I really adored NK Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy – it's one of my favorite fantasy series of the 21st century so far. However, when I read it, I remember very fondly the first book's scenes of fleeing from the apocalypse, where the world is ending for the last time, and the main character is still focused on her individual goal. Whereas BE eventually focuses on the mythology of the world, and stopping the apocalypse as the main throughline, I am interested in fiction that, if not completely focused on this earlier mid-apocalyptic survival stage, has enough of it for me to enjoy.
Some other things I like are lonely, introspective aesthetics (remember fondly the scenes of ash falling), not grimdark for the sake of grimdark, and general political evolution (I enjoyed it talking about the setting up of different city-states and how they were able to function). Doesn't need to be fantasy or scifi, all is welcome. I've read/own some of the other classic apocalyptic fiction like The Road, The Stand, and Swan Song. I also enjoyed Ice – Anna Kavan
Thank you!
by EpochPirate