Survival Genre
What is the best definition for survival genre? Books in the Survival fiction genre are made up of stories where the main character or characters are trying to survive with little or nothing, often when society collapses, crumbles or fails them. Some stories in this genre are about people who have gotten lost or hurt in a natural environment and have to survive on their own until rescued. The main theme in the survival genre is the knowledge and how-to to make do with what one has in a limited environment and keep themselves and/or others alive.
True stories of survival are often brave and heroic accounts of people surviving extreme conditions, tragedy or a life threatening accident.
Survival has been the subject of stories for thousands of years. With the popularity of The Revenant, The Martian and The Hunger Games, survival is as popular as ever and often feature characters forced to pit their strength, skill and brains against the forces of nature, evil, and each other. Where ever there is life, there is the need for survival.
Genre guides, audience, how to write guides:
Survival. (Creative minds.) Videos and quotes to help understand the theme.
Who is the intended audience for YA fiction? (and does it even matter?) Blog post
Check out some online news media articles on the topic including:
Moira Young. Why is dystopian fiction so appealing to young adults? (Guardian 23/10/11)
Why Young Adults 'hunger' for The Hunger Games and other post-apocalyptic Dystopian Fiction? (Forbes 20/11/14)
Genre guide. Post-apocalyptic fiction for teens (YALSA). Scroll to the bottom of this article for link to more around the popularity of survival themes.
Tucker, Christine. How to write a survival story (penandthepad.com)
D'Olimpio, Laura et al. Philosophy and fallout 4: what's the appeal of the post-apocalypse? (The Conversation 18/11/15)
Who is the intended audience for YA fiction? (and does it even matter?) Blog post
Check out some online news media articles on the topic including:
Moira Young. Why is dystopian fiction so appealing to young adults? (Guardian 23/10/11)
Why Young Adults 'hunger' for The Hunger Games and other post-apocalyptic Dystopian Fiction? (Forbes 20/11/14)
Genre guide. Post-apocalyptic fiction for teens (YALSA). Scroll to the bottom of this article for link to more around the popularity of survival themes.
Tucker, Christine. How to write a survival story (penandthepad.com)
D'Olimpio, Laura et al. Philosophy and fallout 4: what's the appeal of the post-apocalypse? (The Conversation 18/11/15)
Survival Fiction in print
Check for availability in the iCentre's Oliver catalogue. Log onto your DoE student portal page for access or use the Oliver Library Link app.
Black, Cally. In the dark spaces. (F/BLA)
Gaiman, Neil. The ocean at the end of the lane (F/GAI)
Shusterman, Neal and Jarrod. Dry (F/SHU)
Grylls, Bear. Gold of the gods F/(GRY)
Grylls, Bear. Way of the wolf (F/GRY)
Grylls, Bear. Tracks of the tiger (F/GRY)
Grylls, Bear. Sands of the scorpian (F/GRY)
Marsden, John. Tomorrow when the war began (F/MAR)
Bick, Ilsa J. Ashes (F/BIC)
Zorn, Claire. The sky so heavy (F/ZOR)
Hurwitz, Gregg Andrew. Last chance (F/HUR)
Hurwitz, Gregg Andrew. The rains (F/HUR)
Aguiar, Nadia. The lost island of Tamarind (F/AGU)
Graudin, Ryan. The walled city. (F/GRA)
McDibble, Bren. The dog runner. (F/BRE)
Gaiman, Neil. The ocean at the end of the lane (F/GAI)
Shusterman, Neal and Jarrod. Dry (F/SHU)
Grylls, Bear. Gold of the gods F/(GRY)
Grylls, Bear. Way of the wolf (F/GRY)
Grylls, Bear. Tracks of the tiger (F/GRY)
Grylls, Bear. Sands of the scorpian (F/GRY)
Marsden, John. Tomorrow when the war began (F/MAR)
Bick, Ilsa J. Ashes (F/BIC)
Zorn, Claire. The sky so heavy (F/ZOR)
Hurwitz, Gregg Andrew. Last chance (F/HUR)
Hurwitz, Gregg Andrew. The rains (F/HUR)
Aguiar, Nadia. The lost island of Tamarind (F/AGU)
Graudin, Ryan. The walled city. (F/GRA)
McDibble, Bren. The dog runner. (F/BRE)
Survival Fiction on ebook |
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Log onto Wheelers to access these Audiobooks with a Survival theme. Read more about each audiobook on the website.
