Skip to main content

Online Post Apocalyptic and Dystopian Fiction

online-post-apocalyptic-fiction

Online Post-Apocalyptic Fiction

What do you do when you've read all of the post apocalyptic fiction you can find? You've read the Deathlands series. You've read I am Legend. You've read The Road. You've read The Hunger Games. And now you're suffering serious withdrawal.

Well...If you've not yet searched the internet, there's a vast untapped source of these stories.

The subjects are quite varied, as in published fiction. From asteroids to nuclear bombs, from economic collapse to zombies. If you can imagine the world ending in some manner, someone has probably written about it.

Sometimes the online stories are not quite as polished as published works would be. Many are on forums or message boards, and while most people carefully proofread before posting a chapter, a few people just don't. There's also the potential that the story that you're reading was never finished, and never will be. But if you're willing to overlook the occasional typo, and take the chance that you may have to make up your own ending (completed stories are often noted as such), you may just find a diamond in the rough.

Before you dismiss all online writers as wannabes and not worth reading, I would like to point out David Crocker, aka Halffast, who originally wrote the story "Lights Out" on a message board, and was able to make the leap to published book. If he was good enough, who knows what other talented author is out there, just working up the courage to shop their book around to publishers. Maybe you'll be one of the first to discover them.

I've linked only to stories that either the author has decided to make their story available for free, or to stories in the public domain. If there is a link to a book that should not be available for free, please let me know so that I can remove it.

Image Credit: © Sky1950 | Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images

Here are some writers whose stories started out online.

From online writer to published author. Here's proof that online fiction can have potential.

Are You Prepared for the End of the World?

Here's another poll for you. If you want to check out or participate in the previous poll, scroll to the bottom of the page.

There's a lot of fiction about the end of the world and a lot of different ways that people envision it ending. Have you made any preparations for a big change in lifestyle due a disaster (including natural disasters, man made disasters and economic or governmental disasters.)

Feel free to make a comment about your choice

Stories on Message Boards

One very common way for post apocalyptic fiction to be presented is on message board. Sometimes the whole tale is presented in single thread, and sometimes you must search the forum for different chapters, often out of order due to posts by other people.

There is another drawback pertaining to other people posting, though you may consider it a bonus depending on your view. Often on message boards people other than the author will post comments, encouragement, suggestions and sometimes harsh criticism. The reader must be willing to sift through all the comments to get to the meat of the story.

Despite these possible problems, I find reading the fiction on these message boards a lot of fun. As many of the stories appear on message boards devoted to "prepping" or being ready for just those eventualities that the tales speak of, the level of detail is often exceptionally high. It's quite possible to learn something concrete and useful.

I have included only links to message boards that you do not have to register as a member to read.

When the Oil Runs Out.

Here's a few fiction books looking at what may happen when oil is no longer as readily available to the masses as it is right now.

You step in the stream,

But the water has moved on.

Scroll to Continue

That page is not here.

The internet is an ever changing place, and links that worked yesterday don't always work today. I don't always find the links that have been broken, and I would be grateful if you took a moment to let me know if you find a link that's not working. I'll get the message and deal with the problem, but I won't post your message.

Thanks for your help in keeping this list neat and clean.

Post Apocalyptic Comics

Graphic novels and comics set in a post apocalyptic world.

Post Apocalyptic Fiction in Blogs

Another popular form of presenting post apocalyptic fiction online is through a blog. Often story will presented in a journal style with each post being a single day in the life of the characters.

This method of presentation is satisfying to read, with comments allowed on many of the blogs, but unobtrusively at the bottom of each post rather than breaking up the story. Unfortunately, many blogs are started never to be completed. I have included incomplete blogs as well as complete ones.

Blog Authors, if you're on here and would like to send me your own description, either contact me through my profile or leave a message in the guestbook and I'll see that your description is updated. If you're not on this list and would like to be, let me know as well.

