I’ve always found something especially enticing about speculative fiction, a genre that invites us to imagine the complex emotions and difficult decisions that arise from extraordinary situations. Post-apocalyptic fiction explores what might happen in the wake of a cataclysmic event that causes our societal structures to deteriorate. How would we handle the physical and mental challenges that arise when the world is in total disarray?

These picks offer stories of survival in the toughest times, often emphasizing humanity’s ability to persevere against all odds. The settings range from the immediate aftermath to days or years in the future, vividly envisioning what might happen as people adjust to a new normal.

Download the Libby app, then prepare to get lost in these pulse-pounding tales of fear and hope at the end of the world.

All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall
🎧 Audiobook

In a futuristic world where the effects of climate change have led to societal collapse, a group of conservationists living at the top of the American Museum of Natural History have made it their mission to preserve the knowledge within. But when a devastating hurricane floods New York City, the survivors must abandon their place of refuge in order to strike out for safer territory.

Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend by MJ Wassmer
🎧 Audiobook

Dan and Mara’s tropical vacation is interrupted by the unthinkable when the sun literally explodes. In the following cold, dark days, factions form amongst the guests at their resort, forcing the couple to consider their own strengths and find a new sense of purpose in the midst of chaos.

The Last Bookstore on Earth by Lily Braun-Arnold
🎧 Audiobook

After losing her family to the devastating barrage of acid rain referred to as ‘The Storm,’ a 17-year-old named Libby barters volumes from the bookstore she occupies in exchange for supplies from other survivors. When another young woman crosses her doorstep, the two decide to work together to brace for another onslaught of rain—developing friendship and even romance in the process.

The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei
🎧 Audiobook

Asuka is one of 80 humans chosen to crew the starship Phoenix, escaping an Earth doomed by warfare and environmental collapse. When their voyage to a new planet is explosively disrupted and suspicion falls on her own shoulders, Asuka must clear her name and find the saboteur before they destroy the mission entirely.

Moon of the Turning Leaves by Waubgeshig Rice
🎧 Audiobook

Twelve years after a worldwide power outage, a small Anishinaabe community has been surviving off the land in Northern Ontario. With resources growing scarce, a scouting party decides to travel to their ancestral home on the shore of Lake Huron, braving both difficult terrain and fraught encounters with other survivors in pursuit of a better future for their people.

The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton
🎧 Audiobook

Ninety years after a deadly fog wipes out most of life on earth, the last 122 survivors have settled into a routine existence on a protected Greek island—until their peace is upended by the murder of a community elder, the scientific genius once responsible for their safety. Unless the survivors can quickly find the killer and make sense of their motives, the entire island may be in mortal danger.

*Title availability may vary.

Running out of books can feel like the end of the world, but never fear! Download the Libby app to find countless more adventures.

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