I just finished reading Parable of The Sower, and while it’s probably one of the greatest books I’ve ever read, most of the book is focused on survival in a world where every random homeless person and drug user wants to kill the protagonist (you can tell it was written shortly after the crack epidemic and when there was a lot of panic about crime). It was strange that most of the book was just about survival. The protagonist knew they must build something new, but they never quite got to that point in the book.
There doesn’t seem to be much aspirational speculative fiction where people start building something better after a collapse of society and speculates how that may be done or how the new society may function.
The only fiction I can think of off the top of my head that covers a little bit about rebuilding society is the movie The Postman that I watched when I was a kid (I don’t remember if it was good or not). Perhaps Parable of the Talents actually does start covering the building of a better society? (But I read an excerpt, and it looks like it’s going to be, very presciently, about a murderous christian nationalist movement that wants to “make America great again”). I know there’s stuff like Star Trek, but that’s mostly set long after the rebuild; it doesn’t cover in-depth how they got to that point (AFAIK).
Seveneves kind of touches on rebuilding although it skips decades and centuries. Lucifer’s Hammer deals with the aftermath of a global disaster and includes some rebuilding… kind of. Alas, Babylon explores a post-nuclear world. None of them are particularly optimistic except Seveneves (in a way), but it also doesn’t explore rebuilding in a lot of detail. Since you’re already reading Octavia Butler, you can try Lilith’s Brood, but it won’t be anything like rebuilding the modern world. Asimov’s Foundation series is about rebuilding at a galactic scale but I’m not sure they aged particularly well.
If you’re interested in building specifically you can try Kim Stanley Robinson’s Red Mars.
In addition: Children of Time might scratch the itch in a way since it’s about the development of a sentient species. I think the sequel explores more building, but i haven’t read it yet and the reviews are kind of mixed
Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson might fit the kind of tone you’re going for. The whole book is about restructuring society to combat climate change, but there’s no actual apocalypse in the traditional sense. The first chapter is one of the most harrowing things I’ve ever read, which does set the scene for what’s to come and shows why the changes they make are necessary.
A great balm in tone and structure is A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers.
The crash hasn’t happened, but people have moved on and constructed a mostly functioning new world. The plot and climax are also appropriately sized - they are about people not an apocalypse.
To Be Taught, If Fortunate is another of hers that’s fantastic, and focuses on society working together towards the greater good
This is a good recommendation. I came here to also mention her series that starts with The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. It’s far-future rather than post-apocalyptic, but it focuses on relationship and community building that might match what you’re looking for. I thought the characters, and their character-development, were really interesting.
You reminded me of A Canticle of Leibowitz. I enjoyed this, but it’s a slow burner.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Canticle_for_Leibowitz
About The Postman. I recently picked up a book of the same name by David Brin. Sounds like the film is an adaptation of the novel.
Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Children of Time series is very good. It fits what you’re asking for as it explores the concepts of society and humanity.
Station Eleven takes place over a decade after a catastrophe, and has an unusual accepting-optimistic tone to it. Since it has been so long, people mellowed out, communities are slowly rebuilding (and rediscovering technology), and although there are some weirdos, it’s not the stereotypical Mad Max post-apocalypse.
Not what you’re asking for but there’s a great nonfiction book called the Knowledge which is about how to rebuild after a collapse. (Mostly from a technical perspective etc but still, really interesting stuff!)
In the same vein, there’s Ryan North’s book How To Invent Everything
Everything for Everyone: An Oral History of the New York Commune, 2052–2072
I came here to say this.
The first chapter is strange in a meta way, where they take too seriously that this book is an oral history and talk about its formatting etc… I almost stopped reading lol
But it’s a great aspirational post apocalyptic rebuilding book and the rest of it is weird in a very good way. Highly recommend!
I read a book called Seveneves (Or maybe Seven Eves?). It’s deals with apocalypse and rebuilding afterward. It’s interesting at least.
The Great Transition by Nick Fuller Googins
https://www.nickfg.com/the-great-transition
Takes place after climate change has destroyed much of the planet and a semi-anarchist government (think The Dispossessed) is trying to rebuild. Also somewhat focused on a WNBA team based in Greenland, interesting angle
The “We Are Legion (We Are Bob)” book(s) by Dennis E Taylor touches on the topic of rebuilding society after an apocalyptic event. It’s quite easy and fun read actually.
And #6 is coming out this year!!
this is way out there but the world of the board game Earthborne Rangers is a post-apocalyptic setting where the last effort of the old high-tech civilisation was to pour all their resources into building giant machines to re-wild the planet. when civilisation collapsed, the machines continued cleaning the water and the air, purifying the poisoned soil, planting trees and plants, breeding native animals and insects, filling mines, and so on. meanwhile, the last of humanity banded together to live in harmony with nature, getting their needs from careful stewarding rather than extraction.
it’s still a dangerous post-apocalypse, because some species were irreversibly changed by the collapse, so in addition to wolf packs and horny moose you can encounter giant mutated plants or armoured eagles, or find old overgrown ruins with dangerous terrain.
even if you’re not into board games, there’s a beautiful art/lorebook of the world. it appears to be sold out at the moment though.
I think what you’re looking for is the Three Californias series by Kim Stanley Robinson.
The Hands Of The Emperor by Victoria Goddard focuses on the rebuilding of the (a) world after an apocalyptic type disaster. It focuses on a small handful of people and their work. It’s the first in a series (the Lays of the Hearthfire) and is a segue into a ton of Nine Worlds stories
Just finished the Three Body Problem trilogy. That may be something that fits your ask
Does it get better?
I’m about 20% into book two, and I’m finding it exhausting. The first book was a little slow, but I made it through. I’m not sure I would say I enjoyed it, but I appreciated it. The second book feels very unfocused, so far, and still just as slow. The general feeling of hopelessness that many characters express isn’t exactly great for my current mood, either.
I’m a slower , sporadic reader, so eyeing the rest of the trilogy is making me want to abandon it and it just watch the Netflix series.
It does get better. The last book was the one I enjoyed most. Without spoiling it, it has some interesting sci-fi aspects that I haven’t really seen/read elsewhere.
The Netflix series covers book one and start of book two (if memory serves). If they do much more, it’ll probably be another few seasons to cover everything… Season two is apparently this year
