The most recommended zombie apocalypse books

Who picked these books? Meet our 88 experts.

88 authors created a book list connected to the zombie apocalypse, and here are their favorite zombie apocalypse books.
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Book cover of Warm Bodies

Dee J. Holmes Author Of Three Days In Undead Shoes

From my list on flipping the zombie apocalypse script.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a Canadian author who thought too much about death as a child. But I was also a happy little goblin who grew up watching Disney fairytales and Transformers cartoons—all of which shine in my blend of twisting horror meeting tales of love and friendship. My degree in History helps me add depth and a political thriller edge. Bands of brothers, found family, and loyal hounds round out my books. I adore being scared, but I also want my characters to find happiness. So I’ll put you on the edge of your seat and have you jumping at the next twist—but don’t worry, the dog always lives.

Dee's book list on flipping the zombie apocalypse script

Dee J. Holmes Why did Dee love this book?

This book rose out of the grave and grabbed me by the ankles. I’ve always loved (and been completely terrified of) zombies. After 28 Days Later scarred me for life (that one scene with the crow and the blood ACK), zombies became somewhat of an obsession. But I always found myself wanting…more. Then this book shambled in my door, and suddenly, I had the twisted, funny, heartwarming zombie fairytale I never knew I needed in my life. It upended the undead genre, and I will love it forever for giving the mix of zombies and romance a big ole bear hug.

By Isaac Marion,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked Warm Bodies as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'The zombie novel with a heart', Guardian

Now a major motion picture starring Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer and John Malkovich, Warm Bodies is the ultimate zombie read this Halloween.

'R' is a zombie. He has no name, no memories, and no pulse, but he has dreams. He is a little different from his fellow Dead.

Amongst the ruins of an abandoned city, R meets a girl. Her name is Julie and she is the opposite of everything he knows - warm and bright and very much alive, she is a blast of colour in a dreary grey landscape. For reasons…


Book cover of Return of the Living Dead

Ralph Robert Moore Author Of As Dead As Me

From my list on things ending badly—really badly.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a novelist, short story writer, and essayist who has been fascinated by the idea of a zombie apocalypse since my teenage experience of seeing Night of the Living Dead in a noisy movie theater in mid-town Manhattan. My fiction has been nominated twice for Best Story of the Year by the British Fantasy Society. The critic A.J. Kirby called my writings, "Disturbing. Nightmarish. Terrifying. And above all original...we have a genre-storytelling giant in our midst." My fiction has been described as ‘graphically morbid’. Is it for you? Find out.   

Ralph's book list on things ending badly—really badly

Ralph Robert Moore Why did Ralph love this book?

John Russo co-authored the original Night of the Living Dead script with Romero. Later on, he came up with a new slant on the zombie apocalypse, with a little more humor added, in Return of the Living Dead, which diverged from the grimmer Romero series and created its own franchise. His mass-market paperback novelization of that movie came out in 1978. I found a copy of it in a thrift store in downtown Dallas in the late Eighties, shoved on a shelf amid multiple copies of Reader’s Digest, its spine split, its pages marked up by an unknown reader with inked exclamation points and multiple question marks. It’s a great read, and a worthy addition to the canon.  

By John Russo,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Return of the Living Dead as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The straight horror screenplay version of RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD that was sold before it was revised and made into a horror comedy by Dan O'Bannon


Book cover of Exodus

Richard Cosgrove Author Of I Was a Teenage Rock Fan

From Richard's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Reader Musician Animal lover Nerd

Richard's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Richard Cosgrove Why did Richard love this book?

I love it when I discover a new series that captures my imagination, as the original zombie apocalypse novel Autumn did back in 2001. I also love it when a beloved series comes to a satisfying conclusion, which Autumn did with the fifth novel in the series. 

So why do I love Autumn Exodus, then? Simple. David Moody was able to revisit the Autmn universe and breathe new life into it (yeah, I know, taxi!) with his London trilogy, of which Exodus is the thrilling and equally satisfying climax.

