Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Thief of Time | 2000 | John Boyne | Buy |
| 2 | The Congress of Rough Riders | 2001 | John Boyne | Buy |
| 3 | Crippen | 2004 | John Boyne | Buy |
| 4 | Next of Kin | 2006 | John Boyne | Buy |
| 5 | The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas | 2006 | John Boyne | Buy |
| 6 | Mutiny on the Bounty | 2008 | John Boyne | Buy |
| 7 | The House of Special Purpose | 2009 | John Boyne | Buy |
| 8 | Noah Barleywater Runs Away | 2010 | John Boyne | Buy |
| 9 | The Absolutist | 2011 | John Boyne | Buy |
| 10 | The Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket | 2012 | John Boyne | Buy |
| 11 | This House Is Haunted | 2013 | John Boyne | Buy |
| 12 | Stay Where You Are and Then Leave | 2013 | John Boyne | Buy |
| 13 | A History of Loneliness | 2014 | John Boyne | Buy |
| 14 | The Boy at the Top of the Mountain | 2015 | John Boyne | Buy |
| 15 | The Heart’s Invisible Furies | 2017 | John Boyne | Buy |
| 16 | A Ladder to the Sky | 2018 | John Boyne | Buy |
| 17 | My Brother’s Name is Jessica | 2019 | John Boyne | Buy |
| 18 | A Traveler at the Gates of Wisdom | 2020 | John Boyne | Buy |
| 19 | The Echo Chamber | 2021 | John Boyne | Buy |
| 20 | All the Broken Places | 2022 | John Boyne | Buy |
| 21 | The Boy in the Striped Pajamas | 2023 | John Boyne | Buy |
| 22 | Water | 2023 | John Boyne | Buy |
John Boyne’s standalone novels span more than two decades of publishing, beginning with The Thief of Time in 2000. His books often draw on real historical events and figures. Crippen reimagines the life of the infamous London murderer, Mutiny on the Bounty retells the famous naval rebellion, and The House of Special Purpose is set against the fall of the Russian royal family. These historical novels sit alongside more contemporary stories like Next of Kin and The Echo Chamber.
Several of his standalones are written for younger readers. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, published in 2006, became a global phenomenon and was later adapted into a film. Stay Where You Are and Then Leave tells the story of a boy whose father goes off to fight in the First World War, while The Boy at the Top of the Mountain is set in Hitler’s mountaintop retreat. All the Broken Places (2022) returns to the world of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, following the sister of the original story’s protagonist decades later.
His more recent adult novels have taken a satirical turn. A Ladder to the Sky (2018) follows an ambitious young writer willing to do anything for literary fame, and The Echo Chamber (2021) skewers social media culture through one dysfunctional family. Boyne’s range as a writer is clear across this list, moving between historical drama, children’s fiction, and sharp contemporary satire.