How to Start Reading Benjamin Percy
Benjamin Percy is a master of literary genre-bending, seamlessly shifting between speculative thrillers, post-apocalyptic survival stories, gritty crime comics, and superhero epics. Because his bibliography spans multiple mediums and styles, your starting point should depend on what you enjoy most:
- For Sci-Fi and Shared Universes: Start with The Ninth Metal (2021). It serves as the opening chapter of the Comet Cycle, a trilogy set in a world reshaped by a cosmic event.
- For Standalone Horror & Thrillers: Start with Red Moon (2013). This massive, politically charged werewolf epic remains one of Percy's most famous and widely read standalone novels.
- For Gritty Crime Comics: Start with Devil's Highway Vol. 1 (2020), a dark mystery following a woman hunting down her father's killer along the highways of America.
- For Short Fiction & Craft: Start with his award-winning short story collection Refresh, Refresh (2007) or his essay collection on writing suspense, Thrill Me (2016).
The Comet Cycle: Shared Universe Order
The Comet Cycle is Percy's signature speculative fiction series. The trilogy is set in the wake of a comet named Cain that passes close to Earth, leaving behind meteor showers that drop mysterious, game-changing materials across the globe. Although the books are set in the same shared universe and deal with the fallout of the same cosmic event, they are written as standalones. Each book focuses on a completely different location, cast of characters, and threat—ranging from newly discovered super-metals to invasive alien fungi.
While they can technically be read in any order, the recommended reading order is the publication order, as it slowly builds the geopolitical and scientific reality of this altered Earth:
Benjamin Percy's Standalone Novels
For readers who prefer complete, self-contained stories, Percy has written several acclaimed standalone novels that combine literary depth with horror, thriller, and sci-fi elements. They are listed below in order of publication:
- The Wilding (2010) – Percy's debut novel is a tense, Hemingway-esque outdoor thriller about a grandfather, father, and son on a final hunting trip in the Oregon wilderness just as it is about to be developed.
- Red Moon (2013) – A sprawling political thriller that reimagines werewolves (known as Lycans) not as fantasy monsters, but as a heavily monitored, discriminated-against minority population on the verge of global revolution.
- The Dead Lands (2015) – A post-apocalyptic, high-concept reimagining of the Lewis and Clark expedition set in a barren future America ravaged by super-flu and nuclear fallout.
- The Dark Net (2017) – A technothriller that steps into the darkest corners of the internet, where ancient demonic forces use malware and the deep web to orchestrate an apocalyptic takeover.
Graphic Novels & Comics
In addition to his prose, Benjamin Percy is a prolific comic book writer, known for bringing his signature gritty atmosphere and intense action to both independent series and mainstream superheroes. Key entries in his comic bibliography include:
Devil's Highway
Co-created with artist Brent Schoonover and published by AWA Studios, this dark crime thriller follows a military veteran investigating a massive criminal syndicate running along the American trucking network.
- Devil's Highway Vol. 1 (2020)
- Devil's Highway Vol. 2 (2022)
Superhero and Franchise Work
Percy has written highly successful runs for major publishers, particularly DC Comics and Marvel Comics. Some of his most notable collected editions and graphic novels include:
- Green Arrow (DC Rebirth Era) – Percy's run on Green Arrow (starting in 2016) was highly praised for returning the character to his socially conscious roots.
- Titans: The Lazarus Contract (2017) – A major crossover event co-written by Percy, linking the Titans, Teen Titans, and Deathstroke series.
- Wolverine and X-Force (Krakoan Era) – Percy became the primary writer for Wolverine and X-Force during Marvel's critically acclaimed Krakoa era, creating a long-running, interconnected mutant espionage epic.
- Predator Versus Wolverine (2024) – A brutal crossover miniseries pitting Marvel's famous mutant against the galaxy's ultimate hunter across decades of history.
Novellas & Illustrated Fiction
- American Criminal (2023) – Published by NeoText with illustrations by Michael Gaydos, this is a gritty crime thriller novella about a heist artist forced to work for the FBI.
Short Story Collections and Non-Fiction
Percy began his career writing short stories, which frequently explore themes of survival, masculinity, and the rugged environments of the Pacific Northwest. He is also a respected writing teacher and has written about the mechanics of storytelling.
- The Language of Elk (2006) – His debut short story collection, focusing on characters navigating the landscapes and struggles of Oregon.
- Refresh, Refresh (2007) – A hard-hitting collection of stories exploring themes of war, family, and isolation in rural America. The title story was also adapted into a graphic novel.
- Thrill Me: Essays on Fiction (2016) – A collection of essays discussing the craft of writing, specifically how to inject literary fiction with the narrative momentum and suspense of genre stories.
- Suicide Woods (2019) – A chilling collection of short stories and a novella (Hurst) that blurs the lines between psychological thriller, crime, and supernatural horror.
What to Know Before You Start
Percy's stories are heavily anchored by a sense of place. Growing up in Oregon, his writing is deeply influenced by the rugged landscapes, damp forests, and isolation of the Pacific Northwest. Readers should expect stories that explore the boundary between civilization and the wild, whether that wilderness is a literal forest, a cosmic fungus, or the animalistic instincts hidden inside human nature. Furthermore, Percy does not write traditional horror or traditional literary fiction; he writes at the intersection of both, meaning you can expect rich, sensory prose alongside genuine thrills and monsters.