Books reading recommendations Five Stories Set During a Frozen Apocalypse Put away your snow shovel and get cozy with these five frigid tales… By Lorna Wallace | Published on January 29, 2026 Time of the Great Freeze cover art by Brinton Turkle Comment 13 Share New Share Time of the Great Freeze cover art by Brinton Turkle Speculative fiction writers have imagined countless different ways that the world could end—from fairly realistic options (such as nuclear war or a super flu) to rather more implausible scenarios (like zombies). But we’re in the depths of winter right now, here in the north, so I’ve been feeling drawn to stories set during a frozen apocalypse. Below are a couple of books, a short story, a movie, and a TV series which explore the possibility of a frozen Earth. The cause of the planet’s deep freeze is different in each of the stories—and one is an apocalyptic tale that is simply set during the winter months—but they all result in a stark, dangerously chilly landscape. “A Pail of Air” by Fritz Leiber (1951) The 10-year-old narrator of “A Pail of Air” lives a very sheltered life—literally. Along with his Pa, Ma, and younger Sis, he lives in a small shelter (essentially a glorified blanket fort) that they call the Nest. A few years earlier, the Earth was ripped out of its orbit and as it careened away from the heat of sun, the gasses in the atmosphere froze and fell to the ground in snowy layers. Every so often, one of the family members has to venture outside in protective gear to gather a bucket of oxygen to replenish the Nest’s air supply. It’s during one of these excursions that the boy sees a woman in a nearby building—something that surely isn’t possible, given that everyone on Earth is dead aside from his family. Despite the story’s short length, Fritz Leiber manages to craft a detailed picture of how such a catastrophic event could impact life on Earth—not only that, but he also manages to make a compelling philosophical case for why survival on such a cold and dead planet is worth fighting for.  Time of the Great Freeze by Robert Silverberg (1964) Time of the Great Freeze is set in 2650, which is a few hundred years after the Earth entered an ice age due to cosmic dust blocking out the sun. Millions of people sought refuge in purpose-built underground tunnels across the world, with the plan being to (hopefully) wait out the cold. But the passing centuries have led to these subterranean cities becoming increasingly insular, so when a group of New Yorkers detect that the temperature has risen slightly and suggest exploring the surface, they’re cast out as traitors. With far less preparation than expected, the group strikes out across the ice in the hope of making it to a similar city near London with which they’ve made radio contact. This is a pulpy and plot-driven adventure story at heart. The characters admittedly aren’t all that well differentiated or developed, but the real draw is the exploration of the frozen landscape itself and the encounters with people and animals that have managed to eke out an existence there. Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice (2018) The cause of the apocalypse isn’t known in Moon of the Crusted Snow, but whatever it was results in a power blackout. Although this apocalypse doesn’t lead to the planet freezing over, the story is set during the winter months in an Anishinaabe community in northern Canada, so there’s plenty of snow and ice. The First Nations community already lives at a distance from mainstream society so they’re shielded from some of the chaos that erupts down south—a glimpse of which the reader sees when two college students manage to return home. Although the community is in for a rough winter, they’re used to being intermittently cut off due to bad weather so they have some food and fuel stores. But that preparedness—paired with their remote location—makes them a target for outsiders. Moon of the Crusted Snow is a slow and contemplative read. But although the end of the world might not seem as imminent here as in other stories, there’s still plenty of tension to be found. Snowpiercer (2013) Snowpiercer currently exists in three formats: There’s the 1982 graphic novel written by Jacques Lob and illustrated by Jean-Marc Rochette, a 2013 film directed by Bong Joon Ho, and a TV series that ran from 2020 to 2024. My favorite version of this story is the movie, so that’s the one I’m going to focus on. The world is plunged into an ice age after an attempt to reverse climate change backfires. The only people left alive are on the Snowpiercer—a self-sustaining train that has been looping the globe for almost two decades. Although the train provides safety from the bitter cold outside, conditions onboard are far from perfect. While the wealthy passengers in the front carriages live a life of luxury, those in the back are forced to endure terrible conditions. This unfair system leads to a group of tail section passengers instigating a rebellion. Bong Joon Ho manages to pull off a genre juggling act with all of his films, and Snowpiercer is no exception. It’s full of thrilling post-apocalyptic action scenes, but it’s also a thoughtful examination of class politics. It features a deeply moving and horrifying monologue from revolt leader Curtis (Chris Evans), but there’s also weird humor thanks to Minister Mason (Tilda Swinton). The Eternaut (2025) Spanish-language TV series The Eternaut starts with a group of old friends playing cards and being interrupted by the sound of cars crashing outside. Not only has every car in sight come to a stop with their drivers dead at the wheel, but snow is falling—which isn’t at all common in Buenos Aires, in summer. Something is clearly going on, but anyone who steps outside to investigate keels over dead. After sheltering in place for a short time, main character Juan (Ricardo Darín) decides to risk the weird weather in a homemade protective suit in an attempt to rescue his daughter, Clara (Mora Fisz). But while venturing through the eerie city, Juan discovers that the snow is only half of the apocalyptic problem. The Eternaut is based on a comic book series from the ’50s that was written by Héctor Germán Oesterheld and illustrated by Francisco Solano López. I haven’t read the comics so I can’t speak to how the show fares as an adaptation, but I found both the setting and story compelling and plan to check out season 2 when it airs. I’m always on the lookout for frozen apocalypse stories, so if I’ve missed any of your favorites, please feel free to mention them in the comments. I’d love to add further recommendations to my to-be-read and to-be-watched lists![end-mark] The post Five Stories Set During a Frozen Apocalypse appeared first on Reactor.