Chuck Wendig Books in Order
Explore Chuck Wendig books in order, from Miriam Black and Wanderers to Star Wars, with quick summaries, series guides, and help choosing where to start.
Last updated: June 9, 2026
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Publication Order
60 books
VII
by Chuck Wendig
2005
This sourcebook turns one of Vampire: The Requiem's murkiest threats into a toolbox of fear. It explores a vampire-hunting force that works best when nobody can quite explain what it is.
Armory
by Chuck Wendig
2006
This game sourcebook expands the practical side of the World of Darkness with weapons, equipment, rules, and story hooks. It is built for players who want gritty tools for modern horror.
Irregular Creatures
by Chuck Wendig
2009
This early collection runs on weird monsters, dark jokes, and sharp left turns. Flying cats, giant chickens, mermaids, and stranger things all get their moment.
250 Things You Should Know About Writing
by Chuck Wendig
2011
Short, opinionated bursts of writing advice on craft, revision, publishing, and the day-to-day grind. It is fast to read and hard to ignore.
500 Ways to Be a Better Writer
by Chuck Wendig
2011
A rapid-fire list of habits, warnings, and practical nudges for writers at any stage. Wendig goes for usefulness over polish, and that is the point.
Confessions of a Freelance Penmonkey
by Chuck Wendig
2011
A collection of essays about writing for a living, freelancing, and keeping your head above water. Wendig turns career anxiety, mistakes, and survival tactics into sharp, useful stories.
Double Dead
by Chuck Wendig
2011
Coburn is a vampire who wakes to find the world already eaten by zombies. In a wasteland with almost no blood left, survival gets vicious, funny, and very personal.
Revenge of the Penmonkey
by Chuck Wendig
2011
More blog-born essays on writing, freelancing, publishing, and the strange business of making things for money. It is messy, honest, and often very funny.
500 More Ways To Be A Better Writer
by Chuck Wendig
2012
Another burst of fast, blunt advice for writers who want sharper habits and stronger prose. It is built in Wendig's punchy list style, practical, funny, and easy to dip into.
500 Ways to Tell a Better Story
by Chuck Wendig
2012
This craft guide focuses on storytelling fundamentals, from structure and character to tension and payoff. Wendig keeps the lessons short, direct, and built for working writers.
Blackbirds
by Chuck Wendig
2012
Miriam Black can see how and when people will die with a single touch. When one terrifying vision points straight at her, she has to run toward the future she has spent her life dreading.
Dinocalypse Now
by Chuck Wendig
2012
Dinosaurs, pulp heroes, and end-of-the-world energy crash together in this fast, gleeful adventure. It is a retro-styled romp built on cliffhangers, weird science, and pure momentum.
Mockingbird
by Chuck Wendig
2012
Trying to live normally has never suited Miriam, and it falls apart fast when a killer crosses her path. Her gift drags her back into violence, fate, and the mess she keeps pretending she can outrun.
Beyond Dinocalypse
by Chuck Wendig
2013
The Century Club's dinosaur problem is far from over. This sequel serves up more pulp action, weird science, and breakneck adventure in a world tipping toward prehistoric chaos.
The Blue Blazes
by Chuck Wendig
2013
Mookie Pearl is a mob enforcer whose job gets stranger below New York, where monsters crowd the hidden tunnels. When family trouble and underworld politics collide, brute force stops being enough.
The Cormorant
by Chuck Wendig
2013
Miriam has gone from predicting death to helping deliver it, at least for the right price. A job in Florida pulls her into another bloody vision and a message written just for her.
The Kick-Ass Writer
by Chuck Wendig
2013
A big, funny craft guide about writing good fiction, building a career, and not losing your mind along the way. Wendig mixes hard-earned advice with a lot of straight talk.
Unclean Spirits
by Chuck Wendig
2013
Ancient powers, dangerous magic, and human greed collide in this dark fantasy opener. Wendig builds a dirty, bruised world where the line between the supernatural and the criminal is thin.
