[headquarters]

I have finished one and halfway through the other -both good reads.

1.Alas Babylon : One of the best and one of the first to deal with our specific brand of apocalypse -nuclear war .It seems realistic,down to earth and it is well researched.The plot is good and the characters believable and interesting.A small town in the US survives the initial exchange.How to survive the aftermath is the main story .It is packed with useful info on how to do things and how to prepare ,but it is not your right wingy survivalist weirdo type of book.
As a GM and a player it gives you facts and imagery that is useful for the game as well. Got the English edition of Ebay for around 8 bucks plus shipping .Totaly worth it -a classic.

2. Metro 2033 ( the novel -not the game ) : cost around 20 bucks on ebay -definently worth it for 500 pages of post apoc Kalashnikov packed mutant Moscow sci fi horror.
Only half finished and already a review ? Yes ,I feel that it is that good.A little more over the top than Alas,Babylon but still cracking good.It has an oppressive,dark feel that is relentless .Set in Moscows huge underground it portrays life in the aftermath of an al out full exchange .The surface is hazardous enviroment and you can only stay up for minutes or hours at best even with the best of suits.Central control has broken down ,and its each man for himself or in some places they have banded together making stations their "nations" and some even have "federations" where stations cooperate.It is a very Russian book ( the author is a Russian journalist ) , and as any good SCI FI it reflects on our current society -or rather on theirs up there in Russia.As our hero moves through this brutal world he encounters the future offspring of political movements ,religious fanatics,capitalists etc all condensed in the subterran tunnels .
.In typical Russian litterary tradition there are intelectual conversations between drug using survivors that huddle in abandoned stations as well as encounters with mutants,horrors hiding in the darkness,and firefights between the various factions .It all takes place in an unique enviroment imho -cant wait to see the movie -if they make it !

finished it - loved it .A bit over the top in some ways ,but thats part of the package.Recommneded .

A sequel ,Metro 2034 is supposed to be out in 2011.