Survival

Project Hail Mary

Andy Weir · Sci-Fi

Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission–and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish.

quest · space opera · survival · high stakes survival

Dungeon Crawler Carl

Matt Dinniman · Fantasy

**The apocalypse will be televised!** A man.

quest · found family · survival · high stakes survival

1984

George Orwell · Literary Fiction

"Big Brother is Watching You." In a world where truth is dictated by the Party, freedom is slavery, and war is peace, Winston Smith dares to think…

dystopian society · psychological thriller · political intrigue · survival

Wolf Worm

T. Kingfisher · Horror

Something darker than the devil stalks the North Carolina woods in Wolf Worm, a new gothic masterpiece from New York Times bestselling author T.

gothic atmosphere · psychological thriller · survival · trauma recovery

Sunrise on the Reaping

Suzanne Collins · Fantasy

**When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?** As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games,…

dystopian society · grimdark · survival · high stakes survival · coming of age

Nowhere Burning

Catriona Ward · Literary Fiction

Nowhere Burning is a harrowing tale of survival that places the dark fairy tale of Peter Pan and the ruthless dangers of Lord of the Flies into the…

dark academia · coming of age · survival · morally grey character

Dark Matter

Michelle Paver · Horror

A terrifying 1930s ghost story set in the haunting wilderness of the far north.

gothic atmosphere · ghosts · survival · psychological thriller · historical fiction

The Reformatory

Tananarive Due · Literary Fiction

"Gracetown, Florida. June 1950. Twelve-year-old Robbie Stephens, Jr., is sentenced to six months at the Gracetown School for Boys, a reformatory, for…

coming of age · historical fiction · trauma recovery · survival

When the Wolf Comes Home

Nat Cassidy · Horror

One night, Jess, a struggling actress, finds a five-year-old runaway hiding in the bushes outside her apartment.

psychological thriller · cat and mouse · survival · revenge plot

The Nightingale

Kristin Hannah · Literary Fiction

Despite their differences, sisters Vianne and Isabelle have always been close.

historical fiction · coming of age · survival

How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates

Shailee Thompson · Horror

**A humorous, swoony, and downright terrifying slasher rom-com in which a cinephile gets caught in the middle of a murder spree at a speed-dating…

romantic comedy · dark romance · survival

The Martian

Andy Weir · Sci-Fi

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars.

survival · space opera

Between Two Fires

Christopher Buehlman · Horror

“Buehlman…slips effortlessly into a different kind of literary sensibility, one that doesn’t scrimp on earthy humor and lyrical writing in the face…

historical fiction · gothic atmosphere · survival · grimdark

The Women

Kristin Hannah · Literary Fiction

Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the…

historical fiction · coming of age · found family · survival

The Names

Florence Knapp · Literary Fiction

**The extraordinary novel that asks: Can a name change the course of a life?** In the wake of a catastrophic storm, Cora sets off with her…

psychological thriller · trauma recovery · survival

The Great Alone

Kristin Hannah · Literary Fiction

historical fiction · survival · high stakes survival

On Sundays She Picked Flowers

Yah Yah Scholfield · Horror

“A ferociously talented writer. Scholfield writes with insight, beauty, and the wildness of real art.” —Victor LaValle, author of Lone Women In this…

gothic atmosphere · haunted setting · psychological thriller · survival

Not Quite Dead Yet

Holly Jackson · Mystery & Thriller

In seven days Jet Mason will be dead.

psychological thriller · cat and mouse · twist ending · survival

Misery

Stephen King · Horror

Novelist Paul Sheldon has plans to make the difficult transition from writing historical romances featuring heroine Misery Chastain to publishing…

psychological thriller · survival · obsessive love · trauma recovery

Station Eleven

Emily St. John Mandel · Literary Fiction

One snowy night Arthur Leander, a famous actor, has a heart attack onstage during a production of "King Lear." Jeevan Chaudhary, a…

post apocalyptic · found family · multiple timelines · survival

The Hive

Melissa Scholes Young · Literary Fiction

The Hive is a story of survival, sisters, and secrets.

found family · coming of age · small town · survival

Of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck · Literary Fiction

Two men, migrant farmworkers, dream of a home of their own.

coming of age · found family · survival · historical fiction

The Crash

Freida McFadden · Mystery & Thriller

**The nightmare she’s running from is nothing compared to where she’s headed…** Tegan is eight months pregnant, alone, and desperately wants to…

psychological thriller · road trip · survival · trauma recovery

Never Lie

Freida McFadden · Mystery & Thriller

Newlyweds Tricia and Ethan are searching for the house of their dreams.

psychological thriller · closed circle · locked room · survival · twist ending

The Road

Cormac McCarthy · Literary Fiction

The searing, postapocalyptic novel destined to become Cormac McCarthy's masterpiece.

post apocalyptic · coming of age · survival · found family

We Burned So Bright

T. J. Klune · Literary Fiction

Husbands Don and Rodney have lived a good long life.

found family · coming of age · survival

The Complete Wheel of Time

Robert Jordan · Fantasy

This complete ebook collection contains all fifteen books in the Wheel of Time series: one the most influential and popular fantasy epics ever…

chosen one · quest · found family · survival · high stakes survival

Her Last Breath

Taylor Adams · Mystery & Thriller

From the critically acclaimed author of No Exit and The Last Word comes a story of two friends who embark on an ill-fated caving expedition--and the…

psychological thriller · survival · cat and mouse · twist ending

Children of Time

Adrian Tchaikovsky · Sci-Fi

The last remnants of the human race left a dying Earth, desperate to find a new home.

