SHTF. Book series | TheaterFire

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Competitive_Web_6658@reddit

The Passage trilogy has fantastical elements (vampire virus), but also looks at how various people cope with the collapse of civilization, and the societies they build afterwards.

The MaddAdam trilogy by Margaret Atwood shows the slow decay and inevitable collapse of an ultra-consumerist United States in the final stages of climate change and mass extinction. The POV alternates between pre-apocalypse and post-apocalypse.

I do NOT recommend S. M. Stirling’s Emberverse series. I’m not sure how best to describe it, but as a kid I was forced to read a lot of cheesy Christian lit. This series was exactly like that, but for Wiccans. Much like how Book of the Unnamed Midwife (1st in a trilogy) ended up being secretly about magical Mormons. Maybe that’s your thing, but it isn’t mine.

Honorable mentions (all stand-alone novels):

Station Eleven by Emily St. Vincent Mandel is about society collapsing and then rebuilding after a super flu. The excellent HBO series made significant changes to the source material, and you can enjoy them both separately.

Rivers by Michael Farris Smith is about a widower struggling to survive in a near-future Florida devastated by climate change and abandoned by the US government. If you like this, you will also like American War by Omar El Akkad.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy. This one speaks for itself.

I really liked Alas, Babylon when I first read it over a decade ago. When I revisited it earlier this year I found it overly saccharine and nationalistic, however. So obviously right after I finished it I read On The Beach, and then cried on my couch. Both are about the immediate aftermath of nuclear war. On The Beach will ruin, at minimum, your entire day.

War Day is interesting, but it does earn a couple eye rolls because the author is a nut (claims he was abducted by “otherworldly visitors” IRL), and the book is about fictionalized versions of him and his friends living though a limited nuclear exchange. Similar format to WWZ.

Another anthology type book I enjoyed was Robopocalypse by Daniel H Wilson. This book is the reason I say please and thank you to Siri.

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Realistic-Middle-276@reddit

Second Alas Babylon. That’s one I enjoy returning to (and the audio book is excellent thanks to the brilliance of Will Patton)

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TacticoolPeter@reddit

Technically more of an aftermath- few years later series, but A World Made By Hand and the subsequent three books that follow are great. Do they incorporate some fantasy kind of magic-yes. But, as novels, they are 100 percent better than any other prepper type book. There is probably as much actionable useful information woven into the story as anything else in the genre, but it’s not militia porn or a gear list with a story woven around it.

I have read a good chunk of the books mentioned, but this series I have read in its entirety probably four or five times over the years.

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Realistic-Middle-276@reddit

Also a World Made By Hand fan.

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i_like_pigmy_goats@reddit

I highly recommend Frank Tayell’s ‘Surviving the Evacuation’ series. It’s a really well written series and highlights the issues with STTF.

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Rachaelmm1995@reddit

Not a series but Cell by Stephen King.

Too tier.

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kristaporbrg@reddit

Not a serie but one book. Lights out by David Crawford.

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Mala_Suerte1@reddit

Awesome book. He had some interest from movie producers, but I don't think it got too far.

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JJShurte@reddit

Are any of these actually good books? Or are they just good prepper books?

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Mala_Suerte1@reddit

Some are actually really good reads. Others, like Rawles' books, not so much.

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BackgroundFan4899@reddit

Going home by a. American is good reas

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JJShurte@reddit

I’ve got that on my TBR pile - I’m gonna break it down and analysis it to see what it’s so popular…. Then do a podcast about it lol

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Solo1961@reddit

It's been years since I've read it, but what I remember the most is the protagonist has a bottomless rucksack. He has everything in it. It must weigh a couple of hundred pounds.

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iamfaedreamer@reddit

yet he an obese 40 something IT worker had no trouble carrying it the entire length of Florida lol.

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Coderado@reddit

Good, but the DHS flag had me lol-ing. It has so much prepper fantasy, it's a little ridiculous. I did read the first 7 books though.

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Resident_Channel_869@reddit (OP)

I'm going to look up and preview all of these on audible that way I can figure out what ones are educational and a good read.

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TacticoolPeter@reddit

The World Made By Hand series I mention in another comment is great literature and an enjoyable read to me. Most others in this genre not so much, not that I haven’t read them still.

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Kradget@reddit

I thought it was okay, but a lot of Boomer self fluffing. I was tired of it before I finished it

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JJShurte@reddit

With the priest and the giant woman and the guy banging his neighbour’s wife?

If so, I’ve read that… I liked it. but I wouldn’t classify it as prepper fiction. Post-apoc for sure, but not a whole lot of survival/prep stuff in there.

