Last Updated on March 30, 2025

Survival books are perfect reads for anyone who enjoys books with lots of action. The best survival books are all on our ultimate list. This list of new and best survival books is better than an episode of Survivor! If you are looking for survival-themed books to read, there is bound to be one here for you to enjoy. So get your TBR ready with one of our favourite survival books. We recommend you read them all!

Survival Books

1. Life of Pi by Yann Martel

2. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

3. The Martian by Andy Weir

4. The Road by Cormac McCarthy

5. Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell

6. Lord of the Flies by William Golding

7. Divergent by Veronica Roth

8. Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George

9. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

10. The Call of the Wild by Jack London

11. Dry by Neal Shusterman

12. Any Sign of Life by Rae Carson

13. I Am Still Alive by Kate Alice Marshall

14. Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank

15. My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George

16. One Second After by William R. Forstchen

17. Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss

18. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

19. Last of the Breed by Louis L’Amour

20. Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

21. Into the Wild by John Krakauer

22. Lights Out by David Crawford

23. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

24. Refugee by Alan Gratz

25. On the Island by Tracey Garvis Graves

26. The River at Night by Erica Ferencik

27. Be Not Far From Me by Mindy McGinnis

28. 96 Miles by J.L. Esplin

29. Gone Dark by Amanda Panitch

30. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

31. This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada

32. Wilder Girls by Rory Power

33. A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park

34. Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston

35. Touching the Void by Joe Simpson

36. Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat

37. Alive: The True Story of the Andes Survivors by Piers Paul Read

38. Skeletons on the Zahara by Dean King

39. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

40. Adrift by Steven Callahan

Survival Books

Survival books are some of my favourite reads! I hope that you find something on our list that you enjoy reading. Are there any books on our survival books list that you have enjoyed? Let us know in the comments!