space opera · survival · post apocalyptic · first contact

Operation Bounce House

Matt Dinniman · Sci-Fi

All New Sonoran colonist Oliver Lewis ever wanted to do is run the family ranch and keep their aging fleet of intelligent agriculture bots ticking.

survival · space opera · high stakes survival

Monumental

Adam Nevill · Horror

A novel of pagan terror from the author of The Ritual and The Reddening.

survival · closed circle · grimdark

The Stand

Stephen King · Horror

A patient escapes from a biological testing facility, unknowingly carrying a deadly weapon: a mutated strain of super-flu that will wipe out 99…

post apocalyptic · grimdark · dystopian society · survival · high stakes survival

It Could Have Been Her

Lisa Jewell · Mystery & Thriller

PREPARE TO BE HOOKED by the brand new thriller from Lisa Jewell, author of No.1 bestsellers None of This Is True, Don't Let Him In and Then She Was…

psychological thriller · cat and mouse · survival · trauma recovery

The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre

Philip Fracassi · Horror

Brimming with dark humor, violence, and mystery, The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre is a blood-soaked slasher sure to keep readers guessing…

survival · high stakes survival · closed circle

Breathe In, Bleed Out

Brian McAuley · Horror

"Brian McAuley keeps you guessing the whole gory, satisfying way through this one.

closed circle · survival · high stakes survival · twist ending

The Starving Saints

Caitlin Starling · Horror

! “As brilliant as it is bizarre. From the very first page you know you are in the hands of an author at the height of their abilities. . . . This is…

grimdark · psychological thriller · survival · trauma recovery

The Ritual

Adam Nevill · Horror

"When four old University friends set off into the Scandinavian wilderness of the Arctic Circle, they aim to briefly escape the problems of their…

survival · high stakes survival · psychological thriller

It

Stephen King · Horror

"*It*" is a 1986 horror novel by American author Stephen King.

cosmic horror · found family · coming of age · survival · closed circle · demons

You Weren't Meant to Be Human

Andrew Joseph White · Horror

Festering masses of worms and flies have taken root in dark corners across Appalachia.

psychological thriller · trauma recovery · survival

Of Blood And Fire

Ryan Cahill · Fantasy

Of Blood and Fire is a return to the classic epic fantasy of old, but told with a modern narrative.

grimdark · quest · dragons · survival

Assassin's Quest

Robin Hobb · Fantasy

From an extraordinary new voice in fantasy comes the stunning conclusion to the Farseer trilogy, as FitzChivalry confronts his destiny as the…

quest · revenge plot · found family · survival · redemption arc

Royal Assassin

Robin Hobb · Fantasy

Young Fitz, the illegitimate son of the noble Prince Chivalry, is ignored by all royalty except the devious King Shrewd, who has had him tutored him…

political intrigue · revenge plot · quest · trauma recovery · survival

Guillotine

Delilah S. Dawson · Horror

The Menu meets Ready or Not in this dark tale of opulent luxury and shocking violence from the New York Times bestselling author of Bloom.

closed circle · high stakes survival · survival · twist ending

Spread Me

Sarah Gailey · Horror

Spread Me is a darkly seductive tale of survival from Sarah Gailey, bestselling author of Just Like Home.

cosmic horror · survival · high stakes survival · psychological thriller

Morsel

Carter Keane · Horror

Carter Keane's Morsel is a delicious folk horror debut about learning to bite back when the world is determined to eat you alive.

coming of age · trauma recovery · grimdark · survival

Lord of the Flies

William Golding · Literary Fiction

Introduction by E.M. Forster.

coming of age · survival · closed circle · grimdark

Dead in the Water

John Marrs · Mystery & Thriller

From the multi-million copy bestselling author comes a chilling tale about life flashing before your eyes--including terrifying scenes you don't…

psychological thriller · amnesia · survival

The Weight of Blood

Tiffany D. Jackson · Horror

* AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * INDIE BESTSELLER * JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION * KIDS' INDIE NEXT LIST PICK * NPR BEST PICK * KIRKUS BEST…

psychological thriller · survival · trauma recovery

The Dorians

Nick Cutter · Horror

The all-new novel of terror from “one of the hottest horror authors on the planet” (Paste) and writer of the #HorrorBookTok sensation The Troop!

cosmic horror · survival · high stakes survival · closed circle

Burn Down Master's House

Clay Cane · Literary Fiction

Inspired by true, long-buried stories of enslaved people who dared to fight back, a searing portrayal of resistance for readers of Colson Whitehead,…

historical fiction · revenge plot · survival

Parable of the Sower

Octavia E. Butler · Sci-Fi

In 2025, with the world descending into madness and anarchy, one woman begins a fateful journey toward a better future.

dystopian society · coming of age · survival · road trip · trauma recovery

Jurassic Park

Michael Crichton · Mystery & Thriller

Jurassic Park is a 1990 science fiction novel written by Michael Crichton.

high stakes survival · psychological thriller · closed circle · survival

He Who Fights with Monsters

Shirtaloon · Fantasy

Jason wakes up in a mysterious world of magic and monsters.

