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21st April 2026

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The End of the World as We Know It: My Essential Reading List

I get asked a lot about my favourite post-apocalyptic books and it’s really tough to choose because there are so many great ones out there and, in truth, I change my mind a lot. Swan Song is probably my favourite book of all time. I loved every page and McCammon is one of the most gifted writers I’ve ever come across. I’ve read a lot of his work and he’s a top-notch wordsmith. Beyond Swan Song, the books tend to jostle for position on a regular basis.

There is something compelling about the post-apocalyptic genre. It isn’t just about the destruction or the chaos; it’s about stripping away the veneer of modern convenience to see what remains of the human spirit. When society falls, we are left with the raw truth of who we are: our selfishness, our capacity for violence, but also our immense potential for resilience and compassion. These stories force us to ask the uncomfortable question: "What would I do if everything ended tomorrow?"

Here are the books that I find myself returning to time and time again:

  • Swan Song by Robert McCammon: An epic, gritty, and deeply emotional battle between the forces of good and evil set across a nuclear-scarred American landscape.
  • The Stand by Stephen King: An unstoppable super-flu pandemic wipes out most of humanity, forcing the surviving pockets of people to choose sides between two powerful, mystical figures.
  • Earth Abides by George R. Stewart: A beautifully written, meditative classic that follows a man trying to preserve the knowledge of humanity after a plague wipes out the global population.
  • Lucifer’s Hammer by Larry Niven: A terrifying and remarkably realistic depiction of societal collapse and the struggle for survival after a massive comet strikes the Earth.
  • I Am Legend by Richard Matheson: The quintessential vampire apocalypse story, focusing on the haunting psychological isolation of the last human man left on Earth.
  • Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank: A grounded and hopeful account of a small Florida town working together to maintain order and rebuild in the aftermath of a nuclear exchange.
  • Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham: A unique premise where a meteor shower leaves most of humanity blind, making them vulnerable to mobile, predatory, stinging plants.
  • The Death of Grass by John Christopher: A chillingly plausible look at what happens when a virus destroys the world’s crops, leading to famine and the rapid breakdown of law and order.
  • The Postman by David Brin: An evocative story about the power of symbols, hope, and the human need for connection in a ruined, fragmented world.
  • Down to a Sunless Sea by David Graham: A high-stakes thriller where a passenger jet is trapped in the air during an unexpected global nuclear conflict, forcing the crew to find a place to land.

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Comments

  1. Chris Artinian

    Thanks so much, Dorothy. You've got some great writers on that list of yours.

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  2. Dorothy Levin

    Great list . My first reads were Anne McCaffrey and her Dragon series. Then on to Stephen King, Dean Koontz. Came across Swan Song and I've read that 3 times over the years. R R Haywood and the Undead led me to you and your books. All of which I love except maybe Devils Face, that gave me the heebie geebies! Then on a totally different tack Arisen series by Michael Stephen Fuchs. Read that twice as well. A lot of them are about a group of people and following them throughout. Phew ! Thats it from me. Keep on writing. ?

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  3. Chris Artinian

    My pleasure, Jeanette. I'll be doing a few more of these in the weeks to come.

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  4. Jeanette

    Have read a few of these (Stephen king was my go to) but going to have to try the rest. Thanks for the list

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