Brilliant! One of the best books I've ever read. And easily the most terrifying and horrible. If this is the post-apocalypse, tremble.

If only for the middle novellas, "Sloosha's Crossin'" and "The Orison of Song Mi," Cloud Atlas makes the list. Both of these works are absolutely brilliant: two of the best things ever written in the post-apocalypse genre. Literary fans should read the whole book, while sci-fi reader-types might just stick to these two post-apocalypse tales. Again: brilliant.

A dark and mysterious and dream-like post-apocalypse. The first half of the book is a triumph. The second half of the book is a disaster.

Lightweight but fun. Like Alas, Babylon, the story is led by a dense 1950s male. He does miss his wife, though, and reflects a bit on the horror of a world peopled with vampires. The pages fly by. A good yarn.

Good, though not great, book from a powerful author. Fiskadoro never really gets off the ground, but still manages to captivate. Set in a post-nuclear Florida, in which small tribes are trying to piece together a life.

A terribly boring first novel. A teenager comes of age in a post-nuclear America. Apparently Robinson's later efforts are better, but this novel left me stone cold.

A compelling look at a bleak post-nuclear landscape.

A haunting film about someone who might or might not be from a post-apocalyptic future. Loses much of its power on the small screen, but still worth the trip.

Has its post-apocalypse moments: scenes from Ebola breakouts in Africa. A sense of dread pervades this quick-reading non-fiction book: we are just a mutation away from a horrible worldwide plague. And we are (as of 2009) poorly prepared to meet its challenge. Will a flu strain or an ebola virus exterminate us by the millions? Well worth reading.