Zombies have always been a favorite in the horror scene, but in recent years, the zombie phenomenon has swept the globe like never before. From movies and TV shows to video games and, of course, books, zombies are everywhere, and they’re here to stay.
If you’re looking to get your flesh-eating fix, then you’ve come to the right place. I’ve put together the ultimate list of terrifying zombie books that are scary enough to raise the dead.
At a Glance: Our top picks for the 9 best Zombie Books
- The Savage Dead by Joe McKinney
- Feed (Newsflesh #1) by Mira Grant
- Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith, Jane Austen
- Handling the Undead By John Ajvide Lindqvist
- The Monster Island Trilogy By David Wellington
- World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks
- The epidemic of the Living Dead By John Russo
- Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
- Raising Stony Mayhall By Daryl Gregory
| IMAGE | PRODUCT | FEATURES | PRICE |
|---|---|---|---|
 | The Savage Dead | • Publication date:2013 • Print length:368 pages | |
 | Feed: The Newsflesh Trilogy: Book 1 | • Publication date:7 April 2011 • Print length:599 pages | |
 | Pride and Prejudice | • Publication date:May 4, 2010 • Print length:176 pages | |
 | Handling the Undead | • Publication date:August 30,2011 • Print length:384 pages | |
 | The Monster Island Trilogy: Three Zombie Novels | • Publication date:31 October 2017 • Print length:505 pages | |
 | World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War | • Publication date:October 16, 2007 • Print length:342 pages | |
 | Epidemic of the Living Dead | • Publication date-August 28, 2018 • Print length:272 pages | |
 | Rot and Ruin | • Publication date-14 September 2010 • Print length:464 pages | |
 | Raising Stony Mayhall | • Publication date-28 June 2011 • Print length:448 pages |
1. The Savage Dead by Joe McKinney
Deep inside a secret laboratory, a devastating man-made virus has been created, designed to turn its victims into brain-dead, flesh-eating monsters. And now, this terrifying virus has found its way onto the deck of a cruise liner, about to set sail.
Slowly but surely, passengers begin to fall sick. One by one, as the infection runs its horrifying course, the passengers are transformed into rabid man-eating beasts.
Delta Force operative Juan Parez and his team lead the deadly battle to contain the spread of the virus before it takes the lives of everyone on board. He’s spent his career in some of the world’s most harrowing places, but he’s never seen anything like this before.
Now, as the ship makes its slow and steady path towards the American coast, the fate of the entire world is at stake.
2. Feed (Newsflesh #1) by Mira Grant
Feed, the first of seven books in the Newsflesh series, takes us back to an unfamiliar 2014, where scientific discovery has cured diseases like cancer and even the common cold. But in the process of these incredible achievements, science also created something evil; a deadly infection, unlike anything the world has ever seen before.
The deceased have become living once more, and they’re roaming the earth in abundance, each gripped by an insatiable desire to feed. And with every meal, the terror rises exponentially.
It’s been twenty years of hell, and almost a quarter of the earth’s population has been wiped out. Humanity lives in a constant state of fear and exile, and as more people die, the population of walking dead continues to grow.
Blogger siblings Georgia and Shaun have grown up in this desolate new world. Georgia is a straight-laced reporter who likes to follow the facts rather than the spin. Shaun, on the other hand, creates his content in a more unconventional way. But together, they pool their skills and set out to uncover the truth behind the biggest conspiracy that man has ever known. Will they finally expose the truth about how the world went to hell? Or will their search for justice kill them first?
3. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith, Jane Austen
This brand new take on Jane Austen’s beloved classic novel is packed with thrills, chills, and flesh-eating madness.
A terrifying new plague has taken over the peaceful English countryside, and the dead are climbing out of their graves and roaming the green and pleasant hills.
Fearless and determined, Elizabeth Bennet is on a mission to stop the walking corpses in their tracks, but when the mysterious yet contemptuous Mr. Darcy arrives on the scene, she’s distracted from her noble quest.
Against a blood-soaked backdrop, a battle of wills ensues between the two young lovers. It’s hard enough to find your place as a strong, independent young woman in the class-conscious realm of the aristocracy. But throw in blood-thirsty zombies and a thousand rotting corpses, and Jane Austen’s original narrative looks like a gentle stroll in the park.