To access the collection and borrow an audiobook, use your DoE login details.
To access the collection and borrow an audiobook, use your DoE login details.
Here is a selection of the very best Survival stories on ebook:
Olson, Kayla. The Sandcastle Empire.
Black, Cally. In the dark spaces (sc-fi survival)
Bell, Alden. The reapers are the angels (post-apocalyptic)
Higson, Claire. Fallen (post-pandemic)
Jonsberg, Barry. Admission (post-pandemic)
Grylls, Bear. True Grit: the epic true stories of survival and heroism that have shaped my life. (true survival)
Grant, Michael. Gone series. (post-apocalyptic) - search Michael Grant for all the novels.
Junger, Sebastian. The perfect storm: a true story of men against the sea. (true survival)
Shusterman, Jarrod. Dry. (post environmental catastrophe survival)
Marsden, John. Tomorrow when the war began series. (post-apocalyptic)
Scarrow, Alex. Plague series (post-pandemic)
Weir, Andy. The Martian (sc-fi survival)
Wyass, Johann. The Swiss family Robinson. (desert island survival)
Yancey, Rick. The 5th wave. (post-apocalyptic)
Smith. Mark. Road to winter series (post-pandemic)
Dashner, James. The kill order. (post-apocalyptic)
Taylor, Theodore. The Cay. (castaway survival)
Smith, Dan. Big Game (wilderness survival)
Wilson, S.M. The extinction trials (post-apocalyptic)
McCaughrean, Geraldine. Where the world ends. (castaway survival)
McCaughrean, Geraldine. The white darkness. (Arctic survival)
Pratchett, Terry. Nation. (castaway survival)
Martel, Yann. Life of Pi: a novel (castaway survival)
Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger games series (sci-fi survival)
Smith, Dan. Below zero. (Antarctic survival)
Wells, Dan. Partials series (post-pandemic)
Falkner, Brian. Shooting stars (wilderness survival)
Olson, Kayla. The Sandcastle Empire.
Black, Cally. In the dark spaces (sc-fi survival)
Bell, Alden. The reapers are the angels (post-apocalyptic)
Higson, Claire. Fallen (post-pandemic)
Jonsberg, Barry. Admission (post-pandemic)
Grylls, Bear. True Grit: the epic true stories of survival and heroism that have shaped my life. (true survival)
Grant, Michael. Gone series. (post-apocalyptic) - search Michael Grant for all the novels.
Junger, Sebastian. The perfect storm: a true story of men against the sea. (true survival)
Shusterman, Jarrod. Dry. (post environmental catastrophe survival)
Marsden, John. Tomorrow when the war began series. (post-apocalyptic)
Scarrow, Alex. Plague series (post-pandemic)
Weir, Andy. The Martian (sc-fi survival)
Wyass, Johann. The Swiss family Robinson. (desert island survival)
Yancey, Rick. The 5th wave. (post-apocalyptic)
Smith. Mark. Road to winter series (post-pandemic)
Dashner, James. The kill order. (post-apocalyptic)
Taylor, Theodore. The Cay. (castaway survival)
Smith, Dan. Big Game (wilderness survival)
Wilson, S.M. The extinction trials (post-apocalyptic)
McCaughrean, Geraldine. Where the world ends. (castaway survival)
McCaughrean, Geraldine. The white darkness. (Arctic survival)
Pratchett, Terry. Nation. (castaway survival)
Martel, Yann. Life of Pi: a novel (castaway survival)
Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger games series (sci-fi survival)
Smith, Dan. Below zero. (Antarctic survival)
Wells, Dan. Partials series (post-pandemic)
Falkner, Brian. Shooting stars (wilderness survival)
Survival Podcasts
Hover over each image to read what the Podcast is about. Then click on the image to link to the Podcast website.
Survivial Audiobooks
Log onto Wheelers to access these Audiobooks with a Survival theme. Read more about each audiobook on the website.
To access the collection and borrow an audiobook, use your DoE login details.
To access the collection and borrow an audiobook, use your DoE login details.