  • SHTF Fiction Blog
    Several post apocalyptic stories in an active blog.
  • The Redline: A Tale of Collapse
    What choices will you make when a crisis occurs? Will you stand strong or will you be an unprotesting passenger on the Redline?
  • E.D. Day- Dead Sydney
    A complete novel in blog form set after a pandemic.
  • After: A Post Apocalyptic Survival Story
    A story of Alien Invasion. This story is complete
  • Starvation Ridge
    A novel length story set after the collapse of modern civilization. You can also find Starvation Ridge in print, pdf and epub at Lulu.com.
  • Something Wicked Comes
    A preparedness Blog. There are links to the fiction on the left side.
  • TEOTWAWKIAIFF Blog
    The End of the World as We Know It, And I Feel Fine.
  • Kaijafon's Stories
    A blog with several different stories on it
  • Awakenings
    An original fiction serial set in a post-apocalyptic midwest
  • 2014: The Way the World Ends
    Join 8 Americans as they struggle to survive the end of the world while remembering what it means to be American.
  • Odd Billy Todd
    A man with personal challenges is the only one to survive the plague in his town.
  • Above Ground
    Trapped on her first excursion to the surface, Lilith struggles to survive.
  • The Philosopher in Arms.
    Set 3000 years after a global catastrophe, when civilization is just beginning to rise again.
  • The 13
    Story about assassins in a post-apocalyptic setting.
  • Post Apocalyptic Hobby Story
    First (and only) post in what was to be a novel. You never know, maybe they'll get back to it.
  • The Brink
    An llustrated post-apocalyptic web series.
  • Collapse -Canadian Doomer Blog
    A Canadian family struggles with the changes the collapse of society brings. Scroll to the bottom for Ch 1 Sc 1.
  • And the Geek Shall Inherit the Earth
    Lydie has a homestead that is set up to survive almost anything. And it's a good thing that she has it...
  • A Will to Survive
    A deadly flu pandemic has hit and Sissy, Scott and the children struggle to survive by sheltering in.
  • Carry on Damaris
    The war has started but life goes on. Sometimes you make good choices and sometimes you don't. Damaris was just trying to survive. Isn't that true of all of us?
  • All Roads Lead Somewhere
    Del, her father and brother move to a cabin, and the world begins to fall apart around them.
  • Fel by the Wayside
    What will life be like for some women several generations after TEOTWAWKI? Fel is living it and here is her story.
  • Over the Mountain and Through the Fire
    An unusual girl struggles across a changed county to get home, only to find that the struggle to survive has only begun.
  • Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men
    An asteroid impact leaves a clean cut college student struggling to find her place in this new life.
  • Forsaken Harvest
    A disease has killed off much of the plant life, and Dacey must protect her brother and struggle to survive.
  • This is Me Surviving
    A teenage girl struggles to survive when a pandemic ends the world as she knows it.
  • To All Things There is a Season
    As an economic downturn worsens into economic collapse, Leah and Mateo must find there way in new circumstances.
  • Gurl
    Growing up is a challenge when you are a child of the apocalypse.
  • Hollow World
    The world as they know it has ended. Anything running on gasoline has either blown up or will-very soon.
  • Stand Up and Be Free
    There are two stories on this blog. For the Greater Good, about a nuclear attack, and The Troublemaker, about the disintegration of the US.
  • The Last Emergency
    A terrorist attack shakes the infrastructure of America.
  • The Mediator Pattern
    BelisCo-San Jose. The corporate city that has all of the most up to date technology.
  • Dirt
    A devastating weapon irradiates the United States. Starts at Dec 6.
  • Miss Lonleyhearts
    A new post-apocalyptic story serial. A girl is thrust in the mist of an apocalyptic event.
  • Memories of Hope City
    A story of a dark and dystopian future.
  • Bastion: The Last Hope
    When the meteors fall, survivors band together looking for a safe haven. Then they must work together to survive the alien invaders.
  • One Year After - A Story of Two Families
    This is the story of two families one year after the economic collapse. One family was prepared, and one was not.

What's Your Preference?

The stories I've linked to in this lens have so many different ways for the world to end. Which is your preference? What type of world-ending scenario would you rather read?

Books by Readers of This Lens

If you've got a Post Apocalyptic book out there on Amazon, let me know and I'll put it in here to let people know about it.

Post Apocalyptic Movies and Audiobooks online

In this list you'll find movies and audiobooks that are available online.

More Books by Friends of this Lens

Here are some more Post Apocalyptic Fiction books.

More Post Apocalyptic Stories.

Here are a few more places to find post apocalyptic and dystopian fiction on the net.