Under the Empyrean Sky
by Chuck Wendig
2013
In the Heartland, corn rules everything and the rich live above the misery in floating cities. When Cael finds an illegal garden, he stumbles into a secret that could blow his whole world open.
30 Days in the Word Mines
by Chuck Wendig
2014
Part pep talk, part boot to the chair, this monthlong writing guide pushes you to produce words instead of excuses. Wendig keeps it blunt, funny, and very practical.
Blightborn
by Chuck Wendig
2014
Cael's fight with the Empyrean takes him farther from home and deeper into the poison at the Heartland's roots. The sequel widens the world, the rebellion, and the cost of survival.
The Hellsblood Bride
by Chuck Wendig
2014
Mookie Pearl is back in a New York where gangland muscle and supernatural terror share the same streets. Family loyalties, underworld politics, and old gods make every choice messier and more dangerous.
The Wind Has Teeth Tonight
by Chuck Wendig
2014
Set in the Heartland world, this shorter tale follows Gwennie and Cael into an abandoned processing plant in search of a missing boy. It is a tight, creepy detour filled with danger and hungry things.
Aftermath
by Chuck Wendig
2015
The Emperor is dead, but peace is nowhere close. Pilot Norra Wexley joins a rough-edged team chasing Imperial holdouts through the chaos after Endor.
Atlanta Burns
by Chuck Wendig
2015
Atlanta is the girl you call when bullies think nobody will fight back. Her search for the truth behind a death and a dogfighting ring turns this gritty YA thriller into a story about rage, loyalty, and damage that does not heal clean.
Red Devils Rise
by Chuck Wendig
2015
A wartime mission goes sideways when the enemy stops being only human. Wendig mixes military grit, pulp momentum, and occult horror in a short, savage ride.
The Harvest
by Chuck Wendig
2015
A year after everything changed, Cael wakes in a Heartland even more broken than before. To stop the Empyrean for good, he must find his scattered friends and a weapon that could save or ruin the world.
The Shield #1
by Chuck Wendig
2015
Victoria Adams takes up the Shield in a modern reboot that mixes patriotism, conspiracy, and superhero action. The first issue sets up a legacy story with sharp political edges.
Zeroes
by Chuck Wendig
2015
Five notorious hackers are given an ugly choice, help the government or go to prison. Their reluctant alliance uncovers a threat buried in code, surveillance, and the systems that quietly run everyday life.
Bad Blood
by Chuck Wendig
2016
Vampire Coburn is still stalking through a zombie-ruined world where every source of blood has a price. This follow-up doubles down on brutal survival, dark humor, and monster-versus-monster mayhem.
Invasive
by Chuck Wendig
2016
FBI futurist Hannah Stander is called to a cabin packed with corpses and a mystery no one can explain. The trail leads to engineered ants, big money, and a biotech disaster that could spread fast.
Life Debt
by Chuck Wendig
2016
The war is not over after Endor. While Han Solo and Chewbacca head toward Kashyyyk, Norra Wexley and her crew hunt Imperial remnants in a story that widens the stakes for the whole trilogy.
The Force Awakens, Volume 3
by Chuck Wendig
2016
This comic adaptation retells the middle stretch of the film as Rey, Finn, and Han race through a galaxy sliding back toward war. It is a brisk visual version of familiar big-screen beats.
The Force Awakens, Volume 5
by Chuck Wendig
2016
The adaptation moves toward open conflict as the Resistance and First Order close in on each other. Rey, Finn, and their allies are pushed toward choices that will define the fight.
The Hunt
by Chuck Wendig
2016
Atlanta Burns has made herself a magnet for trouble, and by senior year plenty of people want her help or revenge. When old enemies stir and the violence turns personal, she has to decide how far her version of justice goes.
The Shield #2
by Chuck Wendig
2016
Victoria digs deeper into the meaning of the Shield mantle as the conspiracy around her widens. The series keeps one foot in action and the other in questions about power and country.