Survival: Biographies and Non Fiction (includes ebooks)
School in the Woods Chief Instructor Doug Getgood spent a year living alone in a cabin in the Northern wilderness of Ontario, Canada. This is his record of that year. (14 min)
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Grylls, Bear. True grit: the epic true stories of survival and heroism that have shaped my life (Wellness collection 613.6/GRY) also on ebook. Hall, Lincoln. Alive in the death zone: Mount Everest survival (796.522/HAL) Krakauer, Jon. Into thin air: a personal account of the Mount Everest disaster (ebook) Reeder, Stephanie.Lost! A true tale from the bush (994.5031) Junger, Sebastian. The perfect storm: a true story of men against the sea (363.34/JUN) Hillenbrand, Laura. Unbroken: an extraordinary true story of courage and survival (ebook) |
Online resources:
There are plenty of websites that look at human survival - either extreme true stories or as how to guides for hikers, mountaineers, sailors etc. Here are some tips on how to search for what you need:
Search for true stories of survival online by searching the keywords: 'true stories' + 'human survival'
Also look for the names of specific people who are famous for their survival story eg. 'Juliane Koepcke' 'Stephen Callahan'
For Outdoor survival use terms such as 'survival guides' / 'survival skills' / 'outdoor survival'
For survival guides for specific locations search 'survival' + the environment you are interested in eg 'wilderness' 'at sea' etc.
See the Teacher Librarian to assist you to form your strategy for a more specific search.
Here are a few websites to get you started:
True stories of survival:
Incredible stories of survival at sea (BBC)
The ten most incredible survival stories of all time (Popular Mechanics)
How-to guides / skills:
Corcoran, Tim. Wilderness survival Guide - modern and primitive skills explained.
Surviving more than a year at sea is possible - with a little luck. (National Geographic).
Search for true stories of survival online by searching the keywords: 'true stories' + 'human survival'
Also look for the names of specific people who are famous for their survival story eg. 'Juliane Koepcke' 'Stephen Callahan'
For Outdoor survival use terms such as 'survival guides' / 'survival skills' / 'outdoor survival'
For survival guides for specific locations search 'survival' + the environment you are interested in eg 'wilderness' 'at sea' etc.
See the Teacher Librarian to assist you to form your strategy for a more specific search.
Here are a few websites to get you started:
True stories of survival:
Incredible stories of survival at sea (BBC)
The ten most incredible survival stories of all time (Popular Mechanics)
How-to guides / skills:
Corcoran, Tim. Wilderness survival Guide - modern and primitive skills explained.
Surviving more than a year at sea is possible - with a little luck. (National Geographic).
Survival on FilmThe survival film is a film genre in which one or more characters make an effort at physical survival. It often overlaps with other film genres. It is a subgenre of the adventure film .... Survival films are darker than most other adventure films which usually focus their storyline on a single character, usually the protagonist. The films tend to be "located primarily in a contemporary context" so film audiences are familiar with the setting, meaning the characters' activities are less romanticized. (Wikipedia)
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Video games and VRSurvival games are a subgenre of action video games often set in a hostile, intense, open-world environment, where players generally begin with minimal equipment and are required to collect resources, craft tools, weapons, and shelter, and survive as long as possible.... Survival games are generally open-ended with no set goals and are often closely related to the survival horror genre, in which the player must survive within a supernatural setting, such as a zombie apocalypse. (Wikipedia)
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Look for these titles through your streaming service or on DVD:
Adrift (2014) Mads Mikkelsen. Arctic. (2019) Castaway (2000) Lord of the flies (1954) Life of Pi (2012) Hunger Games franchise Hunt for the wilderpeople (2016) The road (2009) Hanna (2011) Tomorrow when the war began (2010) 127 hours (2010) The Martian (2015) Wild (2014) The mountain between us (2017) |
There are many computer games or VR experiences that deal with a Survival theme. Here are a few to get you started:
Raft. (On Steam): Raft throws you and your friends into an epic oceanic adventure! Alone or together, players battle to survive a perilous voyage across a vast sea! Gather debris, scavenge reefs and build your own floating home, but be wary of the man-eating sharks! Ark: Survival Evolved (on Steam) Storm VR (on Viveport) Castaway VR (on Viveport) Lost in the ocean (on Viveport) Mystery stone from heaven (on Viveport) |
Check out these movie trailers of recent films in the 'Survival Genre':
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