readalikes for Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Station Eleven is a novel that resonated with a number of readers, and there are many different reasons to love it: it’s a beautifully-written story of humanity’s struggle after a pandemic ends the world, and an exploration of the values that most define us as a race, as survivors try to preserve as much of our cultural legacy as possible, “Because survival is insufficient.”
It’s also a meditation on loss and memory, told through a number of different character’s points of view, with surprising connections and overlap and some gripping action sequences that all combine to offer the reader a multifaceted look at the events leading up to the ostensible end of civilization as well as what happens afterwards.
So, whether you were drawn to Mandel’s world-building, her memorable characters, or if you just enjoy post-apocalyptic fiction in general, at least one of the books on this list is sure to hit your Station Eleven sweet spot.
After an unspecified global event, an elderly astronomer posted at a remote Arctic research station (and the unusual child he finds hiding there) and a group of astronauts returning to Earth after studying the moons of Jupiter seem to be the only (human) survivors. It’s a quiet story in a newly-quiet world, and shares with S.E. its meditations on the past, the uncertainty of the future, and unexpected connections.
The action in this book occurs as the end of the world, in the form of a new Ice Age, is approaching, rather than in the aftermath of a global cataclysm, but the same themes of community and comfort, what we cling to, the qualities and values that define and sustain humanity in an uncertain world are all present, and these characters are as beautifully-written and endearing as Mandel’s.
A beautifully written tale with a dark fairytale tone in which a group of circus performers sail across a ruined world covered in water for the entertainment of the humans that remain after the flood. If you liked the element of hope and human connection in the aftermath so prominent in Station Eleven, but wanted a little more magical realism, this may be a good match for you.
Another take on survival in what remains of the world after a flu pandemic wipes out most of the population. A story of a man, his dog, his plane, his memories and regrets, and his stubborn refusal to give up on happiness and fulfillment even though his expectations are greatly diminished by, you know, the end of the world and the gun-toting marauders.
The first in a series, this book explores the practical day-to-day experiences of life after the end, in which a small town in upstate New York has returned to a patriarchal, agrarian society where everything seems hunky-dory, if rustic and prone to wheat blight, but there are dangers brewing on the outskirts of their peaceful haven that will soon challenge their simple way of life. An all-seeing hive mother? Yup.
Like Station Eleven, this novel uses its post-apocalyptic setting as a backdrop to explore ‘ordinary’ human concerns, in this case marriage and parenthood. The focus is not on “how we got here,” but on “what do we do with what we have left?,” as a couple expecting a baby must make a decision about whether to continue to go it alone or to join a potentially sketchy community; weighing the dangers and benefits of each.
This one is noteworthy because it’s not about how humanity survives after an “end” event, but during the slow unwinding towards one, as America’s wealth inequality becomes more pronounced, bands of newly-homeless individuals lead nomadic existences, and things continue to slowly deteriorate until they reach a crisis situation. It’s definitely a case of the world ending with a whisper, and it’s chillingly realistic.
This is a funnier, rompier take on the themes of Station Eleven. It’s a polyphonic joyride through a world destroyed by a sentient glacier that’s full of bizarre situations yet still manages to address the Big Deep Questions of Humanity. If you enjoyed the multiple-POVs of S.E. but wish it had been more satirical and weird and even more densely-plotted, check this one out.
I know—what a lazy suggestion! Who doesn’t know about this book, right? It’s like suggesting The Stand or something. But maybe you’ve been putting off reading it, and seeing it here will remind you that you’ve been meaning to get to it. It’s a smaller-scale version of the theme, just father, son, wasteland, survival, but the spare writing intensifies the desolation, and delivers a quiet story of horror and hope.
To make up for that very obvious readalike suggestion, I’ll throw you a curveball. There are ZERO apocalypse-elements in this one. However, it is beautifully written and shares with Station Eleven the themes of nostalgia, regret, ruminations on the past, memory, and the protagonist is an actor, so if you were more into the overall tone of S.E. and the apocalypse is just a detail to you, try this one on for size!