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Think-Preference-451@reddit

One second after. First book being the best. The scope of the rebuilding grows after that and it's a bit hard to relate. But still interesting. 5 books in total I believe.

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joelnicity@reddit

I didn’t even finish the first book. I thought it was very boring

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RainboGravity@reddit

I had a hard time finishing it because of the author’s writing style. Just very cliche dialogue, it almost read like a high schooler wrote it. But the concept is good enough that I do still think about it every once in a while.

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Mala_Suerte1@reddit

The content is good, but the writing style is very formulaic. Even in the third book, it was the same writing pattern. Generally, new authors move away from the formula they used in their first book or two, especially by the third book.

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eninjari@reddit

Agreed. It gave a good picture of what could happen after an EMP but The characters were flat, cheesy dialogue and in some scenes it was hard to believe people doing/ saying those things.

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DisastrousSoup9550@reddit

Stephen kings under the dome.

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Ok_Fill5219@reddit

Don’t listen to the audio version. It’s way worse. I liked the book, tried audio for 3&4. The narrator is bad!

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RainboGravity@reddit

Too late! Yeah it was a bit rough.

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TrekRider911@reddit

Four books. Book one great, book two not bad, book three meh, and the author said he didn't even wanna write book four (it was bad). :)

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Mala_Suerte1@reddit

Yep, skip book 4, but the other three are good.

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Mysterious_Touch_454@reddit

only read the first book, it was good.

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ragnarockette@reddit

The first book is like right winger fan fic.

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tempest1523@reddit

Good series to get you thinking. Granted this is a worst case scenario. But the first book was the best, it was enough to get the point across of what it could look like.

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NietzschesAneurysm@reddit

Not a series, but I nominate Lucifer's Hammer.

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Mala_Suerte1@reddit

One of the classics in the genre.

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SeasonDramatic@reddit

The Bible

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tekc92@reddit

Commune Series Books 1-4 by Joshua Gayou. They may not qualify as prepper but definitely SHTF event. I don’t know books 5+ where the setting and characters change. Audible has the books performed by R.C. Bray who I enjoy.

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3Dprintr123@reddit

im not sure, but the movie homestead was based off of a book series, and if its anything like the movie, its probably pretty epic.

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italiansaladdressing@reddit

The books are one million times better than the movie, and I enjoyed the movie. Black Autumn series.

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Civil_Employee_4736@reddit

World War Z :)

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DisastrousSoup9550@reddit

Read the book saw movie in theater.

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FatherOfGreyhounds@reddit

The book was excellent, the movie not so much.

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terrierhead@reddit

It should have been a limited run series instead of that movie. The film had nothing to do with the book.

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AllPowerToTheSovietc@reddit

The audiobook is also one of the best!

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DisastrousSoup9550@reddit

My prepper friend on youtube,she told me about, a year without the grocery store. great book.

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HorribleHufflepuff@reddit

Lucifer’s Hammer by Larry Niven. Asteroid slams into earth. 1977 but still fresh and relevant.

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8Deer-JaguarClaw@reddit

The book Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer and two of the sequels are pretty darn good. The first is a total banger, the next two are worth reading if you like the first one. There is a fourth, but it's not that great.

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bscott59@reddit

Patriot series James Wesley Rawles

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budget_philosopher_T@reddit

How we end is an interesting take on "normal" people surviving (zombies- non americanised- not standard prepper) i think i liked it for its deviation from the "norm" in this genre

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Unicorn187@reddit

The October Fall series. And the books by other authors... mostly. Some are not so good. Supposed to be 3 eras. Currently.they are finishing the first, the initial EMP and a few months after, next two will be the long term and rebuilding.

Thomas Hammer by Austin Chambers (pen name). Then the Venom Spear sequels. Which won't have a typical happy ending in the long term according to the author.

The Borrowed World series, especially the first few. The first of the Mad Mick series. There's another trilogy, something like 75 miles or something like that.

Fight like a girl, Runn lke spmething.. I think a series of four books.

I've read a huge amount of books in the last few months so titles start to blend.

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budget_philosopher_T@reddit

The fight like a girl one was alright disnt mind it but i havnt finished the series (got sidetracked)

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Meanness_52@reddit

I like the October falls series and you're right some books are better than others. But what I really like about it is the fact that it has spread out to different states, different people with different skill sets. Some of it is kinda hokey (the ghosts).

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derppman@reddit

The series by James Wesley Rawles: Patriots, Survivors, Founders, etc...

