On the Beach by Nevil Shute

On the Beach

Nevil Shute

Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group · Paperback · February 9, 2010

Nevil Shute’s most powerful novel—a bestseller for decades after its 1957 publication—is an unforgettable vision of a post-apocalyptic world.

We earn from qualifying purchases.

Who it’s for
A spare, readable end-of-the-world novel with a quietly grim hold.
Genres
Apocalyptic & Post-Apocalyptic, War Fiction, Dystopian
Published
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, February 9, 2010

Nearest books

Matched by what the books are about, then ordered by what their readers also loved. Most of these share its genre: Apocalyptic & Post-Apocalyptic.

  1. Childhood's EndArthur C. Clarke, Eric Michael Summerer48% matchAlso shares Dystopian
  2. The Children of MenP. D. James51% matchAlso shares Dystopian
  3. The Island of Dr. MoreauH.G. Wells, Elizabeth Kolbert51% match
  4. GenesisBernard Beckett48% matchAlso shares Dystopian
  5. The Fall of JapanWilliam J. Craig, William Craig49% match
  6. Frozen in TimeMitchell Zuckoff49% match
  7. Sea of TranquilityEmily St. John Mandel51% match

For younger readers: The Last Bookstore on Earth, Shackleton's Stowaway, The Islands at the End of the World

Start with three books, and this one can be the first.

Members get a new edition every morning: a route out from their books to essays, research and talks, with the reason for each.

Start with this book

About this book

Nevil Shute’s most powerful novel—a bestseller for decades after its 1957 publication—is an unforgettable vision of a post-apocalyptic world. After a nuclear World War III has destroyed most of the globe, the few remaining survivors in southern Australia await the radioactive cloud that is heading their way and bringing certain death to everyone in its path.

Continue reading

Among them is an American submarine captain struggling to resist the knowledge that his wife and children in the United States must be dead. Then a faint Morse code signal is picked up, transmitting from somewhere near Seattle, and Captain Towers must lead his submarine crew on a bleak tour of the ruined world in a desperate search for signs of life. Both terrifying and intensely moving, On the Beach is a remarkably convincing portrait of how ordinary people might face the most unimaginable nightmare.

Quiet Dread

A spare, readable end-of-the-world novel with a quietly grim hold.

Come here for

  • apocalyptic setup without fuss
  • clean, practical prose

Expect

  • accessible, unshowy writing
  • literary-classic gravity

Where it sits

Apocalyptic & Post-Apocalyptic100%
Dystopian47%
War Fiction41%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Literary Fiction
  • Apocalyptic & Post-Apocalyptic
  • Dystopian
Authors
Nevil Shute
Publisher
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published
February 9, 2010
Format
Paperback
Reading lane
Literary Fiction