The University of North Georgia recently experienced a barrage of bad weather, including an ice storm, affectionately dubbed the “Icepocalypse,” that left hundreds without power and covered the roads in black ice. In light of these recent events, let’s take a look at some of the best post-apocalyptic novels and be thankful our weather wasn’t worse! So go grab your scarves and some hot chocolate – we’re in for some chilly reading!
1. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
The Road is incredibly bleak: an unnamed father and son are traveling across a post-apocalyptic landscape to the sea, and everything they see along the way is dead. No animals or plants have survived, and everything is covered in grey ash. The other survivors, starving, have turned to cannibalism, so the father and son must avoid populated areas. Read the book to find out if the duo survives their journey!
2. The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
This series is set in a post-apocalyptic North America called “Panem,” where the rich have gotten richer and the poor are dying of starvation. Each year, the ruling Capitol holds a “Hunger Games” competition wherein 24 teenagers must fight each other to the death. When Katniss’s younger sister is chosen, Katniss volunteers to compete in her place, and she inadvertently changes the course of Panem’s future.
3. Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
Warm Bodies is a bit like a modern Romeo and Juliet, except this one has a happy ending. When the novel starts off, “R” is just a regular ol’ zombie. He spends his time in a dreary haze, shuffling around and eating brains, and he’s fine with it. Well, he’s fine with it until he meets Julie, a very real human being who is bright and colorful and alive. R ends up saving Julie’s life, and the two begin a very tumultuous friendship that will forever change both of their worlds.
4. Planet of the Apes, by Pierre Boulle
A group of space and time travelers land on an Earth-like planet called Soror, which is inhabited by apes. These apes are very much like men, as they wear clothing, have a governing system, and even run their own advanced research facilities. They also hate men and treat them like test subjects. Will the humans adapt and survive in their new surroundings, or will they fall to the new regime?
5. The Walking Dead, written by Robert Kirkman and illustrated by Tony Moore
While technically not a novel — it’s a comic! — The Walking Dead definitely deserves a place on this list. Rick Grimes, a sheriff’s deputy in Kentucky, is wounded in action and falls into a coma. When he wakes up, everyone is gone — his wife, his son, his partner — and zombies overwhelm the Earth. Will Rick find his family? Are there any other survivors? Check out the comics or AMC’s TV adaptation to find out!