The Shield #3
by Chuck Wendig
2016
The stakes climb as Victoria faces enemies tied to the symbol she carries. This issue pushes the series deeper into its mix of espionage, history, and superhero spectacle.
The Shield #4
by Chuck Wendig
2016
The opening arc closes with the Shield forced to define what kind of hero she wants to be. It is a finale built on revelations, conflict, and the weight of legacy.
Damn Fine Story
by Chuck Wendig
2017
This one zooms out from sentence-level advice to the shape of story itself. Wendig breaks down momentum, structure, and why readers keep turning pages.
Empire's End
by Chuck Wendig
2017
As the Empire makes its last stand, Norra Wexley and her crew race toward a showdown that will shape the future of the galaxy. The trilogy closes with the Battle of Jakku and the hard birth of the New Republic.
The Force Awakens, Volume 6
by Chuck Wendig
2017
The final volume brings the film's last confrontations to the page, from Starkiller Base to Rey's awakening in the Force. It closes the adaptation with clean, high-stakes momentum.
Thunderbird
by Chuck Wendig
2017
Hoping another psychic can explain her visions, Miriam heads into the Southwest and finds far worse than answers. A violent cult and a devastating glimpse of the future push her toward her darkest crossroads yet.
Turok #1
by Chuck Wendig
2017
Turok returns in a reboot that drops a hardened warrior into a savage land full of dinosaurs and enemies. The first issue is all forward motion, survival, and big pulp energy.
Turok #2
by Chuck Wendig
2017
The hunt gets rougher as Turok learns the rules of a place where every creature wants to kill him. Action and worldbuilding move together at a brisk pace.
Turok #3
by Chuck Wendig
2017
By the third issue, the lost world feels bigger and meaner, with new threats on every side. Turok has to fight smart, not just hard.
Turok #4
by Chuck Wendig
2017
The story tightens around survival, shifting loyalties, and the brutal logic of the valley. Wendig keeps the pace quick and the danger constant.
Turok #5
by Chuck Wendig
2017
The first arc closes with Turok pushed to his limits against human and prehistoric threats alike. It is a lean ending that pays off the reboot's pulp setup.
The Raptor & the Wren
by Chuck Wendig
2018
Miriam keeps chasing a way to break her curse, but the road leads back to one of her deepest failures. Saving a damaged teen named Wren means confronting the past and paying a terrible price.
Death and Honey
by Chuck Wendig
2019
Another anthology set partly around Kevin Hearne's playful fantasy world, this one blends mystery, magic, and a body found near a beehive. Wendig's contribution adds extra bite.
Vultures
by Chuck Wendig
2019
Miriam is grieving, pregnant, and running out of ways to outrun fate. As the Trespasser grows stronger, she has to face the curse behind her visions and fight for her child in the series finale.
Wanderers
by Chuck Wendig
2019
When Shana finds her sister sleepwalking and impossible to wake, she joins a growing flock crossing America. Behind the mystery lies an epidemic, rising panic, and a fight over what kind of country survives.
Dust & Grim
by Chuck Wendig
2021
Orphaned siblings Molly and Dustin inherit a family business they barely understand, a mortuary for monsters. To save it, they must outwit creepy creatures, family secrets, and each other.
The Book of Accidents
by Chuck Wendig
2021
Nate and Maddie Graves move back to rural Pennsylvania hoping for a fresh start, but old trauma wakes with them. Their son becomes tangled in dark magic, and the whole family is pulled into a brutal fight over memory, fear, and fate.
Wayward
by Chuck Wendig
2022
Five years after the sleepwalkers reached Colorado, survivors in Ouray are trying to rebuild. Old cruelty, a self-declared president, and the AI Black Swan threaten to turn the new world into another nightmare.
Black River Orchard
by Chuck Wendig
2023
A small town falls hard for apples that promise health, beauty, and power. What grows in the orchard is older and hungrier than anyone wants to admit.
