“When there’s no more room in Hell, the dead will walk the Earth.”
From Night of the Living Dead to The Walking Dead, zombie outbreaks and apocalypses have captured our imaginations for decades now. Put simply, zombies are the horror villains that just refuse to die. And the literary world is certainly no different. Ever since I Am Legend by Richard Matheson in the 1950s, authors have pushed the zombie subgenre in new and increasingly terrifying directions. From the dystopian to the gorey, join us here at What We Reading as we look back at some of the most grizzly zombie apocalypse books!
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War (World War Z) – Max Brooks
Max Brooks’ World War Z is one of the most defining works in Zombie Fiction and tells the story of the Zombie War. The book chronicles Brooks’ surveying of the post-apocalyptic world left behind from the conflict that nearly drove humanity to extinction. From the origins of the conflict to the devastation left in its wake, Brooks covers the length of the country exploring the lives of the people caught in the crossfire.
The end result is a superb piece of horror that not only blends the vivid with the gorey but also captures scathing realities about humanity’s connectivity and attitudes in the real world.
Patient Zero – Jonathan Maberry
Whether you loved or loathed the 2018 film, Jonathan Maberry’s Patient Zero is still one of the most defining zombie apocalypse books going. One of the best books in the genre for readers who love military-style zombie stories, Patient Zero is centred around the innovative premise of one man who has the ability to understand and communicate with the infected.
Zombies are often portrayed as mindless, unintelligent beings so to see this nuanced approach playing out makes Maberry’s work all the more interesting. Throw in a cast of likeable characters, plenty of gripping cliffhangers and countless moments of gore and Patient Zero is still a must-read for any zombie lover.
Autumn – David Moody
Blending Night of the Living Dead with War of the Worlds, David Moody’s Autumn follows a small group of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world where 99% of the population were killed within 24 hours.
‘Phase two’ of this contagion leads to the dead rising from their graves, and the survivors begin to notice how their lumbering slow movements gradually give way to faster, more aggressive movements as their instincts and abilities are regained. Emphasising suspense and atmosphere over gore, Autumn is one of the most unique zombie apocalypse books. The ‘Z’ word isn’t even mentioned once!
This Is Not A Test (This Is Not A Test #1) – Courtney Summers
For one of the best young adult zombie apocalypse series, Courtney Summers’ This is Not a Test is a great go-to. The first book in the series introduces readers to six students in a high school, taking shelter from the end of the world and the zombies pounding on the front doors. The book’s protagonist is Sloane Price, a young woman who is perfectly content waiting for the zombies to break through and bite her.
However, through the lives and will to survive of her five fellow classmates, this outlook begins to flip. A gripping tale of survival that is as compelling in its character studies as it is in its gore, Summers’ series is one of the best series for anyone looking for their next dystopian YA read.
Monster Island (Monster Island #1) – David Wellington
Set in a post-apocalyptic world where all of the world’s developed nations have fallen to the hordes of shambling zombie masses, readers are whisked to the streets of New York City in David Wellington’s Monster Island series.
The opening book in the series introduces a group of schoolgirls-turned-soldiers who are transported to the city in search of medical supplies. Led by their guide, Dekalb, a former United Nations weapons inspector, Monster Island is one of the most pulsating contemporary zombie books with a take on the undead unlike any other in the genre.
Aftertime (Aftertime #1) – Sophie Littlefield
A Goodreads Choice Award nominee for Best Horror, Sophie Littlefiel’s Aftertime series opens with Cass Dollar waking up in a bleak landscape, scarred from head to toe with a vague recollection of surviving horrific.
Discovering a world that has been ravaged by an apocalypse that has turned people into flesh-hungry cannibals, Cass realises that her daughter, Ruthie, has vanished. Across a backdrop of a Californian setting where humanity teeters on the edge of survival, Aftertime follows Cass on her gruelling quest to locate her daughter, avoiding the stream of dangers from humans and cannibals alike in the process.
The Forest Of Hands And Teeth (The Forest Of Hands And Teeth #1) – Carrie Ryan
Carrie Ryan’s The Forest of Hands and Teeth is another one of the best YA zombie apocalypse books in the horror world. Readers follow Mary and her simple rules to life: obey the Sisterhood and mind the fence that guards her village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth that surrounds it.
However, as she grows older, Mary begins to spot the inconsistencies in the stories that she’s been told. When the fence guarding the village finally breaks, she is forced to choose between all that she knows and the potential of a future life outside a world consumed so much by death.
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Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
