Post apocalyptic books - recommendations?

[Resilienceisimportant]

Hello everyone. I have read the usual and really like this genre or very though provoking books. Last I read was Children of Time. I liked the concept but the spiders weren’t for me 😂.

Would anyone have any recommendations? Thank you!

Another vote for Riddley Walker which is an absolutely incredible book - one of my all time faves. The Audible audiobook is fantastic too.

I don't think The Carhullen Army by Sarah Hall has been mentioned yet. That's a good one. Also Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy.

I've remembered another, A Lovely Way to Burn, which is the first book in a trilogy.

A few more:

'This Time of Darkness' - HM Hoover (YA fiction, but I actually that genre can be far scarier that adult stuff)
'The Peripheral' - William Gibson
'Gnomon' - Nick Harkaway (a beast of a book, gigantic, also more authoritarian AI than post-disaster)

I know the Tripods Trilogy has already been mentioned (and it's worth noting just how good/sad/cynical the ending is). But I always preferred The Prince in Waiting Trilogy. Again, the ending is particularly strong.

This Perfect Day by Ira Levin, Not really post apocalyptic but dystopian future (quite old but one of my favourite books)

A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M Miller Jnr.

Riddley Walker is superb..

Titanium Noir by Nick Harkaway is a good read.

A ‘just around the corner’ dystopia come detective novel.

I too am jealous of those reading the Passage series for the first time!

I reccomend One Second After by William R Fortschen. Its based on a real analysis done on the effects of an EMP bomb. Great story but very sobering!

Ive enjoyed a lot of YA stuff too like Hunger Games, the Divergent series (Vetonica Roth).

The Memory of Animals by Claire Fuller

Thank you to everyone who recommended The Passage. I'm 3 hours and 20 minutes in, and I am absolutely loving it.

I don't understand how I haven't come across it before as I love post-apocalyptic fiction and sci-fi in general.

And it's great knowing that there are 2 more books in the series after this one.

I will make a note of other recommendations on this thread, although I have already read a lot of them!

Amazing book! I have read the whole series 3 times and I’m sure will go back to it again yet.

A boy and his dog at the end of the world by Charlie Fletcher is a great one too!

Already mentioned but Day of the Triffids, and there is also a second one called Night of the Triffids, set 25 years later.
And the author Frank Tayell is INCREDIBLE. Post apocalyptic, it is zombies, but oh my. He details exact locations in the UK and you can follow the characters route on a map as you go along the story, and in some places, even to the same names streets. I’ve got 22 of the books in the evacuation series. He’s also on FB and always happy to chat to fans about his work. I’d highly, highly recommend him.

Yes! DS1 and I really enjoyed the Night of the Triffids. Hadn't thought to check out his other books!

Have just ordered Night of the Triffids and earmarked Frank Tayell!

A young adult read but still amazing is Robert Swindell's Brother in the Land. Must revisit that again too!

Oh my lord what an amazing book that is! The opening chapter ... thanks for reminding me of it.

Can I suggest Ursula La Guin.

The Children Of Time series is stupendous for those who were put off by spiders honestly you get to ... admire them, if not quite love them!

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood is incredible

Some terrific suggestions here - I see 2025 is gonna be my year of dystopian reading :)

I have found my people.

If we're talking Nick Harkaway, read The Gone Away World.

I want to read it again for the first time.

There's also A Song of Stone Iain Banks.

So many memories from the recommendations here. No one else ever seems to read Wyndham. But my library growing up was full of dusty, old books.

I think it's because it's marketed as vampires. I was a bit wary to begin with, but then it took an unexpected turn.

I have tried twice to read The Passage but cannot get on with it, its an odd writing style🤔

I've not RTFT so it might have been suggested but Earth Abides by George R. Stewart is maybe the first of the genre. One of my long-term favourites.

This is very good and currently 99p on kindle