Why Post-Apocalyptic Fiction is More Valuable Now Than Ever
How stories about the end can provide comfort in the present
One of the most beautiful things about reading, watching, or otherwise consuming fictional tales is that these stories can help us feel more at home in reality. The best tv shows, books, movies, and video games tell meaningful, human stories that transcend their setting and say real, meaningful things about the world that we all live in. It’s not just that fiction can help us escape for a few minutes (which is valuable), but also that it helps us understand the present.
I want to take a few paragraphs to write about a genre of fiction that I’ve always loved: the post-apocalyptic. Whether books like Oryx and Crake, games like The Last of Us, or tv shows like The Leftovers, this is an area of fiction (speculative fiction, specifically) that has always drawn me in. In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, that fascination feels worth dissecting.
I find that these end-of-the-world stories are (not least) valuable when something scary is happening. I know that’s counter-intuitive and probably isn’t universal. But I also don’t think I’m alone, and here’s why: when normal life around us has ground to a halt, it’s comforting to take in a depiction of specific ways that it could be much, much worse. And the ways fictional characters brace for disaster can help us find value in the dangerous times we live in.
Since the end of high school, I’ve been drawn to post-apocalyptic fiction. My best guess for the reason why is that I like reading stories of how humans react when their worlds are turned upside down. I also love seeing how talented storytellers drum up different and terrifying scenarios for the end of civilizations or humanity.
I started college right as The Walking Dead tv show hit its apex in popularity. I still remember carving out time on Sunday nights to watch new episodes with my friends. At its best, the show had compelling characters who did their best to live in a world tried to kill them at every turn. I think this show helped cement my fascination with apocalyptic stories, even though I stopped following it not long after I graduated.
The Walking Dead was always a flawed tv show, but The Leftovers (which I watched a few years ago), might actually be a perfect work of post-apocalyptic fiction. An HBO original that ran for only three seasons, it’s set in a world where millions of people mysteriously disappeared, all at once, without a trace. It’s a story about how a few characters struggle to live in the aftermath of this singular event, not the global response to it.
There are also some fantastic books that answer the question of how humans respond to the end of everything. Cormac McCarthy’s The Road is the best one I can think of, but Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven and P.D. James’ Children of Men are also excellent. What I like the most about these books is that they’re vastly different looks at what happens when every human institution or governing body collapses or faces significant strain. The characters face similar problems, but the variety of circumstances in these three novels shows how rich this genre can be.
My favorite work of post-apocalyptic fiction — my favorite work of all fiction, actually — is The Last of Us, a 2013 video game released by Sony. It’s a zombie video game that came out near the end of the collective zombie fever, released at the tail end of the PlayStation 3 generation. What looked like a generic action game at first blush turned out to be a brilliant reflection on fatherhood and relationships in world fallen apart.
The storytelling used every strength of video games as a medium perfectly, drawing players into the most compelling narrative I’ve ever seen. HBO recently announced a new tv series based on the game (and made in collaboration with Neil Druckmann, the game’s writer), a nod to its reputation and quality. With the sequel due out this spring, now may be the height of this title’s popularity.
Right now, the world is in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Millions are sheltering in their homes, thousands are in hospitals, and nobody really knows when it will end. Many people would rather do anything than pick up a book or stream a show that points to an apocalypse, no matter how fictional. If that’s your preference, I completely understand. There’s enough bad news in the world — it makes sense to leave that kind of story behind if and when you’re trying to shut the world out for a few minutes.
My fascination with post-apocalyptic stories actually increases with the current times, though. I’m reading Sarah Pinsker’s A Song for a New Day at the moment, a story about musicians who try to make a living in a world where concerts have been permanently banned over health concerns. It hits pretty close to home in the present moment, but I love it.
I think I love these stories now because they remind us that things could be worse and because they tell the human stories we need to hear. In The Last of Us, a grizzled veteran of the apocalypse, a man who has lost nearly everything, finds hope and meaning in the people around him. In The Road, a father’s love for his son guides every decision he makes. Both stories are heart-wrenching; both are immensely valuable.
So, during this time, I love diving in to these post-apocalyptic stories. In an article for The Ringer, Alison Herman described this mindset as “steering into the skid.” I like that characterization. Now, more than ever, I love stories about the end.
The views expressed are mine alone and do not represent the views of my employer or any other person or organization.