Do you have a favourite site for reading post apocolyptic fiction online? Have you written some post apocolyptic fiction and would like the world to know? Post here to critique the stories you've read, and to suggest other sites.

What do you think about post apocalyptic fiction?

Scott A. Butler from England on July 26, 2014:

A great list you have here. Time to get reading. Thank you.

tmc494900 on July 04, 2014:

Great list and I will have a ton of reading do. Thanks

mcfitz on March 24, 2014:

Awesome lens, Shanna! What a great bunch of reading resources you've shared. Thank you!

Jackson Thom from West of Left South Lucky on February 25, 2014:

Love all this type of stuff -- fallout, mad max, the road. I'm book marking this lens for later. Great job!

Merry Citarella from Oregon's Southern Coast on January 15, 2014:

I've enjoyed reading several apocalyptic fiction books. Will be looking into some of these. Thanks!

tonyleather on December 08, 2013:

Interesting lens! I have written sc-fi but nothing post apocolyptic yet!

Shanna Redwind (author) on October 23, 2013:

@Seasons Greetings: That's my type of fiction as well, which is why I made this lens. I figured that I'd gone to all the work to find them, I might as well make the locations available to other people. I do have a couple of other online fiction lenses, but none like the zombies or this one. Thanks for looking through so many of my lenses.

Laura Brown from Ontario, Canada on October 23, 2013:

I love to read end of the world stories, more so for those about rebuilding everything or how just a few people survive in the world after people, no electricity and etc.

Really liked your lenses about the zombies and this one. Have you got more like it?

makorip lm on April 28, 2013:

Really don't want it to end

Takkhis on April 15, 2013:

This is such an interesting lens that i am pleased to read this lens :)

anonymous on April 02, 2013:

haven't really seen a spot to submit similar books but check out Against the Grain from Ian Daniels

AlphaChic on January 31, 2013:

Love it. It reminds how fragile our ilfestyle is, and makes me want to preserve it and be thankful.

Shanna Redwind (author) on January 27, 2013:

@anonymous: You're very welcome

anonymous on January 27, 2013:

Hey! This is Eva Natsumi from the blog serial MISS LONELYHEARTS. I was getting some traffic from your site so I checked it out. It's awesome! All I want is my story to be read and this is helping. So I just wanted to say thanks! Double thanks for giving me some new reading material.

JoshuaBonilla on November 19, 2012:

This was a really interesting Lens!

It is more dysopian, but Sky of Dust: The Last Weapon is a new series that is currently a top recommended book for The Hunger Games.

It is set in the future after the government collapses due to the people rebeling. An arms group steps up and takes over and use the people (Unknown to the people) as mercenaries. It is a young adult novel, and it has a nice twist with the inclusion of mutations/abilities/powers.

anonymous on November 09, 2012:

@Shanna Redwind: Glad to help. Keywords can be misleading.

Shanna Redwind (author) on November 09, 2012:

@anonymous: Thanks for letting me know. I do have one set of Amazon books that lists random books on the keyword I give them. This week my keyword was Dystopia, hence the mix up in books.

anonymous on November 09, 2012:

I prefer dystopian rather than post apocalyptic, because too many of the latter make ridiculous assumptions about what could happen. This is one area where a writer should know at least a little basic science.

There's a lot of interesting stuff here, so I'll be coming back, but I want to point out that one book you have listed as post apocalyptic isn't. It isn't even dystopian or fiction. Dystopia by Mike Oulton and Ed Griffin is about Griffin's experiences as a priest who left the church and his experiences teaching in prisons. Mike Oulton's part of the book is about his prison experiences.

anonymous on October 13, 2012:

hard work appreciated

Shanna Redwind (author) on September 06, 2012:

@anonymous: Well, that sounds a bit like a book I read about the same amount of time ago. It was called Rite of Passage by Alexi Panshin. If that's not it, try going to Goodreads.com and go to the What's the name of this book group. http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/185

You'll have to join Goodreads, but then you can ask your question and people will try to help you out.

anonymous on September 05, 2012:

Hi! When I was a girl, about 20 years ago, I've read a fiction book about a girl who lives inside asteroid (after the earth has been destroyed) and she is preparing to go through the contest: every child reached 14 are thrown onto an alien planet, and only the survivers can return to the ship inside asteroid. I do not remember the name pf the book and I have spent hours trying to find it on the web. Can anybody help?

