Survive this!

Fictional stories of survival for adults. Survival stories are often characterized by life-threatening situations where readers can experience peril, suspense, and anxiety from a place of safety. Common themes include being trapped, a race against time, and problem-solving. The high stakes involved are frequently matched by high emotions.

Updated October 31, 2023
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These Silent Woods
Kimi Cunningham Grant
Paper Book
A father and daughter living in the remote Appalachian mountains must reckon with the ghosts of their past in Kimi Cunningham Grant's These Silent Woods, a mesmerizing novel of suspense. No electricity, no family, no connection to the outside world. For...
Aurora : A Novel
Koepp, David
Paper Book
SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE FROM NETFLIX AND ACADEMY AWARD-WINNING DIRECTOR KATHRYN BIGELOW "Fantastic story, a real page-turner. Impossible to put down." - Stephen King From the author of Cold Storage comes a riveting, eerily plausible thriller, told with the menace and flair...
The Barrens : a novel of love and death in the Canadian Arctic
—Johnson, Kurt
Paper Book
Winner of the Minnesota Book Award and a 2022 Great Group Reads Selection "The Barrens grabbed me from the opening pages and never let go."--Michael Punke, author of The Revenant Two young women attending college decide to have a summer...
The bear
—Cameron, Claire, 1973- author.
Paper Book
Told in a voice reminiscent of Room, this nail-biting tale of psychological suspense shows two small children fighting for survival in the wilderness after a terrifying bear attack. The black dog is not scratching. He goes back to his sniffing and huffing and then he...
The couples trip : a novel
Kvensler, Ulf
Paper Book
**Swedish Academy of Crime Writers' Award Best Debut of the Year** **Shortlisted for the Crimetime Award 2022** Two couples set out together on a hiking trip that goes terrifyingly wrong in this addictive psychological thriller for fans of Ruth Ware and Lucy...
Drowned
Newman, T. J.
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE FROM WARNER BROTHERS PICTURES * "Reads like Apollo 13 underwater." --Don Winslow * "Masterful." --Patricia Cornwell * "A stunningly vivid tour de force!" Gripping. Shocking." --Brad Thor Flight...
Last Winter
Mac, Carrie.
Paper Book
#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER As gripping and unforgettable as Fredrik Backman's Bear Town and Kristin Hannah's The Great Alone, this haunting novel digs into the impact of a fatal avalanche on a small BC mountain town, as seen through the eyes of those who survive the tragedy. ...
The Martian : a novel
—Weir, Andy
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * "Brilliant . . . a celebration of human ingenuity [and] the purest example of real-science sci-fi for many years . . . utterly compelling."--The Wall Street Journal The inspiration for the major motion picture ...
The mountain story
Lansens, Lori.
Paper Book
Five days. Four hikers. Three survivors. From Lori Lansens, author of the national bestsellers Rush Home Road, The Girls and The Wife's Tale comes a gripping tale of adventure, sacrifice and survival in the unforgiving wilderness of a legendary mountain.    ...
Rage the night : a novel
—Morrissey, Donna, 1956- author.
Paper Book
National Bestseller At once the intimate tale of one man's quest to discover the truth of his birth and a riveting account of a real-life Newfoundland tragedy from 1914, brilliantly and sensitively imagined by one of Canada's most beloved and bestselling authors. ...
Small Game
Braverman, Blair.
Paper Book
A gripping debut novel about a survival reality show gone wrong that leaves a group of strangers stranded in the northern wilds  Four strangers and six weeks: this is all that separates Mara from one life-changing payday. She was surprised when reality TV producers came...
Whalefall : a novel
Kraus, Daniel
Paper Book
A USA TODAY BESTSELLER Named a Best Book of 2023 by Book Riot, Shelf Awareness, and NPR The Martian meets 127 Hours in this "astoundingly great" (Gillian Flynn, #1 New York Times bestselling author) and scientifically...

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