2024: The Year of the Apocalypse

Ah, The Stand. I had to start with this one. I read it oh so many years ago and loved it so much that I’ve read it again and again.

In the wake of a viral outbreak, most of the world is dead. The few survivors soon feel the pull towards one of two forces—either the compelling dreams of Mother Abagail or the dark persuasions of “Dark Man” Randall Flagg. The two groups converge in an impending battle of good and evil.

The Passage is the first in a trilogy about a government experiment gone wrong. They’ve been using convicted felons on death row to experiment with a biological element that can potentially make said villains into a super-force of warriors. What could go wrong? As it turns out, everything.

As the few survivors are left in a world plagued with with virals (Cronin’s version of monstrous vampire-like creatures), they’re forced to examine what’s worth fighting for in this world. This one is epic!

Swan Song is a lengthy tome about the ravages of nuclear war. Written in a similar way as The Stand and The Passage, it tracks the lives of those who survive and the paths that they then pursue.

At the heart of it all is a young girl, Swan, who holds the power to bring life back to the ravaged earth. But those who want power for themselves aren’t going to back down. They’re ruthless, selfish, brutal and armed. It’s a formidable battle with the future of both mankind and the environment at its center.

After the success of the movies (four vs. the three books), you probably know all about The Hunger Games. This is a great example of a Young Adult book that I’m willing to recommend (there aren’t many).

Katniss Everdeen lives in an impoverished district under the authoritarian control of the capital. Each year, in order to remind the people of the cost of their rebellion, the capital chooses one boy and one girl from each district to play in the games—a fight to the death. But this time the people have had enough.

Juliette lives and works as a mechanic in a nuclear silo. Outside, the world is a toxic wasteland. When the sheriff is punished with exile—sent outside to clean the sensors—she finds herself promoted to his place.

Within her new position she soon discovers that there are secrets in the silo. Suspecting a conspiracy, she sets out to uncover what the powers-that-be have hidden from the people. But digging into things that are supposed to remain hidden could result in her exile. Which does she want more: security or truth?

One Second After is about an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) detonated above America, sending the country back to a pre-technological era. The main character, John Matherson, is a retired General turned history professor.

The writing in this book is the weakest of any on this list. And regardless of the degree of your patriotism, the constant and repetitive patriotic allusions grow tiresome. Still, I read the entire trilogy. They’re worthwhile due to Forstchen’s considerable knowledge of history and the importance of the subject matter. The books prompt a thoughtful consideration of how such an attack could impact us.

At the end of a ten-year zombie war—a result of a global pandemic—one man travels the globe recording the experiences of the men and women who battled to survive the deadliest threat they’d ever known.

Like all good zombie storytelling, this is a story about people—the living. It’s about what they’re willing to do, for good or evil to survive; about their ingenuity, their strategic foresight; how they came together and tore each other apart. Brooks received a Kirkus starred review for this book. You don’t want to miss out on it!

The Road is a post-apocalyptic tale of a father and son traveling towards the coast after a long period of nuclear war. Their way is hard—through a barren landscape devoid of plants and animals; where the snow is gray and rivers are sludge; and where the few remaining people have resorted to cannibalism and lie in wait for their fellow man.

This is a story of a man’s love for his son and of those things that truly matter in life when everything else is stripped away.

Written in 1959, Alas, Babylon is startlingly relevant to our era. At the start of the novel, drinker, womanizer and over-spender Randy Bragg learns that war is imminent. Days later, a nuclear war breaks out between the US and Russia.

In his small town in Florida, he is miraculously spared from the worst of it. After the bombs cease, he and the other members of his town struggle to find a way to survive in a country that’s now devoid of all modern conveniences. And Bragg must learn how to be the responsible leader that they all need.

Another EMP book, this one is the first in a series of seven tales about Hannah Sheridan. For the past five years, a psychopath kept her captive until an EMP unlocked the door of her prison.

She escapes with nothing and sets out for rural Michigan hoping to reunite with her husband and child. Along the way, she meets an ex-soldier and together the two of them continue on amidst the harsh winter, the desperate, violent people around them, and her captive who’s hot on her trail. This one’s a thriller!