Order of Book Series
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Deathlands Books in Order

Deathlands by James Axler contains 156 books, published between 1986 and 2025. The first book is Pilgrimage to Hell (1986) and the newest is Wraith Winter (2025). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
156
Published
1986–2025
Pages on record
33,254 in 99 of 156 books
Reading time
554–831 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 33,254 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 99 of 156 titles with a page count on record.

See all 156 books in order Printable Deathlands checklist

Deathlands is a post-apocalyptic men's adventure series set in a dystopian America of survivalists, revenge and lost civilisation. Christopher Lowder wrote the first novel, Pilgrimage to Hell (1986), as Jack Adrian for Gold Eagle Publishing, and fell ill after developing the plot and drafting most of it; Laurence James took the series over under the house name James Axler. 156 titles are catalogued through to Wraith Winter. Some books stand alone, others depend on the previous release, and a few trilogies sit inside the run.

How many Deathlands books are there?

Deathlands has 156 books, released between 1986 and 2025.

Deathlands Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 156 Deathlands books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.

  1. Cover of Pilgrimage to Hell by James Axler, book 1 of the Deathlands series (1986)
  2. Cover of Homeward Bound by James Axler, book 5 of the Deathlands series (1987)
  3. Cover of Dectra Chain by James Axler, book 7 of the Deathlands series (1988)
  4. Cover of Ice and Fire by James Axler, book 8 of the Deathlands series (1988)
  5. Cover of Red Equinox by James Axler, book 9 of the Deathlands series (1989)
  6. Cover of Northstar Rising by James Axler, book 10 of the Deathlands series (1989)
  7. Cover of Time Nomads by James Axler, book 11 of the Deathlands series (1990)
  8. Cover of Latitude Zero by James Axler, book 12 of the Deathlands series (1991)
  9. Cover of Seedling by James Axler, book 13 of the Deathlands series (1991)
  10. Cover of Moon Fate by James Axler, book 16 of the Deathlands series (1992)
  11. Cover of Fury's Pilgrims by James Axler, book 18 of the Deathlands series (1993)
  12. Cover of Cold Asylum by James Axler, book 20 of the Deathlands series (1994)
  13. Cover of Twilight Children by James Axler, book 21 of the Deathlands series (1994)
  14. Cover of Rider, Reaper by James Axler, book 22 of the Deathlands series (1994)
  15. Cover of Road Wars by James Axler, book 23 of the Deathlands series (1994)
  16. Cover of Trader Redux by James Axler, book 24 of the Deathlands series (1994)
  17. Cover of Genesis Echo by James Axler, book 25 of the Deathlands series (1995)
  18. Cover of Ground Zero by James Axler, book 28 of the Deathlands series (1995)
  19. Cover of Emerald Fire by James Axler, book 29 of the Deathlands series (1995)
  20. Cover of Eclipse at Noon by James Axler, book 30 of the Deathlands series (1996)
  21. Cover of Bitter Fruit by James Axler, book 31 of the Deathlands series (1996)
  22. Cover of Keepers of the Sun by James Axler, book 33 of the Deathlands series (1996)
  23. Cover of Circle Thrice by James Axler, book 34 of the Deathlands series (1996)
  24. Cover of Skydark by James Axler, book 36 of the Deathlands series (1997)
  1. 1
    Pilgrimage to Hell1986 · 352 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1986352
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    Red Holocaust1986 · 251 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1986251
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    Neutron Solstice1987 · 252 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1987252
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    Crater Lake1987 · 250 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1987250
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    Homeward Bound1987 · confirmed 2/4
    1987–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    Pony Soldiers1988 · 348 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1988348
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    Dectra Chain1988 · 349 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1988349
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    Ice and Fire1988 · confirmed 2/4
    1988–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    Red Equinox1989 · 299 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1989299
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    Northstar Rising1989 · 346 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1989346
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    Time Nomads1990 · 352 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1990352
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    Latitude Zero1991 · 352 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1991352
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    Seedling1991 · 349 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1991349
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    Dark Carnival1991 · 349 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1991349
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    Chill Factor1992 · 349 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1992349
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    Moon Fate1992 · confirmed 2/4
    1992–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    Shockscape1993 · confirmed 2/4
    1993–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    Fury's Pilgrims1993 · confirmed 2/4
    1993–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    Deep Empire1993 · confirmed 2/4
    1993–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 20
    Cold Asylum1994 · confirmed 2/4
    1994–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 21
    Twilight Children1994 · confirmed 2/4
    1994–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 22
    Rider, Reaper1994 · confirmed 2/4
    1994–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  23. 23
    Road Wars1994 · confirmed 2/4
    1994–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  24. 24
    Trader Redux1994 · confirmed 2/4
    1994–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  25. 25
    Genesis Echo1995 · confirmed 2/4
    1995–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  26. 26
    Bloodlines1995 · 348 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1995348
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  27. 27
    Shadowfall1995 · confirmed 2/4
    1995–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  28. 28
    Ground Zero1995 · confirmed 2/4
    1995–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  29. 29
    Emerald Fire1995 · 347 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1995347
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  30. 30
    Eclipse at Noon1996 · 347 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1996347
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Is there a chronological order for Deathlands?

No separate chronological order is on record for Deathlands, because none of the book listings this catalogue draws on publishes one; the publication order above is the only order given.

Do you have to read Deathlands books in order?

You should read the Deathlands books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each Deathlands book also stands alone.

Where to start with Deathlands

Start with Pilgrimage to Hell (1986), the earliest published title.

What is the newest Deathlands book?

Wraith Winter (2025) is the newest Deathlands book released so far.

Is there a new Deathlands book coming?

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

Deathlands at a glance

Still running
Deathlands is still running, with a title published as recently as 2025.
Release pace
Deathlands books have appeared more than one a year on average.
Length
33,254 pages across the 99 of 156 books with a recorded length, a median of 347 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Deathlands books, 46 of 156, were published in the 2010s.

What the Deathlands books are about

126 of the 156 Deathlands books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: science fiction, action & adventure is tagged on 71 of 126. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.

More books by James Axler

The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.

Other series by James Axler

The series linked below has its own reading-order page.