Gentle Writing Advice: How to Be a Writer Without Destroying Yourself
by Chuck Wendig
2023
Less about hustle, more about sustainability, this guide asks how to keep writing without grinding yourself down. Wendig stays practical, kind, and honest about burnout.
You Can Do Anything, Magic Skeleton!
by Chuck Wendig
2023
A delightfully odd pep talk about art, making things, and giving yourself permission to be weird. It is cheerful, funny, and made to shake loose creative fear.
Canines and Cocktails
by Chuck Wendig
2024
This fantasy anthology serves up magic, monsters, and a canine mystery in Kevin Hearne's world. Wendig contributes a darker, punchier tale alongside the main dog-detective fun.
The Staircase in the Woods
by Chuck Wendig
2025
A vanished friend, a staircase to nowhere, and twenty years of unfinished fear pull a group of adults back into the woods. What waits on the other side knows them better than they know themselves.
The Calamities
by Chuck Wendig
2026
Mourning Mayne is heir to a powerful family whose influence comes from a demonic secret. To choose his own future, he has to face the darkness in his blood and the people who profit from it.
Where should I start?
If you want dark supernatural thrillers: Blackbirds → Mockingbird → The Cormorant
If you want big end-of-the-world horror: Wanderers → Wayward
If you want creepy standalone horror: The Book of Accidents → Black River Orchard → The Staircase in the Woods
If you want YA with teeth: Atlanta Burns → The Hunt or Under the Empyrean Sky → Blightborn → The Harvest
If you want writing advice: Damn Fine Story → The Kick-Ass Writer → Gentle Writing Advice: How to Be a Writer Without Destroying Yourself
Author bio
Chuck Wendig grew up in New Hope, Pennsylvania, and he still feels like a Pennsylvania writer, even when his books head into outer space, monster-haunted tunnels, or the end of the world. He studied English and religion at Queens University of Charlotte, but his path to fiction was not neat or narrow.
Before a lot of readers knew his novels, he spent years writing for tabletop roleplaying games. That background matters. You can feel it in the way his books build pressure, juggle big casts, and drop characters into worlds that always seem one bad choice away from collapse.
He also worked in screenwriting and digital storytelling. With Lance Weiler, he co-wrote the short film Pandemic and the Emmy-nominated digital project Collapsus. He was part of the Sundance Screenwriters Lab, which helped sharpen another side of his storytelling life.
Then the novels started arriving fast.
Early books like Blackbirds and Double Dead made his interests pretty clear. He likes strong hooks, broken people, and genre mashups that should not work but do. Blackbirds gave readers Miriam Black, a drifter who can see how people die with a touch. Double Dead threw a vampire into a zombie apocalypse and let the premise get as nasty and funny as it sounds.
He does not stay in one lane for long.
That is part of the fun. Wendig has written the rural YA grit of Atlanta Burns, the cornpunk dystopia of Under the Empyrean Sky, the techno-thriller Zer0es, and the sprawling apocalyptic horror of Wanderers and Wayward. In later horror novels like The Book of Accidents, Black River Orchard, and The Staircase in the Woods, he keeps returning to family damage, haunted places, and the way old violence can keep echoing through a town or a home.
He has also written inside big shared worlds. His Star Wars: Aftermath trilogy helped map the years between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, and he has worked in comics and game settings too. A finalist for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, he has built a career by being hard to pin down.
Another big part of his work is talking plainly about writing. Through his longtime blog and books like Damn Fine Story, The Kick-Ass Writer, and Gentle Writing Advice, he has become a favorite of writers who want craft talk without any ceremony. The advice is practical, funny, and usually aimed at getting people back to the page.
He now lives in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, with his family. That mix of local roots and restless imagination feels like the key to his work. Even at its wildest, a Chuck Wendig story usually remembers that monsters are scary, but people, families, towns, and bad systems can be scarier.
Edited by
Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.
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