4. Handling the Undead By John Ajvide Lindqvist
Stockholm has been experiencing an extraordinary sequence of events. First, there was the crippling heatwave. Then, residents were alarmed to find that nobody could turn off their lights or electrical appliances. Something has shifted, the laws of physics aren’t working as they should, and there’s an eerie feeling of dread in the air.
But now, something even more sinister has hit the headlines; the bodies in the city morgue have begun to stir. The dead are waking up.
The city descends into panic, but amongst the chaos, those with loved ones in the morgue gather for a reunion they never thought possible.
But something about the ‘reliving’ is not quite right. The citizens of Stockhokholm battle with their pain, fear, and confusion as their loved ones return, but not as they knew them.
5. The Monster Island Trilogy By David Wellington
Just over a month ago, the world changed forever. A zombie apocalypse ravaged the developed nations of the globe, taking most of humanity with it. There are only a few small pockets of the living left, all concentrated in what was once the war-torn, weapon-laden nations of the earth. Now, those weapons are the key to survival.
Back in New York City, the dead roam the streets, all of them driven only by their insatiable hunger for human flesh
But among the mindless hoards of zombies stands an anomaly. Gary Fleck has the same blood-thirsty drive as the army of undead, but unlike the rest, he’s managed to keep his human intelligence alive. As he marches through the city streets in search of his next meal, he watches the devastating apocalypse unfold before him. Could he be the evil mastermind behind the world’s demise?
6. World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks
Humans were almost entirely wiped out by The Zombie War. And while the history books have recorded the magnitude of loss in facts and figures, there’s a missing human element. The few survivors that lived through those apocalyptic years saw things that past and future generations could never imagine. And so, Max Brooks sets out on a mission to preserve their first-hand stories before they’re swallowed up by time forever.
Traveling across the globe, he goes in search of those men, women, and children who managed to survive those horrifying years. One by one, they tell of their real-life journeys into the darkest pits of terror and despair. Their stories are a testament to the human spirit of survival and the resilience and determination that saw them through to the other side.
7. The epidemic of the Living Dead By John Russo
From the original screenwriter of the 1968 classic movie Night of the Living Dead comes this terrifying tale of a zombie infestation, born from infected needles, now spreading across small-town America.
Chapel Grove, Pennsylvania, was once a peaceful town, but now it’s overrun with flesh-eating corpses. The townspeople join forces to destroy the zombies by any means possible, but despite their best efforts, some have survived. And they’re hiding out in the local maternity ward.
Bill Curtis, the local detective, rushes to the ward to save his pregnant wife. When he arrives, he finds women lying in terror, many of them bitten by the walking dead. Now, the question on everyone’s minds is, what will be become of their unborn children?
To everyone’s relief, the babies are born happy and healthy. But as the years roll by and the children become teenagers, their behavior and their appetites begin to change. It looks like the nightmare isn’t over after all.
8. Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
In the first of Jonathan Maberry’s five-book series, we meet Benny Imura, a teenager navigating his way through life in a post-apocalyptic, zombie-infested world. With no memories of the before times, he’s accustomed to this strange world where every day is a fight for survival.
According to the law, every child must have a job by the time of their fifteenth birthday. Benny hates the idea of working as a zombie hunter for the family business, but if he doesn’t comply, his rations will be cut in half.
And so he reluctantly joins his older brother Tom out in the field and begins training as a killer of the undead. But as the brothers head into the zombie-infested Rot and Ruin zone, Benny discovers truths more terrifying than he could have ever imagined.
9. Raising Stony Mayhall By Daryl Gregory
It’s 1968, and Wanda Mayhall and her family are struggling to reclaim their lives in the aftermath of a deadly zombie outbreak. One day, in the midst of a ferocious snowstorm, Wanda finds a tiny baby cradled in his deceased mother’s arms. He’s stone-cold frozen, with no breath and no pulse, but as Wanda looks closer, the baby begins to move. He’s a member of the living dead.
As a mother, Wanda can’t help but feel protective of the infant. She scoops him into her own arms, and with the help of her daughters, she takes him home to hide him away from the prying eyes of the outside world. The boy is named
Stony, and for years, he grows up in solitude, locked away from society like a monstrous secret.
But one night, something terrible happens that forces him out of his sheltered existence, and Stony realizes that he’s not alone after all.
Conclusion
These nine terrifying zombie tales are guaranteed to keep you up at night. From comedy-infused thrills to the downright disturbing, these bestselling books are the perfect antidote to your horror hunger.
What’s your favorite zombie book or series? Let me know in the comments below.