Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pandemic | 2013 | Craig DiLouie | Buy |
| 2 | Slaughterhouse | 2014 | Craig DiLouie | Buy |
| 3 | Die Laughing | 2015 | Craig DiLouie | Buy |
| 4 | Alamo | 2016 | Craig DiLouie | Buy |
| 5 | Crucible | 2018 | Craig DiLouie | Buy |
| 6 | Forlorn Hope | 2022 | Craig DiLouie | Buy |
The Retreat series by Craig DiLouie follows the collapse of civilization after the Klew virus turns billions of people into laughing, murderous infected. Pandemic opens the series as the outbreak spirals out of control, and Slaughterhouse follows military units trying to maintain order in a world that’s already lost. Die Laughing and Alamo continue the fight as survivors are pushed into increasingly desperate last stands.
Crucible and Forlorn Hope round out the series, published in 2018 and 2022 respectively. DiLouie’s version of the pandemic horror is distinctive because of the laughing. The infected don’t moan or shamble. They laugh as they kill, which adds a deeply unsettling quality to every encounter. The series balances large-scale military action with smaller, more personal survival stories, and DiLouie doesn’t hesitate to kill off major characters when the situation calls for it.