Good SHTF Survival Fiction Books

[plank white]

Ok I posted some of these somewhere else on here but cant remember where anyways does anybody here have anymore good books to share 

Here is a list of most of the books Ive read or listened to in audio format and a short "very short explanation of how I feel about the books.

 

Deep winter .....by Thomas Sherry ....just finished the first book in the series and Not really my taste it is a good book but its a little slow

 

The Pulse ......by Scott B. Williams .....Good book but since half of the book takes place on the ocean that part of it is alien to me, still a good fun read though

 

299 days ....by Glenn Tate .....Kickass book series Only read the first 3 the 4th is out I need to get it i Love economic collapse Fiction 

 

Ashes series ... by William W Johnstone .... Badass doesnt begin to describe this series .. downside is it is a bit dated and unbelievable 

 

Patriots series ...by James Wesley Rawles... Loved the first 2 heard the 3rd sucked so havent read it 1st book was awsome IMO 2nd was allright

 

77days in september .. by Ray Gorham ...Really good read about a fella traveling across the country after a shtf scenario trying to get back to his family

 

Mitch Rapp series .. by Vince Flynn .. Not really a survival series but still one of my favs. Imagine a C.I.A. version of jack bower on steroids very awsome

 

Holding there Own series ..by Joe Nobody ... Complete Badassery after complete break down of the country due to terror attacks and economy Just "Awsome"

 

By force of Patriots ..by Cameron Reddy ....Look up the book and download it this book is the epitome of great 

 

Apocalypse Law 1 and 2 ...by John Grit ...Action and survival and badassery mixed with some good ole wisdom just plain fantastic

 

Enemies foreign and domestic Series ....by Mathew Bracken ..Badassery for 3 entire books 2nd amendment advocates wont be able to put it down Period

 

Lights out .. David Crawford .....Action adventure trials troubles and survival after the grid goes down great read "Want to read his newest book Havent had a chance yet"

 

 Lucifers Hammer .. red dawn . and other older books good reads just really dated material imo

 

One second after .. Good book I always get it mixed up with lights out but they are seperate books and good content in both

 If your into Zombie books Ive read so many I cant keep track but By far the best zombie read ever is Adrians Undead Diary google it and read it for free online It is like a couple years worth off unbelievable badassery 

 

And my all time Favorite book ....Unintended Consequences ..By John Ross.. First half of the book explains history and other slow things that seem to take forever the second half of the book is like a mercyless thrill ride of actiontastic badassery

 

I know with all these books mentioned it will be hard to find some to compare but 

If anyone has anybooks to add to the list please let me know 

Edited February 16, 2013 by plank white

[hipower]

Let me add Jerry Ahern's Survivalist Series. Kinda old and dated now; but pretty good. And the books he collaborated on with his wife Sharon wer even better. BTW, Jerry Ahern passed away last year, so we won't get any more from him. RIP. But at least his Deutonics Pistols live on, sorta.

 

But for me, one of the best of the genre has to be One Second After. Really brings it all down to a base level and shows what the real people might endure in such an event.  

[plank white]

Let me add Jerry Ahern's Survivalist Series. Kinda old and dated now; but pretty good. And the books he collaborated on with his wife Sharon wer even better. BTW, Jerry Ahern passed away last year, so we won't get any more from him. RIP. But at least his Deutonics Pistols live on, sorta.

 

But for me, one of the best of the genre has to be One Second After. Really brings it all down to a base level and shows what the real people might endure in such an event.  

I have read the survivalist series Forgot all about it till you said somethin you are right utter badassery in those books even if it is a bit far fetched ima have to take a look at the others 

[Spots]

I second One Second After. Very very good book.

[Guest Razz]

Thanks for the list. I'm ready for a new book and my wife is reading the one I want.

[MattCary]

EFAD is terrific. But after 6 chapters I knew I'd made a list...

[Guest Grout]

The first and still best SHTF book is Alas Babylon,slightly dated but still very feasable .Jerry Ahern is best known for the Survivalist series but the later series he wrote The Defender is far better and much more realistic.He also wrote a novel, the name of which escapes me that the first part of takes place in the SE TN/N GA area.

[Jamie Jackson]

This is an excellent idea for a thread, and sharing info. Thanks! :up:

 

 

Fiction:

 

“Unintended Consequences” by John Ross.

 

“Alas Babylon” by Pat Frank

 

"Enemies Foreign and Domestic" by Matthew Bracken

 

“One Second After” by William R. Forstchen.

 

“Patriots: A novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse” by Rawls, James Wesley

 

“Lucifer’s Hammer” by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle.

 

“Light’s Out” by David Crawford.

 

“Collision Course” by David Crawford.

 

“Nineteen Eighty Four” by George Orwell.

 

“The Road” by Cormac McCarthy.

 

“Atlas Shrugged” by Ayn Rand.

 

“299 Days” series by “Glenn Tate”…I’m on book 4 currently…

[Jamie Jackson]

No hijacking intended, but here's a few Gun-centric books I own and would recommend:

 

Firearms & Self Defense:

 

“Surgical Speed Shooting” by Andy Stanford

 

“Terror at Beslan” by John Giduck.

 

“In the Gravest Extreme: The Role of the Firearm in Personal Protection” by Massad F. Ayoob.

