<\/p>\n

There is something grimly fascinating about apocalyptical stories and end-of-the-world scenarios.<\/p>\n

Perhaps it is born out of curiosity regarding how our civilization could break down. Or, maybe it\u2019s a desire to explore how the remnants of humanity would live should the worst happen\u2014or if they even get to retain the traits that we consider \u201chuman.\u201d<\/p>\n

Regardless, the best apocalypse books always acknowledge that our way of living is delicate and relies on a balance that can easily shatter in multiple ways.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The following ten books are considered some of the best apocalyptic<\/strong> and post-apocalyptic fiction.<\/strong> Each featuring different tones, concepts, and ideas, they shine as some of the best explorations of the end of the world as we know it.<\/p>\n

Best Zombie Apocalypse Books, Apocalyptic and Post-Apocalyptic Fiction<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I Am Legend<\/a><\/h3>\n

by Richard Matheson<\/a><\/p>\n

The oldest entry in our list, I Am Legend <\/em>is undoubtedly one of the best apocalypse and horror books<\/a> of all time and a trope codifier for many quintessential elements of the genre.<\/p>\n

After a pandemic ravaged the world and transformed the infected humans into vampire-like creatures, Robert Neville remains the last survivor on Earth. Scavenging for supplies and fighting the infected for his life, Neville struggles with his loneliness and growing depression, resorting to alcohol to cope. However, he has one last hope: finding a cure.<\/p>\n

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War<\/a><\/a><\/h3>\n

by Max Brooks<\/a><\/p>\n

The United Nations Postwar Commission has sent an agent, Max Brooks, to collect a series of first-person accounts of what happened when, in the early 21^{st<\/sup> Century, the Solanum <\/em>virus spread and turned people into mindless, zombie-like creatures.<\/p>\n}

World War Z<\/em> is a grim yet captivating outlook on how a zombie infection could take over the world. While certain aspects may appear dated after the COVID-19 pandemic, the book maneuvers complex international relations and grounded layman\u2019s points of view, allowing Max Brooks to create a tangible alternative universe that feels as real as our own.<\/p>\n

The Hunger Games<\/a><\/a><\/h3>\n

by Suzanne Collins<\/a><\/p>\n

Where North America once stood, there is now a country named Panem, comprised of the wealthy Capitol and the 12 poverty-stricken districts it rules with an iron fist.<\/p>\n

As a punishment for a failed revolt, the Capitol imposes the Hunger Games\u2014a mandatory, televised fight to the death for children of each district. When her sister is chosen, Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her place.<\/p>\n

Suzanne Collins\u2019 The Hunger Games<\/em> trilogy became a worldwide phenomenon, single-handedly responsible for bringing the dystopic young adult novel genre to the forefront of popular culture and earning respect as one of the best apocalypse books ever written. It remains one of the best book series<\/a>, captivating readers with its intense action, social commentary, and unforgettable characters.<\/p>\n

The Road<\/a><\/h3>\n

by Cormac McCarthy<\/a><\/p>\n

A father and his son travel through a devastated wasteland, the remnants of an unspecified event that destroyed nearly all life forms. Their only hope is to go south to reach the warmer sea. Still, along the path, they find numerous threats\u2014including other survivors.<\/p>\n

The Road<\/em> is not an easy read. It is a bleak tragedy, an apocalypse and adventure book<\/a> unafraid to showcase humanity\u2019s lowest points and the cruel side that shines through once desperation sets in. It handles heavy topics and dark imagery but never forgets to depict the rays of hope that often shine through.<\/p>\n

The Maze Runner<\/a><\/h3>\n

by James Dashner<\/a><\/p>\n

Thomas can only remember his name when he wakes up in the Glade, a vast courtyard surrounded by a stone labyrinth inhabited by other boys just as amnesic. But while they may not know much about their circumstances, they are sure of one thing: freedom is beyond the maze\u2014and the monsters that live within.<\/p>\n

