Frontlist | Five books about the end of the world to read in 2021

Frontlist | Five books about the end of the world to read in 2021
on Jan 12, 2021

There’s something about the new year that gives us feelings of happiness and hope for the future. As we enter the year 2021, we see more stories about fictional dystopian futures caused by aliens, zombies, and natural disasters. How many books were you able to read in 2020? Now that we know we have the time on our hands, it’s time to put a book into them too! Reading books provides us with the perfect level of escapism that takes us out of our lives to enjoy the stories of others. It doesn’t matter if you’re reading at home, the beach, or a local park – reading takes you to places you can only imagine. Order one online, or stop by a local store, and see where it takes you. Check out some of our favorite fictional books about the end of the world.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

As a favorite among favorites, Station Eleven delivers multiple stories during different times of a global pandemic. When the world is falling apart due to this new virus, we follow characters surrounding a famous and sometimes infamous Hollywood actor along with everyone he’s built a relationship with. We fast forward to years after the beginning of the pandemic, and we see each character’s future after the world’s end. It’s a poetically written story that will make you laugh, cry, and keep you entertained from beginning to end. If you would instead check out the limited series, it will be released on HBO Max in 2021. 

Good Morning, Midnight by Lily Brooks-Dalton

Two stories, and one dying Earth. As a seasoned scientist named Augustine tries to save Earth from home, he finds nothing more he can do. While studying at the end of the days, he discovers a lost little girl left at the Artic station with him, after the rest of the scientists evacuated the planet. A space crew makes their way back to Earth to check its life sustainability in the stars. Augustine and his new companion race across the Arctic to send a message to the space crew that returning to Earth is a death sentence. But who will reach their destination first?  

Life As We Know It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

We might wonder if aliens will one day come to Earth and what they would be like looking at the stars. But sometimes aliens aren’t what comes from the sky to end the world – maybe it’s something else. Life As We Know It starts with an asteroid crashing into the moon, causing all of Earth’s natural disasters to devastate the planet. Read how this family uses their love for each other to survive tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions around the world.

World War Z by Max Brooks

If you’ve seen World War Z’s movie, it helps to read the book with Brad Pitt in mind for the main character. The world is overtaken by a virus that infects the population, transforming them into cannibalistic zombies. Watching the characters fight to survive is only half the battle as we read how the rest of the world becomes part of the flesh-eating undead.

Bird Box by Josh Malerman

Netflix once again delivers us a live-motion picture starring Sandra Bullock. But if you want to dive deeper into Bird Box’s story, the book is the best way to do it. The world has a new enemy, and when you see it, you violently end your life. So how do you fight an enemy you can’t see?  Read as the killer monsters come to your door, and if they can’t get in, they’ll send the crazed people they use to make you see them. Source: OC Register