Best post apocalyptic science fiction books

There's still time for you to catch up… for now. The s were an extremely popular time for dystopian and post-apocalyptic books, after World War II caused people to start thinking about widespread destruction and societal downfall. After a mostly fruitless cross-country road trip searching for fellow human life, Ish agrees to have children with another survivor, Emma. They form a new society of sorts, but without electricity or other modern advantages, they must revert to a semi-primitive lifestyle: hunting and gathering for food and eschewing literacy in favor of survival skills. As a result, Earth Abides is a frightening yet fascinating glimpse into a world without many resources, and a grippingly realistic portrayal of how society would adapt following such a destructive event. Though most think of Will Smith's charismatic turn in the blockbuster, the original post-apocalyptic novel was, well, legend for its time. Like Earth Abides , it also begins with a pandemic.

You can sometimes learn a lot of important survival skills from them, and improve your mental preparedness while enjoying them. I wanted to make sure this list went beyond my personal preferences I tend to prefer stories about natural disasters and plagues over sci-fi heavy alien and zombie books. Want to get prepared for disasters? Then check out our eBooks. We cover the essential topics including emergency water, survival food, gear, and off-grid living. Learn more about our books here.

Is it because the end of life on Earth is so impossible to comprehend, or that it feels so frighteningly close at hand? I personally enjoy the terrible dread of dropping into a world near enough to my own that the path it takes to destruction is unsettlingly familiar. Apocalypse films and TV shows keep me on the edge of my seat, heart giddily racing — The Walking Dead , where the horrors perpetrated by the living outpace the deeds of the un dead; World War Z and 28 Days Later occupy their own space in my psyche. Perhaps the reason we are so curious about the big apocalypse is that so many of us have sustained our share of tiny ones. I wrote my book Black Wave as an exploration of an actual, environmental apocalypse, as well as to plumb my own personal apocalypses: the times that my world felt irrevocably changed, some part of it absolutely gone, in the ending of a long relationship or a reckoning with alcoholism. Here is a collection of literary apocalypses that will stun you with their visions of ultimate endings both small and catastrophic.

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