The Maze Runner book series<\/a> is a young adult dystopian story that starts with the titular book and continues across multiple novels, building the world and the mysterious circumstances surrounding it with complex detail.<\/p>\n

The Stand<\/a><\/h3>\n

by Stephen King<\/a><\/p>\n

Often labeled as one of Stephen King\u2019s best books<\/a> and one of the best apocalyptic books ever written, The Stand<\/em> is a dystopian, dark fantasy book<\/a>, blurring the lines between gritty realism and magical horror.<\/p>\n

After a biological attack created a deadly pandemic that wiped out most of humanity, the few remaining survivors start receiving visions of two people\u2014supernatural beings that aim to create two factions in what may or may not be a showdown between good and evil.<\/p>\n

Station Eleven<\/a><\/h3>\n

by Emily St. John Mandel<\/a><\/p>\n

Station Eleven <\/em>is a 2014 novel with a premise made even more unnerving after 2020\u2014what if a deadly flu pandemic wiped out most of humanity?<\/p>\n

The story focuses on a core cast of characters and their deep connections before, during, and after \u201cThe Collapse\u201d\u2014all marked by artistic expression. The result is a novel profoundly humane that explores the importance of art and preserving what you love even when the world stops being what it was.<\/p>\n

Swan Song<\/a><\/h3>\n

by Robert McCammon<\/a><\/p>\n

During the Cold War, both superpowers used their nuclear arsenal and submerged the world in nuclear winter. Now, with the United States turned into a wasteland, multiple survivors attempt to navigate the country in search of a better home.<\/p>\n

Swan Song <\/em>is a novel published in 1987 reflecting society\u2019s ongoing fear of mutual nuclear annihilation during the Cold War. However, what makes Swan Song <\/em>one of the best apocalypse books is how McCammon combines the gripping tale of realistic human survival alongside spiritual and supernatural concepts, woven together through an exploration of the idea of beauty.<\/p>\n

Wool<\/a><\/h3>\n

by Hugh Howey<\/a><\/p>\n

After an unexplained apocalyptic event, humanity lives underground in a self-sustained city called Silo. There is no knowledge of how the world was before, but authorities say the surface is toxic and barren.<\/p>\n

Silo has one rule: whoever expresses an interest in the outside world must go out to clean the external sensors of the city. No one that has gone has ever returned.<\/p>\n

Unlike other books in this list, Wool <\/em>began as a short story, but it eventually spanned four sequel novellas. The combination of these five stories is the novel Wool\u2014the <\/em>first of the Silo book series<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Girl with All the Gifts<\/a><\/h3>\n

by M.R. Carey<\/a><\/p>\n

The Girl with All the Gifts <\/em>is a zombie apocalypse book in which humanity collapses after the spread of a fungus that transforms humans into mindless beasts that eat human flesh and spread disease. However, some infected children are different\u2014they retain their mental faculties. And among them, Melanie is unique.<\/p>\n

Clever and complex, The Girl with All the Gifts <\/em>explores post-apocalyptic zombie fiction with a fresh outlook, making the reader wonder what makes a monster or a human.<\/p>\n

Oryx and Crake<\/a><\/h3>\n

by Margaret Atwood<\/a><\/p>\n

Snowman might as well be the last human, or so he thinks. He once was a boy named Jimmy, when humanity was thriving\u2014long before pharmaceutical and genetic experiments ended it all.<\/p>\n

Now alone, Snowman mourns the loss of his best friend Crake and their beloved Oryx as he recalls the past\u2014all while he embarks for supplies with only the mysterious human-like crakers <\/em>keeping him company.<\/p>\n

Feed<\/a><\/h3>\n

by Mira Grant<\/a><\/p>\n

Written in 2010 and set in 2014, Feed<\/em> is a zombie apocalypse book set in a world where cancer and even the common cold are cured at the cost of releasing something much worse, something that takes over minds.<\/p>\n

A few years later, blog journalists Georgia and Shaun Mason as they cover the presidential campaign of Peter Ryman\u2014which leads them to discover intrigue, sabotage, and the conspiracy behind the undead.<\/p>\n

