Here are 2 books that The Gopher King fans have personally recommended if you like
The Gopher King.
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As a horror writer whose interests tend to favor morbid topics that are often neglected, end-of-the-world stories have fascinated me since I first read Stephen King’s The Stand at far too young of an age. I love how these works enable the exploration of life, death, and survival. My appreciation for the subject matter deepened during my studies in Seton Hill University’s Writing Popular Fiction MFA program, where I learned how genre fiction has the unique ability to both enlighten and entertain readers. This inspired me to write my post-apocalyptic horror novel, What Remains.
I was first introduced to the film adaptation of The Road in my early teens when I went through all five stages of grief in the span of 1 hour and 51 minutes.
I then made a beeline to the bookstore for a copy of McCarthy’s novel, which subsequently solidified my love of end-of-the-world stories in how they can examine what it means to survive.
The Road is a story that has stayed with me over the subsequent decade and a half and greatly influenced my post-apocalyptic novel.
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE • A searing, post-apocalyptic novel about a father and son's fight to survive, this "tale of survival and the miracle of goodness only adds to McCarthy's stature as a living master. It's gripping, frightening and, ultimately, beautiful" (San Francisco Chronicle).
A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don't know what, if…
It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.
The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…
Brian Kaufman delivers a wonderfully heartfelt account of perhaps the last journey of our well-travelled hero, August Simms. The story is set in 1897 Rhome, Texas. August has returned to a familiar place where he seeks knowledge about what he calls air ship sightings, UFOs. He is a very engaging soul, and he encounters a wonderful array of characters along his path. August’s charismatic demeanor settles in to each of the ensemble gathered around him. That same charisma has an equal effect on the reader. We are charmed by a modest and honest man as he seeks the truth of something no one truly understands. August chose this part of the world for his last story because it has familiarity. He spent time with his wife in these parts and also witnessed atrocities he wanted to reconcile. His lifelong experiences help him navigate a world that is not only changing…
"Kaufman is a fantastic writer with a distinctive poetic touch... It will be the rare reader who will not be moved by this soulful, poignant novel." –Kirkus Reviews
"It's a powerfully rendered novel that holds the rare ability to traverse genres to attract a wider audience of reader than the 'historical fiction' label portends." –Midwest Book Review
1897.
August Simms-explorer, soldier, world traveler-returns to Rhome, Texas to chase one last adventure.
Hundreds of UFO sightings have been reported, seven years before the Wright brother's initial flight, and August intends to solve the airship mystery.