By Deon Meyer

Posted on June 13, 2017 in Uncategorized with tags post-apocalyptic

As he publishes his brand new novel Fever – set in the aftermath of a virus that has devastated the world – international bestseller Deon Meyer shares his top 10 post-apocalyptic reads.

1. Earth Abides – George R. Stewart

The all-time classic, the mother of all rebuilding-after-the-apocalypse novels, and perhaps the one that inspired most other authors.

2. Farnham’s Freehold –  Robert A. Heinlein

I am a huge Heinlein fan, and this was one of his best. And it represents the fear during the nuclear era I grew up in.

3. The Stand – Stephen King

Both an apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic novel, I loved how King asked questions about the nature of humankind.

4. Down to a Sunless Sea – David Graham

The wonderful concept of an airliner full of passengers desperately trying to escape the unfolding apocalypse was brilliantly executed.

5. The Road – Cormac McCarthy

Very dark, broke my heart, but so utterly genius.

6. A Canticle for Leibowitz – Walter M. Miller, Jr.

The scope of the novel was breathtaking – a thousand years of post-apocalyptic rebuilding.

7. On the Beach – Nevil Shute

Perhaps the best character study of any post-apocalyptic novel.

8. The Day Of The Triffids – John Wyndham

I was addicted to all Wyndham’s books, and only he could make plants be so credibly scary.

9. The Children of Men – P.D. James

This wonderful, atmospheric book (and Ed McBan’s Tomorrow and Tomorrow) said it was okay for a crime fiction author to write speculative fiction too.

10. The Death of Grass – John Christopher

I still have all Christopher’s books in my collection. Perhaps the biggest exponent of the post-apocalyptic novel ever, this one was my favourite.

Deon Meyer’s new novel Fever publishes on 14th June in hardback, ebook and audio.

Read about the research process behind the book here.