Whereas the original series developed on a book-by-book basis, Exodus is the finale of a tightly plotted three-book journey packed with believable characters being put through hell, and I closed it after its final unexpected sucker punch with a grin on my face. 

By David Moody,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

LONDON IS DEAD


A great fire has swept through the heart of the city, destroying everything in its path. The living, the dead, and the undead alike have been wiped out. And yet, protected by the impenetrable walls of the Tower of London, the remaining members of the Monument group have somehow survived. Now, they must strike out if they want to stay alive.


The final book in a new trilogy set in the nightmare world of David Moody's international best-selling AUTUMN series.


Praise for THE LONDON TRILOGY:

"Autumn: Dawn is an unabated, unforgiving onslaught of intensity... keeps you gasping…


Book cover of Until the End of the World

Katarina Vance Author Of Dead Heat

From my list on zombie apocalypse romance.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve loved zombie movies since I was a kid and first saw Return of the Living Dead during a slumber party. Since then I’ve watched as many as I could, along with shows like The Walking Dead and Z Nation. The changes in the publishing industry over the past few years have given me something even better – hundreds of amazing books about romance and survival in the zombie apocalypse to read. The five books on my list are the very best of those that eventually inspired me to write my own books. I hope you like them!

Katarina's book list on zombie apocalypse romance

Katarina Vance Why did Katarina love this book?

Sarah Lyons Fleming writes beautiful prose. She also writes characters that you’ll fall in love with (or hate) and want to keep reading about. The main character, Cassie, embarks on an epic journey through the zombie apocalypse for a second chance at love with her ex-fiancee. Along the way, she has to rediscover who she is and grow to overcome everything that the world keeps throwing at her. The action is great, but it’s the relationships between the characters that make this a truly excellent series. I cried my eyes out reading these books and the others set in the same universe, which isn’t something I often do. But however heartbreaking parts of them may be, Sarah Fleming always leaves room for hope for love and a future.

By Sarah Lyons Fleming,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Until the End of the World as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

★Named one of BookBub's 14 Can't-Miss Zombie Series★ ★One of Popsugar’s 68 Books to Read While Social Distancing★

Cities fall. Worlds end. Zombies never die.
Join a group of friends on a journey that takes them to places they never imagined.

Cassie Forrest isn't surprised to learn that the day she’s decided to get her life together is also the day the world ends. After all, she’s been on a self-imposed losing streak since her survivalist parents died: she stopped painting, broke off her engagement to Adrian, and dated a real jerk. Self-improvement can wait, however. First, Cassie and her…


Book cover of Days Gone Bye

Rob E. Boley Author Of That Risen Snow

From my list on for readers who are sick of zombies.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been reading horror books and watching horror movies since I was entirely too young to do either—thanks to my father’s collection of Stephen King books and my uncle’s love of horror movies. Now I’m a horror writer and wake early each morning to make blank pages darker. Zombies remain one of my favorite horror sub-genres. There’s something relentlessly compelling about these mindless ghouls linking inside each of us waiting for some triggering event to set them loose. Maybe it’s the resulting chaos. Maybe it’s the gruesome horror. Mostly, it’s how such tales show us the fragility of our civilization and the darkness of our own nature. 

Rob's book list on for readers who are sick of zombies

Rob E. Boley Why did Rob love this book?

I know, I know. Lots of people are over The Walking Dead. I have a love/hate relationship with the television show, as well. But I’ve read every chapter of the comic book series, and I have to tell you that zombie fiction doesn’t get much better. Kirkman’s epic spans 22 collection editions comprising 193 total comic books, and it’s pure dark magic from start to finish. He populates his tale with compelling characters and terrifying zombies. The tension is palpable and absolutely no one is safe. One of the hallmarks of this series is the shocking, unexpected deaths of key characters, which made all the more impactful because Kirkman makes us feel genuine emotions for them all. 

