Max Brooks is known for entertaining horror fiction blending humor and suspense. His notable works include World War Z and The Zombie Survival Guide.
If you enjoy reading books by Max Brooks then you might also like the following authors:
Stephen King is a master of suspense and horror who has crafted plenty of bestsellers featuring tense situations and memorable characters. If you enjoyed Max Brooks’ World War Z, you’ll likely appreciate King’s The Stand.
This novel portrays the terrifying aftermath when a deadly virus wipes out most of humanity. The remaining few must pick sides in a growing struggle between good and evil.
King’s story brings the apocalypse to life with a rich cast of characters and a narrative that will keep you turning the pages late into the night.
Robert Kirkman is an author worth checking out if you enjoy Max Brooks. Best known for his graphic novel series The Walking Dead, Kirkman expertly portrays a post-apocalyptic world shaken by zombies.
In this series, Sheriff Rick Grimes awakens from a coma to find his hometown overtaken by the undead. He gathers survivors and confronts threats that go beyond mere zombies, including complex human dynamics.
If you appreciate Brooks’ realistic and human-centered approach in World War Z, Kirkman’s storytelling will resonate strongly.
C. Robert Cargill is an author whose storytelling blends elements of horror, speculative fiction, and sharp social commentary. His novel Sea of Rust presents readers with a gritty, post-apocalyptic world populated entirely by robots, long after humanity has vanished.
It centers on Brittle, a scavenger robot faced with violence and moral dilemmas in a burnt-out wasteland. Across the rusted landscapes, Brittle searches for parts and faces constant danger from rival scavengers and relentless AI overlords.
Readers who enjoy the suspenseful narratives and imaginative survival situations of Max Brooks’ World War Z may find Cargill’s tense, thought-provoking exploration of artificial intelligence and humanity equally intriguing.
Readers who enjoy Max Brooks’ detailed survival narratives and realistic approaches to post-apocalyptic fiction may appreciate Justin Cronin’s The Passage.
Cronin blends elements of thriller, horror, and dystopian science fiction into a character-driven story about a secret military experiment gone terribly wrong. The novel begins when a virus escapes, unleashes uncontrollable consequences, and sends humanity into chaos.
Amid the resulting devastation, a young girl named Amy emerges as a pivotal figure with mysterious abilities.
Cronin skillfully combines complex characters, thoughtful world-building, and relentless tension into a richly layered narrative that examines sacrifice and humanity’s resilience.
Readers who enjoy Max Brooks’ insightful tales of zombies and survival might also appreciate George Romero, whose legendary film work inspired his gripping novel, The Living Dead.
Romero crafts a sprawling narrative that spans decades, beginning with the early chaos of society’s collapse due to a zombie outbreak. He vividly portrays diverse characters as they navigate life, death, and the moral dilemmas of a world overrun by the undead.
The book captures human resilience, fear, and hope during catastrophic times. Fans of realistic world-building and thoughtful exploration of societal breakdown would find Romero’s approach resonant and engaging.
Daniel H. Wilson is an author who blends technology, suspense, and humanity into exciting narratives. If you enjoyed Max Brooks’s approach to realistic disaster scenarios, Wilson’s Robopocalypse might resonate with you.
This novel portrays a chilling vision of artificial intelligence taking control over the everyday robots that society depends on. Cars, phones, and household devices turn from conveniences into threats overnight as machines launch an organized revolt.
Through the journeys of different survivors, Wilson explores human strength and ingenuity when technology becomes the enemy. A tense, thrilling read that’s equally thoughtful and action-packed.
Readers who enjoyed Max Brooks’ World War Z might also appreciate Joe Hill’s imaginative blend of suspense, horror, and humanity in his novel NOS4A2 . Joe Hill crafts this dark fantasy about Vic McQueen, a woman with a supernatural talent for finding lost things.
Her gift becomes her curse when she crosses paths with Charles Manx, a sinister villain who kidnaps children to a terrifying otherworldly place he calls Christmasland. With vivid storytelling and chilling scenes, Hill explores the boundary between reality and nightmare.
Fans of Brooks’ sharp storytelling and eerie scenarios will find NOS4A2 captivating and difficult to put down.
Readers who enjoy Max Brooks might find Chuck Wendig’s sharp storytelling appealing. Wendig’s novel Wanderers explores a gripping scenario where people inexplicably start sleepwalking in vast numbers across America.
