Hungry for More ‘The Last of Us’? These Books Will Haunt You in All the Right Ways

Hungry for More ‘The Last of Us’? These Books Will Haunt You in All the Right Ways

If The Last of Us left you emotionally wrecked and craving more post-apocalyptic intensity, you're not alone. The acclaimed video game and its HBO adaptation have carved a permanent space in our collective hearts — and now that we’ve cried, feared, and survived alongside Joel and Ellie, what’s next?

Luckily, there’s a bookshelf full of gripping reads that echo the same themes of survival, trauma, human connection, and moral ambiguity. Whether you’re mourning the end of Season 2 or replaying Part II in chronological mode, these novels will scratch the same emotional itch and maybe even wreck you in new ways.

1. “Station Eleven” by Emily St. John Mandel

A haunting, poetic exploration of a post-pandemic world. This novel doesn’t rely on zombies — instead, it beautifully dissects what remains of art, memory, and human connection after collapse. Like The Last of Us, it questions what’s worth saving when the world ends.

2. “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy

This is the OG of post-apocalyptic father-child stories. Stark, brutal, and devastatingly emotional, The Road chronicles a nameless man and his young son as they travel across a dying America. If Joel and Ellie broke you, McCarthy’s duo will shatter you.

3. “World War Z” by Max Brooks

Less personal and more global, this oral history of a zombie apocalypse offers multiple perspectives on survival, war, and resilience. It’s an immersive, journalistic-style journey that pairs well with the vast worldbuilding of The Last of Us.

4. “Bird Box” by Josh Malerman

A mother and her children attempt to survive in a world where seeing mysterious creatures causes instant insanity. The quiet horror and maternal drive here feel eerily close to TLOU Part II’s Abby-Lev dynamic — but with a Lovecraftian twist.

5. “The Girl With All the Gifts” by M.R. Carey

What happens when the cure for a zombie-like infection is… a child? This genre-bending thriller dives into the ethical murkiness of science, sacrifice, and survival — themes The Last of Us fans know all too well.

6. “The Passage” by Justin Cronin

Epic in scope and deeply emotional, this trilogy begins with a government experiment gone wrong and unravels into a decades-long saga of infected horrors and humanity’s fight to stay human. Think The Last of Us meets I Am Legend, with a dash of Children of Men.

7. “Severance” by Ling Ma

A satirical slow-burn that explores capitalism, identity, and the end of the world through the eyes of a Chinese American millennial. It's more existential than terrifying, but if The Last of Us made you think as much as it made you cry, this is your next read.

These books won’t replace The Last of Us — but they just might fill that infected hole in your heart. So until Season 3 drops or Naughty Dog announces Part III, let these stories take you somewhere just as heartbreaking, thrilling, and human.