of strong female characters as a result.

[MrsAxilla]

Oct 5, 2018 14:00:51 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

I can't believe The Stand was mentioned so far down the thread! LOL!

So lame!  The Stand is by far the best.  Station Eleven was freaky in its own way but it was more about post-pandemic survival.  There’s a scene where the author tells us all the characters are imagining the horrors the passengers of a quarantined airplane suffered, but we’re left to imagine it ourselves.  The Stand walks you through every agonizing detail.  It’s so great - lol!  

[wise_rita]

The Stand pissed me off, but I really hate Stephen King. All foreplay and no payoff. Literally hundreds upon hundred pages of unnecessary BS. But with that said, I'm glad I read it.

I dig all post-apocalyptic lit and am just reading The Things that Keep Us Here now, so am also interested in the pandemic sub-genre. Looking through my list:

Station Eleven is required reading if you're into this genre, I think.

I would classify World War Z relevant here, which I really liked the myriad perspectives/locations.

I don't remember much about The Dog Stars but I remember enjoying it.

Earth Abides was written so long ago that I found it difficult to read, but again glad I did. Quite the classic in this genre (though it focuses almost entirely on the aftermath and not during the pandemic). The Plague by Albert Camus is similarly old enough to make it a really tough read for me.

I have Andromeda Strain on my list but haven't read it.

[doxies]

Oct 8, 2018 3:49:28 GMT -5 wise_rita said:

The Stand pissed me off, but I really hate Stephen King. All foreplay and no payoff. Literally hundreds upon hundred pages of unnecessary BS. But with that said, I'm glad I read it.

I dig all post-apocalyptic lit and am just reading The Things that Keep Us Here now, so am also interested in the pandemic sub-genre. Looking through my list:

Station Eleven is required reading if you're into this genre, I think.

I would classify World War Z relevant here, which I really liked the myriad perspectives/locations.

I don't remember much about The Dog Stars but I remember enjoying it.

Earth Abides was written so long ago that I found it difficult to read, but again glad I did. Quite the classic in this genre (though it focuses almost entirely on the aftermath and not during the pandemic). The Plague by Albert Camus is similarly old enough to make it a really tough read for me.

I have Andromeda Strain on my list but haven't read it.

I loved World War Z and The Dog Stars.  I also loved Station Eleven.

I would also recommend Blindness.  I think some people on here have read it.  It's very disturbing though.

[wesleycrusher]

Oct 8, 2018 3:49:28 GMT -5 wise_rita said:

The Stand pissed me off, but I really hate Stephen King. All foreplay and no payoff. Literally hundreds upon hundred pages of unnecessary BS. But with that said, I'm glad I read it.

I dig all post-apocalyptic lit and am just reading The Things that Keep Us Here now, so am also interested in the pandemic sub-genre. Looking through my list:

Station Eleven is required reading if you're into this genre, I think.

I would classify World War Z relevant here, which I really liked the myriad perspectives/locations.

I don't remember much about The Dog Stars but I remember enjoying it.

Earth Abides was written so long ago that I found it difficult to read, but again glad I did. Quite the classic in this genre (though it focuses almost entirely on the aftermath and not during the pandemic). The Plague by Albert Camus is similarly old enough to make it a really tough read for me.

I have Andromeda Strain on my list but haven't read it.

We'll have to discuss when you're done reading!

Thanks everyone for the suggestions.  I put some on hold at the library and will report back after I read them.

[pixy0stix]

Oct 8, 2018 3:49:28 GMT -5 wise_rita said:

The Stand pissed me off, but I really hate Stephen King. All foreplay and no payoff. Literally hundreds upon hundred pages of unnecessary BS. But with that said, I'm glad I read it.

I feel this way about 98% of King's books, yet I continue to read them. He really is shit about finishing his stories.

[expectantsteelerfan]

It's been a LONG time since I've read it, but if you're going the Stephen King route, I think I enjoyed Cell more than The Stand.

[Nonny]

I love love love Station Eleven, but I don't think that's a secret around here. LOL!

I enjoyed The Stand, but it's been awhile since I read it.

I'm going to go against doxies, and say to NOT read Blindness, because it was seriously awful IMO.  I can't abide by books with stream of consciousness narration, and this had not only that but it also somehow switched between that and third person limited third person omniscient and there were no punctuation or dialog tags.  It started off like it would be interesting/terrifying, and then just go gross, boring, and weird.  (One of my book clubs read it a few months ago and the person who picked it like it and the rest of us hated it.)  Sorry Doxies!

I fee like The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton falls into this category, but I'm not sure if I've ever actually read it (if I did I would have been a teen).

Or you could go gothic short fiction and read The Masque of the Red Death by Poe.

[doxies]

Oct 11, 2018 14:14:06 GMT -5 Nonny said:

I love love love Station Eleven, but I don't think that's a secret around here. LOL!

I enjoyed The Stand, but it's been awhile since I read it.

I'm going to go against doxies, and say to NOT read Blindness, because it was seriously awful IMO.  I can't abide by books with stream of consciousness narration, and this had not only that but it also somehow switched between that and third person limited third person omniscient and there were no punctuation or dialog tags.  It started off like it would be interesting/terrifying, and then just go gross, boring, and weird.  (One of my book clubs read it a few months ago and the person who picked it like it and the rest of us hated it.)  Sorry Doxies!

I fee like The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton falls into this category, but I'm not sure if I've ever actually read it (if I did I would have been a teen).

Or you could go gothic short fiction and read The Masque of the Red Death by Poe.

Ouch! All of your criticisms are valid. It definitely takes a bit to get used to the lack of punctuation and run-on sentences, but I liked it for the vivid picture it painted and how different people react to extreme circumstances. I also read it for a book club and I think some people liked it.

[Nonny]

Oct 11, 2018 18:06:35 GMT -5 doxies said:

Oct 11, 2018 14:14:06 GMT -5 Nonny said:

I love love love Station Eleven, but I don't think that's a secret around here. LOL!

I enjoyed The Stand, but it's been awhile since I read it.

I'm going to go against doxies , and say to NOT read Blindness, because it was seriously awful IMO.  I can't abide by books with stream of consciousness narration, and this had not only that but it also somehow switched between that and third person limited third person omniscient and there were no punctuation or dialog tags.  It started off like it would be interesting/terrifying, and then just go gross, boring, and weird.  (One of my book clubs read it a few months ago and the person who picked it like it and the rest of us hated it.)  Sorry Doxies!

I fee like The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton falls into this category, but I'm not sure if I've ever actually read it (if I did I would have been a teen).

Or you could go gothic short fiction and read The Masque of the Red Death by Poe.

Ouch! All of your criticisms are valid. It definitely takes a bit to get used to the lack of punctuation and run-on sentences, but I liked it for the vivid picture it painted and how different people react to extreme circumstances. I also read it for a book club and I think some people liked it.

I tend to have really strong opinions about books. LOL!  I've also read quite a number of books that I really hated this year (the trials and tribulations of being in two book clubs and having other people choosing my reading material), and that tends to make me cranky.

I did eventually get used to the lack of punctuation, but the voice switching mid-narrative annoyed me throughout.  It was definitely one of those books that had potential, and I was actually really freaked out by up right up until they got to the center where they were quarantining them, but that's when it started to piss me off.  

[hurricanedrunk]

I really enjoyed Station Eleven and World War Z was a fantastic audio book. The Stand is one of my favorites.

I think The Girl with All the Gifts falls into this category too and was a really interesting read.