After the Flood<\/a><\/h3>\n

by Kassandra Montag<\/a><\/p>\n

A century from now, rising sea levels have transformed the United States into an archipelago surrounded by endless water.<\/p>\n

In this relentless world, Myra mourns the loss of her eldest daughter alongside Pearl, her seven-year-old, until they hear reports of her survival in a distant encampment. Determined to rescue her, Myra embarks on a perilous journey that may cost her everything.<\/p>\n

Parable of the Sower<\/a><\/h3>\n

by Octavia E. Butler<\/a><\/p>\n

By 2024, anarchy, disease, war, and a severe lack of water had devastated the world and its culture. However, hyperempathetic Lauren Olamina is fortunate\u2014she lives with her preacher father and the rest of her family in one of the few safe neighborhoods in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

But when a fire kills her family, Lauren must venture outside and strive to continue her father\u2019s teachings.<\/p>\n

The Forest of Hands and Teeth<\/a><\/h3>\n

by Carrie Ryan<\/a><\/p>\n

In this zombie apocalypse book, The Forest of Hands and Teeth is plagued with mindless and cannibalistic quasi-humans\u2014the Unconsecrated. But at the heart of it lies the village, fenced and protected.<\/p>\n

Mary lives in the village under the Sisterhood\u2019s rules and the Protectors\u2019 guardianship. Yet, she longs for the world beyond\u2014and a break in the fence may present an opportunity.<\/p>\n

A Psalm for the Wild-Built<\/a><\/h3>\n

by Becky Chambers<\/a><\/p>\n

Panga was once an industrialized society supported by AI and robots\u2014until they became self-aware and disappeared into the wilderness, never to return.<\/p>\n

Centuries later, a monk faces the extraordinary: a robot seeking answers. Thus, monk and robot embark on a journey to discover, \u201cWhat do people need?\u201d<\/p>\n

Annihilation<\/a><\/h3>\n

by Jeff VanderMeer<\/a><\/p>\n

Area X has been abandoned and isolated for decades, with nature erasing the remnants of human civilization. Eleven expeditions have attempted to explore the area, each succumbing to a different peril: mass suicide, murder, cancer, and more.<\/p>\n

The four women of the twelfth expedition\u2014an anthropologist, a surveyor, a psychologist, and a biologist\u2014promise to be different. They might not.<\/p>\n

The Passage<\/a><\/h3>\n

by Justin Cronin<\/a><\/p>\n

The first of The Passage <\/em>trilogy showcases the apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic state of the United States, overrun by a dangerous virus that mutates humans into dangerous creatures as a result of hazardous experiments.<\/p>\n

At the center of it all lies Amy Harper Bellafonte, a young child at the project\u2019s epicenter who may now be the world\u2019s last hope.<\/p>\n

Cloud Atlas<\/a><\/h3>\n

by David Mitchell<\/a><\/p>\n

Cloud Atlas is as nearly impossible to describe as it is captivating to read. It consists of interconnected novellas, creating an embedded narrative that shifts from the 19th-century South Pacific to a future neocapitalist, post-apocalyptic Korea.<\/p>\n

The result is a complex tale that follows its protagonists through time and their impact on the world\u2019s history, resulting in one of the best apocalyptic books.<\/p>\n

The Wall<\/a><\/h3>\n

by John Lanchester<\/a><\/p>\n

Joseph Kavanagh is a young Defender conscripted to serve at The Wall as all men and women must do in his island country.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s standard procedure since the Change, as it protects the island\u2019s entire coastline from the Others\u2014desperate folk trapped in the sea outside and constantly attacking the Wall. Failing to defend his country would mean death, or worse, becoming an Other as well.<\/p>\n

Severance<\/a><\/h3>\n

by Ling Ma<\/a><\/p>\n

Society, as Candace Chen knows at least, begins to collapse when the Shen Fever pandemic unfolds. As New York becomes a monotonous and deserted wasteland, she takes photos\u2014until she joins a group of survivors.<\/p>\n