urban fantasy · survival

The Handmaid's Tale

Margaret Atwood · Sci-Fi

The Handmaid's Tale is a dystopian novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood, published in 1985.

dystopian society · survival · political intrigue · high stakes survival

Annihilation

Jeff VanderMeer · Sci-Fi

Area X has been cut off from the rest of the continent for decades.

cosmic horror · psychological thriller · survival · twist ending

A Short Stay in Hell

Steven L. Peck · Literary Fiction

An ordinary family man, geologist, and Mormon, Soren Johansson has always believed he’ll be reunited with his loved ones in an eternal hereafter.

magical realism · survival

The Grapes of Wrath

John Steinbeck · Literary Fiction

Steinbeck’s classic novel of the Great Depression is as vivid now as ever.

historical fiction · survival · coming of age · political intrigue

Moby Dick

Herman Melville · Literary Fiction

A literary classic that wasn't recognized for its merits until decades after its publication, Herman Melville's Moby-Dick tells the tale of a whaling…

revenge plot · obsessive love · survival · historical fiction

Stolen Tongues

Felix Blackwell · Horror

A romantic cabin getaway doesn’t go exactly as planned.

forced proximity · ghosts · gothic atmosphere · paranormal romance · survival

Kindred

Octavia Butler · Sci-Fi

Dana, a modern black woman, is celebrating her twenty-sixth birthday with her new husband when she is snatched abruptly from her home in California…

time travel · historical fiction · trauma recovery · survival · forced proximity

This House Will Feed

Maria Tureaud · Horror

Amidst the devastation of Ireland’s Great Famine, a young woman is salvaged from certain death when offered a mysterious position at a remote manor…

gothic atmosphere · historical fiction · haunted setting · survival

All the Light We Cannot See

Anthony Doerr · Literary Fiction

From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, a stunningly ambitious and beautiful novel about a blind French girl and a German…

historical fiction · multiple timelines · survival · psychological thriller

The Haar

David Sodergren · Horror

“I don’t fear death... but they do.” Muriel McAuley has lived in the Scottish fishing village of Witchaven all her life. She was born there, and…

gothic atmosphere · closed circle · survival

Moon of the Crusted Snow

Waubgeshig Rice · Literary Fiction

"A daring post-apocalyptic novel from a powerful rising literary voice.

dystopian society · coming of age · survival · post apocalyptic

This Inevitable Ruin

Matt Dinniman · Sci-Fi

They call it Faction Wars. The ninth floor. Nine armies, each led by rich and powerful aliens from across the galaxy. Each team has one…

survival · space opera

The Infinite State

Richard Swan · Sci-Fi

In this blistering science fiction epic, international bestselling author Richard Swan presents a thrilling tale of survival and an eviscerating…

dystopian society · political intrigue · survival · psychological thriller

We Who Will Die

Stacia Stark · Fantasy

Filled with breathtaking combat, vengeful gods, and magical creatures, We Who Will Die is the epic first installment in an enthralling new series…

slow burn · dark romance · forbidden romance · vampires · survival

The Road of Bones

Demi Winters · Romance

A woman on the run. A crew of Viking mercenaries. A forbidden romance. And the secret which threatens them all. Silla Nordvig is running for her…

forbidden romance · slow burn · historical fiction · survival · revenge plot

Crafting for Sinners

Jenny Kiefer · Horror

“You will compulsively turn these pages well into the dead of night.”—Paul Tremblay, New York Times best-selling author of Horror Movie and The Cabin…

survival · high stakes survival · grimdark · closed circle

She Made Herself A Monster

Anna Kovatcheva · Horror

Yana hunts monsters. Anka might be one. They'll need each other to survive. 'This exciting, gorgeous novel reminded me why I love vampire stories...…

dark romance · enemies to lovers · vampires · survival · paranormal romance

Seed

Ania Ahlborn · Horror

With nothing but the clothes on his back--and something horrific snapping at his heels--Jack Winter fled his rural Georgia home when he was still…

survival · trauma recovery · revenge plot · demons

We Call Them Witches

India-Rose Bower · Horror

For fans of The Watchers and T. Kingfisher comes a queer, post-apocalyptic horror following one woman's journey across a merciless wasteland to save…

dark romance · forbidden romance · post apocalyptic · dystopian society · found family · survival

The Watchers

A.M. Shine · Horror

An Irish horror adventure set in the unknown forests of Galway, where humans are kept under observation by screaming creatures, from debut author A.

survival · psychological thriller · closed circle

Daughters of the Sun and Moon

Lisa See · Literary Fiction

Beloved New York Times bestselling author Lisa See draws on the vibrancy and turmoil of post-Civil War Los Angeles to tell the story of three Chinese…

historical fiction · coming of age · survival

Migrations

Charlotte McConaghy · Literary Fiction

"Franny Stone has always been a wanderer.

slow burn · magical realism · survival · trauma recovery

We Are Legion (We Are Bob)

Dennis E. Taylor · Sci-Fi

“Bob Johansson has just sold his software company and is looking forward to a life of leisure.

