Top 11 Best Post Apocalyptic Books 2023

Best Post Apocalyptic Books

1. The McClane Apocalypse Book Six by Kate Morris

When it comes to the best post-apocalyptic books, The McClane Apocalypse series is most likely to appear first in our minds. Although the whole series is great and legendary, but the sixth book installment of the series has won our hearts the most so far. Of course, we would recommend you to read the whole series, but if you want to read just one of them or standalone then you may as well read the 6th installment.

Kate Morris, in her signature style, has started the book with the return of the character Robert McClane. His family is concerned because they are unaware of the reason why he has arrived again. No one trusts him and everyone made it clear that he is unwanted.

McClane, on the other hand, is worried because of what might come upon his town. Whether or not his intentions are good or not is the subject of another discussion, right now everyone has to be ready for an apocalypse!

Kate Morris, with this book, has proved, why she is the best author when it comes to the post-apocalypse genre. The story is engaging and keeps you hooked up from the first page. There are so many twists, turns, secrets, and a sense of survival that you would feel like a part of their world. Overall, you should read the whole book series, especially the 6th book to get the best post-apocalyptic experience.

2. Cell by Stephen King

Stephen King is very well known for its science fiction, horror/thriller, survival, and sometimes the post-apocalyptic genre as well. He has written books on many evil monsters, from the child-eating clowns to vampires, and this time he is introducing the zombies to our world.

The story follows a New England artist who is struggling to meet his son after an apocalypse changed the whole world. A phone network is turning every cell phone user into a mindless animal that won’t stop anything to hurt humans or anything that comes in their way.

A well-written story with a good pace moves forward to keep its readers engaged from the first page till the last one. Here you would also like the characters and their efforts to survive the apocalypse. It’s undoubtedly one of the best post-apocalyptic books to read and especially if you are into zombies.

3. The Girl With All the Gifts by M. R. Carey

This 2014 book has been one of the top post-apocalyptic genre books. M.R. Carey did a great job by portraying a fast passed thrilling survival book that keeps you on age until you reach the last page.

The book revolves around zombies and is set in England. The story follows a girl named Melanie and other children that are around her. They all have been imprisoned in a windowless bunker. They get serious punishments when they try to leave their cells.

This may seem cruel until you get to know that their imprisonment is a precaution and if they leave the place many lives come in danger as well. One day Melanie escapes the place along with a few adults. This is not a good thing. Although some people want the others are keen on keeping her alive. Nevertheless, you would get a lot of surprises and twists while reading the book.

4. Wool by Hugh Howey

Wool is another one of the top post-apocalyptic books that you may want to read next. Hugh Howey is one of the finest post-apocalyptic authors that you can find and this book proves why!

The book follows the story of a community that exists in a toxic and ruined future. They live in a giant Silo Underground and their living world is highly regulated as well. The community believes that the rule exists to protect them. However, it seems like they are imposing so many rules and some people also doubt that the rules are imposed to protect them.

A guy named Sherrif Holston asks to go outside but his request is denied because it is considered taboo. What happened next and how things work out for the community is going to leave you by surprise. The book would make you fall in love with the story.

5. Earth Abides by George R.Stewart

Earth Abides is one of the most legendary works by George R. Stewart. This book is based on a rampant disease that is spreading across America and killing more people than anyone can imagine.

The story introduces us to a young grad student Isherwood Williams that has managed to survive in the mountains. But he was on a sabbatical and as soon as he comes out of it, he finds people being dead out of nowhere and the entire civilization is under a threat as well. There is no shred of life to be found. Other than Emma! She is another survivor like Ish and they decided to have children together.

But life will never be like it used to be. There are no resources and there nothing to survive. So they have to hunt and gather food to survive against all the odds of nature. This is a true post-apocalyptic concept that would give you a glimpse of a life without any resources.

6. On the Beach by Nevil Shute

On the Beach is another one of the leading post-apocalyptic books that you can find. The book takes place in the last habitational place in Australia that is a beach. After the nuclear fallout of World War II, people lost their lives and the number kept increasing.

As soon as things started to seem normal, people were dying again because of radiation poisoning. Although there are still people alive, they have to deal with the deaths of their imminent. People have to cope and they are using different coping mechanisms as well. As people seem to be in danger the resources are limited, the Australian government is providing suicidal pills to grant merciful deaths.

The book takes a different approach than survival. It would be interesting to see how you take the story. It’s interesting and it’s likely to entertain you with a thrilling yet emotional experience.

7. Swan Song by Robert R.McCommon

Swan Song is also a top post-apocalyptic book that you should read sometime. The book starts with a nuclear crisis that happened because of the conflict between Russia and the United States. The nuclear blasts and radiation have created a ripple effect of destruction and chaos reigns supreme.

The story then introduces us to a girl named Swan who has some supernatural gifts. They are rejuvenating as she can connect with plants and nature. She can heal the injured and bring back the dead to life. Swan and her team are all about taking care of the post-apocalyptic world. All they want to do is to restore peace and calm back to life. The book takes an interesting turn with the post-apocalyptic scenario and portrays the struggle to make things right again.

8. One Second After by John Matherson

A war is going on in America. It’s not good for anyone. People are dying and struggling to keep their close ones safe. America has lost the war. The war has threatened America to take it to the dark ages. A mam is struggling to keep his family safe like everyone else.

The war was based on a powerful weapon that can vanish the entire human population from the earth. It should not fall in the wrong hands, that’s all everyone cares for now. Keep reading the book to find out what happens next and how people deal with the threat.

9. The Stand by Stephen King

As we all know that Stephen King is one of the best authors for a thriller, horror, sci-fi, and apocalyptic genre, so we had to include one Of the classics by Stephen King.

A patient has escaped from a biological testing facility. What’s freighting about this situation is the fact that he is carrying a strain of superflu. This strain is no less than a deadly weapon as it can wipe out 99 percent of the population on the earth.

To tackle the threat, two people, a 108-year-old woman, and a Dark Man come together to fight against the evil. The woman is all for a peaceful approach while the man won’t hesitate to go for a war. Together they collect the means to fight against the man who has the weapon. But will they win?

10. Riddley Walker by Russel Hoban

This 1980 book still counts as one of the best post-apocalyptic books of all time. The book takes place after thousands of years after a nuclear Armageddon in England when a young boy is all set to recreate a weapon from the ancient world. He found a book that has some information about the weapon that he wants to create.

The book is much more than a typical book, you have to put more effort to read the book but it’s totally worth it.

11. The Road by Cormac McCarthy

The Road is also a book that you should certainly read sometime if you are a fan of the post-apocalyptic genre.

A father and his son are walking through burned America. There are ashes everywhere and the world has turned dark. There is nothing left. But they want to reach the coast, where they might encounter something much worse. As for a weapon, all they have is a gun. Will they survive the post-apocalypse world?

Conclusion

So these are some of the best posts apocalyptic books that you can find. These books have received very high ratings and they have been recommending by some book loves too. So make sure you read a few of the aforementioned post-apocalyptic books.

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