Dan Wells Books in Order

Where Should You Start?

Dan Wells is best known for his ability to blend chilling horror, fast-paced science fiction, and dark humor. If you are new to his work, there are two primary starting points depending on your favorite genre:

• For Thriller and Horror Fans: Start with I Am Not a Serial Killer, the debut novel that introduces John Wayne Cleaver. It is a gripping, character-driven psychological horror with a supernatural twist.
• For YA Dystopian and Sci-Fi Fans: Start with Partials, a high-stakes post-apocalyptic adventure that explores the tense relationship between the remnants of humanity and genetically engineered soldiers.

The John Cleaver Series

The John Wayne Cleaver series is Dan Wells' signature work. It follows a teenage sociopath who maintains a strict set of rules to keep his own homicidal urges in check, only to find himself forced to hunt real supernatural monsters. The series is split into two distinct trilogies with a connecting novella in between.

The Recommended Reading Order:

1. I Am Not a Serial Killer (2009)
2. Mr. Monster (2010)
3. I Don't Want to Kill You (2011)
4. Next of Kin (Novella, 2014) - Also published under the title Six Crooked Highways. Officially designated as Book 3.5, this novella bridges the gap between the two trilogies.
5. The Devil's Only Friend (2015)
6. Over Your Dead Body (2016)
7. Nothing Left to Lose (2017)

The Partials Sequence

This Young Adult science fiction series depicts a world where a weaponized virus has wiped out almost all of humanity. Kira Walker, a young medic-in-training, searches for a cure while navigating the political conflict between human survivors and the engineered Partials.

The Reading Order:

1. Partials (2012)
2. Isolation (Novella, 2012) - This is a prequel novella focusing on the character Heron and the events surrounding the Break. While it takes place chronologically before the main series, reading it after Partials is highly recommended to preserve the mysteries of the world.
3. Fragments (2013)
4. Ruins (2014)

The Mirador Series

The Mirador series is a cyberpunk YA thriller set in a futuristic, tech-dominated Los Angeles. The plot revolves around teen hackers, virtual reality gaming, and corporate conspiracies.

The Reading Order:

1. Bluescreen (2016)
2. Ones and Zeroes (2017)
3. Active Memory (2018)

The Zero Chronicles

Initially released as Audible Originals, this middle-grade space adventure series follows a boy named Zero Huang who accidentally wakes up more than a century early from stasis on a colony ship.

The Reading Order:

1. Zero G (2018)
2. Stargazer (2021)
3. Dragon Planet (2023)

The Frederick Whithers Memoirs

For readers looking for something completely different, this duology is a gothic historical comedy. Written as the memoirs of an early 19th-century bank clerk who accidentally gets mistaken for a powerful vampire lord, the books feature cameo appearances from famous historical writers like Mary Shelley and Jane Austen.

The Reading Order:

1. A Night of Blacker Darkness (2011)
2. A Pear-Shaped Funeral (2015)

Standalone Novels and Tie-Ins

Wells has also penned notable standalone works and high-profile collaborations:

• The Hollow City (2011): A standalone psychological thriller following a man suffering from schizophrenia who realizes the monsters he sees might actually be real.
• Extreme Makeover (2016): A satirical, apocalyptic sci-fi novel about a cosmetics company that accidentally creates a skin lotion that rewrites human DNA.
• Dark One: Forgotten (2023): A fantasy true-crime audio drama co-created with Brandon Sanderson. Serving as a prequel to Sanderson's Dark One graphic novel, this audio production is fully standalone and can be enjoyed without any prior knowledge.
• The Butcher of Khardov (2013): A Warcaster Chronicles novella set in the Iron Kingdoms fantasy steampunk setting.