space opera · quest · survival · found family

Blood Trail

Matt Query · Horror

"In this chillingly original horror novel, a poacher turned game warden is on an all-new hunt when he's selected to track down a cult with blood…

survival · psychological thriller · grimdark · cosmic horror

The Midnight Muse

Jo Kaplan · Horror

When a metal band's lead singer vanishes in the woods, the mushrooms in the forest might know more than they're letting on in this mycelium-metal…

survival · missing person · cosmic horror

Sundown Girls

L.S. Stratton · Mystery & Thriller

In the tradition of Jordan Peele and Tiffany Jackson’s The Weight of Blood, a YA thriller about a Black teen whose fight for survival forces a small…

psychological thriller · survival · small town · coming of age

What We Did to Survive

Megan Lally · Mystery & Thriller

A vacation in paradise turns deadly when four teens' sailing charter hits stormy seas in this propulsive new thriller from New York Times and USA…

psychological thriller · survival · high stakes survival · closed circle

The Gate of the Feral Gods

Matt Dinniman · Sci-Fi

New Achievement! Total, Utter Failure. You failed a quest less than five minutes after you received it. Now that’s talent. A floating fortress…

survival · high stakes survival · found family · quest

Ender's Game

Orson Scott Card · Sci-Fi

Young Ender Wiggin thinks he is playing war games at the Battle School, high in orbit, but he is engaged in something far more desperate.

space opera · coming of age · chosen one · survival · first contact

The Dream Hotel

Laila Lalami · Sci-Fi

"From Laila Lalami-the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist and a "maestra of literary fiction" (NPR)-comes a riveting and utterly…

dystopian society · psychological thriller · survival · post apocalyptic

Train Dreams

Denis Johnson · Literary Fiction

Denis Johnson’s Train Dreams is an epic in miniature, one of his most evocative and poignant fictions.

historical fiction · coming of age · trauma recovery · survival

Lone Women

Victor LaValle · Literary Fiction

Blue skies, empty land—and enough wide-open space to hide a horrifying secret.

historical fiction · survival · trauma recovery · gothic atmosphere · psychological thriller · grimdark

Shōgun

James Clavell · Literary Fiction

After Englishman John Blackthorne is lost at sea, he awakens in a place few Europeans know of and even fewer have seen--Nippon.

historical fiction · fish out of water · political intrigue · survival

The Four Winds

Kristin Hannah · Literary Fiction

Texas, 1921. A time of abundance. The Great War is over, the bounty of the land is plentiful, and America is on the brink of a new and optimistic…

historical fiction · survival · coming of age

The Faith of Beasts

James S. A. Corey · Sci-Fi

James S. A. Corey's Expanse series has sold more than 12 million copies worldwide and has been translated into more than 23 languages, establishing…

space opera · political intrigue · survival

The Maze Runner

James Dashner · Sci-Fi

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name.

chosen one · survival · dystopian society · post apocalyptic · amnesia · high stakes survival

Primal Hunter

Zogarth · Fantasy

quest · survival

Blacktop Wasteland

S. A. Cosby · Mystery & Thriller

A husband, a father, a son, a business owner...

psychological thriller · revenge plot · survival · morally grey character

The Deep

Peter Benchley · Mystery & Thriller

While scuba diving off the Bermuda coast, David and Gail Sanders locate a Spanish treasure ship, which unfortunately lies beneath the remains of…

psychological thriller · survival

Nightwatching

Tracy Sierra · Horror

A footstep on the stairs. A second to react. What happens next will determine everything. Home alone with her young children during a blizzard, a…

psychological thriller · locked room · haunted setting · survival

Horrorstor

Grady Hendrix · Horror

Something strange is happening at the Orsk furniture superstore in Cleveland, Ohio.

haunted setting · gothic atmosphere · closed circle · survival

Fever House

Keith Rosson · Horror

When leg-breaker Hutch Holtz rolls up to a rundown apartment complex in Portland, Oregon, to collect overdue drug money, a severed hand is the last…

psychological thriller · survival · cat and mouse · high stakes survival

Sweetside Motel

E. L. Chen · Horror

With the pandemic sweeping the globe, Sarah Ng makes a desperate escape from Toronto to start a new life.

psychological thriller · forced proximity · cat and mouse · closed circle · survival

Isola

Allegra Goodman · Literary Fiction

A young woman and her lover are marooned on an island in this epic saga of love, faith, and defiance from the bestselling author of Sam.

historical fiction · forbidden romance · survival · coming of age

Butcher's Crossing

John Williams · Literary Fiction

In the 1870s, Will Andrews, fired up by Emerson to seek "an original relation to nature," drops out of Harvard and heads west.

historical fiction · survival

The Forever War

Joe Haldeman · Sci-Fi

"The legendary novel of extraterrestrial war in an uncaring universe comes to comics, in a stunningly realized vision of Joe Haldeman's Vietnam War…

space opera · survival · trauma recovery · first contact · time travel

A Fire Upon The Deep

Vernor Vinge · Sci-Fi

Thousands of years in the future, humanity is no longer alone in a universe where a mind's potential is determined by its location in space, from…

space opera · first contact · quest · survival

The Scammer

Tiffany D. Jackson · Mystery & Thriller

Tiffany D. Jackson delivers another stunning, ripped-from-the-headlines thriller, following a freshman girl whose college life is turned upside down…

psychological thriller · cat and mouse · survival

The Wild Card

Mark Joseph · Mystery & Thriller

For the past thirty years, "four grown men, friends since childhood--a man of thought, a man of leisure, an outlaw, and a cop--reunited in San…

psychological thriller · cat and mouse · survival · revenge plot

Warning Signs

Tracy Sierra · Mystery & Thriller

“The tension, the atmosphere, the dread .

