# Good Young-Adult or Easy-Adult Post-Apocalyptic/Zombie Books? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 17, 2011, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-young-adult-or-easy-adult-post-apocalyptic-zombie-books/606572 "2011-12-17T20:59:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-young-adult-or-easy-adult-post-apocalyptic-zombie-books/606572/1 "2011-12-17T20:59:23Z")
I’m looking for good post-apocalyptic or zombie books for my teen daughters, who are reluctant readers. So far I’ve got _The Stand_, _Z For Zachariah_, and _Rise Again_. I think _World War Z_ might be a little too disjointed to hold their attention at this stage, but we’re building up to it. Any other recommendations? Not-too-difficult adult books would be ideal. Their being girls, if the book has a female protagonist, that is a definite plus. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-young-adult-or-easy-adult-post-apocalyptic-zombie-books/606572/2 "2011-12-17T21:11:37Z")
[The Postmortal](http://www.amazon.com/Postmortal-Novel-Drew-Magary/dp/0143119826/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324156019&sr=8-1) is interesting and easy to read. It’s in blog format, which might be appealing to reluctant readers. The protagonist is a dude though. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-young-adult-or-easy-adult-post-apocalyptic-zombie-books/606572/3 "2011-12-17T21:14:53Z")
If they can deal with _The Stand_, _World War Z_ should be a doddle. Indeed, its disjointed nature might be a benefit because they can read a small chunk at a time. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-young-adult-or-easy-adult-post-apocalyptic-zombie-books/606572/4 "2011-12-17T21:21:37Z")
[Children of the Dust](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Children-Dust-Definitions-Louise-Lawrence/dp/0099433427/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324156584&sr=8-1) meets your requirements exactly. Brother in the Land is from the POV of a boy, but it’s definitely an easy read, has a strong female character and is quite good. Life As We Knew It and its two sequels are recent and the scenario for their end of the world is unusual - the moon gets pushed closer to the Earth, with much more massive consequences than you’d expect. The first and third books are from the first person POV of a teenage girl. (Both of those are on the linked page). ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-young-adult-or-easy-adult-post-apocalyptic-zombie-books/606572/5 "2011-12-17T21:35:53Z")
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-young-adult-or-easy-adult-post-apocalyptic-zombie-books/606572/6 "2011-12-17T21:42:40Z")
I haven’t read it,but I’ve heard reasonably good things about [The Forest of Hands and Teeth](http://www.amazon.com/Forest-Hands-Teeth-Carrie-Ryan/dp/0385736827/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324158122&sr=1-1). ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-young-adult-or-easy-adult-post-apocalyptic-zombie-books/606572/7 "2011-12-17T21:54:26Z")
I remember liking _The Girl Who Owned A City_, by O.T. Nelson, which is about a group of children in a world where a virus has killed off all the people over the age of twelve. It’s pretty accessible, too. ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-young-adult-or-easy-adult-post-apocalyptic-zombie-books/606572/8 "2011-12-17T22:02:51Z")
Let me get some fairly popular stuff out of the way: [The Hunger Games](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunger_Games): Post-apocalyptic dystopian future, female protagonist. [Gone](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gone_(series)): Kids surviving in a world without adults. [Feed](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feed_(Grant_novel)): About a young female journalist in a zombie ridden future where the internet is the only mass media. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-young-adult-or-easy-adult-post-apocalyptic-zombie-books/606572/9 "2011-12-17T22:16:32Z")
[Swan Song by Robert McCammon](http://www.amazon.com/Swan-Song-Robert-McCammon/dp/1439156735) - a post-apocalyptic novel that pits good against evil, in many ways similar to The Stand, but better in my opinion. The titular character is the female protagonist. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-young-adult-or-easy-adult-post-apocalyptic-zombie-books/606572/10 "2011-12-17T22:26:41Z")
[Sunshine](http://www.amazon.com/Sunshine-Robin-McKinley/dp/0142411108/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_4)by Robin McKinley. Post-Vampire apocalypse. One fairly explicit almost sex scene, if thats an issue. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-young-adult-or-easy-adult-post-apocalyptic-zombie-books/606572/11 "2011-12-17T22:27:50Z")
