Top Five Post-Apocalyptic Books

In continuing the theme I started last week, this week I will be going over my top five favorite post-apocalyptic books. There are a ton of them out there, but this will only cover five. I could easily write a top ten, but I believe that will stick with the format I’ve grown accustomed to.

Three of the books I will be listing are actual series. I know that I titled this my top five books, but it’s my list and even if they are series, they’re still books.

One of the books I will be listing does not have a nuclear holocaust as the end of the world, it’s a plague. Don’t worry though, it’s not a zombie apocalypse. That’s another top five list I could easily compile, my first one non-withstanding.

I will bring up a couple of honorable mentions however, books that did not quite make it into my top five but are still worthy of your time to track down and read.

‘The Passage’ and ‘The Twelve’ by Justin Cronin. ‘A Canticle of Lebowitz’, although dated, very well written. I am Legend (the original short story) and Starman’s son. These are books that have stuck with me for many a year after reading them.

Also this week’s list is in the order in which I personally believe they should be documented. As always this is my personal view and list. I’m always on the lookout for worthwhile novels to read and welcome suggestions.

1. Outlanders by Mark Ellis – This series had a great impact upon my life and I am very lucky to have contributed to it when Mark allowed me to co-write ‘Mask of the Sphinx’. The series, even though it’s post-apocalyptic, is far more science fiction and if Mark would have had his way when he created it, would have been. Instead it is a continuation of the venerable (and soon to end) series ‘Deathlands’. The series is about a small group of men and women who have discovered everything they knew is essentially a lie. The reason behind the holocaust which nearly destroyed humanity, the century of chaos which followed and finally the splitting up of the country and the formation of the baronies. The group make use of an old base and being their fight against oppression and discover the truth behind the lies. This series involved everything I loved… space travel, exploration, dimensional jumping, you name it. All wrapped up in a neat little package. Even though Mark was forced to end his time on the series, with Gold Eagle closing down, he will be returning and breathing new life into it.
2. The Stand by Stephen King - In this epic tale of good versus evil, it isn’t a nuclear war that ravages the world, but a plague. The survivors, all of who are immune to the plague, find themselves forming two factions, one good, and the other essentially evil. The best part of this massive book in my view is the characterization and how the two sides deal with one another. The sad part is how the book ended, but with the exception of several of King’s more recent books, he never was very good at ending his epic tales. If you can  find it I would recommend watching the mini-series that came out in the 90’s. That was how a book should have been done for television.
3. Swan Song by Robert McCammon – Another truly epic novel involving a nuclear holocaust and the survivors trying to make their way in the aftermath. The characters presented are varied and eclectic, and include a homeless woman, a former pro-wrestler and many others. As with ‘The Stand’ what really drew me to this novel was the characterization. As the characters grew and changed, I found myself being draw into their plight and developing real feelings for them. The villains were as they should be portrayed, as monsters, although some were misguided. The setting was incredibly bleak and foreboding and really makes one glad a nuclear holocaust has never occurred.
4. Survivalist by Jerry Ahern – One of the series I read while I was in high-school. It was set apart from all the other macho gun-porn novels of that era by several factors. First, the characterization. The characters were super-human in many ways, but they had their flaws as well, although that did not come into play often. The way the author described the villains as well, especially the Russians in the first nine novels. Sure, they had invaded the states after the holocaust, but they were not all mindless killing machines. And finally how the series was all about friends, family and loyalty. I have to admit you could really tell that Jerry was getting tired of the series in the last few novels, and I was disappointed in how it ended, but this series was still a favorite of mine and will always remain as such.
5. Deathlands by James Axler – Ah, the only series to have survived from the 80’s until this day. Sadly this series will come to a close at the end of the year, unless another publishing house picks up the rights. The first 33 were written by Laurence James, but the rest have been compiled by a series of ghost writers. These other writers have run the gamut from outright terrible and amateurish to exceptionally talented. In a nutshell the series is about a group of survivors who have banded together and use lost technology to travel across the states and the globe, always looking for a better place. I loved the feeling of discovery and the mutants that were portrayed in the series, as well as the continuity. For me that was always important, but it disappeared once Laurence James finished writing for the series. I even wanted to write for it but long since gave up those dreams.