The alternative title for this episode was ‘post-apocalyptic fiction for readers who don’t like sad books’. This week’s guest is middle-grade author Sarah Jean Horwitz and our mission is to find some great recommendations in the realm of apocalyptic fiction that aren’t filled with dread and disaster. We turn to the genre of Hopepunk and sample a selection to discover what’s out there!

Spoiler level: no heavy spoilers for any of the books mentioned

Books

• A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
• Wayfarers Series by Becky Chambers (+ The Long way to a Small, Angry Planet)
• Binti Trilogy by Nnedi Okorafor
• Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
• Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey
• The Quiet at the End of the World by Lauren James
• World Running Down by Al Hess
• Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel

Honourable mentions (that didn’t quite fit the brief)

• Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel
• An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green
• A Beginning at the End by Mike Chen

Other books and things mentioned

• Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
• The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
• The Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
• Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
• The Loneliest Girl in the World  by Lauren James
• Climate Fiction Writers League Newsletter

Find out more about Sarah Jean Horwitz

• Sarah Jean’s website
• The Demon Sword Asperides by Sarah Jean Horwitz
• Sarah on Instagram

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Deadline: March 25th

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The End of the World Book Club is a podcast about apocalyptic and dystopian literature, hosted by Sanne Vliegenthart. Join me in discovering sci-fi classics, reading climate books and diving head first into the huge realm of speculative fiction, all with the theme of the end of the world and what might come after it.

Sanne Vliegenthart is the creator of Books & Quills, author of a Book Club Journal, and a freelance Social Media Strategist and Literary Event Host in publishing. You can find her literary explorations of the UK and reading recommendations on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok at @booksandquills.

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