Post-apocalyptic novel that is NOT DYSTOPIAN!

[Petit-Chocobo]

Hey guys!

So recently I've been craving for a good post-apocalyptic book but not one of those dystopians. I've read the 4 books of Life As We Knew it and I loved it, so I'm looking for something alike. Maybe with zombies (I've read In The After which was quite good too) or some kind of an deadly epidemic. But essentially I want to read a story of survival, not something that happens lets say 50 years after some post-apocalyptic event. If you know what I mean? I hope I'm being clear here :p
Also if it could be YA that would be a plus, but adult books are fine too.

Thanks in advance :)

[Elena]

So you're actually hoping more for something during the apocalypse, rather than after it? Technically that would be "apocalyptic" fiction, then. :)

Ashes would fit the bill, it's very actiony, with zombies. Angelfall takes place during an angel-caused apocalypse, really good if you're okay with the fantasy elements. Ashfall is about the Yellowstone volcano erupting. The 5th Wave is about an alien invasion (part of their invasion is causing natural disasters). You might really enjoy Feed too--not YA, but the protagonists are like 19, I think, and it's a really well done zombie novel.

[karen, future RA queen]

dear god, i second the ashfall series. that is entirely about survival and it is excellent. and detailed.

[[deleted user]]

Well then, I "third" Ashfall--it's exactly what you're looking for.

[Betsy]

Not YA, but you might like Lucifer's Hammer. It's classic sci-fi apocalyptic, but definitely not dystopian. The first half is about the coming of an asteroid/comet on a collision course with earth and how people prepare. The second half is about how people cope after the strike. Ends on an up note. Very good. I've read it a couple times.

[Petit-Chocobo]

Thank you so much guys!! this is exactly what I'm looking for!! :D All these books sound great :) Thanks again!

[Patricia]

I was going to recommend Ashfall, too. Guess it was the popular choice!

[Petit-Chocobo]

I think I'm going to start with Ashfall :) sounds great ^^

[reading is my hustle]

I think The Postman might work for you, too. No zombies but a fantastic post apocalypse read!

[Petit-Chocobo]

Thank yo guys :) I'll take a look at all these books!

[Genevieve]

You may like The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker. The rotation of the earth slows down causing longer days and nights. The longer days and nights throws everything into disarray. Julia and her family must find a way to survive in the changing environment. This story reminded me a lot of Life as We Knew It.

[Jace]

Steelheart is a fantastic book on survival in a world where the common man is outmatched against superhumans. I mean we'd all like to think that people like them would be superheros. But what if they're not? What I they caused the collapse of civilization. I highly recommend it.

"Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics.

But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his wills.

Nobody fights the Epics...nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them..."

[Celeste]

Elena wrote: "So you're actually hoping more for something during the apocalypse, rather than after it? Technically that would be "apocalyptic" fiction, then. :)

Ashes would fit the bill, it's ve..."

Feed is dystopian though still an excellently written book that really got into my head.

You could try reading The Strain by Guillemero del Toro and Chuck Hogan, I know its a Tv series now but the first book was so well written. Also anything by Scott Sigler and The Passage by Justin Cronin.

[Erin]

I was going to suggest Age of Miracles, too. :-)

[Sarah]

Station 11 was a pretty awesome post apacolyotic book. A bad flu wipes out most of America. The books focus is more on human nature and regrets, but it is beautifully written. It was insane for 2.99 yesterday on kindle, I'm not sure if that was a one time deal
Or what.

[Leah]

If you like a more rural setting (think "Interstellar" without the space stuff), and like a literary style like Hemingway, Faulkner, or Cormac McCarthy, with poetic, sparse prose, then I highly recommend Above All Men by Eric Shonkwiler. It takes place about 30 years in the future, with only slight changes, headed toward ruination, in the midst of the "slowpocalypse," where a farmer with PTSD has to keep his farm and family together when people come in from the coasts in search of food, land, and jobs. It's powerful good, and the prose is just stunning.