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Home > Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic science fiction


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Apocalyptic science fiction is a sub-genre of science fiction that is concerned with the end of the world or civilization, through nuclear war, plague, or some other general disaster.

Post-apocalyptic science fiction is set in a world or civilization after such a disaster. The time frame may be immediately after the catastrophe, focusing on the travails or psychology of survivors, or considerably later, often including the theme that the existence of pre-catastrophe civilization has been forgotten or mythologized. The fall of civilization may also be the fall of a space based civilization. This plot device allows writers to write Soft science fiction while accounting for the lack of technological advancement and thus remain relevant to the present day no matter how far in the future the events are set.

The use of post-apocalyptic contexts in movies and the typical accompanying imagery—such as endless deserts or damaged cityscapes, clothing made of leather and animal skins , and marauding gangs of bandits—is now so common as to be trite and the subject of frequent parody. Their use to convey the director's opinion that nuclear war or environmental devastation are inevitable if trends continue of if humans do not "mend their ways" can seem particularly patronizing, paternalistic and pretentiously "caring".

There is a considerable degree of blurring between this form of science fiction and that which deals with false utopias or dystopic societies.

1 Examples (listed by nature of the catastrophe)

1.1 World War III



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