While this mysterious group journeys westward without explanation, a frightened society reacts with suspicion, panic, and even violence. Wendig’s story combines suspenseful plot twists, realistic character struggles, and thought-provoking themes about human nature and survival.
Fans of Brooks’ realistic approach to extraordinary events in World War Z will appreciate Wendig’s imaginative yet grounded storytelling.
John Langan is an American author known for his unsettling blend of horror and realism. If you enjoyed Max Brooks’ vivid approach to horror and apocalyptic storytelling, you may appreciate Langan’s collection, The Wide, Carnivorous Sky and Other Monstrous Geographies.
This book weaves together supernatural and everyday fears, exploring both traditional and modern horrors. One particularly memorable story, Technicolor, involves a university professor encountering a mysterious film reel that affects him deeply.
The haunting atmosphere and thoughtful character development make it a good pick for readers who like horror that is both imaginative and grounded.
Hugh Howey is a great match for readers who enjoyed Max Brooks’ thoughtful stories about humanity’s struggles in disaster scenarios. His novel Wool presents a post-apocalyptic future where society has retreated underground for generations, inside a massive silo.
Life there is rigidly controlled, and rules are strictly enforced, with questioning authority carrying dangerous consequences. When Sheriff Holston unexpectedly expresses doubts about their confined reality, tensions build to dramatic heights.
Howey crafts realistic characters and intriguing mysteries, exploring themes of truth, survival, and power in a claustrophobic environment. Fans of Brooks’ World War Z will appreciate the urgency, realism, and deep human concerns that drive Howey’s storytelling.
Readers who enjoyed Max Brooks might find Peter Clines an exciting author to explore next. Clines combines thrilling action, humor, and supernatural horror in ways that keep you wanting more. His novel 14 is especially intriguing.
It follows Nate Tucker, an ordinary guy who moves into a suspiciously affordable apartment building in Los Angeles called Kavach. Soon, Nate notices strange things about his apartment—hidden doorways, cryptic messages, and rooms sealed shut without explanation.
As he investigates alongside his neighbors, they uncover unsettling secrets that go far beyond what anyone imagined. Fans of chilling mysteries with a smart blend of sci-fi and horror will find this story addictive.
Readers who enjoyed Max Brooks should check out David Wellington, an author known for intense horror and zombie stories. His book Monster Island kicks off a zombie apocalypse trilogy where the world has fallen into chaos.
In Somalia, a group of survivors sets sail to deserted, zombie-overrun Manhattan in search of vital medication. Wellington offers gritty action, chilling horror elements, and a fascinating look at human survival under extreme conditions.
The story moves fast and is tough to put down, perfect for anyone craving tense zombie fiction.
If you enjoy the intense, realistic storytelling of Max Brooks, Scott Sigler might become your new favorite author. Sigler combines science fiction and horror themes with fast-paced plots that keep you turning pages.
In his book Infected, a mysterious parasite begins to infect ordinary people, causing paranoia, aggression, and terrifying hallucinations.
The story follows Perry Dawsey, a tough ex-football player, who realizes he’s infected and must fight for control over his own mind and body. Sigler creates a suspenseful narrative full of believable science and vivid, gritty action.
Fans of survival scenarios, pandemics, and gripping tension will find Infected hard to put down.
Books by Seth Grahame-Smith offer an entertaining blend of horror, humor, and historical twists perfect for fans of Max Brooks. In Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Grahame-Smith tells an imaginative alternate history.
The novel follows Abe Lincoln not only as a president but also as a secret hunter of vampires, driven by revenge and a sense of destiny. It mixes actual historical events and real figures with supernatural elements to craft a story that’s fun, darkly funny, and creative.
Readers who enjoyed World War Z for its clever merging of horror and history will likely appreciate Grahame-Smith’s adventurous approach.
Mira Grant is the pen name of author Seanan McGuire, who combines suspense, horror, and sci-fi themes within realistic worlds. Her book, Feed, imagines a chilling future set decades after a zombie outbreak has reshaped society.
Humanity adapted to living alongside the undead behind tightly secured zones. The story centers on Georgia and Shaun—two sibling journalists determined to uncover the truth about the outbreak and the sinister politics hiding beneath the surface.
Grant blends tense, action-packed scenes with sharp, thoughtful commentary on media ethics and political intrigue, capturing a depth readers enjoyed about Max Brooks’s World War Z.
If you appreciated Brooks’s blend of horror realism and societal insight, you may find Feed equally satisfying.