Life in the aftermath of the apocalypse isn’t supposed to be easy, and these novels are the perfect illustration of that. Here are the top 10 post-apocalyptic novels everyone needs to read.
- The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
Cormac McCarthy’s Pulitzer Prize winning post-apocalyptic novel is an enticing, unique read. The narrative follows two nameless men, father and son, and their grim existence in the ruins of a world that has been obliterated by an unspecified disaster.
- Oryx and Crake, by Margaret Atwood
Margaret Atwood’s smart and incisive dystopian novel shows life in the aftermath of a biochemical apocalypse that has eradicated the majority of mankind.
- The Year of the Flood, by Margaret Atwood
The second part of the MaddAddam trilogy that follows Oryx and Crake, The Year of the Flood presents the very same aftermath from different points of view (including that of a religious cult). It’s a must-read if you’ve read the first.
- The Stand, by Stephen King
Leave it to master of horror Stephen King to write a gut-wrenching apocalypse story. This particular novel also deals with a chemical attack that releases a virus, killing off most of mankind.
- I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson
While the movie starring Will Smith might be good, the book is a thousand times better. The infected are rather more like vampires than zombies. But what is most chilling about I Am Legend is that protagonist Robert Neville isn’t one of a few survivors. He is literally the last man on Earth.
- One Second After, by William R. Forstchen
A novel about life in the aftermath of a nuclear bombed being detonated in the sky above is perhaps one of the scariest we could think of, because the threat of that is very much real. This is why Forstchen’s novel deserves to be in this top ten.
- Alas, Babylon, by Pat Frank
Pat Frank presents another take on the nuclear war apocalypse in his novel. However, his tale is one influenced by the Cold War, which makes it all the more gripping.
- The Rising, by Brian Keene
Keene’s 2003 novel presents another take on the zombie apocalypse genre. This time round, zombies are created due to a failed particle accelerator that opens up a literal portal to Hell. Demons start possessing corpses, and chaos ensues.
- Monster Island, by David Wellington
The action of the novel occurs exactly one month following an international cataclysm that destroys the world as we know it, and yes, it involves zombies too.
- Zombie Ohio, by Scott Kenemore
Scott Kenemore’s novel deserves its place on this list due to the unique take it has on the zombie apocalypse. Read it and see for yourself.
