John Christopher Standalone Novels books in order

Q: "How many books are in the John Christopher Standalone Novels series?"

"There are eighteen books in the John Christopher Standalone Novels series, published between 1955 and 2003."

Q: "What is the first book in the John Christopher Standalone Novels series?"

"The first book in the John Christopher Standalone Novels series is The Year of the Comet / Planet in Peril, published in 1955."

Q: "Which John Christopher standalone novels are considered his most important?"

"The Death of Grass (1956), published in the US as No Blade of Grass, is widely considered his most significant standalone novel. It depicts the breakdown of society after a virus kills all grass species worldwide and was adapted into a 1970 film. The Guardians (1970) won the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize for its story of a boy who escapes between two rigidly divided social classes in a future England. Empty World (1977) and The Lotus Caves (1969) are also frequently cited as standout titles."

Reading order

#	Title	Published	Author	Buy on Amazon
1	The Year of the Comet / Planet in Peril	1955	John Christopher	Buy
2	The Death of Grass / No Blade of Grass	1956	John Christopher	Buy
3	The Caves of Night	1958	John Christopher	Buy
4	A Scent Of White Poppies	1959	John Christopher	Buy
5	The White Voyage / The White Voyage	1960	John Christopher	Buy
6	The World in Winter / The Long Winter	1962	John Christopher	Buy
7	Cloud On Silver / Sweeney’s Island	1964	John Christopher	Buy
8	The Possessors	1964	John Christopher	Buy
9	A Wrinkle in the Skin / The Ragged Edge	1965	John Christopher	Buy
10	The Little People	1966	John Christopher	Buy
11	Pendulum	1968	John Christopher	Buy
12	The Lotus Caves	1969	John Christopher	Buy
13	The Guardians	1970	John Christopher	Buy
14	Dom and Va / In The Beginning	1973	John Christopher	Buy
15	Wild Jack	1974	John Christopher	Buy
16	Empty World	1977	John Christopher	Buy
17	A Dusk of Demons	1993	John Christopher	Buy
18	Bad Dream	2003	John Christopher	Buy

John Christopher’s standalone novels span nearly fifty years of publishing and cover both adult and young adult audiences. His adult novels from the 1950s and 1960s are mostly disaster fiction in which some natural or man-made catastrophe upends civilization. The Death of Grass (1956) follows a group of people fleeing London after a global crop failure. The World in Winter (1962) imagines a new ice age descending on Europe. A Wrinkle in the Skin (1965) deals with the aftermath of massive earthquakes that reshape the planet’s geography.

His standalone young adult novels tend to be set in controlled or collapsed societies. The Lotus Caves (1969) follows two boys on a lunar colony who discover a hidden cave system governed by an alien intelligence. The Guardians (1970) takes place in a future England split between overcrowded urban zones and a rural elite that maintains its power through strict class barriers. Wild Jack (1974) imagines a Robin Hood figure in a post-industrial world, and Empty World (1977) follows the last surviving teenager in a plague-emptied England. His final novel, Bad Dream (2003), returned to adult fiction with a psychological thriller set in an alternate Britain. Many of his books were published under different titles in the US and UK, which accounts for the dual names listed above.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the John Christopher Standalone Novels series?

There are eighteen books in the John Christopher Standalone Novels series, published between 1955 and 2003.

What is the first book in the John Christopher Standalone Novels series?

The first book in the John Christopher Standalone Novels series is The Year of the Comet / Planet in Peril, published in 1955.

Which John Christopher standalone novels are considered his most important?

The Death of Grass (1956), published in the US as No Blade of Grass, is widely considered his most significant standalone novel. It depicts the breakdown of society after a virus kills all grass species worldwide and was adapted into a 1970 film. The Guardians (1970) won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize for its story of a boy who escapes between two rigidly divided social classes in a future England. Empty World (1977) and The Lotus Caves (1969) are also frequently cited as standout titles.

Reading order#

Frequently Asked Questions

Reading order