Books On Board

Last Survivors Books in Order

  • 4 Books
  • 2006 – 2013 Published

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How to Read the Last Survivors Series

Susan Beth Pfeffer's Last Survivors series (often referred to by fans and publishers as the Life As We Knew It series) is a landmark of young adult dystopian fiction. The series is built around a single, terrifying premise: an asteroid collides with the moon, knocking it closer to Earth and triggering global cataclysms like volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, extreme weather, and complete societal breakdown.

Because the first two books in the series take place concurrently, readers often wonder if they can switch the order or skip one. To get the full emotional impact of the characters' journeys, we highly recommend reading the books in their official publication order.

Last Survivors Recommended Reading Order

  1. Life As We Knew It (2006) – The series starts here, focusing on teenage Miranda Evans and her family as they try to survive the immediate aftermath of the disaster in rural Pennsylvania. The story is told entirely through Miranda's diary entries.
  2. The Dead and the Gone (2008) – This companion novel covers the exact same timeline as the first book but shifts the setting to a chaotic New York City. The story follows seventeen-year-old Alex Morales as he struggles to protect his younger sisters in a collapsing urban landscape.
  3. This World We Live In (2010) – The timelines converge in this direct sequel. Miranda and Alex's paths cross in Pennsylvania, forcing them to navigate resource scarcity, new emotional bonds, and agonizing choices together.
  4. The Shade of the Moon (2013) – Set four years after the events of the third book, the finale shifts perspective to Miranda's younger brother, Jon. It explores a deeply stratified society divided between the privileged residents of protected enclaves and the oppressed laborers who serve them.

Publication Order vs. Chronological Order

The timeline of the Last Survivors series presents a unique narrative structure. Book 1 (Life As We Knew It) and Book 2 (The Dead and the Gone) occur at the exact same time, beginning on the night of May 10 when the asteroid impacts the moon. While you could technically read Book 2 first, starting with Book 1 is widely considered the best approach for several reasons:

  • Pacing and Style: Life As We Knew It introduces the catastrophe through the claustrophobic, highly personal lens of Miranda's journal entries. It builds suspense gradually as the characters slowly realize that help is not coming.
  • World-Building Contrast: Reading the rural, isolated experience of Miranda's family first makes the jarring, fast-paced horror of Alex's urban struggle in New York City in Book 2 even more impactful.
  • Character Introduction: Reading them in publication order ensures you are fully acquainted with both Miranda and Alex before their stories merge in the third book, This World We Live In.

What to Know Before You Start

Before diving into the series, it is helpful to understand the shift in formatting and tone between the novels. The series is not a standard action-oriented sci-fi adventure; instead, it is a character-driven survival drama that focuses on the psychological toll of slow starvation and societal collapse.

The writing style also shifts. While Book 1 is written in a first-person diary format, Book 2 moves to a third-person limited perspective to capture Alex's experience. Book 3 returns to Miranda's diary format, while Book 4 is written in the third person from Jon's perspective. Additionally, the final book, The Shade of the Moon, represents a significant tonal shift. Rather than focusing on immediate survival against natural elements, it examines the political and moral complexities of a new, highly unequal social order that has emerged in the years following the disaster.

Awards and Cultural Impact

The first book in the series, Life As We Knew It, was a commercial and critical success. It became a New York Times bestseller and was named an American Library Association (ALA) "Best Books for Young Adults" selection in 2007. It also won several state reader choice awards, including the Nutmeg Book Award in Connecticut and the Garden State Teen Book Award in New Jersey, and received international acclaim by winning Germany's prestigious Buxtehude Bulle Award in 2010. The raw emotional honesty of the books continues to make them popular choices for classroom discussions and dystopian genre enthusiasts alike.

Frequently Asked

Can you read The Dead and the Gone before Life As We Knew It?

Yes, you can read The Dead and the Gone first because it takes place concurrently with Life As We Knew It. However, starting with the first book is highly recommended as its diary format provides a smoother introduction to the timeline of the disaster.

Do Miranda and Alex meet in the Last Survivors series?

Yes, their paths cross in the third book, This World We Live In, when Alex and his sister arrive at Miranda's family home in Pennsylvania, leading to new survival challenges and relationship dynamics.

Is there a movie or TV show adaptation of Life As We Knew It?

As of now, there are no official movie or television adaptations of Susan Beth Pfeffer's Last Survivors series, though the books remain highly popular among YA dystopian fans.

Why is the final book, The Shade of the Moon, so different?

The Shade of the Moon takes place four years after the previous books and shifts focus to Miranda's younger brother, Jon. It focuses on the harsh social class division within a post-apocalyptic enclave rather than the immediate survival struggles of the earlier books.

Are there any spin-offs or companion short stories?

No, there are no official spin-offs or short stories. The series consists entirely of the four primary novels, which are also available together in a single omnibus titled The Life As We Knew It Collection.