Apocalypse! The Five Best End of the World Novels

Stephen King, Margaret Atwood, Douglas Adams, and More

Apocalypse novels are a fascinating way to do some creepy reading. From the lone survivor story to the classic battle between good and evil, these books can be thought-provoking as well as highly entertaining. The authors' visions of how the world would continue after the human race is nearly wiped out are varied, often frightening, and rarely optimistic.

Apocalypse novels are a sort of splinter group within science fiction. You may also hear them referred to as end-of-the-world books or as speculative fiction. Here is a list of the most absorbing and often scariest of these books. Technically, there are ten books listed with the comparisons and the honorable mentions.

The Stand by Stephen King
Here is a book that has been read by millions. It's a great introduction to the genre as it has everything: massive destruction, good and evil groups, painful struggles for survival, skirmishes along a journey, and a final battle for the "soul" of humankind. While some people will think it's sacrilege to say that The Stand is better than Swan Song by Robert McCammon, McCammon's resolution of that battle just wasn't as convincing. The contest between The Stand and Swan Song may be one where the book you read first will always win. They're that similar and they're both fantastic reads.

Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
If you'd like more science with your fiction, this is an excellent place to turn. There's nothing here that couldn't happen, and it's impressive to realize the amount of research that's gone into the topic. The reader familiar with parts of California may find him or herself recalling the places wistfully, as though they had actually vanished under a tsunami. Lucifer's Hammer is also a natural disaster novel, rather than one where mankind orchestrates his own destruction. Humanity's loss of control is nearly complete and the results are fascinating and frightening in turn.