The Recommended Reading Order for Irish End Game
The Irish End Game series by Susan Kiernan-Lewis follows a single, continuous, linear storyline tracking the Woodson family's struggles. Because the events of each book flow directly into the next, reading them out of order will ruin the major plot developments, character deaths, and survival challenges. There are no separate chronological timelines or prequels to worry about; the publication order is the exact chronological order.
Here is the recommended reading path for the complete series:
- Free Falling (2012) – The Woodsons' peaceful Irish vacation is shattered when a nuclear event cuts off all power and communication.
- Going Gone (2013) – Following a kidnapping, the survival struggle moves beyond rural Ireland into a dangerous, lawless post-apocalyptic England.
- Heading Home (2013) – The family fights to return to their small sanctuary in Ireland, facing threats both on land and at sea.
- Blind Sided (2015) – The community must deal with new leadership, internal power struggles, and external threats to their fragile peace.
- Rising Tides (2015) – A devastating plague sweeps through the region, forcing the characters to search for scarce medical resources.
- Cold Comfort (2015) – With the arrival of winter, freezing temperatures and desperate outlaws threaten the community's survival.
- Never Never (2015) – A search for safety leads the characters to explore rumours of a secure sanctuary castle.
- Wit's End (2016) – The Woodsons are pushed to their psychological and physical limits as resources run dangerously dry.
- Dead On (2017) – Old enemies reappear, threatening to destroy the fragile civilization the survivors have built.
- White Out (2017) – A severe mini-ice age brings blizzards and extreme cold, testing their resourcefulness like never before.
- Black Out (2018) – Power struggles intensify as different groups of survivors clash for control of the territory.
- End Game (2019) – The dramatic conclusion to the series, resolving the Woodsons' long journey and deciding the ultimate fate of their Irish home.
The Evolution of a Trilogy
Susan Kiernan-Lewis originally planned the Irish End Game as a trilogy, concluding the Woodsons' primary arc in Heading Home. However, due to the overwhelming popularity of the characters and the unique post-apocalyptic setting, the series expanded significantly. Over the course of seven years, the story grew to twelve books, allowing the author to explore different facets of societal collapse, including extreme weather anomalies, plague outbreaks, and the evolution of localized feudal systems.
Unlike many authors who write spin-offs or standalone side novels to expand their universes, Kiernan-Lewis chose to keep all development within the main sequence. This means you do not have to keep track of side stories, novellas, or co-authored projects. Everything you need to experience the full narrative arc is contained in these twelve core novels.
What to Know Before You Start
Before diving into the first book, here are a few things to keep in mind to enhance your reading experience:
- The Premise: The apocalypse in this series is triggered by a nuclear bomb detonated over the Irish Sea, creating a massive Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) that disables all modern infrastructure.
- The Tone: The books balance the rugged beauty of the Irish landscape with the gritty, often harsh realities of survival. While there is a strong focus on family bonds and hope, the series does feature violence and mature themes appropriate for a lawless dystopian world.
- The Protagonists: Unlike many dystopian series featuring military experts or survivalists, the Woodsons are an ordinary American family—David, Sarah, and their young son John—making their adaptation and struggle highly relatable.
- A Bingeable Pace: Most books in the series are relatively short, fast-paced thrillers ending on cliffhangers, making them ideal for binge-reading.
How to Navigate the Setting
One of the most praised aspects of the series is its setting. The contrast between lush green Irish fields, medieval stone walls, and the cold Atlantic coast creates a striking backdrop for a survival story. As the series progresses, the locations shift from isolated coastal cottages to the ruins of Dublin and England, and eventually to remote islands like Ishnert. Understanding the geography and the isolation of Ireland helps readers appreciate why the characters are so cut off from the rest of the world, heights the stakes, and shapes their long-term survival strategies.