Severance <\/em>is a post-apocalyptic satirical dystopia that invites readers to explore the routines and monotonies of daily life and what truly makes a zombie book.<\/p>\n

Who Fears Death<\/a><\/h3>\n

by Nnedi Okorafor<\/a><\/p>\n

In the distant future, Africa has been devastated by a nuclear holocaust. Now facing the aftermath, a region suffers even more tragedy with the Okeke genocide at the hands of the Nuru.<\/p>\n

However, after a horrific assault, the only survivor of a village gives birth to a child unlike any other\u2014Onyesonwu, which means \u2018Who Fears Death?\u2019 and who is the prophesized hero destined to end the genocide for her people.<\/p>\n

The Fifth Season<\/a><\/h3>\n

by N.K. Jemisin<\/a><\/p>\n

The first entry in the Broken Earth series takes readers to a planet with two distinct characteristics: it has a single supercontinent known as the Stillness and experiences a devastating \u201cFifth Season\u201d every few centuries, unleashing climate horrors beyond comprehension.<\/p>\n

A few of its inhabitants possess magical gifts\u2014the narrative follows three of them: a middle-aged woman, a young woman, and a young girl, as the world braces for the impending Fifth Season.<\/p>\n

Until the End of the World<\/a><\/h3>\n

by Sarah Lyons Fleming<\/a><\/p>\n

Considered one of the best zombie apocalypse books for those who want some romance amidst their dystopia, Until the End of the World <\/em>follows Cassie Forrest as she escapes to her late survivalist parents\u2019 during the zombie outbreak.<\/p>\n

Her hopes? Not many\u2014survive, protect those she loves, and reunite with her ex-fianc\u00e9, whom she still loves.<\/p>\n

Rot & Ruin<\/a><\/h3>\n

by Jonathan Maberry<\/a><\/p>\n

Benny Imura has turned 15, which means only one thing: it\u2019s time to get a job, or he will receive only half the rations.<\/p>\n

Although he is not interested in becoming a zombie hunter like his brother Tom, he has no choice\u2014after all, this is zombie America, and you do what you must to survive.<\/p>\n

Apocalypse Fiction: More Than Just Zombie Apocalypse Books<\/h2>\n

At their core, apocalyptic books are tales about humanity that make us look inward. What makes us human when everything around us collapses? Is human nature good or evil? Are we moving toward destruction or salvation?<\/p>\n

The best apocalypse books, like the ones in this list, address the very essence of humanity while also serving as a cautionary tale\u2014poignant critiques of societal flaws that may eventually erode the foundation of life as we know it.<\/p>\n

But they are also very good books, and whether you want to read how-to survival books<\/a>, ponder ontological questions, or enjoy fiction with a good cup of coffee, you may buy these novels on BookScouter<\/a> at the best price.<\/p>\n

If you’re interested in exploring other captivating genres, check out our articles on the best time travel books<\/a>, best steampunk books<\/a>, H.P. Lovecraft books<\/a>, and science fiction books<\/a> to discover even more thrilling reads.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There is something grimly fascinating about apocalyptical stories and end-of-the-world scenarios. Perhaps it is born out of curiosity regarding how our civilization could break down. Or, maybe it\u2019s a desire to explore how the remnants of humanity would live should the worst happen\u2014or if they even get to retain the traits that we consider \u201chuman.\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":10935,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"no","footnotes":""},"categories":[208],"tags":[739,1157,1155,1156],"class_list":["post-6765","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book_lists","tag-apocalypse-books","tag-apocalyptic-books","tag-zombie-apocalypse-books","tag-zombie-books"],"modified_by":"Abigail White","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookscouter.com/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6765","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookscouter.com/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookscouter.com/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookscouter.com/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/43"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookscouter.com/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6765"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bookscouter.com/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6765\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookscouter.com/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookscouter.com/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookscouter.com/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookscouter.com/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}