End of the World Books

As the Mayan calendar comes to an end this December, and rumors of an impending global catastrophe abound, end of the world books have surged in popularity. Yet many are unaware that this extreme genre of fiction has been around for centuries, producing many bestsellers that also went on to become cult classics and were eventually made into movies.

While the genre is currently experiencing unprecedented success among young adult novels, from The Hunger Games trilogy to Victoria Foyt’s Revealing Eden (Save the Pearls Part One), one of the first dystopian novels written in English dates back to 1826, Mary Shelley’s The Last Man, which tells the story of a future world emptied of humanity by the plague. In 1885, Richard Jeffries wrote about a few survivors living an almost medieval existence in England, after a catastrophe depopulated the country in the aptly named After London.

In 1898, H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds became one of the most famous end of the world books of all time, re-written and adapted many times into television programs, radio shows and even video games, complete with modern twists and settings. The story tells of an earth invaded by aliens from Mars who systematically destroy Victorian England with advanced weaponry. Orson Welles’ famous rendition performed for the radio drama anthology series Mercury Theatre on the Air was so realistic that it caused a widespread panic and hysteria when listeners actually believed that an extraterrestrial invasion was occurring. The show skyrocketed Welles to instant notoriety, while also drawing attention to the original novel and garnering new sales and readers.

Dystopian novels saw another boom in popularity after World War II, when the possibility of nuclear warfare and global annihilation become a real one. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasako proved that countries had tools of mass destruction, prompting authors to explore this topic in many end of the world books.

While the last few years have definitely demonstrated a newfound interest in the genre, the last decade has also seen a notable surge. From Oprah’s book pick, The Road, which won a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction to Jeanna DuPrau’s popular City of Ember series of books for young adults, the obsession with the end of civilization and existential catastrophes has grown significantly and shows no sign of slowing down.

Yet while sales continue to boom in this genre, and the numbers of readers multiply exponentially, the most well-read example of all time will surprise most—while you may guess it would be an installment from a popular science fiction and fantasy series, you couldn’t be further from the truth. Noah’s Ark was one of the first documented tales of a post apocalyptic scenario. Narratives of this vessel appear in the Book of Genesis and the Quran, and are studied in Christianity, Judaism and Islam, as well as other Abrahamic Judaism and non-Abrahamic faiths. The story is the perfect example of the genre, depicting a patriarch’s effort to save himself, his family and the world's animals from a worldwide deluge through the construction of a giant ark. It is possibly one of the first dystopian novels written—and definitely the first document.

The best fantasy novels always have a little romance

While good writing is always an imperative element of the best fantasy novels and movies of all time, another component that also plays a consistent role is romance. A genre in and of itself, romance is what tends to drive protagonists to their goal or acts as a subplot to make our characters more human and relatable. After all, doesn’t everyone want to find the love of their life and live happily ever after, even readers of dystopian novels?

Whether we’re talking about end of the world books or family movies, romance is a recurring theme. Princes are always traveling to the ends of earth to save their Cinderellas and Snow Whites from demise and destitution. Since this week is the 70th anniversary of the classic film, Casablanca, we thought we’d look at this iconic black and white film as an ideal example to appreciate these recurring elements.

In what was one of the most quoted films of the 20th century, a nightclub owner hosts a slew of international guests in Casablanca, a way station for those trying to leave war-torn Europe— and what would have been the perfect setting for today’s uber popular dystopian literature. Characters Ilsa and Rick are reunited by chance after falling in love with each other in Paris; yet the story is not a happily ever after on. Their love is not meant to be, forbidden by the existence of Ilsa’s husband, who they did not know was alive when they were together in Paris. This is a classic portrayal of the first integral component of a romance novel: forbidden love.
The second recurring element is also prevalent in dystopian literature: the setting where the lovers live is one filled with crises. Larger global forces can therefore test the will and conviction of our characters and block them from their pursuit of love. In Casablanca, not only is it the existence of Ilsa’s husband, Laszlo, but the impending doom of the nearby battles and obstacles standing in the way of their escape.

Often times, end of the world books and movies force the main characters to make a choice between their love and a higher cause. In the case of Casablanca, Rick has the Letters of Transit that Ilsa needs them to give her husband freedom so that he can continue his work for the Resistance, which is the aforementioned higher cause.

This paves the way for the final romantic component that is present in all the best fantasy novels and films of all time—the sacrifice of the love in exchange for the pursuit of the higher cause. Despite the passionate revealing of the love between himself and Ilsa, Rick chooses the higher road, giving them the Letters of Transit they need to escape. Even more importantly, at first, Rick leads Ilsa to believe she can stay behind with him when Laszlo leaves. Even when Laszlo reveals he is aware of Rick's love for Ilsa and tries to persuade him to use the letters to take her to safety, and is then almost arrested on a trumped-up charge, Rick convinces his police friend to release Laszlo and arrest him up for a much more serious crime: possession of the letters of transit. When Renault attempts to arrest Laszlo as planned, Rick forces him at gunpoint to let them escape. Rick thus makes Ilsa board the plane to with her husband, staying behind to help further the higher cause—romance at its best!

Defining dystopian literature

Dystopian literature is currently a booming trend—for awhile, it was wizardry and vampires, paranormal fiction, and fantasy coupled with romance. With this growing demand, especially among young adult fiction books, many writers are gearing up to write the next best seller. Yet it’s important to fully understand what this genre is all about.

While some immediately define dystopian literature as the opposite of utopia, that is not exactly true. A utopian society is defined as one that is considered to be perfect, harmonious and ideal. A dystopian society or world often contains many of the same elements as utopias—for example, they may both shares the same measures of extreme social and political control. Yet in a dystopian society, these elements are taken to horrific extremes, causing incredibly negative, widespread effects.

Dystopian novels are considered a subset of anti-Utopian literature, which typically satirizes the idealistic utopian models of society. What sets dystopian literature apart is that it doesn’t necessarily criticize the utopian world; rather, it offers an alternate view of what can happen as a result of this societal model.

Some of the best fantasy novels are inspired by some of the worst situations in real life. Whether they have a happy or sad ending, most dystopian novels imply a type of warning as to what would happen if certain trends continue. A great example is the world provided as a setting in Victoria Foyt’s Revealing Eden (Save the Pearls Part One). Due to the deteriorating environment caused by global warming, a Great Meltdown occurs, changing everything from the amount of resources available and methods of survival to class, race and perception of beauty.

What’s incredibly interesting about these types of young adult fiction books is that they are fundamentally concerned with problems on a much larger level than issues that concern most teens and adolescents. The stories tends to be based on the political and cultural context that produces them, with the results standing as a sort of social commentary, cloaked in an entertaining format. By providing a young adult protagonist who is simultaneously dealing with the issues of growing up, they are able to make the character relatable to the teen market.

George Orwell’s 1984, one of the most famous works in dystopian literature, was written shortly after World War II. Clearly, the book is a form of commentary on totalitarian states such as Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union under Stalin’s control—Orwell created elements of an extremely oppressive government intent on control individuals in every way possible, including their thoughts. The book, which many considered to be one of the best fantasy novels of all time, opened the eyes of many readers and set the tone for a new take on the genre.