By Robert Kirkman,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Days Gone Bye as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The world we knew is gone. The world of commerce and frivolous necessity has been replaced by a world of survival and responsibility. An epidemic of apocalyptic proportions has swept the globe, causing the dead to rise and feed on the living. In a matter of months society has crumbled: no government, no grocery stores, no mail delivery, no cable TV. In a world ruled by the dead, the survivors are forced to finally start living.



Book cover of Year One

Aileen Erin Author Of Invocation

From my list on bingeable supernatural romance.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m an author who grew up reading books with supernatural elements, whether it was a version of this world (paranormal fantasy) or other worlds (fantasy). I’m always looking for fantasy elements mixed with romance, so it’s not a huge surprise that I wrote in the genre. I went to Seton Hill University to get my Master’s in Fine Arts in Writing Popular Fiction and am a USA Today Best-selling author. Books and reading (and writing!) are my passions, and I hope you enjoy this list of books I’ve reread countless times.

Aileen's book list on bingeable supernatural romance

Aileen Erin Why did Aileen love this book?

Chronicles of the One starts with this book, and it is a wild ride. It’s postapocalyptic but with a supernatural edge to it. There’s a plague that sweeps the world, but most of the ones left standing after it have some supernatural abilities. It becomes a war to save the world, waged between the supernaturals and the normal humans.

There’s romance—because Nora Roberts is the queen of romance—battles, and a nice HEA (happily ever after) at the end. This whole series is a do-not-miss page-turner.

By Nora Roberts,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked Year One as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER (December 2017)

A stunning new novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts―Year One is an epic of hope and horror, chaos and magick, and a journey that will unite a desperate group of people to fight the battle of their lives…

It began on New Year’s Eve.

The sickness came on suddenly, and spread quickly. The fear spread even faster. Within weeks, everything people counted on began to fail them. The electrical grid sputtered; law and government collapsed―and more than half of the world’s population was decimated.

Where there had been…


Book cover of The Girl With All the Gifts

S.D. Livingston Author Of Kings of Providence

From S.D.'s 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Historian Tech-lover

S.D.'s 3 favorite reads in 2024

S.D. Livingston Why did S.D. love this book?

It delivered all the things I love about a great thriller / sci-fi read, but it was such a fresh take on those conventions.

By M.R. Carey,

Why should I read it?

14 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 Plague of the Dead

S. L. Smith Author Of The River Dead

From my list on zombie apocalypse that take you on an epic journey.

Why am I passionate about this?

S. L. Smith is an author, attorney, and Catholic theologian with deep roots in southern Louisiana. Despite being better known for his work in Catholic theology and history, Smith has also published extensively in the Southern Gothic genre. This crucible of tastes, religion, and location resulted in the Cajun Zombie Chronicles. Beneath the oaks and moss, lie shadows that bite.      

S. L.'s book list on zombie apocalypse that take you on an epic journey

S. L. Smith Why did S. L. love this book?

The Morningstar Strain takes us around the world and block-by-block across America. Let me say this. This is not high-concept literary artwork. Z. A. Recht is not William Faulkner or Flannery O'Connor. Recht knows what he does well, though, and he sticks to it. He puts you in the setting. Great detail work. Have you fantasized about scavenging in the zombie apocalypse? Recht puts you there. 

I still feel that urge from time to time to join Army General Francis Sherman and Dr. Anna Demilio in their continent-spanning quest for the zombie cure. They may be the same old characters saying the same old dialogue you find in every Jerry Bruckheimer film ... but. That serves as something as a bridge from the familiar to the apocalyptic.         

So, join General Sherman, Dr. Demilio, and the other survivors as they hitch a ride on the island-hopping USS Ramage to the Pacific…

By Z.A. Recht,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Plague of the Dead as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The “zombie apocalypse,” once on the fringes of horror, has become one of the most buzzworthy genres in popular culture. Now, in Plague of the Dead, Z.A. Recht delivers an intelligent, gripping thriller that will leave both new and die-hard zombie fans breathless.

