The best books in post-apocalyptic/dystopian fiction

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve had a passion for post-apocalyptic/dystopian tales from the moment I could read as a child growing up on the west coast of Canada. As I got older, I devoured the stories faster and faster, alongside the romances I began reading as a teenager. I enjoy big, explosive action, and I love the idea of building a new world on the ashes of a fallen civilization. Throw in some zombies and a romance and I’m in story heaven. From Stefano Raffaele’s Loving Dead comics, the 2007 independent zombie horror film, The Signal to The Last of Us video game, I will watch, read, and play as much post-apocalyptic material as I can get my hands on. 


I wrote...

Sanctuary's Warlord

By Nikita Slater,

Book cover of Sanctuary's Warlord

What is my book about?

Fifty years ago, the world collapsed under the onslaught of a terrible virus that turns its victims into mindless flesh-eating creatures. Out of the ashes of a once strong civilization rises the only hope for the salvation of Earth’s survivors, sanctuaries. In these sanctuaries, citizens are policed by Warlords who use archaic methods to control the population.  

After years of stalking his elusive prey, Warlord Diogo finally captures his sworn enemy, a rebel known as the Desert Wren. Instead of discovering a vicious criminal, he finds that he has arrested a scrappy, empathetic woman who will fight to the death for their people. Together they will face deadly threats, terrible decisions, and betrayal as they forge a path for both themselves and their sanctuary. 

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

The books I picked & why

Book cover of I Am Eve

Nikita Slater Why did I love this book?

Nicolina Martin is an excellent indie author who hits all the genres I love with this book: post-apocalyptic/dystopian, romantic suspense, dark romance, action. I love this book because the characters are well-developed and interesting, the world-building is excellent, and the story is engrossing. This book pulls you in with its drama and storytelling and the reader is left more than satisfied by the happily-ever-after romance. 

By Nicolina Martin,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked I Am Eve as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

I survived the fall of civilization, but I didn’t live… until I met him.

Adam is not a good man. He’s a criminal. A warlord. Someone who takes without asking. He is guarded and cold.

But that’s not all he is. He’s also a father. A leader. A battered soul who refuses to stop fighting.

I’m blind, but I see the real man behind the wounded, world-weary façade, and I want him more than I’ve ever wanted anything. His touch sets my skin ablaze. He fills my house with laughter and light, and then leaves me with a gift that…


Book cover of The Stand

Nikita Slater Why did I love this book?

The book is a classic when it comes to the post-apocalypse genre. I love Stephen King’s brand of horror and this book is by far one of my all-time favourites. His world-building is phenomenal, sucking the reader in and holding us captive throughout the story. Not only does the reader get to explore a post-apocalyptic world but we also get to experience the downfall of civilization. The characters are diverse and the dichotomy between good and evil explored in a way that has me reading this book over and over. I highly recommend this book to apocalypse lovers.

By Stephen King,

Why should I read it?

19 authors picked The Stand as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Stephen King's apocalyptic vision of a world blasted by virus and tangled in an elemental struggle between good and evil remains as riveting and eerily plausible as when it was first published.

Soon to be a television series.

'THE STAND is a masterpiece' (Guardian). Set in a virus-decimated US, King's thrilling American fantasy epic, is a Classic.

First come the days of the virus. Then come the dreams.

Dark dreams that warn of the coming of the dark man. The apostate of death, his worn-down boot heels tramping the night roads. The warlord of the charnel house and Prince of…


Book cover of The Girl With All the Gifts

Nikita Slater Why did I love this book?

The Girl With All the Gifts is a gripping and emotional story that held on to me until the last word and well beyond. I read this book three years ago and I still think about it, still ponder the ethical issues brought up in this stunning story. The book is both brutal and visceral as it pulls the reader through the pages with superb storytelling. Every word felt like a gift and the reading experience was like watching a big blockbuster movie unfold in the pages. 

By M.R. Carey,

Why should I read it?

12 authors picked The Girl With All the Gifts as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'ORIGINAL, THRILLING AND POWERFUL' - Guardian
'HAUNTING, HEARTHBREAKING' - Vogue
The phenomenal million-copy bestseller that is also a BAFTA Award-nominated movie

NOT EVERY GIFT IS A BLESSING

Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant Parks keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don't like her. She jokes that she won't bite. But they don't laugh.

Melanie is a very special girl.

Emotionally charged and gripping from beginning to end, THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS is the…


Book cover of Ready Player One

Nikita Slater Why did I love this book?

Ready Player One is a fantastic book for all ages! Chapter after chapter of action-packed goodness and constant 80’s references make this book one of my absolute favourite rereads. I always manage to find something new to love when I pick it up. There’s something for everyone in this book whether you love romance, questing, gaming, music, and/or movies. Whatever your thing is, you will find it in this book, especially if you were born in the ’80s. 

By Ernest Cline,

Why should I read it?

17 authors picked Ready Player One as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE DIRECTED BY STEVEN SPIELBERG

It's the year 2044, and the real world has become an ugly place. We're out of oil. We've wrecked the climate. Famine, poverty, and disease are widespread.

Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes this depressing reality by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia where you can be anything you want to be, where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets. And like most of humanity, Wade is obsessed by the ultimate lottery ticket that…


Book cover of The Hunger Games

Nikita Slater Why did I love this book?

The young adult category is rife with amazing post-apocalyptic/dystopian books and one of my absolute favourite authors for this is Suzanne Collins. In The Hunger Games she creates a rich and complex society that must sacrifice some of its own for the good of the community. The characters in these books are written in such a way that there is something relatable in each of them. The world-building is spellbinding in a story that is both heartbreaking and breathtaking at the same time. If you haven’t read The Hunger Games yet, I highly recommend this trilogy. 

By Suzanne Collins,

Why should I read it?

44 authors picked The Hunger Games as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. But Katniss has been close to death before - and survival, for her, is second nature. The Hunger Games is a searing novel set in a future with unsettling parallels to our present. Welcome to the deadliest reality TV show ever...


You might also like...

The Blade in the Angel's Shadow

By Andy Darby,

Book cover of The Blade in the Angel's Shadow

Andy Darby Author Of Me and The Monkey

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Fantasy lover Psychonaut Cat dad Designer Metalhead

Andy's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

Dr Dee has designs for a British Empire that will dominate the world for ages to come ushering in Revelation, and with the aegis of the Angels, he has the power to make it a reality.

But, two elements are missing, and through blackmail and occult ritual, infamous swordswoman Captain Lament Evyngar and her giant Dutch comrade are forced to journey to the war-ravaged Spanish Netherlands on a quest that will reveal the truth about strange entities that use humans to fight out their eternal conflicts and in doing so alter Lament and the course of history forever.

The Blade in the Angel's Shadow

By Andy Darby,

What is this book about?

Infamous swordswoman Captain Lament Evyngar awaits execution in the Tower of London, charged with heresy and attempted regicide, but all is not as it seems. Unwittingly entangled in the schemes of the Angels, she recounts her tale to the Queen's sorcerer, Dr Dee, who is more than a little responsible for her predicament.

Dr Dee has designs for a British Empire that will dominate the world for ages to come, and with the aegis of the Angels, he has the power to make it a reality. But, two elements are missing, and through blackmail and occult ritual, Lament and her…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in dystopian, survival, and good and evil?

10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about dystopian, survival, and good and evil.

Dystopian Explore 548 books about dystopian
Survival Explore 189 books about survival
Good And Evil Explore 133 books about good and evil