Best Post-Apocalyptic Novels

I love reading post apocalyptic books and I love discovering new authors who engage in this genre. Here I've put together some of the best post apocalyptic novels that great authors have written and people have voted for. It is my personal list, so as such it might contain a few books that you consider not making it in top 10. This is why at the end of the article you will be able to vote on your personal favorite, as well as add your own book - if it's not already here.

When it comes to post apocalyptic books and movies we all have a morbid fascination with it. Even if people usually not interested in general sci-fi novels will usually read end of the world books or watch end of the world movies. There is just something about only a few people left and their struggle to survive when the majority of the planet population is gone.

Whatever the reason, these books are extremely popular, so it's no wonder that there are so many books coming up every year talking about yet another post-apocalyptic world.

Enjoy browsing the list of post apocalyptic books of this year and maybe you pick up a book or two that you haven't read yet.

I bought World War Z when it first came out and it has been my favorite post-apocalyptic novel of all times ever since. 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 and love reading about best apocalyptic books.

1. We all like survival stories where the good prevails even though the bad and evil seems to be on top at all times.
2. Post apocalyptic books are popular right now, period. And zombies too.
3. The future is always a haze, something that we'd like to get a glimpse into, and these books can give a dire view of something that could actually happen - WWIII anyone?
4. It has also to do with the our primal fear of survival. Afterall our ancient folk had to survive many horrific times in the past.
5. Let's face it, we do like our doom and gloom stories - have you seen the crowd that automatically gathers when something bad (a crime?) happens? Scary, but human nature.
6. Survival stories let us bring our fantasies into how we would act and react if our own survival was on the stake.
7. What if scenarios can play out so many different ways, with bits from our own society mingled in with new futuristic elements that we actually don't get to see this lifetime (or who knows...)

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."

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.

by Cormac McCarthy

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.

by Richard Matheson

I've just managed to read I Am Legend, and I found it to be really good. You know know this in the form of a movie with Will Smith, and like me, you might not know that it's in fact based on a great book by Richard Matheson - now brace yourself - back in 1954!. It was the third book ever written by this author and while I did several other novels by him, somehow I missed this. And I'm glad I picked it up now, way after I've seen the awesome movie.

Without giving away the plot, it's basically about Neville who finds himself literally alone in a sea of undead - not zombies, but vampires. He's practically the only human remaining, with every other vampire on his trail.

If you like the modern style vampire books, brace yourself before this is different, going back to times when writing a book about vampired included horror elements. The vampires were nothing like the Twilight variety or the Vampire Diaries, but they were real monsters lusting after real blood.

So if you like a good post-apocalyptic novel with a grim story flooded with vampires and lots of horror elements, this will definitely keep you awake at night!

by Robert McCammon

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.

by John Wyndham

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.

by David Brin

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.