psychological thriller · survival · high stakes survival · trauma recovery

Heartwood

Amity Gaige · Mystery & Thriller

Deep in the Maine woods, an experienced hiker goes missing.

psychological thriller · survival · missing person · trauma recovery

How Bad Things Can Get

Darcy Coates · Horror

It was supposed to be the party of the century: miles of idyllic white sand beaches, lush jungle foliage...and a dark legend nobody dreamed might be…

survival · high stakes survival · closed circle · locked room

Humboldt Cut

Allison Mick · Horror

Jordan Peele and Jeff Vandermeer meet The Overstory in comedy writer Allison Mick’s darkly humorous debut eco-horror novel, as a Black woman returns…

survival · psychological thriller · revenge plot

Yellow Wife

Sadeqa Johnson · Literary Fiction

Born on a plantation in Charles City, Virginia, Pheby Delores Brown has lived a relatively sheltered life.

historical fiction · survival · revenge plot

After The Fall

Edward Ashton · Sci-Fi

Part alien invasion story, part buddy comedy, and part workplace satire, After The Fall by Edward Ashton, author of Mickey7 (inspiration for the film…

space opera · first contact · survival · found family

There Is No Antimemetics Division

qntm · Sci-Fi

(from back cover) An antimeme is *an idea with self-censoring properties*; an idea which, by its intrinsic nature, discourages or prevents people…

cosmic horror · psychological thriller · unreliable narrator · twist ending · survival

The Bone Ships

RJ Barker · Fantasy

"Excellent. One of the most interesting and original fantasy worlds I've seen in years." —Adrian Tchaikovsky, Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning author A…

grimdark · survival · quest

Ask for Andrea

Noelle West Ihli · Mystery & Thriller

"Hands down, one of my favorite reads of the year!" -Freida McFadden, author of The Housemaid Meghan, Brecia, and Skye have just one thing in…

survival · cat and mouse · high stakes survival

Fahrenheit 451

Ray Bradbury · Sci-Fi

Celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of this timeless classic with a special edition featuring a new introduction by the author and a message that is…

dystopian society · survival

The Book of Lost Hours

Hayley Gelfuso · Fantasy

"A spectacular historical and speculative novel about a WWII-era girl who grows up trapped in the "time space," a cavernous library featuring books…

historical fiction · magical realism · forbidden romance · multiple timelines · survival

The Butcher's Masquerade

Matt Dinniman · Sci-Fi

**Attention. Attention. The gates are down. The hunters are loose. Run, Run, Run.** A lush jungle teeming with danger. Savage dinosaurs seeking…

survival · high stakes survival

Catching Fire

Suzanne Collins · Sci-Fi

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the Hunger Games.

dystopian society · survival · revenge plot · high stakes survival

The Time Machine

H. G. Wells · Sci-Fi

H. G. Wells' The Time Machine, from 1895, popularized the idea of a vehicle that allows its user to travel intentionally and selectively across time,…

time travel · survival

The Jungle

Upton Sinclair · Literary Fiction

Upton Sinclair's dramatic and deeply moving story exposed the brutal conditions in the Chicago stockyards at the turn of the nineteenth century and…

historical fiction · survival

Gerald's Game

Stephen King · Horror

Gerald and Jessie Burlingame have gone to their summer home on a warm weekday in October for a romantic interlude.

psychological thriller · trauma recovery · survival

The Tommyknockers

Stephen King · Horror

The Tommyknockers is a 1987 science fiction novel by Stephen King.

cosmic horror · survival · paranormal romance

Slasher Summer

E. L. Chen · Horror

PRE-ORDER THE SLASHER OF SUMMER '26.

survival · closed circle · twist ending

The Island of Dr. Moreau

H. G. Wells · Horror

Ranked among the classic novels of the English language and the inspiration for several unforgettable movies, this early work of H.

cosmic horror · gothic atmosphere · survival · closed circle

Thinner

Stephen King · Horror

Thinner is a horror novel by American author Stephen King, published in 1984 by NAL under King's pseudonym Richard Bachman.

survival · revenge plot · psychological thriller

Firestarter

Stephen King · Horror

Firestarter is a science fiction-horror thriller novel by Stephen King, first published in September 1980.

survival · coming of age · trauma recovery · psychological thriller · high stakes survival

The Summer Fun Massacre

Craig DiLouie · Horror

It’s 1992, and in the heat of Texas, camp Summer Fun rests by a crystalline lake surrounded by a shady forest.

survival · trauma recovery · twist ending · high stakes survival

The Passage

Justin Cronin · Horror

The Passage is a novel by Justin Cronin, published in 2010 by Ballantine Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

survival · grimdark · chosen one · post apocalyptic · cosmic horror

I Am Legend

Richard Matheson · Horror

Robert Neville may well be the last living man on Earth .

survival · post apocalyptic · vampires

Devolution

Max Brooks · Horror

As the ash and chaos from Mount Rainier’s eruption swirled and finally settled, the story of the Greenloop massacre has passed unnoticed, unexamined .

found family · survival · high stakes survival · psychological thriller · grimdark

