Peter Cawdron books

Peter Cawdron is an Australian science fiction author known for his prolific First Contact series and hard science fiction novels exploring humanity's encounters with alien life.

Anthologies

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Something for the Journey - A Charity Anthology 2013 Buy
From the Indie Side 2014 Buy
The Telepath Chronicles 2014 Buy
The Alien Chronicles 2015 Buy
Explorations: First Contact 2017 Buy
For a Few Credits More 2017 Buy

First Contact Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Anomaly 2011 Buy
A Gigantic Leap 2023 N/A
Galactic Exploration 2012 Buy
Xenophobia 2013 Buy
Little Green Men 2013 Buy
Feedback 2014 Buy
My Sweet Satan 2014 Buy
Alien Space Tentacle Porn 2015 Buy
Starship Mine 2016 Buy
Welcome to the Occupied States of America 2016 Buy
Maelstrom 2017 Buy
Losing Mars 2018 Buy
Hello World 2019 Buy
3zekiel 2019 Buy
But The Stars 2020 Buy
Wherever Seeds May Fall 2021 Buy
Déjà Vu 2021 Buy
Jury Duty 2021 Buy
Dispatches from the War 2021 Buy
Cold Eyes 2021 Buy
Generation of Vipers 2022 Buy
Clowns 2022 Buy
The Tempest 2022 Buy
Apothecary 2023 Buy
The Art of War 2023 Buy
Ghosts 2023 Buy
The Artifact 2023 Buy
The Anatomy of Courage 2024 Buy
The Simulacrum 2024 Buy
Love, Sex and the Alien Apocalypse 2024 Buy
The Minotaur 2025 Buy
Dark Beauty 2025 Buy
Gold Rush 2025 Buy
The Darkness Between the Stars 2025 Buy
The Oracle 2025 Buy

Galactic Exploration

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Trixie & Me 2012 Buy

Mars Endeavour Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Retrograde 2016 Buy
Reentry 2019 Buy

Short Stories/Novellas

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Curious Case of the Hounds of Hell 2018 Buy
Equilibrium 2025 Buy

Silo Saga Universe Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Angels of the Earth 2013 Buy
Underground 2013 N/A
They Kill 2013 N/A
Missing 2013 N/A
Shadows 2013 Buy
They Feed 2018 Buy
Chosen, Stranded, Destined 2018 Buy
Hidden 2018 Buy
Forgotten Hero 2021 Buy
Unity 2025 Buy

Standalone Novels

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Road to Hell 2011 Buy
Monsters 2012 Buy
Mister Fluffy Bunny 2018 Buy

Tales from the Canyons of the Damned Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 1 2015 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 2 2015 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 3 2016 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 4 2016 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 5 2016 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 6 2016 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 7 2016 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 8 2016 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 9 2016 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 10 2016 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 11 2016 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 12 2017 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned No. 13 2017 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 14 2017 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 15 2017 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 16 2017 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 17 2017 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 18 2017 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 19 2017 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 20 2017 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 21 2018 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 22 2018 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 23 2018 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 24 2018 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 25 2018 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 26 2018 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 27 2018 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 28 2018 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 29 2018 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 30 2019 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 31 2019 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 32 2019 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 33 2019 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 34 2019 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 35 2019 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 36 2019 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 37 2020 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 38 2020 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 39 2021 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 40 2021 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 41 2022 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 42 2023 Buy
Tales from the Canyons of the Damned: No. 43 2023 Buy

World Of Kurt Vonnegut Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Bell Curse 2013 N/A
The World of Kurt Vonnegut 2013 Buy
Peace in Amber 2014 Buy
As Much Protein as an Egg 2014 Buy
Children’s Crusade 2014 N/A
Newt and Zinka’s Wild, Wild Week OR How the K.G.B. Got Ice-Nine 2014 N/A

Z is for Zombie Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Free Fall 2015 Buy
What We Left Behind 2017 Buy
All Our Tomorrows 2015 Buy

van Helsing’s Diaries Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Vampire 2015 N/A
Nosferatu 2017 Buy

Peter Cawdron is one of the most prolific independent science fiction authors working today, with over 100 books published since 2011. His First Contact series is the backbone of his catalog, with 35 standalone novels each imagining a different way humanity might meet alien life. The books range from Anomaly (2011) through recent entries like The Oracle (2025), and each tells a self-contained story while exploring the scientific and philosophical implications of contact.

Beyond First Contact, Cawdron has written in Hugh Howey’s Silo Saga Universe (10 books), contributed to 43 issues of the Tales from the Canyons of the Damned science fiction zine, and explored the World of Kurt Vonnegut in a series of six tribute novels. His Mars Endeavour duet (Retrograde and Reentry) deals with a Mars colony cut off from Earth, and the Z is for Zombie trilogy covers apocalyptic survival.

Cawdron’s writing emphasizes plausible science and ideas over action set pieces. His readers tend to be fans of hard SF who appreciate thought experiments wrapped in readable storytelling.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books has Peter Cawdron written?

Peter Cawdron has written 113 books across eleven series.

What was Peter Cawdron's first book?

Peter Cawdron’s first book is Anomaly, published in 2011.

What is Peter Cawdron best known for?

Peter Cawdron is best known for his First Contact series, which currently includes 35 books. Each entry explores a different scenario of humanity encountering alien intelligence, making the series one of the largest first-contact collections in science fiction.

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. We may receive commissions for purchases made through links on this site.

Privacy Policy