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Quick answer: If you loved Metro 2033, read Hugh Howey's Wool, Shift and Dust, then The Road, Roadside Picnic, City of Ember and One Second After. All are bleak, atmospheric stories of survivors in ruined or sealed worlds.
Dmitry Glukhovsky's 2002 novel is set in the Moscow Metro after a nuclear war, where survivors live in stations that have become small states, and a young man named Artyom travels the tunnels to save his home. It is claustrophobic, philosophical and tense. The books below offer similar post-apocalyptic settings and underground worlds.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wool | Hugh Howey | Adult | dystopian mystery |
| Shift | Hugh Howey | Adult | the prequel |
| Dust | Hugh Howey | Adult | the finale |
| The Road | Cormac McCarthy | Adult | bleak survival |
| Roadside Picnic | Arkady and Boris Strugatsky | Adult | alien zones |
| City of Ember | Jeanne DuPrau | Teen | underground city |
| One Second After | William R. Forstchen | Adult | EMP attack |
| Warday | Whitley Strieber and James Kunetka | Adult | nuclear war aftermath |
| Station Eleven | Emily St. John Mandel | Adult | literary post-collapse |
| The Stand | Stephen King | Adult | epic plague story |
| Swan Song | Robert McCammon | Adult | nuclear survival |
| Earth Abides | George R. Stewart | Adult | quiet classic |
| I Am Legend | Richard Matheson | Adult | last man on earth |
| Annihilation | Jeff VanderMeer | Adult | strange expedition |
| The Hunger Games | Suzanne Collins | 12+ | teens who want action |
1. Wool by Hugh Howey
People live in an underground silo. Tense and clever.
Best for: dystopian mystery.
2. Shift by Hugh Howey
Shift tells how the silos began. Dark and fascinating, with a different tone from Wool.
Best for: the prequel.
3. Dust by Hugh Howey
The story concludes as the silos' secrets come out. Satisfying and fast.
Best for: the finale.
4. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
A father and son walk through a burned America. Sparse and devastating.
Best for: bleak survival.
5. Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky
Stalkers enter the Zone left by a visit from aliens. Tense and strange, and the basis for Stalker.
Best for: alien zones.
6. City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
Two teens search for a way out of a dying city. Tense and clever.
Best for: underground city.
7. One Second After by William R. Forstchen
An electromagnetic pulse knocks out the US grid, seen from a small North Carolina town. Chilling and plausible.
Best for: EMP attack.
8. Warday by Whitley Strieber and James Kunetka
Two journalists travel across a changed America. Documentary-style and bleak.
Best for: nuclear war aftermath.
9. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
A travelling company performs Shakespeare after a pandemic. Elegant and moving.
Best for: literary post-collapse.
10. The Stand by Stephen King
A superflu wipes out most of humanity. Huge and gripping.
Best for: epic plague story.
11. Swan Song by Robert McCammon
After a nuclear war, survivors with strange gifts are drawn into a fight. Sweeping and emotional.
Best for: nuclear survival.
12. Earth Abides by George R. Stewart
A graduate student returns from the mountains to find most people dead. Calm and reflective.
Best for: quiet classic.
13. I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
Robert Neville is the last human among vampire-like infected. Short and bleak.
Best for: last man on earth.
14. Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
A team enters a mysterious zone and slowly changes. Eerie and poetic.
Best for: strange expedition.
15. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Katniss volunteers for her sister in a deadly televised contest. Fast, tense and thoughtful about power and survival.
Best for: teens who want action.
How to Choose
For more underground survival choose Wool, Shift and Dust. For bleak journeys pick The Road or Roadside Picnic. For realistic collapse read One Second After or Warday. For younger readers try City of Ember or The Hunger Games. For epics read The Stand or Swan Song. Metro 2033 is atmospheric, so these picks suit readers who like a sense of place. Metro 2033 inspired a popular video game series, and the novel has sequels and spin-offs written by Glukhovsky and other authors in the Universe of Metro 2033 project. The game and the book tell the story differently.
Related: 15 Books Like Wings of Fire Kids Will Love: Dragons, Quests and Animal Adventures · 12 Dystopian Books Like the Hunger Games | Best Books to Read Like Hunger Games
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Metro 2033 about?
Artyom travels through the Moscow Metro after a nuclear war to save his station.
Who wrote it?
Dmitry Glukhovsky.
When was it published?
2002 online, then as a book in 2005.
Is it related to the game?
Yes, the Metro games are based on the novel.
Is it a series?
Yes, with Metro 2034 and Metro 2035.
Is it violent?
Yes, with horror and war.
Is it a long book?
About 450 pages.
What should I read next?
Try Wool or The Road.
Which book here is best for bleak survival?
Try The Road by Cormac McCarthy, which suits readers looking for bleak survival.
Which book here is best for EMP attack?
Try One Second After by William R. Forstchen, which suits readers looking for EMP attack.
Which book here is best for epic plague story?
Try The Stand by Stephen King, which suits readers looking for epic plague story.
Which book here is best for last man on earth?
Try I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, which suits readers looking for last man on earth.
Which book here is best for the prequel?
Try Shift by Hugh Howey, which suits readers looking for the prequel.
Which book here is best for alien zones?
Try Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, which suits readers looking for alien zones.