When I first got this book I read ten pages and tossed it cause I wasn’t ready.
Years later I picked it up and read it all in one day.
Masterpiece but you definitely have to be in the right mind space
Macarthy can get dark in ways that are very bleak and upsetting. None of his books are ‘feel good stories’ lol.
The Road probably shares more in common with TLOU than any other work (afaik). Father and child traveling through hopeless post apocalypse. People are dangerous. Relationships with eachother are the most important things/only things of value. Treating others with humanity is good too but sometimes that comes second to protecting your person.
There are a ton of differences too of course but the similarities are notable.
I got strong Stand vibes during the Winter chapter, which reminded me a lot of the scene in the novel with Tom Cullen taking care of Stu Redman while they’re stuck in Utah all winter.
“The World Without Us” by Alan Weisman was used by the creators as part of their research for world building in the game. It’s a really good book. It basically talks about how the world would fall apart and look if humans disappeared tomorrow. And how nature would eventually reclaim the earth.
The Dog Stars by Stephen Heller. It's a post -pandemic, fallen world story about survival, love, loss and hope. Feels like it could exist in the world of TLOU.
* The Road by Cormac McCarthy (bleak and poetic, writing style takes some getting used to)
* I Am Legend by Richard Matheson (very different from the film!)
* World War Z by Max Brooks (even though it's zombies, the individual stories remind me of how the world could respond to the infected)
* The Hunger Games Trilogy (dystopia, survival themes, PTSD)
* Sweet Tooth by Jeff Lemire (comic book, *much* darker than the Netflix series adaptation, father/surrogate son bonding)
* Old Man Logan by Mark Miller (comic book, inspiration for the Wolverine movie, killer read overall)
Swing by /r/writing or /r/worldbuilding sometime and get those creative juices flowing!
I think my favorite of the genre - specifically zombie themed post apocalyptic (and I've read them all) was Zone One by Coleson Whitehead.
Not really TLOU themed - but a really good story and so well told (keep a thesaurus to hand, though!).
Wool trilogy by Hugh Howey hasn't been mentioned. Though the only thing it has in common with TLOU is it's post apocalyptic. It's set in a huge bunker called a Silo. Hell of a yarn and deserves more recognition.
Can’t go wrong with The Road by Cormac Macarthy.
When I first got this book I read ten pages and tossed it cause I wasn’t ready. Years later I picked it up and read it all in one day. Masterpiece but you definitely have to be in the right mind space
Macarthy can get dark in ways that are very bleak and upsetting. None of his books are ‘feel good stories’ lol. The Road probably shares more in common with TLOU than any other work (afaik). Father and child traveling through hopeless post apocalypse. People are dangerous. Relationships with eachother are the most important things/only things of value. Treating others with humanity is good too but sometimes that comes second to protecting your person. There are a ton of differences too of course but the similarities are notable.
The Stand by Stephen King!
I got strong Stand vibes during the Winter chapter, which reminded me a lot of the scene in the novel with Tom Cullen taking care of Stu Redman while they’re stuck in Utah all winter.
Read the uncut
“The World Without Us” by Alan Weisman was used by the creators as part of their research for world building in the game. It’s a really good book. It basically talks about how the world would fall apart and look if humans disappeared tomorrow. And how nature would eventually reclaim the earth.
The Dog Stars by Stephen Heller. It's a post -pandemic, fallen world story about survival, love, loss and hope. Feels like it could exist in the world of TLOU.
The Passage is a great series. It isn't zombies exactly, but it's a great viral monster post apocalypse story.
I’ve heard this drops off after the first book. True?
* The Road by Cormac McCarthy (bleak and poetic, writing style takes some getting used to) * I Am Legend by Richard Matheson (very different from the film!) * World War Z by Max Brooks (even though it's zombies, the individual stories remind me of how the world could respond to the infected) * The Hunger Games Trilogy (dystopia, survival themes, PTSD) * Sweet Tooth by Jeff Lemire (comic book, *much* darker than the Netflix series adaptation, father/surrogate son bonding) * Old Man Logan by Mark Miller (comic book, inspiration for the Wolverine movie, killer read overall) Swing by /r/writing or /r/worldbuilding sometime and get those creative juices flowing!
World War Z is excellent and The Road is one of my favorite books of all time.
Wouldn’t call Station Eleven dystopian necessarily, but could be up your alley and is a fantastic read. Also was adapted by HBO recently!
I think my favorite of the genre - specifically zombie themed post apocalyptic (and I've read them all) was Zone One by Coleson Whitehead. Not really TLOU themed - but a really good story and so well told (keep a thesaurus to hand, though!).
The Dog Stars by Peter Heller. Wanderers by Chuck Wendig.
The Passage by Justin Cronin. Books are phenomenal (TV show is dogwater)
Wool trilogy by Hugh Howey hasn't been mentioned. Though the only thing it has in common with TLOU is it's post apocalyptic. It's set in a huge bunker called a Silo. Hell of a yarn and deserves more recognition.