Wool
They live beneath the earth in a prison of their own making. There is a view of the outside world, a spoiled and rotten world, their forefathers left behind. But this view fades over time, ruined by the toxic airs that kill any who brave them. So they leave it to the criminals, those who break the rules, and who are sent to cleaning. Why do they do it, these people condemned to death? Sheriff Holston has always wondered. Now he is about to find out.
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- Pump 6 and Other Stories has a few in that vein, sort of. Eg there are no petrol engines, instead compression springs, treadle operated computers, etc. There are some pretty grim stories in there, some may find them distasteful.
https://windupstories.com/books/pump-six-and-other-stories/
Also I guess Silo / WOOL by Hugh Howey is perhaps closer to what you wrote literally but probably not quite the vibe maybe.
- Can't say I agree? There's tons of self-published novels that likely never would have made it to publication.
Just to give some examples...
The Martian - Andy Weir
Wool (Silo TV series based on this) - Hugh Howey
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet - Becky Chambers
- I was unexpectedly blown away by a post-apocalyptic book called Wool by Hugh Howey, the first one of the Silo trilogy. Hard to say what did it exactly, just the overall combination of plot, storytelling and pacing. I read (or rather listen to) a lot of fiction and sci-fi specifically, and can't recall the last time I was this much into a book. About to start the second one, and also looking forward to the TV series based on it.
- Hugh Howey is a tremendously talented author.
I didn't love Beacon 23, but his Wool series (apparently now a TV series, which I haven't watched yet) is very, very good. Sand is another great novel. Both feature humanity surviving in incredibly hostile environments, doomed to them by their predecessors.
- Might subsisting on what the land and sea provide also be considered thriving, if done with a close group of people?
I might be in a grass-is-greener mentality, but I think we're kinda broken now; we've hacked the earth computer and aren't taking seriously the job of stewardship. Watching the birds and the recently-emerged Douglas squirrel and the moth that got into the house- I'm envious of their lives. I don't want to give up meta-cognition, but I do want to give up the specialized roles and the reliance on technology and move on (with others) to hunting and gathering on a suitable area.
The earth-computer is marvelous to observe. Being of the Star Wars generation I've grown up with computers and see them as a sideshow now, not to last long because of the complex infrastructure behind it all.
Some influential books I've read:
Wool, by Hugh Howey
The New Wilderness, by Diane Cook
Why We Need to be Wild, by Jessica Carew Kraft
Feral, by George Monbiot
- I keep track of my reading list on my website: https://quinnkeast.com/reading.
I’ve mostly been reading fiction this year. On reflection, I think my favourite book of 2023 was “The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi” by Shannon Chakraborty. The “Wool” series by Hugh Howey was also a highlight.
