Let’s take a little look at some books like The Lord of the Flies.
The Lord of the Flies is Picture this: A group of schoolboys are stranded on a tropical island with no adults around. What could go wrong, right? Well, in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, pretty much everything.
The boys quickly realize that their new-found freedom comes with its own set of challenges. Who’s going to lead the group? How are they going to find food and shelter? And, most importantly, how are they going to avoid turning into a bunch of savage little monsters?
Spoiler alert: They don’t avoid it. In fact, things get pretty wild pretty fast. There’s talk of a “beast” lurking on the island, power struggles between the boys, and some seriously disturbing behavior that makes you question everything you thought you knew about human nature.
So, if you like The Lord of the Flies you might want to read a couple more books that have similar vibes.
List of Books Like The Lord of the Flies
Here is a list of books like The Lord of The Flies:
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
- Battle Royale by Koushun Takami
- Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
- A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
- Divergent by Veronica Roth
- Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
- The Maze Runner by James Dashner
- The Road by Cormac McCarthy
- Animal Farm by George Orwell
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
One amazing book that’s similar to The Lord of the Flies is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. This book was published in 2008, and is 374 pages long.
The Hunger Games is set in the nation of Panem, which is what remains of North America after an apocalyptic event. This nation is split into twelve districts that are spread throughout its borders.
Every year one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 are randomly selected from each of the twelve districts. The 24 people selected are then brought to an outdoor arena to fight to the death until there is only one person remaining.
The Hunger Games book follows Katniss Everdeen, a 16 year old girl from District 12. This is the 74th Hunger Games, and Katniss’s sister, Primrose, is chosen to participate in the games. Katniss doesn’t want her 12 year old sister to be killed in the Hunger Games so she volunteers as tribute.
Katniss is thrust into the games and competes for her own survival against everyone including one of her friends. She believes this is a death sentence. WIll she have the courage to make it through the games and be the last person alive?
The Hunger Games is excitement around every corner and on every page. Join Katniss as she enters the arena and fights for her life.
If you enjoyed The Hunger Games, it is actually a trilogy that was fully published in 2010. The other two books are Catching Fire and Mockingjay.
Battle Royale by Koushun Takami
Another book like The Lord of the Flies is Battle Royale by Koushun Takami. This book was published in 1999, and some believe this was part of the inspiration behind The Hunger Games!
Battle Royale takes place in a fictional, alternate reality Japan where they are ruled under fascism. Japan actually isn’t even called Japan anymore. It’s called the Republic of Greater East Asia. In this world, Japan was victorious in World War II, and the government controls everything.
One of the government’s military programs takes 50 randomly selected high school juniors, kidnaps them, and drops them on an island, and forces them to fight to the death until only one person remains. Supposedly, this is to study survival skills and battle readiness.
One day some studies are on their way for a field trip, when they find themselves on the receiving end of this program waking up on a remote island. They find collars around their necks that will apparently blow up if they try to escape.
I don’t want to spoil the rest of the book, but it is a crazy thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Ender’s Game was written by Orson Scott Card. This is one of the older books on this list, but it is similar to Lord of the Flies. It was published in 1985, and is 324 pages long.
Ender’s Game is set on Earth in the future. Although we don’t know the exact date, Earth is being invaded by aliens called buggers. There have already been two conflicts with these aliens, and a third invasion is imminent.
In order to fight the alien invasion, the government breeds child geniuses to train them as military soldiers. They practice with difficult war games. This is how we meet Andrew “Ender” Wiggin. He ends up getting drafted into Battle School for extreme military training.
Ender is considered a leader to his peers in Battle School and excels at everything. Despite his success he feels alone due to the pressure from his teachers and rivalries with his classmates. He also fears he is slowly becoming like his brother who he thinks is sadistic.
Soon the time comes for Ender and his classmates to go to war with the aliens. Is he what Earth needs to finally defeat the aliens and end the war of over a hundred years?
Fun fact: This book originated as a short story that was published in a magazine in 1977.
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess is another book like The Lord of the Flies. The book was published in 1962. It is 213 pages long.
