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The Forge of God
by Greg Bear (1987)
When opposing aliens arrive on Earth it is difficult for humanity to work out who or what to believe. One group promises peace and prosperity, while another individual warns that trouble is on the way. Bear describes the final days of the world on both a massive, scientific scale and in the everyday, emotional context of how humans react to the coming apocalypse.
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Dawn [S1]
by Octavia E. Butler (1987)
Aliens with ulterior motives rescue some humans from the nuclear holocaust. They turn out to be genetic traders who want to gain control of humankind's DNA through what amounts to rape. Writing from a black feminist perspective, Dawn is a fascinating examination race and gender issues, and a fine debut from Butler. First book in the superb Xenogenesis series.
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Metro 2033 [S1]
by Dmitry Glukhovsky (2002)
Post-apocalyptic novel by Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky set in the Moscow Metro after a global nuclear holocaust. Man eventually hands over stewardship of the planet to new life-forms mutated by radiation and are better adapted to the new world. Only a few score thousand survivors in the Metro live on, not knowing whether they are the only ones left on earth.
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Wool Omnibus [S1]
by Hugh Howey (2012)
While the publication history of Hugh Howey's 'Wool' stories may be a little confusing to the newcomer, this omnibus edition brings them all together in a neat one-volume package. In a future underground society, talk of 'going outside' is strictly forbidden. Some optimists, however, still dare to dream. As punishment, they get what they want. Popular writer who keeps getting better.
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The 100 [S1]
by Kass Morgan (2013)
Adapted as a TV series prior to its publication, this novel tells the tale of one hundred juvenile delinquents sent from generational spaceships to recolonise Earth following a devastating nuclear war. It could be their second chance at life... or it could be a suicide mission. Confronted with a savage land and haunted by secrets from their pasts, they must fight to survive.
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Seveneves
by Neal Stephenson (2015)
A catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb. Nations around the globe band together to devise an ambitious plan to ensure the survival of humanity far beyond our atmosphere, in outer space. But the complexities and unpredictability of human nature coupled with unforeseen challenges and dangers threaten the intrepid pioneers, until only a handful of survivors remain.
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Borne [S1]
by Jeff VanderMeer (2017)
In a ruined, nameless city of the future, a woman who makes her living as a scavenger finds a creature she names 'Borne' entangled in the fur of Mord, a gigantic, despotic bear. Mord once prowled the corridors of the biotech organisation on the outskirts of the city known as the Company, until he was experimented on, grew large, learned to fly and broke free. An eco-nightmare.
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New York 2140
by Kim Stanley Robinson (2017)
In 2140 the waters rose, submerging New York City. But the residents adapted and it remained the bustling, vibrant metropolis it had always been. Every street became a canal, every skyscraper an island. Through the eyes of the varied inhabitants of one building, Robinson spins a cautionary story about what might happen unless the world takes action on climate change.