World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War

Autumn

David Moody2011

A viral outbreak kills billions, and the corpses begin to move. Two groups of survivors with different philosophies are forced to work together.

clinical → bleak, still post-apocalyptic

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Blindness

José Saramago1999

An epidemic of sudden blindness strikes a city, leading to the collapse of social order. A small group struggles to survive in a filthy asylum.

clinical → bleak

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The night land

William Hope Hodgson1972

Millions of years after the sun dies, a man leaves an underground fortress to rescue a woman. The prose uses archaic, repetitive syntax.

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Macbeth

William Shakespeare

A Scottish general kills his king to take the throne after hearing a prophecy. His guilt and paranoia lead to a series of additional murders.

clinical → tense

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The Martian

Andy Weir2011

A man does arithmetic to stay alive on Mars. Problem, attempt, result, repeat.

clinical → wry, still epistolary

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The Comfort Book

Matt Haig2021

A collection of short reflections, lists, and anecdotes intended to provide mental support. It is a non-linear book of philosophy and memoir.

clinical → warm

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Odessa Sea

Clive Cussler2016

Dirk Pitt investigates a ghost ship in the Black Sea and discovers a conspiracy involving a lost Romanov secret. It is a high-speed adventure.

clinical → propulsive

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The Walking Dead, Book Six

Robert Kirkman2010

Survivors of a zombie plague attempt to build a community in a fortified neighborhood. The focus is on group politics and interpersonal conflict.

clinical → bleak, still post-apocalyptic

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28 Days Later

Alex Garland2002

A man wakes from a coma to find London deserted and overrun by humans infected with a rage virus. He joins a small group of survivors.

clinical → bleak, still post-apocalyptic

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Patient Zero

Jonathan Maberry2009

A detective joins a secret government task force to stop a terrorist group using a bio-weapon that reanimates the dead. It is an action thriller.

clinical → propulsive, still zombie horror

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Dhalgren

Samuel R. Delany1975

An amnesiac wanderer enters Bellona, a city cut off from the world where time and geography shift. He joins a gang and writes poetry.

clinical → dreamlike

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Gödel, Escher, Bach

Douglas R. Hofstadter1979

An exploration of how cognition emerges from hidden neurological patterns. It uses math, art, and music to explain self-referential systems.

clinical → playful

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Ulysses

James Joyce1914

Three characters wander through Dublin on a single day in 1904. Each chapter uses a different literary style to mimic thoughts and sensations.

clinical → playful

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The Walking Dead Vol. 7: Calm before

Robert Kirkman

Survivors attempt to maintain a stable community within a prison. Tensions rise as they prepare for an inevitable attack from a rival leader.

clinical → tense, still post-apocalyptic

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Zone One

Colson Whitehead2011

A sweeper squad clears Manhattan of lingering zombies and catatonic 'stragglers.' The focus is on the protagonist's memories and the city's decay.

clinical → elegiac, still post-apocalyptic

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One

Conrad Williams2009

A man walks across a scorched, post-apocalyptic Britain to find his son. He encounters red rain, ruins, and cannibalism.

clinical → bleak, still post-apocalyptic

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