Background reading

[Stepman3]

Read "Survivors" and "Patriots"...""The Road" is great but I wanted to drink whiskey, eat a hand full of pills and take my forever nap after reading it...No joy what so ever in that book...

[supervike]

I think the real problem with THE ROAD is that it is far too real as a Post Apoc world.

I think it is a fantastically written book, and the movie was well done, but I like my 'gaming' Post Apoc to have a bit of whimsey and make believe, and be way further 'over the top'.  More Immortan Joe and less cannibals and pneumonia...

But, I still recommend it as reading material, maybe just not gaming background material.

I just downloaded Metro 2033 via Audible, so I'm going to give that a go.

[Bran82]

Great suggestions here, I agree on "the Road" being almost too real, I gave a chance to Metro2033 and it's quite interesting but probably too many themes in there, still great background gaming possibilities. Next I think I'll try Wool, sounds cool. Any comments on the "Terminator" books? I saw at least a couple of interesting titles and will probably throw them in just for a taste.

[Stepman3]

Try "Outriders". Post Apocalyptic cowboys fighting big corporations and Eco-Terrorist...

[HerbyF]

Brian Adams' "Horseclan" series has a different take on the whole Post Apocalyptic world.

[Franck]

Brian Adams' "Horseclan" series has a different take on the whole Post Apocalyptic world.

Don't you mean Robert Adams instead of Brian?

[Plynkes]

I'm quite a fan of Nevil Shute's "On the Beach." It's post-(or during) apocalypse Australia, but not of the Mad Max variety. Far more civilized and cozy, as somehow society does not break down, even at the end (that's the one criticism I might have with it - there is no panic or rioting or anything, it's all very stiff upper lip). 

And yet in the end it's probably actually even bleaker than "The Road." Some of the final moments are absolutely heart-rending. Probably not much inspiration for gaming, but worth a read nonetheless.

[v_lazy_dragon]

I'm going to chuck 'Wolf and Iron' by Gordon R Dickinson in.  I read it as a teen and really enjoyed it - although in retrospect I agree with everything this review levels at it:
http://magazine.metaphorosis.com/review/2016/wolf-and-iron-gordon-r-dickson/
For me, it was the first Post-Apoc book I read that didn't go for a mad-max-esque desert wasteland and wasn't 1970's apocalyptic fiction e.g. 'No blade of Grass', 'Day of the Triffids' or 'The Furies'. The setting is 1980's (?) USA, following a socio-economic collapse reminiscent of the fall of the roman empire. It's a fairly hopefull apocalypse and might be of interest if you fancy a slightly different direction and have read the better suggestions!  

I am also trying to remember the name/author of a series of pretty cheesy PA romps I read about the same time... but it's not coming to mind yet
.................................
Typical - hit post and it came to me!
James Barton's WasteWorld series... They are trashy, but have some good ideas in there


I also ditto Scurv on the Phillip Reeve Mortal Engines/ & Fever Crumb series. The only caveat is that they are post-post-apocalypse so to speak with society having recovered and rebuilt. Don't expect Mad Max ;-)

[HerbyF]

Don't you mean Robert Adams instead of Brian?

You are right. I did mean Robert Adams. Sorry about the error.