anonymous on August 16, 2012:

Another good one is The Last Pilgrims. www.lastpilgrims.com

jgary lm on August 12, 2012:

Thanks for posting a link to my fiction site.

anonymous on July 16, 2012:

I just noticed that there is a mistake in one Link:

"The long emergency" by Liam Fisher should be "the LAST emergency"

And while i´m at it, i´d like to thank all of you guys that share their stories with us! Y´all rock!

anonymous on July 09, 2012:

Any chance of my free ebook Interstate Juggernaut getting added to the list?

http://www.cjwalley.com/interstate-juggernaut

anonymous on July 07, 2012:

I have been writing survivalist fiction over on my blog, www.liamfisher.com

Shanna Redwind (author) on June 15, 2012:

@anonymous: You're welcome. Thank you for listing me on your site as well. The support is much appreciated.

anonymous on June 15, 2012:

Hi. Thank you for posting my blovel 'Indivisible' here. This is a great list. I have another post apocalyptic novella just released. It's called 'Gaiastan' and it's free on my site http://goldsteinrepublic.com/archives/2771 and also available on Amazon. Thanks again.

AuntBetsy on April 25, 2012:

Thanks for putting up this lens. I enjoy reading post apocalyptic fiction and especially online. It is nice to find a resource where I can find more stories without doing extensive searches.

anonymous on April 15, 2012:

marshalmccreary.com is a web series about a group of travelers trying to find safe haven. The site is updated weekly

anonymous on March 19, 2012:

Please check out my illustrated post-apocalyptic web series The Brink. http://www.thebrinkstory.com

Shanna Redwind (author) on March 19, 2012:

@anonymous: Great! I'm so looking forward to reading it. I'll add this to my lens as soon as possible. I'm having a few technical problems at the moment, but hopefully they will be resolved soon.

anonymous on March 17, 2012:

"Fel By The Wayside" at http://felbythewayside.blogspot.com/ is now complete and online. The story is set a few generations after TSHTF.

jgary lm on March 11, 2012:

Please see http://shtfiction.blogspot.com. There are several stories in progress written in blog format with regular updates. Thanks!

PeterStip on February 14, 2012:

wow, looks like I've got a lot of reading to do. great lens

WriterJanis2 on February 13, 2012:

What a wonderful selection to choose from.

Edutopia on February 12, 2012:

Great lens for a great genre. I'll have to check all these out, thanks!

JoshK47 on January 26, 2012:

Sounds like great stuff here! Thanks for sharing, I may have to check out some of these!

anonymous on January 20, 2012:

Glenn Clayburn, another online author, has now self published his book "Dead River". (it´s a book with zombies!)

Let me tell you: I´ve read the story online and it was outstanding, even in it´s rough draft online. (and AFAIK, it´s now been refined and extended)

Well worth to check it out:

http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/dead-river/1...

WinstonEmerson on January 15, 2012:

@Shanna Redwind: Thank you! I really appreciate it, and I'll definitely give you a heads up a week or so before March 1st. Thanks again!

Shanna Redwind (author) on January 15, 2012:

@WinstonEmerson: Great! Be sure to let me know what the link is when it comes out and I'll add it to my list.

WinstonEmerson on January 14, 2012:

Great lens! I'm actually going to be releasing a serialized apocalyptic novel online, beginning March 1st. I'd love to see what you think of it! I will definitely check out some of these recommendations.

anonymous on January 14, 2012:

If you have not read "Hunter - After The Fall" by John Phillip Backus, you are missing out. It is available on Amazon as well across the web. It is also available in print as a trade paperback. Check it out - you will not be disappointed.

anonymous on December 21, 2011:

I would also recommend The Return Man. Its an amazing story that everyone should check out!

seosmm on November 25, 2011:

Good info. Very nice lens!

celeBritys4africA on October 29, 2011:

I like this lens, I give it a thumb up.

