The Forest of Hands and Teeth Books in Order

The Best Way to Read Carrie Ryan's Zombie Dystopia

Carrie Ryan’s trilogy presents a bleak, beautifully atmospheric world where humanity is pushed to the brink by the Unconsecrated—relentless, zombie-like creatures that roam the wilds. While the main trilogy tells a continuous, generation-spanning story, Ryan also wrote a series of short stories and digital novellas that expand the lore, show the collapse of society in other parts of the world, and provide crucial backstory for key characters. If you want to experience the story with maximum suspense and organic world-building, the best starting point is the first novel, followed by the rest of the trilogy in publication order. The short stories can then be read as optional prequels or companion pieces.

Option 1: Recommended Publication Order

Reading the series in the order the books were published is highly recommended. Because the first novel establishes the rules, terminology, and isolating atmosphere of this post-apocalyptic world, starting there makes the transition into the broader settings of the sequels far more rewarding. It also keeps you from spoiling the mystery of what happened to the rest of global civilization.

1. The Forest of Hands and Teeth (2009) — The novel that starts it all. We meet Mary, a teenager trapped in a fenced village controlled by the Sisterhood, who dreams of the legendary ocean beyond the woods.
2. The Dead-Tossed Waves (2010) — The second novel. Set a generation later, the story shifts focus to Gabry, a young woman living in a coastal town protected by a barrier of ruins.
3. Bougainvillea (2010) — A short story set on the island of Curaçao, following a survivor named Iza. Originally published in the anthology Zombies vs. Unicorns.
4. The Dark and Hollow Places (2011) — The final novel in the core trilogy. This book centers on Annah, navigating the ruins of a crumbling, dangerous city to tie the storylines together.
5. Hare Moon (2011) — A prequel novella centered on a young Sister Tabitha long before she became the stern leader in the first book. First published in the 2010 anthology Kiss Me Deadly and later released as a digital short.
6. Scenic Route (2013) — A short story about two sisters seeking shelter in a remote cabin. Originally published in the anthology Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions.
7. What Once We Feared (2013) — A digital short story detailing the early days of the outbreak, following a group of teenagers trapped during a school field trip.
8. Flotsam & Jetsam (2013) — A digital short about teenagers escaping the initial outbreak on a cruise ship, left adrift on a life raft.
9. A Game of Firsts (2014) — A companion short story tracking a brother and sister stranded at home during the initial chaos of the apocalypse.

Option 2: Chronological Reading Order

If you want to experience the apocalypse from its very first days up to the final generation shown in the novels, you can read the stories chronologically. Be warned that reading the prequels first will strip away some of the claustrophobic mystery of the first novel, but it offers a fascinating perspective on how the world crumbled piece by piece.

• What Once We Feared — Shows the immediate panic and societal collapse at the very beginning of the zombie outbreak.
• Flotsam & Jetsam — Takes place right at the start of the apocalypse, showing the spread of the infection on a senior cruise.
• A Game of Firsts — Focuses on the initial outbreak and the struggle of two siblings stuck at home as the world ends.
• Scenic Route — Set during the early, chaotic years of the post-apocalyptic transition.
• Bougainvillea — Explores how the island of Curaçao dealt with the outbreak, bridging the early apocalypse with the later established settlements.
• Hare Moon — Set decades after the Return (the apocalypse) but still years before the events of the first book, focusing on Tabitha's youth.
• The Forest of Hands and Teeth — The start of the main trilogy, focusing on Mary's village.
• The Dead-Tossed Waves — Set roughly two decades after the first novel, following Mary's daughter Gabry.
• The Dark and Hollow Places — Runs concurrently with and immediately after the events of the second novel, focusing on Gabry's sister Annah in the city.

Deep Dive into the Main Trilogy

The Forest of Hands and Teeth (2009)

The debut novel introduces Mary, a young girl living in a secluded village surrounded by fences. Beyond those fences lies the forest, teeming with the Unconsecrated—zombies who never tire and are driven only by hunger. The village is governed by the Sisterhood, a group of women who enforce strict rules and keep secrets about the outside world. When the fence is breached, Mary is forced to flee into the forest she has feared and dreamed about her entire life. It is a story of survival, romance, and the desperate search for hope.

The Dead-Tossed Waves (2010)

Shifting focus and protagonists, this book follows Gabry, who lives in a town built on the edge of the ocean. Though they have a fence, they also have a lighthouse and a relative sense of safety. However, Gabry is content with her safe life, unlike her mother Mary, who still looks at the ocean with longing. When a dare goes wrong, Gabry is pushed beyond the safety of the town's borders and must confront the realities of a world overrun by the undead, all while navigating her own complicated relationships.

The Dark and Hollow Places (2011)

The final book in the trilogy focuses on Annah, Gabry's sister, who has spent her life surviving in the dark and dangerous ruins of a city. Trapped by the undead and surrounded by desperate, hostile survivors, Annah has learned to trust no one. When a familiar face from the previous book arrives, she is forced to reconsider her survival-at-all-costs mindset and find the courage to hope for a future beyond the ruins.

The Short Stories and Digital Novellas

For readers who want to dive deeper into the lore, Carrie Ryan wrote several short pieces. Many of these digital shorts were later compiled into the collection titled The Dead and Empty World. They help flesh out the global scale of the zombie plague and answer lingering questions about the origins of key characters.

• Hare Moon: Essential reading for those who want to understand the Sisterhood. It highlights Sister Tabitha's backstory, showing how a young girl with dreams of her own eventually became the cold leader who governed Mary's village with an iron fist.
• Bougainvillea: A story set in the Caribbean, highlighting that the apocalypse was global. It shows the unique challenges of surviving on an island where resources are scarce and the undead can wash ashore at any moment.
• What Once We Feared: This story focuses on the initial outbreak. It shows a group of teenagers on a field trip who must find a way to survive when their normal world is instantly destroyed.
• Flotsam & Jetsam: A claustrophobic look at the beginning of the virus on a cruise ship. The story highlights the desperation of survivors adrift on the ocean, trying to find land that hasn't been overrun.
• Scenic Route: Explores the idea that in a post-apocalyptic world, other humans are often just as dangerous as the undead. It follows two sisters who must decide whether to trust a charming stranger who visits their remote cabin.
• A Game of Firsts: A story of two siblings trapped at home during the initial outbreak. It highlights how quickly ordinary life can turn into a struggle for survival and the devastating cost of a single mistake.

Practical Reader Guidance

Can the books be read as standalones? While each book features a different protagonist and a distinct setting, they are heavily interconnected. Reading them out of order is not recommended because the characters' lives overlap and the world-building builds directly upon the events of previous books. The short stories, however, can easily be read as standalones once you understand the basic premise of the universe.

What is the tone of the series? Unlike many action-heavy zombie survival stories, Carrie Ryan’s series is known for its lyrical prose, emotional horror, and focus on romance and coming-of-age struggles. The threat of the Unconsecrated is always present, but the primary focus is on the emotional toll of isolation, the weight of survival choices, and the search for freedom.