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dachjaw@reddit

Unfortunately, this book has had more influence on the prepper community than any other. What a pity, since there are so many better candidates. I've reviewed this book elsewhere. TL;DR The book is fundamentally flawed by trying to be both a novel and a how-to guide. The characters do not even reach the level of "cardboard", so I can't tell one from the other, not that it matters because I just don't care about them. They do unrealistic things like wear fatigues at all times, shutter their house so they live without sunlight, move from the city and immediately grow enough to food to eat, worry more about car repair than burying their friends, shoot strangers without warning before heading to church, and defeat a mechanized army while suffering few casualties. My favorite characters are the Maoist hippie cannibals and the rape-loving Belgian UN officer. Sequels are available, but God knows why.

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CTSwampyankee@reddit

It’s a genre, not a manual. In an era where certain sentiments were popular among the “independent” minded, it filled the void.

Like all fiction, glean what you can from it.

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adelaarvaren@reddit

Agreed. These are just a bunch of cliches put on paper. Disappointing to me.

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derppman@reddit

It's definitely not a great guidebook, or even a halfway decent one at that, but it's a fun read none the less if you take it for what it is - a fictional book.

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shadow6654@reddit

I found them to be utter dogshit, horribly written and painful to read

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JamesRawles@reddit

I concur

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soffacc@reddit

In terms of Realistic Survival Series-then Going Home by A. American, 13 books in total now(still on going),it has both interesting science fiction plots and practical survival skills.

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CCWaterBug@reddit

Emberverse

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SniperInCherno@reddit

I really liked Black Autumn

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K02P@reddit

Going home A.American

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BlacklightChainsaw@reddit

World War Z or the Zombie Survival guide.

I would recommend The Road, but Jesus I don’t wish that on anyone…

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Many-Health-1673@reddit

The Road is something I would never want to live to see.

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-toadflax-@reddit

The Borrowed World by Franklin Horton

The series is known for its realistic and detailed portrayal of survival strategies, including the use of gear, weapons, and the emotional and social struggles of the characters.

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Many-Health-1673@reddit

The Borrowed World series is probably my favorite prepper book series.

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IT_King_2311@reddit

I love the books from Kyla Stone, especially the edge of collapse series :) Really well written, and keeping me on the edge

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Many-Health-1673@reddit

They are really well written, but it seemed like the first three books could have really been shortened into maybe two books. A great writer though.

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DeFiClark@reddit

Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents

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porkUpine4@reddit

well written and tough (emotionally) to read

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Few-Lawyer3707@reddit

The Road is a classic

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Sweet-Leadership-290@reddit

One Second After Series.

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Noremac55@reddit

The Earth Abides

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PNWmaker@reddit

Absolutely one of my favorite books and one I always recommend to other preppers or fans of dystopian/apocalypse fiction.

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regjoe13@reddit

Is the TV series any good?

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iamfaedreamer@reddit

I found the tv show incredibly dull and slow moving. the book itself was sort of slow too, but I mind that less in books.

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Noremac55@reddit

I liked it. The story has been adapted somewhat, but mostly in ways I liked. They did a really good job bringing it into the modern era. I have tried and failed to read the book twice since COVID (read three times before but too depressing now) so the show was a good way to revisit the story. I feel the book ending is more realistic, but in many ways the show ending is a lot happier and not so far fetched.

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rearg1@reddit

That's a great book

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ViperSteele@reddit

The Remaining by D.J Molles and Day by Day Armageddon by J.L. Bourne

They’re zombie apocalypse genre. But still great reads.

https://a.co/d/b1s77HD

https://a.co/d/2CZQptU

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Hurricaneshand@reddit

I'm on the 3rd remaining series book. They're solid especially as someone who read all of the splinter cell books back in the day

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ViperSteele@reddit

Yeah Molles did a great job with the characters, main stories, and I think he does a great job describing the battles. Easy reads and you’re hooked once you start reading!

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Complex_Confusion552@reddit

Encyclopedia Britannica

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foreversecond2@reddit

Slow Burn is fantastic After it Happened is my absolute favorite

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Abject-General-6572@reddit

Slow Burn is amazing!

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Bkozi@reddit

It comes across as more YA, but I really liked The Annual Migration of Clouds. I thought it did a really good job of describing community life after a collapse. Most of the background in the story really emphasized the changed mindsets around resource scarcity, particularly water.

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Resident_Channel_869@reddit (OP)

I will check it out

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cityprepping@reddit

Funny. Just released that video. Will follow this thread to see what people say.

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Abject-General-6572@reddit

Hey Chris good to see you!

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Relative-Ordinary-64@reddit

Didn’t know you were on here, Chris! That’s cool man!