Noctambulant on October 28, 2011:

Wow...I need to get hold of some of these books...:)

shadowlenier on October 21, 2011:

I love it. Its cool knowing people are reading my story and I enjoy looking at other authors. I have a hundred more pages done but I have to limit what I share. Otherwise I fear no one will buy the book when its done. Thanks for reading.

anonymous on October 04, 2011:

Still like Earth Abides and A Canticle for Liebowitz best. Thank you for the mention of Starvation Ridge. All three books are now available in one volume, http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/starvation-r...

JeffDez on September 24, 2011:

This is a great resource, thanks for putting it all together. One of the first apocalyptic fiction books I read was The Last Canadian by William C. Heine. If you haven't yet you should check it out.

anonymous on September 10, 2011:

I have another to add to your list, my novel Fortress Beverly Hills. It's a story based on a self-inflicted apocalypse involving oil dependence and secret walled communities. It can be purchased through Lulu.com in paperback: http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/fortress-bev...

or in Kindle format through Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005H97XYA/

Hope you like it, and please write a review either way if you read it.

Thanks, Kyle

Shanna Redwind (author) on August 08, 2011:

@anonymous: You're welcome. Thank you for writing wonderful stories for me to link to :).

anonymous on August 07, 2011:

thank you for linking me and my stories. I was wondering what squidoo was but just never clicked on it (usually in a hurry).... glad I finally did! :) MOAR stories for me to read! yay!

Eplanner on July 28, 2011:

I liked Preppers Road March by Ron Foster, the youtube community has been doing a couple reviews

Shanna Redwind (author) on July 20, 2011:

@anonymous: You're quite welcome. It was your stories that got me searching online for more Post Apocalyptic fiction in the first place. Thanks for including me on your blog, and for all the writing you do.

anonymous on July 19, 2011:

Thank you very much for including me in your list! I also learned about a couple of other areas that I intend to look at and most definitely read. This is a great resource and I'll note it on my blog.

Shanna Redwind (author) on July 15, 2011:

@bloodstreamcity: You're welcome, I'm glad I came across your story. My goal is to help readers and writers of PA fiction find each other.

bloodstreamcity on July 14, 2011:

Thanks for including my story The Mountain and The City on your list, it was a surprise to come across it like this. It also recently became free in the Kindle store and on Smashwords for anyone who wants to own a copy. I'm working on a second at the moment.

anonymous on June 11, 2011:

Speaking of blogs, I've gathered around 50 free items of post-apocalyptic fiction on my blog. http://www.megaton.us/fiction

I've got a couple new stories to add which will go up soon

tharshan lm on June 07, 2011:

thanks for the share

Bill Armstrong from Valencia, California on June 05, 2011:

Thanks for sharing

Carol Fisher from Warminster, Wiltshire, UK on June 04, 2011:

I like this kind of fiction when it's good so this is a great page for me and I've just bookmarked it.

NYThroughTheLens on June 03, 2011:

Really nice bookmarkable lens. I have to admit I haven't really read much from this genre online specifically. Most of my frame of reference for it comes from my library and books (how old-school!). So, this is a great resource!

anonymous on June 03, 2011:

Never read it. The Lens looks good, hope to see many more Lenses by you soon :)

Related Articles

aaron-judge-is-baseballs-biggest-bargain
Team Sports

Judge & the Yankees host Toronto. Jose Berrios vs. Frankie Montas

By jameswritesbest
sixty-sexy-actors-60-years-old-and-older
Celebrities

63 Adorable Actors: Sixty Years Plus

By Barbara Purvis Hunter
norse-mythology
Education and Science

Norse Mythology: 9 Malevolent Monsters and Mischievous Spirits

By Matthew Flax
is-simplicity-politeness-and-equality-really-the-culture-of-copenhagen
Visiting Europe

Observing Simplicity, Politeness, and Equality in Copenhagen's Culture

By Dee Serkin
get-ready-for-the-new-york-mets-who-are-in-a-win-now-mode-and-have-the-largest-payroll-to-prove-it
Team Sports

Mets Braves series finale at 7:20. Jacob deGrom vs. Max Fried

By jameswritesbest
the-floating-world-in-japanese-fiction-review
Books & Novels

The Floating World in Japanese Fiction Review

By Ryan C Thomas
fun-christmas-crafts-for-kids-to-make
Crafts & Handiwork

75+ Easy and Fun Christmas Crafts That Kids Love Making

By Elaine Byers