 

“Guns, Bullets, and Gunfights: Lessons and Tales from a Modern Day Gunfighter” by Jim Cirllo.

 

“Kill or Get Killed” by Col. Rex Applegate

 

“No Second Place Winner” by Bill Jordan.

 

“To Ride, Shoot Straight, and Speak the Truth” by Col. Jeff Cooper, USMC (retired).

 

“Another Country” by Col. Jeff Cooper, USMC (retired).

 

“Principles of Personal Defense” by Col. Jeff Cooper.

 

“The Art of War” by Sun Tzu

 

“The Book of the Five Rings (Bushido – The Way of the Warrior) by Miyamoto Musashi

 

“A Rifleman Went to War” by H.W. McBride

Edited March 3, 2013 by prag

[UncleJak]

Anyone read "The Road"?  I wanted to, but ended up watching the movie 1st.

[Jamie Jackson]

Anyone read "The Road"?  I wanted to, but ended up watching the movie 1st.

 

 

Absolutely. I own and read all of the books I've listed above.

 

The Road is excellent, very dark...but I've read all of Cormac McCarthy's book and he is a dark SOB, rambles like hell, but I like his work.

 

There is no good or bad with him...there simply "is".

 

:2cents:

[Defender]

Anyone read "The Road"?  I wanted to, but ended up watching the movie 1st.

I read it last year...better than the movie, but damn depressing, lol.

[hipower]

I read it last year...better than the movie, but damn depressing, lol.

 

Same here.

 

Actually more so than One Second After, and that's saying something.

[Jamie Jackson]

Just a quick comment about “Collision Course” by David Crawford.

 

It is much more akin to his short stories and therefore very unlike "Light's Out". But an interesting read about the differing personalities and morality of individuals within the prepping community.

 

That being said I liked "Light's Out" much better. :2cents:

 

 

Also, I haven't read "By force of Patriots" by Cameron Ready. But a friend highly recommended it. So it is definitely on my list.

[sgjay]

Try Dark Grid and the sequel Dark Road by David C. Waldron. The setting is Nashville and Natchez Trace State Park.

[plank white]

Try Dark Grid and the sequel Dark Road by David C. Waldron. The setting is Nashville and Natchez Trace State Park.

Thanks never heard of these I shall check them out

[TrickyNicky]

I'll have to check out some of the ones mentioned, but my favorite fiction so far would be Farmhands Freehold by Heinland. It's a little campy and none to realistic but still a very good read.

[hipower]

Yes, Heinlein wrote many good and several great novels. And although I enjoyed it, not nearly so high on my favorites list.

[plank white]

More books I just finished reading

 

American Apocalypse ....By Nova     Awesome read cant wait to read the rest in the series 

 

Collision Coarse .....By David Crawford   Pretty good read ********SPOILER ALERT ******  Glad the Mall Ninja got what was coming to him

 

Dark Grid and Dark road ...By David C. Waldren .... really good Reads Thanks for the mention on that one

 

Right to bear Arms ...By Mike Foster ....... More great Economic Collapse fiction

 

299 DAYS, The Strong Hold "Book 4 in the series" ... By Glen Tate ....Awsome read cant wait for the next book in this series 

 

Founders: James Wesley Rawles  ... What can I say I should have stuck with the reviews and never touched this book 

This book was Like a mix between religious Boredom and Light weight romance "More Boredom" Just all around Poo  Cant believe its the same guy who wrote Patriots 

[Dennis1209]

One Second After...

 

Excellent read until the final chapter. It begs for a sequel IMHO.

 

What ever happened to the main character (forgot his name) and Gunny? You are left to your own devices deciding what happened... Bummer!

[Jamie Jackson]

Keep 'em coming folks. :up:

 

I just started "By force of Patriots" and it looks pretty good so far.

 

And I'm waiting for the next installment of the Tate series... :pleased:

[quietmike]

Good stuff so far.
I'll add the "Renewal" series by J. F. Perkins (set in middle TN) and "Last of the Breed" by Louis L'Amour.

[Turf]

I am sure many people know this already but for those that don't, James Rawles (author of Patriots) runs survivalblog.com and there is a link on that site to the survival bookshelf which has lists of recommended survival books fiction, non-fiction, and children (as well as movies), and he will sometimes mention a blurb if it contains material unsuitable for children (for the parents out there).  On a related note, I liked the Enemies Foreign and Domestic series but I believe it was the second or third book that contained a paragraph that is going to take a lot of mental scrubbing to get out. 

[Mike.357]

Cormac McCarthy is the greatest writer ever.  But you better keep a thesaurus nearby,

The Road was a great book.  Best book i ever read was Blood Meridian from this author.  Thanks OS for lending it to me.  Took me a week to read a chapter using google to look up words I had no clue about  If someone has a better use of the english language I want to know who it is.

 

One Second After is where the bar is set.  I dunno how you deal with it if you have a loved one who needs insulin,

 

My favorite shtf  book is "Wolf and Iron" by Gordon R Dickson   Great story about traveling to your safe place.  Thanks to suntzu who turned me on to it.

Edited March 3, 2013 by Mike.357

[plank white]

A few more books from this genre

that are really good

 

 

Edited March 12, 2013 by plank white