These Post-Apocalyptic Books Will Freak You Out

Armageddon. The apocalypse. Judgement Day. For every word there is to describe the end of days, there are five different ways authors have envisioned the mechanics of how it would actually happen.

In each of these books, authors detail the factors that led to civilization's downfall, and then explore the brave, bleak new world left in its wake. We see entire societies crumpled by a fast-moving plague that spares only 2% of the population. We see women gain the ability to shoot electricity from their collarbone, resulting in an entire world order teetering on the edge of chaos. We see a foggy, cannibal-filled landscape after an enormous catastrophe takes place. Though settings and circumstances vary from book to book, the resilience of humanity to weather these changes is present in each. According to these books, humans, ultimately, are just as tough and adaptable as cockroaches, those indestructible bugs.

Instead of worrying about whether we're hurtling towards nuclear annihilation, or wading into a world of rising sea levels, or facing decades of wild, climate change-induced weather patterns, just read these books. They'll make you feel strong. The characters' worlds have ended — and still, people go on.