The end begins with a viral outbreak unlike anything mankind has ever encountered before. The infected are subject to delirium, fever, a dramatic increase in violent behavior, and a one-hundred percent mortality rate. But it doesn’t end there. The victims return from death to walk the earth. When a massive military operation fails to contain the living…


Book cover of Undead Ultra

Baileigh Higgins Author Of Last Another Day

From my list on Zombie Apocalypse featuring strong heroines.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have long been a fan of zombie apocalypse scenarios. The first movie I watched was the classic Dawn of the Dead remake. Shocked and fascinated, I wanted more, devouring anything I could find on the topic. It wasn’t long before I stumbled across my first zombie apocalypse book, and I was hooked. It became an obsession for a while, and I spent my free time reading one zombie book after another. Finally, I reached a point where I wanted to write my own story and version of the apocalypse, and I did. Fast-forward several years, and I’m now a full-time author with numerous completed series, most of them zombie. 

Baileigh's book list on Zombie Apocalypse featuring strong heroines

Baileigh Higgins Why did Baileigh love this book?

This book was a surprise to me in many ways. While I love Zombie Apocalypse books, they can become a bit samey after a while, and that’s why I’m always on the lookout for something fresh and unique. Boy, did I get that in spades with this book!

Not only was I introduced to the fascinating world of long-distance running, but I also loved the characters, especially the main character, Kate. She’s both strong and vulnerable. A woman who would fight to the death for her loved ones but cry in secret for her lost husband.

I became so engrossed in this story that I even contemplated taking up long-distance running, a feat of epic proportions, considering I’ve never run anywhere in my life. 

By Camille Picott,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Undead Ultra as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A deadly outbreak. A long-distance runner.

Can one woman outrun the zombie apocalypse?

Kate’s love for running turned into a coping mechanism after her husband died. But when a lethal zombie virus breaks out, it becomes her only means of survival.

As the infection spreads like wildfire, Kate receives a desperate call from her son, Carter. Trapped in a dorm room with no way out, it falls on Kate to rescue him.

But cars have become a liability in the apocalypse—and standing between Kate and Carter are 200 miles of impassable, zombie-infested roadways.

Kate already lost her husband. Determined not…


Book cover of Dread Nation

C.M. Lockhart Author Of We Are the Origin

From my list on Black girls who aren’t all that nice.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a Black woman who writes stories about Black girls who aren’t all that nice. And, to me, that means writing stories where Black girls are at the forefront of their stories and given the space to be whoever they are, wholly and without minimizing their character to make them fit into neat boxes next to others. I do this because being able to take up space as you are is, oftentimes, a privilege. And I want to make sure the stories I write offer that space to every reader who picks up one of my books.

C.M.'s book list on Black girls who aren’t all that nice

C.M. Lockhart Why did C.M. love this book?

I would not be a writer had I not read this book. It was the first time I saw a Black girl be the main character in a fantasy novel, and she doesn’t limit herself to playing by the rules.

Jane McKeene is a troublemaker with a smart mouth, but she’s fearless against the shamblers (zombies), resourceful, and her complicated friendship with Kate was something I loved every minute of.

By Justina Ireland,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked Dread Nation as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

Trained at Miss Preston's School of Combat for Negro Girls in both weaponry and etiquette, Jane McKeene is poised for a successful career protecting the wealthy from the encroaching plague of walking dead. But when families begin to go missing, Jane uncovers a conspiracy that pits her against some powerful enemies. Sent far from home, Jane will need all her resourcefulness, wit and strength of character to survive.

A powerful, compelling tale of a young girl's journey through a hostile world, Jane McKeene is an unforgettable protagonist, and Dread Nation is an unforgettable book.


Book cover of Warm Bodies
Book cover of Return of the Living Dead
Book cover of Exodus

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