I know this is a niche request, but here goes…
I'm looking for fiction written towards the end of the twentieth century which deals with the anxiety towards the start of the new century, with a fin de siècle feel. Think Ballard, for instance.
The best comparison I can make is David Bowie's album Outside, with its concern with the clock of the twentieth century ticking away. He said:
'Oh, I've got the fondest hopes for the Fin de siècle. I see it as a symbolic sacrificial rite. I see it as a deviance, a pagan wish to appease gods, so we can move on. […] We have this panic button telling us it's gonna be a colossal madness at the end of this century.'
Basically, any books – dystopian, sci-fi, literary fiction, horror – which are concerned with this kind of Y2K/survivalist/dour or interrogative mood. Even a novel dealing with the Y2K bug would be what I'm looking for.
Thanks!
by TB_15
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Rant by Chuck Palahniuk captures that explosive, dark energy of a society on the brink, channeling the chaotic end-of-era vibes