I want to explore what happens after the fall of an empire, kingdom, or religious order. While I'm interested in books that discuss the fall itself, I am specifically looking for works that focus on its aftermath. How does the collapse of an empire impact commerce, public health, and identity?
I prefer nonfiction, but I would also appreciate exceptional speculative fiction that addresses this topic. Dense reads are ok with me!
by spinning_gold
6 Comments
Hyperion and Endymion have elements of this that are fascinating.
You might be interested in the taipeng rebellion, a long civil war in China in the mid 1800s. I read God’s Chinese son, very good.
Jared Diamond. He’s most well known for Guns Germs and Steel, but the two follow up books are right along what you’re looking for. Collapse and Upheaval.
The Man Without a Face by Masha Gessen. It begins (paraphrasing) with the line: “Imagine you have a country and no one to run it…”
A great one is how the Irish Saved Civilization. It’s the story of Saint Patrick, who escapes slavery in Ireland and returns to his homeland in Gaul (France) to find it overrun by barbarians destroying the Roman Empire. He gathers all the books he can find and returns to Ireland and establishes Irish Catholicism and becomes the singular outlet retaining literacy as Rome collapses in Europe. Im buddhist btw, so Im not trying to press religion on you, but its what you are looking for.
Gravity’s Rainbow-definitely fiction, but one main underlying theme is the malleability of reality during the aftermath of WWII in Europe.
You said dense was ok and this is about as dense as it gets.