Patricia Wants to Cuddle

Samantha Allen · Horror

When the final four women in competition for an aloof, if somewhat sleazy, bachelor's heart arrive on a mysterious island in the Pacific Northwest,…

dark academia · psychological thriller · survival · twist ending

Old Man And The Sea

Ernest Hemingway · Literary Fiction

A Scribner Classics Edition Told in his famed powerful and minimalist prose, this story of courage and personal triumph remains one of Ernest…

survival · coming of age

Angel Down

Daniel Kraus · Literary Fiction

A NEW YORK TIMES TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR NATIONAL BESTSELLER “A thunderous gallop of a war novel, a new classic, a best-in-class example of…

historical fiction · survival · trauma recovery · quest

Underground Railroad

Colson Whitehead · Literary Fiction

Cora is a slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia.

historical fiction · survival · quest

Oliver Twist

Charles Dickens · Literary Fiction

Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress, is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens.

coming of age · historical fiction · survival · found family

Room

Emma Donaghue · Literary Fiction

psychological thriller · trauma recovery · coming of age · survival

The War of the Worlds

Hg Wells · Sci-Fi

The seminal masterpiece of alien invasion, The War of the Worlds (1898) conjures a terrifying, tentacled race of Martians who devastate the Earth and…

first contact · high stakes survival · survival · cosmic horror

Starship Troopers

Robert A. Heinlein · Sci-Fi

With Earth embroiled in a vast interplanetary war with the "Bugs," a young recruit in the Federal Reserves relates his experiences training in boot…

survival · dystopian society · coming of age

Ship of Destiny

Robin Hobb · Fantasy

Robin Hobb has established herself as one of the masters of fantasy fiction And nowhere is that more apparent than in this powerful, poignant,…

quest · survival · found family · political intrigue

Nobody Knows You're Here

Bryn Greenwood · Mystery & Thriller

A desperate woman fights to escape captivity in this gripping thriller from the New York Times-bestselling author of All the Ugly and Wonderful…

psychological thriller · survival · trauma recovery

Those Girls

Chevy Stevens · Mystery & Thriller

"Life has never been easy for the three Campbell sisters.

psychological thriller · survival · trauma recovery · revenge plot

The Black Dahlia

James Ellroy · Mystery & Thriller

The Black Dahlia is a roman noir on an epic scale: a classic period piece that provides a startling conclusion to America's most infamous unsolved…

psychological thriller · cat and mouse · survival · morally grey character

No Place Left to Hide

Megan Lally · Mystery & Thriller

Some secrets just won't stay hidden in this twisty new thriller from New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Megan Lally!

psychological thriller · unreliable narrator · survival · trauma recovery

One Yellow Eye

Leigh Radford · Horror

‘Snort-inducingly funny . . . One for those with strong stomachs and big hearts’ – The Times Full of heartbreak, revulsion and black humour, a…

dark romance · survival · found family

Thrall

Rebecca Mahoney · Horror

In Thrall, a young woman looking for a transformative college experience is bitten by a vampire and must team up with his other living victims to…

paranormal romance · vampires · found family · survival

The Last Witch

C. J. Cooke · Horror

A deeply compelling historical horror novel following a woman accused of being a witch who must use her voice to fight for her life—and the…

gothic atmosphere · historical fiction · survival · witches · dark academia

Candy Cain Kills

Brian McAuley (Screenwriter) · Horror

"The modern day Goosebumps for adults."--Horror Obsessive When Austin's parents drag him and his little sister Fiona to a remote cottage for…

coming of age · survival · revenge plot

House of Monstrous Women

Daphne Fama · Horror

A young woman is drawn into a dangerous game after being invited to the mazelike home of her childhood friend, a rumored witch, in this gothic horror…

gothic atmosphere · witches · closed circle · survival · twist ending

Abyss

Nicholas Binge · Horror

This job will eat you alive. From the bestselling author of Ascension, Nicholas Binge, Abyss is a creeping, Lovecraftian horror about work,…

cosmic horror · psychological thriller · survival · grimdark

The Bloody Brick Road

Maude Royer · Horror

In this wildly creative, horror-soaked reimagining of L.

grimdark · survival · psychological thriller

Doctor Sleep

Stephen King · Horror

The now middle-aged Dan Torrance (the boy protagonist of The Shining) must save a very special twelve-year-old girl from a tribe of murderous…

survival · grimdark · haunted setting · high stakes survival · trauma recovery

No One Gets Out Alive

Adam Nevill · Horror

Darkness lives within . . . Cash-strapped, working for agencies and living in shared accommodation, Stephanie Booth feels she can fall no further. So…

haunted setting · psychological thriller · survival · trauma recovery

Last Light

Claire Kent · Literary Fiction

It only took four years for the world to fall apart.Now the last member of my family has died, and I'm forced to travel across what's left of three…

post apocalyptic · psychological thriller · survival · trauma recovery

For Whom the Bell Tolls

Ernest Hemingway · Literary Fiction

High in the pine forests of the Spanish Sierra, a guerrilla band prepares to blow up a vital bridge.

forbidden romance · historical fiction · redemption arc · political intrigue · survival

Junie

Erin Crosby Eckstine · Literary Fiction

"A strong-willed enslaved girl is haunted by her sister's ghost as she grapples with circumstances beyond her control, risking her life as the Civil…

survival · trauma recovery · historical fiction · ghosts

Let Us Descend

Jesmyn Ward · Literary Fiction

In this reimagining of American slavery, Jesmyn Ward describes a journey from the rice fields of the Carolinas to the slave markets of New Orleans…

historical fiction · survival · trauma recovery · dark academia

The Things We Cannot Say

Kelly Rimmer · Literary Fiction

In 1942, Europe remains in the relentless grip of war.

