Best Post-Apocalyptic Novels

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War

I bought this book when it first came out and ever since it's been my favorite post-apocalyptic novel of all times. In fact I think this book is a classic by now.

World War Z is a fictional documentary story of a world that has been overtaken by zombies who have almost eradicated the human race. Only very few survived and they are here to give testimonials and descriptions of the ways they survived. The actual zombies are not really present in the book. There are no wars described, and the horror is mostly felt through the experience recounts.

Some people complained about the layout of the book which is more or less in the format of interviews. But if you ignore the layout and simply read the book for what it is, and let yourself get drawn into that world, you cannot not love it. Of course, if you're picking up this book because it is about zombies, then you're on the right track as well!

I've been following the last few years the growth rate of books published (and movies made) about the post-apocalyptic world. If they weren't so popular, nobody would give them a second chance. But there is something about this end of the world days that captures our imagination, fears and dreams that we can't really put a finger on, but it is there, nevertheless.

Here are some of the reasons why people seem to be interested in this topic.

Feel free to add your own reasons for reading these kinds of books to the list.

The First Days is the first book in the post-apocalyptic trilogy As The World Dies by Rhiannon Frater. It is a new series published in 2011, and as I love zombie and end of the world books, I just had to buy it. And boy was in for a ride!

If World War Z doesn't really have zombies, this one has plenty to go around. What I found different here from other novels is that the main heroes are two women instead of the macho males. These are women who ran away from home to stay alive. Both are great, real life characters whom one can easily identify with. They are not shallow characters, but real, full-fledged women with their troubles, fears and emotional scars that make this novel one of the top in the genre.

As somebody else before me so aptly put it:

"If you like fast-paced, action-packed, gore-filled, apocalyptic zombie stories, then this is one you don't want to miss."

This is the first book in The Morning Saga series. It is another delicious zombie apocalyptic story. While some people claim that it is in fact a virus outbreak story, I tend to disagree. Afterall once people die from the virus, they come back - which makes them in my book zombies.

You will encounter many characters in this story and the point of view shifts often. However I didn't find this to be an annoyance. The author pulls it off smoothly. It is full of action that simply keeps you by the seat of your pants right until the last page. It's not a boring book at all.

In a way I did see similarities between this book and Brook's World War Z in the almost clinical approach to how military and is trying to contain the spread, even though both were written in completely different format). But most of all, I loved it because I am a sucker for a good zombie novel.

When it comes to the best post-apocalyptic novels, it doesn't always have to do with zombies. Sometimes there are other reasons for the world ending, such as a corrupt society, supplies ending, a third world war, and many others. So let's see what are some of the most popular books on the end of the world - not including zombies.

This is a great post-apocalyptic story of a father and son trying to survive in a world that has just ended. The book was so great that it has been made into a major movie as well.

The book is not full of action, it is rather repetitive, but beautiful. It is a sad story that might leave you with a tear or two in your eyes. It is one that keeps your mind on it long after you've finished reading it. As somebody else so aptly put it:

it left me feeling like an incubus was on my chest, paralyzing my brain and limiting my mobility

For example only after I've read it, I realized that the the father and son have no names. Places have no names. Everything is bland, covered in a layer of ashes. Everything is bleak and reeking of desperation, yet the book is not boring. Far from it. Once you start, you simply can't put it down.

When a man escapes from a biological testing facility, he sets in motion a deadly domino effect, spreading a mutated strain of the flu that will wipe out 99 percent of humanity within a few weeks. The survivors who remain are scared, bewildered, and in need of a leader. This is the way the world ends: with a nanosecond of computer error in a Defense Department laboratory and a million casual contacts that form the links in a chain letter of death.

A wonderful post-apocalyptic novel written by one of the best horror novelists of all times, Stephen King. It was first published in 1978, so it's one of his older novels. However if you like his writing, you should pick up this book. This has no zombies in it, but a virus outbreak (the flu) which practically decimates the world population. I don't want to give the plot away, but if you haven't read it yet - you're in for a treat!

Let me first tell you that this book is big. At over 900 pages, if you like to read, you'll be enjoying your time a lot. If you like rather short novels, well, maybe not so much. But nevertheless, it's really worth reading it, it's that good.

The Swan Song has been likened to The Stand by Stephen King. There are many parallels running through the two books, and although the reason for the end of the world are different in each, if you've read The Stand, you can't escape from remembering it a couple of times while reading this.

In fact some people said that this book is much better than The Stand. While most post-apocalyptic books are written in these last few days, this tome has been written in the 80s when the Cold War thoughts and ideas were still in the minds of many people. This book is in fact a World War III subgenre within the post-apocalyptic topic.

A classic post-apocalyptic novel, this is a book that focuses on World War III, a recurring theme in end of the world novels.

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.

If you've been wondering what a nuke could do to our world, read this book to find out. It's written quite realistically and in a way that you can actually believe that it could happen. All it needs is the stupidity of some politicians to take the world down.

As it has been written right at the end of the Cold War, it is strongly influenced by it. However it is, at the same time, very modern in thought and execution. A book that I can only recommend.

This is one of the best sci-fi books overall that I've read. Years ago when I first read it, I had no idea about post-apocalyptic novels as a genre. For me it was sci-fi and this one was a book that stayed with me for all these years. Often while closing my eyes I had this vision of the triffids that gave me goose-bumps on my arms. I guess it's just one of those books...

Bill Masen, bandages over his wounded eyes, misses the most spectacular meteorite shower England has ever seen. Removing his bandages the next morning, he finds masses of sightless people wandering the city.But to survive in this post-apocalyptic world, one must survive the Triffids, strange plants that years before began appearing all over the world.

If you haven't read the Postman, you most probably know this title from the movie dramatization of it made with Kevin Costner. And if you liked the movie, then the book will be so much better!

The world has almost ended due to a devastating nuclear war. This is the story of a guy, Gordon, who takes on the role of a postman to deliver letters from small settlement to small settlement. He wants to establish a postal route to Oregon, and tells everyone that the world is on the mend, by this giving them all hope.

Personally I liked the book better than the movie, it has more details and it explains the reasons behind what the Postman is doing more indepth. Also it deals with his guilt of putting false hopes into the minds of people. All in all a very enjoyable end of the world book.

Ashfall is the first book (published September 2011) in the Ashfall series by Mike Mullin.

It turned out to be quite an interesting read. It is the story of Alex, a teenage boy left alone for the weekend while his parents visit relatives. When the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts unexpectedly, Alex is determined to reach his parents. And that's all I'm going to say about it to not spoil the plot. If you like post-apocalyptic novels, you'll love this one. And if you like YA (Young Adult) books, a genre so popular these days, you'll be in reading heaven.