I love survival fiction. It’s fun to read about what people might do in worst-case scenarios. If you need some motivation to prepare for a disaster or inspiration to get through one, try reading one of these books.
If you know of any other books that should be on this list, please say so in the comments section. The books are in alphabetical order.
1. Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank. The struggle for survival in a small Florida town after a nuclear war cuts it off from the rest of civilization.
2. Brushfire Plague by R.P. Ruggiero. A devastating plague pushes society into chaos. Meanwhile, one man searches for a cure when his son falls ill.
3. Dark Advent by Brian Hodge. Post-apocalyptic story about life after an illness wipes out most of the world’s population.
4. Earth Abides by George R. Stewart. The attempt to build a new civilization and preserve knowledge after a plague wipes out most of mankind.
5. Footfall by Larry Niven. After aliens invade Earth, the people must learn to survive in urban areas without the infrastructure they once depended on.
6. Good News by Edward Abbey. The economy collapses and a small group of people in Arizona attempt to fend off a rising military dictatorship.
7. Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. A young-adult novel that chronicles the aftermath of an asteroid knocking the moon out of orbit. Many aspects of survival are involved.
8. Lights Out by David Crawford. This book chronicles the challenges of Mark “Karate Man” Turner when the lights go out over most of the free world. He must find in himself the ability to unite his family, friends, and neighbors if any of them are to survive the harsh reality that everyday life becomes when the veneer of civilization is stripped away.
9. Lucifer’s Hammer by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. After a comet strikes, the shit hits the fan overnight and chaos follows.
10. No Blade of Grass by John Christopher. A plague wipes out most of the world’s grain. The story follows a group of survivors fleeing London.
11. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood. After humanity has been mostly wiped out by a plague, one man struggles to survive in a world where he may be the last human.
12. Out of the Ashes by William W. Johnstone. In a post-apocalyptic America, a man searching for his family ends up joining the Resistance forces.
13. Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse by James Wesley Rawles. The most educational survival novel out there. Great story, but reads like a non-fiction book at times.
14. Survivors by Terry Nation. The survivors of a severe pandemic migrate south to get away from dangerous neighbors.
15. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. A dystopian novel about a girl who is forced by her government to participate in a game of survival where the last person alive wins.
16. The Stand: Expanded Edition by Stephen King. Follows the stories of various survivors after a plague kills 99% of the population. Great story of good versus evil.
17. Vandenberg by Oliver Lang. A cold war novel about life in the United States after the invasion of Soviet Russia.
18. Wolf And Iron by Gordon R. Dickson. After an economic collapse, a lone man travels across the country and eventually starts a new community.
19. World Made by Hand by James Howard Kunstler. Peak oil, pandemics, and nuclear terrorism all play a role in the story of people who have to learn basic skills in an agrarian village.
20. Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O’brien. Story of a young woman surviving on her parents’ farm after a nuclear war.
Bic Parker says
April 4, 2019 at 5:46 amI’d like to recommend my novel ( THE GOLDEN MOMENT ) a survival story, by Bic Parker. Its new and not long out, If you like cliff hangers give it a read, I’m sure you’ll like it. B P
Kyle says
December 21, 2016 at 3:26 pmOne Second After and 1 year after are both Great books.
Cyberstorm is another great book.
Podcast 1 has a Thrilling tells podcast and they do audiobooks and that’s where I heard these books.
They do a New book every Monday and post 1 hour episodes til the book is finished and release them all on Mondays.
I’m a truck driver and it kills my time driving and love it.
Jeff says
October 13, 2016 at 6:06 pmThe “299 days” series is a good read too. It’s a 10 book series. I listened to them on audio book and they are great for long trips in the car.
a.freeholder says
September 16, 2016 at 9:03 amThe Dying Time: Impact and After The Dying Time by Raymond Dean White. Very prepper friendly and all too real.
Lisa Rodgers-Roberts says
October 22, 2015 at 7:52 pmyou would the think Hatchet by Gary Paulsen woulld be on on here
a.freeholder says
September 16, 2016 at 9:04 amHatchet should not only be on this list, it should be required reading for anyone who goes into the woods.
Tinker Young says
September 27, 2015 at 11:45 amI realize it’s a children’s book, but I enjoyed Hatchet. It was a required book report for one of my kids.
Ha Will says
November 4, 2016 at 10:01 amIt’s mislabeled. This isn’t really a survival fiction list, it’s a post apocalypse fiction list. Otherwise Hatchet would be here.
patty says
December 7, 2017 at 7:44 pmHatchet would be a great addition to this list. It shows the dynamic growth of a character. Most readers don’t get that the boy attempts suicide about half way through the novel and is committed to change in the last half of the book. He’s whinny and a whoa-is-me character until the change and then he becomes a confident, mature character. Gary Paulsen is a phenomenal writer!!!
Omi says
July 26, 2015 at 8:47 amStrongly recommend the “Holding their own” series by Joe Nobody. Here’s the Amazon link to the series. http://smile.amazon.com/Holding-Their-Own-10-Book/dp/B011964E0U/
Cee says
May 16, 2016 at 5:13 pmYes. Great
Thomas Neighbor says
April 30, 2015 at 6:42 am“In The Land of White Death” by Valerian Albanov is a true story about a group searching for new hunting grounds and one of my personal favorites. Another great read was “Survive The Savage Sea”, all be it, another true story (true stories of survival have always been more intriguing to me) about Dougal Robertson and his family surviving 38 days in open ocean after their sail boat was sunk by randy whales. Both are well written, easy, satisfying reads. Thanks for sharing this list.
alanz11 says
May 1, 2015 at 5:36 amI’ve never heard of those. Thanks for sharing, I’ll have to add them to my wishlist.