historical fiction · trauma recovery · missing person · survival

To Be Taught, If Fortunate

Becky Chambers · Sci-Fi

At the turn of the twenty-second century, scientists make a breakthrough in human spaceflight.

space opera · survival · found family

Carl's Doomsday Scenario

Matt Dinniman · Sci-Fi

"The training levels have concluded.

survival · high stakes survival · found family

The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook

Matt Dinniman · Sci-Fi

Welcome to the Iron Tangle! Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, have to team up with other contestants not just to survive, but to…

survival · high stakes survival · found family · quest

Wool

Hugh Howey · Sci-Fi

In a ruined and toxic landscape, a community exists in a giant silo underground, hundreds of stories deep.

dystopian society · survival · closed circle · post apocalyptic

Green City Wars

Adrian Tchaikovsky · Sci-Fi

In a city of sunshine and secrets, the shadows belong to the animals.

dystopian society · survival · political intrigue

What Stalks the Deep

T. Kingfisher · Mystery & Thriller

The next installment in the New York Times bestselling Sworn Soldier series, featuring Alex Easton investigating the dark, mysterious depths of a…

psychological thriller · survival · gothic atmosphere

Gray After Dark

Noelle West Ihli · Mystery & Thriller

A merciless wilderness. A harrowing attack. A desperate escape. When a tragic accident sidelines Miley's dreams of Olympic gold, she takes a summer…

psychological thriller · survival · high stakes survival · closed circle · trauma recovery

Paper Cut

Rachel Taff · Mystery & Thriller

“Darkly addictive with a blistering pace and puzzle-box structure” —Katy Hays, New York Times bestselling author of The Cloisters A page-turning…

psychological thriller · trauma recovery · unreliable narrator · cat and mouse · survival

Forget You Saw Her

Noelle W. Ihli · Mystery & Thriller

Inspired by true events, Forget You Saw Her is the pulse-pounding standalone prequel to the international bestselling, BookTok sensation Ask for…

missing person · revenge plot · trauma recovery · psychological thriller · survival

Breathless

Amy McCulloch · Mystery & Thriller

A BOOK OF THE MONTH CLUB PICK • A high-altitude thriller that will take your breath away—Cecily Wong is on her most dangerous climb yet, miles above…

psychological thriller · high stakes survival · cat and mouse · survival

Survive the Night

Riley Sager · Horror

It’s November 1991. Nirvana's in the tape deck, George H. W. Bush is in the White House, and movie-obsessed college student Charlie Jordan is in a…

psychological thriller · closed circle · twist ending · survival

The Curse of Hester Gardens

Tamika Thompson · Horror

We Need to Talk about Kevin as if written by Jason Reynolds and Tananarive Due meets Model Home by Rivers Solomon in an innovative twist on the…

haunted setting · coming of age · trauma recovery · gothic atmosphere · survival

Spin

Robert Charles Wilson · Sci-Fi

One night in October when he was ten years old, Tyler Dupree stood in his back yard and watched the stars go out.

space opera · survival · time travel

Us Dark Few

Alexis Patton · Sci-Fi

Khalani Kanes has never stood on the surface of the earth.

coming of age · dystopian society · survival · fish out of water

Where the Axe Is Buried

Ray Nayler · Sci-Fi

All systems fail. All societies crumble. All worlds end. In the authoritarian Federation, there is a plot to assassinate and replace the President, a…

dystopian society · psychological thriller · political intrigue · survival

Old Man's War

John Scalzi · Sci-Fi

John Scalzi channels Robert Heinlein (including a wry sense of humor) in a novel about a future Earth engaged in an interstellar war against more…

space opera · survival · high stakes survival

Gateway

Frederik Pohl · Sci-Fi

Gateway opened on all the wealth of the Universe...and on reaches of unimaginable horror.

space opera · psychological thriller · survival · trauma recovery

Severance

Ling Ma · Sci-Fi

Candace Chen, a millennial drone self-sequestered in a Manhattan office tower, is devoted to routine.

dystopian society · psychological thriller · survival · trauma recovery

Ode to the Half-Broken

Suzanne Palmer · Sci-Fi

In the abandoned New York Botanical Gardens, forty years after the world nearly ended, a worn-out robot is attacked, and realizes old evils are…

found family · post apocalyptic · survival

Defiance of the Fall 7

JF Brink · Sci-Fi

The Dimensional Seed is about to mature.

dystopian society · quest · survival

Voidverse

Damien Ober · Sci-Fi

AN ENDLESS VOID. A POWERFUL ANOMALY. A QUEST FOR REVENGE. When The Sinker was a child, her home was destroyed by The Construct, a floating machine…

revenge plot · dystopian society · survival · quest

The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances

Glenn Dixon · Sci-Fi

In a near future, where even the smallest of appliances are sentient, a young Roomba vacuum sets out to save the humans of her house from a rising…

dystopian society · survival · post apocalyptic

These Shattered Spires

Cassidy Ellis Salter · Fantasy

Gideon the Ninth meets Leigh Bardugo in this YA high fantasy about four magical rivals who are forced to work together to stay alive during a deadly…

dark academia · found family · survival · magic academy · enemies to lovers

The Bone Door

Frances White · Fantasy

PRE-ORDER THE BRILLIANTLY IMAGINATIVE NEW NOVEL FROM FRANCES WHITE, THE USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED.

