Books like The Scarlet Plague by Jack London
Jack London's 1912 novel follows James Howard Smith, one of the few survivors of the catastrophic scarlet plague that decimated humanity. Living in the year 2072, 60 years after the epidemic, he shares the remnants of pre‑plague society with his grandsons, striving to pass on forgotten knowledge before time claims him.
Set in a post‑apocalyptic America, the story explores themes of regression, societal collapse, and the fragility of civilization. London's vision anticipates concerns about disease, environmental disaster, and the resilience of human memory.
As a work of early American science fiction, the novel blends historical speculation with a cautionary tale about humanity's vulnerability in the face of global catastrophe.
First publish date: 1910
Genre: Literary Fiction/Classic Literature
Authors: Jack London
★
★
★
★
★
3.8 (5 community ratings)
How are these books recommended?
The books recommended for The Scarlet Plague by Jack London are shaped by reader interaction. Votes on how closely books relate, user ratings, and community comments all help refine these recommendations and highlight books readers genuinely find similar in theme, ideas, and overall reading experience.
Have you read any of these books?
Your votes, ratings, and comments help improve recommendations and make it easier
for other readers to discover books they’ll enjoy.
Books similar to The Scarlet Plague (20 similar books)
Aldous Huxley's 1932 masterpiece presents a dystopian future shaped by genetic engineering, conditioned society, and an oppressive, consumerist regime, raising urgent questions about ethics, control, and the loss of individuality.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A surreal, anti‑war tale that follows Billy Pilgrim as he stumbles into time travel and the fire‑bombing of Dresden during World War II.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A weary father and his young son journey across a bleak, post‑apocalyptic America, battling cannibals, starvation, and a harsh winter in a desperate quest for safety and a glimpse of remaining civilization.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A timeless adventure where Dorothy and her companions journey through Oz to seek the Great Wizard’s help and find their own courage, heart, and brains.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Kurt Vonnegut’s satirical science‑fiction classic blends humor and apocalypse, following a dwarf as he discovers a bizarre, calypso‑inspired theology while humanity faces its ultimate demise.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
After a catastrophic flu outbreak devastates the world, survivors must choose between two leaders—an elderly black woman heading to Boulder or the sinister Randall Flagg in Las Vegas—setting the stage for a struggle between good and evil.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
After a catastrophic pandemic, former actress Kirsten Raymonde joins a traveling troupe that performs Shakespeare for scattered communities, only to confront a ruthless prophet in a desperate quest for survival.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Set centuries after a nuclear apocalypse, the monks of St. Matthew’s preserve the remnants of 20th‑century science, safeguarding knowledge for future generations amid a feudal society.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Human survivors flee a dying Earth to a terraformed planet, only to find it inhabited by dangerous lifeforms and two emerging civilizations vying for survival.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
An unforgettable love story in a future overrun by genetic engineering.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A future dystopian novel set in a highly regulated One State society that emphasizes logical reasoning and mass surveillance.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
John Carter, an earthman who finds himself on Mars, becomes embroiled in the conflicts of Barsoom and falls in love with Princess Dejah Thoris. The story blends adventure, romance, and science fiction in an iconic setting.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Retired tailor Jim Dreyfus is inadvertently hurled forward in time to a future where Earth is a subservient, radioactive planet in a vast Galactic Empire, forcing him to confront political intrigue and existential trials.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A pre‑quel to Isaac Asimov's Foundation universe, Prelude to Foundation explores the early years of psychohistory and the rise of the galactic empire.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
John Carter’s son, Cathoris, embarks on an action‑packed adventure across Barsoom to rescue the kidnapped princess Thuvia from the evil prince Astok of Dusar.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
In a future where Earth’s Pax dictatorship bans space travel, a handful of rebels escape in sleeper ships to establish free colonies on habitable worlds. Isolated for centuries, they develop powerful mental abilities lost on a civilised Earth.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Dr. Abner Perry and his student face a malfunctioning digger that sends them deep beneath Earth, where they discover the prehistoric world of Pellucidar, ruled by telepathic Majars and inhabited by giant creatures, and must rally human tribes to fight for freedom.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
In a post‑apocalyptic world, sixteen‑year‑old Pressia, who has a doll‑head fused to her left hand, meets Partridge, a survivor from a dome, as they search for the missing mother of the Pure community.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A curated collection of thirty post‑apocalyptic short stories that explores the collapse, devastation, and eventual re‑imagining of civilization in American science fiction.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Some Other Similar Books
Earth Abides by George R. StewartThe Drowned World by J.G. Ballard
Have a similar book in mind? Let others know!
Please login to submit books!