[Emergence](http://www.amazon.com/Emergence-David-R-Palmer/dp/0553255193/ref=sr_1_1_title_2_mas?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324160844&sr=1-1) by David Palmer ---
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-young-adult-or-easy-adult-post-apocalyptic-zombie-books/606572/12 "2011-12-17T23:03:22Z")
Jonathan Maberry has written two in a set: Rot and Ruin and Dust and Decay [Rot and Ruin](http://www.amazon.com/Rot-Ruin-Jonathan-Maberry/dp/1442402334/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324163104&sr=1-1) [Dust and Decay](http://www.amazon.com/Dust-Decay-Jonathan-Maberry/dp/1442402350/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324163071&sr=1-1) There’s also the YA steampunk victorian romance zombie novel: [Dearly, Departed](http://www.amazon.com/Dearly-Departed-Zombie-Lia-Habel/dp/0345523318) by Lia Habel that’s getting some interesting feedback. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-young-adult-or-easy-adult-post-apocalyptic-zombie-books/606572/13 "2011-12-18T03:34:35Z")
…gonna boomark this thread so I can update it in about a year and half when my book comes out. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-young-adult-or-easy-adult-post-apocalyptic-zombie-books/606572/14 "2011-12-18T04:29:15Z")
> [@Sr\_Siete](#): > > [Gone](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gone_(series)): Kids surviving in a world without adults. > > [Feed](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feed_(Grant_novel)): About a young female journalist in a zombie ridden future where the internet is the only mass media. Seconded. Both are awesome. And both are ongoing serieses that have multiple books after the first if you find a hit. Gone is on Book 4 with 5 and 6 coming out in the next two years while Feed is a trilogy that will be completed next year. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-young-adult-or-easy-adult-post-apocalyptic-zombie-books/606572/15 "2011-12-18T05:05:32Z")
Lots of great looking choices! ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-young-adult-or-easy-adult-post-apocalyptic-zombie-books/606572/16 "2011-12-18T07:02:34Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > I haven’t read it,but I’ve heard reasonably good things about [The Forest of Hands and Teeth](http://www.amazon.com/Forest-Hands-Teeth-Carrie-Ryan/dp/0385736827/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324158122&sr=1-1). All three books in that series are pretty good 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Doody\_Pants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@Doody\_Pants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doody_Pants)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-young-adult-or-easy-adult-post-apocalyptic-zombie-books/606572/17 "2011-12-18T17:48:53Z")
[http://www.amazon.com/Pariah-Bob-Fingerman/dp/0765326272](http://www.amazon.com/Pariah-Bob-Fingerman/dp/0765326272) Pariah by Bob Fingerman is pretty decent, and one of the main characters is a teenage girl. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-young-adult-or-easy-adult-post-apocalyptic-zombie-books/606572/18 "2011-12-19T14:30:47Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > I haven’t read it,but I’ve heard reasonably good things about [The Forest of Hands and Teeth](http://www.amazon.com/Forest-Hands-Teeth-Carrie-Ryan/dp/0385736827/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324158122&sr=1-1). I just read this and it is _fantastic_. Also has that romance stuff teenage girls like. ---
**Author:** ![Zjestika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/8edcca/32.png) [@Zjestika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zjestika)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-young-adult-or-easy-adult-post-apocalyptic-zombie-books/606572/19 "2011-12-19T16:58:42Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > I haven’t read it,but I’ve heard reasonably good things about [The Forest of Hands and Teeth](http://www.amazon.com/Forest-Hands-Teeth-Carrie-Ryan/dp/0385736827/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324158122&sr=1-1). Thirded! It’s awesome- a fast, exciting read. I didn’t care for the second one so much, though, I found it more emo, less action. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-young-adult-or-easy-adult-post-apocalyptic-zombie-books/606572/20 "2011-12-19T17:02:44Z")
[Dust](http://www.amazon.com/Dust-Joan-Frances-Turner/dp/0441019285) is about a young vegan woman (might be a teen, I can’t remember) who, after dying in a car crash, awakens as a zombie in the zombie apocalypse. It’s first person and really really grody, but pretty fun stuff. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-young-adult-or-easy-adult-post-apocalyptic-zombie-books/606572.md?page=2)