Your favourite apocalyptic novels?

Someone on another thread recommended bird box read it in one day really addictive a bit silly but v entertaining

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Have to second the recommendation of the amazing Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde – so gutted the promised prequel still hasn’t materialised.

More favourites already mentioned are the Passage, Wool, Day of the Triffids

Don't think anyone has mentioned Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank yet? Nuclear war, some of the science a bit outdated but that’s not really the focus of the book. Is about a town trying to survive after bombs have wiped out the cities around them and supplies are running low.

Also A Gift Upon The Shore by MK Wren, not sure if it’s still in print though.

Love this thread!

Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel. Amazing.

Much is covered above but one apocalyptic novel not mentioned is Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. A comet hits the Earth. People behave very badly. It's a bit old, 1970s, so some of the attitudes might not fit with current values, but it's gripping stuff.

I can't do with stories of zombies. The worlds created never draw me in, I'm continually thinking "but, but, but".

If anyone is planning to read World War Z and has an Audible account then I recommend the Audible version over the written version. Some of the accents are a mite dodgy but in general it's more immersive, as though you're listening to the actual interview.

Robopocalyse - bloody good read. About the Uprising of AI. It reminded me a lot of World War Z, but with robots.
I tried station 11, but I found it very sanitised for apocalyptic/dystopian fiction.

Great thread! My reading list has just grown mahoosively!

Another vote for the Stand. My absolute favourite book.

I'm reading Justin Cronin The City of Mirrors which I thinks the best of the trilogy.

And Cloud Atlas - another long winded but fabulously weird read!

I do love a good apocalypse novel. In fact though, better than an apocalypse imo is a post-apocalypse. John Wyndham, John Christopher obviously. Brother in the Land is wonderful.

My favourite currently is one called The Dog Stars by Peter Heller - it's set in Utah or somewhere in a post-mass-flu-death world, with a bloke who has a small plane and a dog. It's beautiful.

The Undead Series by R.R. Haywood 22 books in the series.

Thanks @CoteDAzur, I've never been drawn to Cloud Atlas but I'll check it out.

I'm so excited to start reading some of these!

John Christopher is wonderful, my copy is lost somewhere in my messy house, I've been hunting it for ages. Also great to see so many John Wyndham fans. I would add Octavia Butler's 'Parable of the Seeds' and the sequel 'Parable of the Talents' set in a world blighted by greed and environmental devastation, the heroine Lauren works to rebuild her community. Also Marlen Haushofer 'The Wall' about a woman left alone after an unknown catastrophe sets her apart from the world.

Googling it has led me to the Tripods series by John christopher - I remember some parts of those stories so vividly.

littlewoolly and dubdoor YES thank you! That’s the one!

Thanks @Dubdoor !

The Passage is being made into a telly programme. How exciting is that?!

God, I loved Hyperion. Such a clever book. Shame the sequels weren't as good.

Survivors as mentioned upthread.

Will read World War Z after this. I enjoyed the first part of the film. I also loved Day of the Triffids show as a child so will try the book.

I did start Surviving the Evacuation series and Dark Tower series but didn't progress very far.

Another vote for The Stand. Currently re- 'reading' courtesy of Audible.

You’re very welcome Acurlywurly! Hope you enjoy your second read.

I recommend Swan Song to fans of The Stand. Not quite the same but a good read nonetheless.

Loved cloud atlas as well.

Fooferella - "A Canticle For Liebowitz by Walter M Miller Jr. It looks at how we are doomed to repeat our mistakes."

Please read Cloud Atlas, if you haven't already. You will love it.

@littlewoollypervert Empty World, by John Christopher

@Whatthefoxgoingon I have been trying to remember the name of Swan Song and its author for about 20 years!!! thanks to you i have just sent it to my Kindle!!! thank you so much!!
Cant wait to re read this as an adult :-)

The Fireman by Joe Hill

I like a lot of the books mentioned above, especially the Wool series. I also like the Zombie Fallout series (earlier books better than the later ones) by Mark Tufo, I don't generally like zombie books but this one has engaging characters and even some humour.

One of my favourite as a child was Children of the Stars by Sylvia Engdahl, it's several generations post apocalyptic so the society is stable but circumstances mean it operates in an 'odd' way.