Curt Greenleaf says
March 15, 2015 at 2:22 pmGoing Home series (based on an EMP) by A. American incorporates many items and situations.
Cee says
May 16, 2016 at 5:14 pmYes loved them. A long lonely road.
Anchorchick says
February 10, 2015 at 2:46 pmSwan Song by Robert McCammon is a fave!
kimbergram says
August 22, 2015 at 9:05 pmWould definitely agree, Swan Song is an amazing book that combines the perfect amount of the extra-ordinary with the realities of a harsh world after nuclear war. One of my favorites!
a.freeholder says
September 16, 2016 at 9:00 amTotally agree and I’d add One Second After by William Forstchen.
R. Raskalnikov says
March 28, 2018 at 2:15 amDefinitely One Second After, an EMP survival situation. Another new one All Systems Down, by BA Anderson similar but survival in a big city after an EMP. EMP by a rogue state is considered by the US military one of the 5 most likely apocalyptic events. Non-fiction I would recommend as an easy read on the topic Anthony Furey’s Pulse Attack.
Kathy says
February 1, 2015 at 7:43 pmI loved the Last Light series by Terri Blackstock. One Second After was good,too.
Cee says
May 16, 2016 at 5:15 pmYep and One Year After.
John Scherber says
November 6, 2014 at 2:33 pmI’d like to recommend my own novel about a bio-terror attack and its aftermath. It just came out last week. Your readers might enjoy this fictional take on a subject on everyone’s mind today:
Jihad in America travels on the wind. Can the government, dodgy as it is, possibly stand up to a real attack?
While a nuclear terrorist attack is unlikely, in a bio-terror epidemic, the genetically engineered plague is invisible. Our borders are vulnerable, and metal detectors are useless, even as ISIS, the Islamic State, raises its menacing black flag in Syria and Iraq.
What if the government is helpless, gridlocked in perpetual party conflict and rancor?
BEYOND TERRORISM: SURVIVAL is the fictional story of two unlikely strangers who found a way to survive the apocalypse, the most deadly terrorist attack in history.
Read a sample on my website: http://www.sanmiguelallendebooks.com/beyondterrorism.html
David W Salazar says
June 9, 2013 at 4:32 pmOryx and Crake by margaret atwood
Anonymous says
January 14, 2013 at 6:51 amPretty comprehensive. Nice job!
Anonymous says
January 1, 2013 at 3:37 pmNo swan song?
Urban Alan says
January 1, 2013 at 3:55 pmThat’s right, I love that book! Can’t believe I didn’t think of it. At some point I’ll revise my top 20.
Julie says
September 14, 2012 at 8:52 amThere’s a Young Adult series by Susan Pfeffer that starts with the book, Life As We Knew It. It chronicles the aftermath of an asteroid knocking the moon out of orbit. It’s about survival – food, energy, illness, family. Good for young ones to read, but I loved the 3-book series myself as I love dystopian fiction.
Judy Smith says
August 7, 2012 at 11:49 amalso check out “Dies the Fire” by S. M. Stirling published in 2004. where the author does point out with the actions taken in this story by the characters, that being aware and not sitting around waiting for things to fix themselves or wait for help (that never comes) means survival. Also being prepared to defend what you have from those who would simply take. The twist is that laws of physics have been twisted so gunpowder abd batteries do not work in addition to the usual electronic failures of an EM pulse.
Paul Stevens says
August 13, 2016 at 8:36 amDies the Fire wa a great series for at least the first four novels. Tails off a little after that, but so far I have persisted and managed to get my dollars worth out of them.
Liam Fisher says
May 22, 2012 at 8:55 pmI’d add Wofl and Iron by Gordon R. Dickson, and the Deathland series by Axler. I’m writing a similar type of story over on my blog at http://www.liamfisher.com
Darrel Edson says
March 20, 2012 at 12:00 pmI would like to suggest that you add “The Last Centurion” By John Ringo. Even though I am a left leaning moderate and he writes this from the point of view the right, I found it immensely interesting on how the downfall world economy occurs and what it takes to be able to survive and pull ourselves back up.
Jeremiah Thompson says
January 8, 2012 at 12:59 amanother good series is the Deathlands series by James Axler.
Urban Alan says
January 19, 2012 at 2:39 pmLooks really interesting. Thanks!
Pabaylis says
November 20, 2011 at 5:08 amThe Road – Cormac McCarthy
TN_Dave says
August 31, 2011 at 9:14 pmGreat List! One Second After by William Forstchen is also a great read!
Tom says
August 21, 2015 at 7:01 pmAnother vote for One Second After. very well written. It deals with the scenario of an unknown agent launching nukes and creating high altitude EMP’s which fry the grid of a number of countries, although this book deals with a small town in North Carolina. The main character is a History professor (as is fortschen) who was formerly in the army and taught military history and strategy. This character becomes one of the lead figures in the town, helping to direct their strategy in dealing with the collapse of the grid, setting up defenses, dealing with the issues of food, water, and medical care. Also how to handle the massive movements of refugee’s abandoning the cities en mass & the mass marauder gangs that have been preying on anyone they come across. The writer obviously put a lot of time and research into this book & it’s one of the best of it’s genre.