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TacTurtle@reddit

1632 / Ring of Fire series if you want a couple entertaining sci-fi novels instead of hyper realistic TEOWAWKI

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AllPowerToTheSovietc@reddit

Just finished 1632, very good but felt like Grantville had it pretty easy. Sure being dropped into the 30 years war sucks, but they mostly used industry and trade to survive, which is not realistic for most SHTF scenarios.

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AllPowerToTheSovietc@reddit

The Emberverse series by s.m stirling has always been a favorite of mine. More sci-fi, all power, engines, and guns all stop working. Lots of focus on farming

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HiroPr0tag0nist@reddit

The first two or three books were fun but after that I thought they really fell off.

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AllPowerToTheSovietc@reddit

Agreed, plus only the first three really fit the SHTF theme. The latter 12 novels become more fantasy with a lot of filler.

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HiroPr0tag0nist@reddit

Did you ever read the companion trilogy to Emberverse? Called "does the fire"? The same event that messes stuff up in the Emberverse books, sends a small island (Nantucket) into the ancient past and the people on the island have to make do with what they have. It's kind of interesting.

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AllPowerToTheSovietc@reddit

I have read the Nantucket books! Very solid trilogy, and much more grounded than the Emberverse books. Really enjoyed the naval action and evolving military tech throughout.

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mckenner1122@reddit

I like the Foxfire books. I own the first three in hard copy and digital.

https://www.thriftbooks.com/series/the-foxfire-series/37162/

They’re nonfiction but entertaining enough to be a cozy read. Informative and worthwhile. Refreshingly free of typical apocalyptic tropes found in fiction.

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Impressive_Seat5182@reddit

I’ve loved these books since the 70’s when I found them during my back to the land era!

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anti-zastava@reddit

Industrial Society and its Future..

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Icy-Exchange-5985@reddit

100% the Black Autumn series.

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italiansaladdressing@reddit

My all time fav as well.

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Ebomb31@reddit

Same

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Nice_Flamingo203@reddit

Ive read one second after and the going home series. Borrowed world series is also excellent.

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Relative-Ordinary-64@reddit

299 days series

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Drexx_Redblade@reddit

Benjamin Wallace's Duck and Cover series.

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freeoctober@reddit

After It Happened by Devon Ford was pretty good. Even being based in the UK, there were still a lot of similarities if you are in the US due to how many guns were in that story.

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foreversecond2@reddit

My absolute favorite series

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goldman1290@reddit

Im not sure if you want fiction or like guides but if it's fiction, pretty much anything by Mark Tufo he's got like 4 or 5 apocalypse series.

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Drexx_Redblade@reddit

Yeah, Mark Tufo is great. I really liked his recent Devils Desk series.

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PrincessMurderMitten@reddit

The Calm Act series/Feral America series by Ginger Booth

Set in climate collapse USA, where the government blocks off areas to prevent climate refugees.

The Calizona series by Ralph Rotten

Redneck peppers win the lottery and build the bunker of their dreams. Then an asteroid hits the earth. Survival is way more work than they expected.

It's funny, raunchy and a lot of fun.

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Fair_Confusion6477@reddit

The Reversion from the Stonemont series by Steven Smith. Somewhat hopeful realism and be not too far fetched also got into the Long Road to Survival mainly because of the clash between the main characters a Grouchy ol’ timer and “rock star” sun-in-law. One I liked but started going down weird and enjoyable rabbit holes is The Ranch: The Legacy Series. Also Bruno Millers Dark Road series. As with most cases the first book of each is generally the best but they will all suck you in.

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BigfootIzzReal@reddit

The New World Series by G Michael Hopf

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smsff2@reddit

Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.

We don't need to rely on fiction—there are real-life examples of countries where SHTF and things went catastrophically wrong. Ranked by death toll, the top three are Communist China, Soviet Russia, and Nazi Germany. Yes, Hitler comes in only third.

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wishinforfishin@reddit

I read this in middle school because my older brother had to read for a class.

It had a profound impact on how I view life.

Two other non-fiction, if you don't mind a Christian perspective, that highlight societies that have gone wrong:

Tortured for Christ
Church Behind the Wire

Both are 1st person memoirs.

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jaejaeok@reddit

Encyclopedia of country living. Skills are everything.

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crazycarl36@reddit

BLACK AUTUMN

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j-mac563@reddit

First 3 or so books in the going home series by A. America. First 4ish books in Mad Mick series, by Franklin Horton. Most of the borrowed world series, also by Franklin Horton. After several books most have expanded well past simple survival and progress to region building or nation building.

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