T.L. Payne Books in Order

T.L. Payne has written 42 books, published between 2019 and 2025. The first book is Sudden Chaos (2019) and the newest is Chaos at the Border (2025). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
42
Published
2019–2025
Confirmed
1 of 42 titles

T.L. Payne has published 42 books since 2019, organised into eight series: Days of Want, Desperate Age, Conquer the Dark, Fall of Houston, Black Sky Event, Gateway to Chaos, Survive the Collapse and Reign of Darkness. Those names point at collapse and survival, and the individual titles follow suit - Sudden Chaos (2019), Turmoil (2019), Upheaval (2019), No Way Out (2020). Chaos at the Border (2025) is Payne's most recent entry.

Source: composed

How many T.L. Payne books are there?

T.L. Payne has 42 books, released between 2019 and 2025. They include 8 separate series.

T.L. Payne Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 42 T.L. Payne books in the order they were published, with the release year and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of November 2026.

  1. 1
    Sudden ChaosDays of Want #12019 · confirmed 2/4
    2019–
  2. 2
    TurbulentDays of Want #22019 · confirmed 2/4
    2019–
  3. 3
    HuntedDays of Want #32019 · confirmed 2/4
    2019–
  4. 4
    TurmoilDays of Want #42019 · confirmed 2/4
    2019–
  5. 5
    UprisingDays of Want #52019 · confirmed 2/4
    2019–
  6. 6
    UpheavalDays of Want #62019 · confirmed 2/4
    2019–
  7. 7
    No Way OutFall of Houston #12020 · confirmed 2/4
    2020–
  8. 8
    Seeking SafetyGateway to Chaos #12020 · confirmed 2/4
    2020–
  9. 9
    Seeking RefugeGateway to Chaos #22020 · confirmed 2/4
    2020–
  10. 10
    Seeking JusticeGateway to Chaos #32020 · confirmed 2/4
    2020–
  11. 11
    Seeking HopeGateway to Chaos #42020 · confirmed 3/4
    2020–
  12. 12
    MayhemDays of Want #72020 · confirmed 2/4
    2020–
  13. 13
    No Other ChoiceFall of Houston #22021 · confirmed 2/4
    2021–
  14. 14
    No Turning BackFall of Houston #32021 · confirmed 2/4
    2021–
  15. 15
    No SurrenderFall of Houston #42021 · confirmed 2/4
    2021–
  16. 16
    No Man's LandFall of Houston #52021 · confirmed 2/4
    2021–
  17. 17
    DefianceDays of Want #82021 · confirmed 2/4
    2021–
  18. 18
    Brink of DarknessSurvive the Collapse #12022 · confirmed 2/4
    2022–
  19. 19
    Brink of ChaosSurvive the Collapse #22022 · confirmed 2/4
    2022–
  20. 20
    Brink of PanicSurvive the Collapse #32022 · confirmed 2/4
    2022–
  21. 21
    Brink of CollapseSurvive the Collapse #42022 · confirmed 2/4
    2022–
  22. 22
    Escape the DestructionReign of Darkness #12023 · confirmed 2/4
    2023–
  23. 23
    Panic in the RockiesDesperate Age #12023 · confirmed 2/4
    2023–
  24. 24
    Endure the DarkReign of Darkness #22023 · confirmed 2/4
    2023–
  25. 25
    Getting Out of DodgeDesperate Age #22023 · confirmed 2/4
    2023–
  26. 26
    Surviving FreedomDesperate Age #32023 · confirmed 2/4
    2023–
  27. 27
    Trouble in Tulsa:Desperate Age #42023 · confirmed 2/4
    2023–
  28. 28
    Defending CampDesperate Age #52023 · confirmed 2/4
    2023–
  29. 29
    CollapseConquer the Dark #12024 · confirmed 2/4
    2024–
  30. 30
    RuinConquer the Dark #22024 · confirmed 2/4
    2024–

T.L. Payne books grouped by series

Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.

Days of Want in order

8 books
  1. 1. Sudden Chaos
  2. 2. Turbulent
  3. 3. Hunted
  4. 4. Turmoil
  5. 5. Uprising
  6. 6. Upheaval
  7. 7. Mayhem
  8. 8. Defiance

Desperate Age in order

6 books
  1. 1. Panic in the Rockies
  2. 2. Getting Out of Dodge
  3. 3. Surviving Freedom
  4. 4. Trouble in Tulsa:
  5. 5. Defending Camp
  6. 6. Chaos at the Border

Conquer the Dark in order

6 books
  1. 1. Collapse
  2. 2. Ruin
  3. 3. Carnage
  4. 4. Resistance
  5. 5. Desolation
  6. 6. Recompense

Fall of Houston in order

5 books
  1. 1. No Way Out
  2. 2. No Other Choice
  3. 3. No Turning Back
  4. 4. No Surrender
  5. 5. No Man's Land

Black Sky Event in order

5 books
  1. 1. Utter Darkness
  2. 2. Utter Devastation
  3. 3. Utter Despair
  4. 4. Utter Decimation
  5. 5. Utter Dominion

Gateway to Chaos in order

4 books
  1. 1. Seeking Safety
  2. 2. Seeking Refuge
  3. 3. Seeking Justice
  4. 4. Seeking Hope

Survive the Collapse in order

4 books
  1. 1. Brink of Darkness
  2. 2. Brink of Chaos
  3. 3. Brink of Panic
  4. 4. Brink of Collapse

Reign of Darkness in order

4 books
  1. 1. Escape the Destruction
  2. 2. Endure the Dark
  3. 3. Evade the Ruthless
  4. 4. Engage the Enemy

Do you have to read T.L. Payne books in order?

You only need to read T.L. Payne books in order within each series: the books listed here span 8 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.

Where to start with T.L. Payne

Start with Sudden Chaos (2019), the earliest published title.

What is the newest T.L. Payne book?

Chaos at the Border (2025) is the newest T.L. Payne book released so far.

Is there a new T.L. Payne book coming?

No next T.L. Payne book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

T.L. Payne at a glance

Still publishing
T.L. Payne published a book as recently as 2025.
Release pace
T.L. Payne books have appeared more than one a year on average.
Busiest decade
Most T.L. Payne books, 36 of 42, were published in the 2020s.

When T.L. Payne books were published

Publication distribution by decade, showing when T.L. Payne titles appeared. 2020s was the most productive decade with 36 titles.

2010s
6
2020s
36

42 books total across 2 decades. Decade reflects the year each title was first catalogued.