grimdark · amnesia · quest · survival

This Safe Darkness

Alexis Maragold · Fantasy

The Hunt was intended to make us an example, not a threat.

dystopian society · grimdark · revenge plot · survival · morally grey character

Before They Are Hanged

Joe Abercrombie · Fantasy

Superior Glokta has a problem. How do you defend a city surrounded by enemies and riddled with traitors, when your allies can by no means be trusted,…

grimdark · morally grey character · political intrigue · survival · high stakes survival

The Heroes

Joe Abercrombie · Fantasy

They say Black Dow’s killed more men than winter, and clawed his way to the throne of the North up a hill of skulls.

grimdark · morally grey character · anti hero · survival

The Stone Sky

N. K. Jemisin · Fantasy

Humanity will finally be saved or destroyed in the shattering conclusion to the post-apocalyptic and highly acclaimed NYT bestselling trilogy that…

grimdark · post apocalyptic · quest · survival

Dread Nation

Justina Ireland · Fantasy

Jane McKeene was born two days before the dead began to walk the battlefields of Civil War era America derailing the War Between the States and…

grimdark · coming of age · chosen one · survival · quest

The Mad Ship

Robin Hobb · Fantasy

In the second breathtaking volume of Robin Hobb's Liveship Traders trilogy, a new tide of glory and terror sweeps forward the story of the Vestrit…

found family · quest · survival · grimdark

Timelike Infinity

Stephen Baxter · Sci-Fi

Timelike Infinity: the strange region at the end of time where the Xeelee, owners of the universe, are waiting...

space opera · survival · post apocalyptic · high stakes survival · quest

Dead Silence

S.A. Barnes · Sci-Fi

Titanic meets The Shining in S.A.

cosmic horror · locked room · survival · psychological thriller

Seveneves

Neal Stephenson · Sci-Fi

"What would happen if the world were ending?

post apocalyptic · survival · high stakes survival · space opera

The Chrysalids

John Wyndham · Sci-Fi

This book is about a post apocalyptic world returned back to the times of the horse and carriage seen through the eyes of a young boy.

post apocalyptic · dystopian society · coming of age · survival

The Space Between Worlds

Micaiah Johnson · Sci-Fi

NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS’ CHOICE • An outsider who can travel between worlds discovers a secret that threatens the very fabric of the…

space opera · first contact · survival

The Running Man

Stephen King · Sci-Fi

The Running Man is a dystopian thriller novel by American writer Stephen King, first published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman in 1982 as a…

dystopian society · survival · high stakes survival

An Unkindness of Ghosts

Rivers Solomon · Sci-Fi

"Aster has little to offer folks in the way of rebuttal when they call her ogre and freak.

space opera · morally grey character · survival · trauma recovery

Into the Drowning Deep

Mira Grant · Sci-Fi

Seven years ago, the Atargatis set off on a voyage to the Mariana Trench to film a “mockumentary” bringing to life ancient sea creatures of legend.

space opera · survival · high stakes survival

Toothsucker

Kaden Love · Sci-Fi

In a cyberpunk future, an alarming disease strikes, dissolving the bones of those with cybernetic enhancements.

dystopian society · survival · paranormal romance

Silo 2

Hugh Howey · Sci-Fi

Dies ist Teil 2 von SILO: Hugh Howeys verstörende Zukunftsvision ist rasanter Thriller und Gesellschaftsroman in einem.

dystopian society · closed circle · survival · political intrigue

The Perfect Run

Maxime J. Durand · Sci-Fi

Ryan "Quicksave" Romano is an eccentric adventurer with a strange power: he can create a save-point in time and redo his life whenever he dies.

dystopian society · time travel · survival

The Cure

K a Riley · Sci-Fi

Before the Blight, becoming an adult was something teenagers looked forward to.

dystopian society · coming of age · high stakes survival · survival

The Word for World is Forest

Ursula K. Le Guin · Sci-Fi

Centuries in the future, Terrans have established a logging colony & military base named “New Tahiti” on a tree-covered planet whose small,…

space opera · dystopian society · political intrigue · survival · grimdark

The Mountain in the Sea

Ray Nayler · Sci-Fi

When pioneering marine biologist Dr.

first contact · quest · survival · space opera

The Day of the Triffids

John Wyndham · Sci-Fi

John Wyndham's 1951 classic post-apocalypse novel introduced the world to triffids, walking man-eating plants, preying on humanity in a world struck…

post apocalyptic · survival · high stakes survival · dystopian society

The Primal Hunter 3

Zogarth · Sci-Fi

With a huge open planet before him, Jake has literally grown wings as he begins his conquest of the local wildlife.

space opera · quest · coming of age · survival

The Man in the High Castle

Philip K. Dick · Sci-Fi

Slavery is back. America, 1962. Having lost a war, America finds itself under Nazi Germany and Japan occupation. A few Jews still live under assumed…

dystopian society · political intrigue · survival

Of Monsters and Mainframes

Barbara Truelove · Sci-Fi

**Spaceships aren't programmed to seek revenge--but for Dracula, Demeter will make an exception.** Demeter just wants to do her job: shuttling…

space opera · revenge plot · survival · post apocalyptic

Alpha

K. D. Marchesi · Sci-Fi

How many lives will be lost for the sake of a non-existent war?

dystopian society · survival · found family