A Clockwork Orange is a weird dystopian book with its own interesting made up words. It follows Alex, a 15 year old gang leader. He and his friends, which he calls “droogs”, go around causing random acts of violence. They call this “ultra-violence”.
The other droogs in the gang are Dim, the dim-witted muscle of the gang, Georgie, the second in command, and Pete, who just hangs around. They all have a hangout where they sit around and drink milk-plus (just milk laced with some kind of drug.) Then they go out on the town for a night of ultra-violence.
They rob people, smash up stores, beat up beggars, even fight with other gangs. It’s all fun and games until cracks start to appear within the gang. They bite off more than they can take, leaving Alex alone to be caught by the police.
The state allows Alex an attempt to redeem himself. Will he get his freedom and become a better person, or will he fall right back into the gang life that he has known for his entire existence?
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Divergent by Veronica Roth was published in 2011 and is 487 pages long.
This book is set in a post apocalyptic Chicago, where everyone is judged on their social and personality in relation to five factions, Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the kind), Erudite (the intelligent), Abnegation (the selfless), and Candor (the honest). All 16 year olds are split into one of these factions after completing an initiation.
Divergent follows Beatrice “Tris” Prior, a “Divergent”, meaning that she could belong to multiple factions. This is supposed to be a secret, however. Tris’s choice of faction shocks everyone, including herself.
The initiation is crazy. Beatrice and everyone else must go through physically demanding tests of endurance, and insane psychological simulations with hallucinations that drive some people crazy.
During the initiation, Tris finds her friends, and even gets into a little romance with a fascinating boy that would fit perfectly into her life. But she still has this secret. Will her secret help save the ones she loves, or will it mean the end of her?
Fun fact: Divergent is the first book in a trilogy. The second book is Insurgent and the third book is Allegiant.
Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
Annihilation was written by Jeff VanderMeer, published in 2014, and is a fairly short read at 208 pages.
Annihilation follows a team of four women, a biologist, an anthropologist, a psychologist, and a surveyor, who venture into an abandoned area called Area X.
This is the 12th expedition that has been sent to map this area that has been cut off from civilization for decades. Weird stuff happened to the first 11 expeditions. The first came back describing a pristine land beyond words, the second all died in a mass suicide, during the third expedition, members began shooting each other. Even though the 11th came back, they all died of cancer just weeks later.
The story is told through the journal of the biologist. It takes us through their journey of Area X and all the unexpected anomalies that occur during their time there. We start to know how Area X can easily influence those who enter it.
Will the 12th expedition be the first to come back unscathed or will Area X take over their minds like the previous crews.
Fun fact: This was actually turned into a movie starring Natalie Portman.
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
The Maze Runner by James Dashner is yet another book like The Lord of the Flies. This book has 375 pages and was published in 2009. Like others on this page, it is a trilogy with The Scorch Trials being the second book, and The Death Cure as the third.
The Maze Runner starts off with a bang as we follow Thomas, who wakes up on a mysterious metal elevator remembering nothing but his name. With him are other boys in the same condition.
Thomas learns quickly that the elevator is meant to bring new people and supplies to an insane, 4 mile high concrete maze that changes every day. Inside the maze are weird, metal creatures that try to kill everyone.
“Runners” are sent out each day to try and solve the maze or see if there is any pattern to the changing. Unfortunately, no one has yet to make it out alive.
Then one day, a girl arrives. This is shocking to everyone because she is the only girl to ever arrive. This girl brings a terrifying message to everyone – Remember. Survive. Run.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
The Road by Cormac McCarthy was published in 2006, and is 287 pages long. This book won a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2007.
The Road takes place in a post-apocalyptic, burned up United States of America. In this world, the sky is always dark, the snow is gray, and it’s extremely cold at all times.
The story follows a father and his son as they make a journey on foot across the country. They have almost nothing, except the clothes on their back, and a pistol used to defend themselves from bandits. They have nothing to eat, but a little cart of scavenged food.
They are encountered by cannibals, marauders, and near starvation as they attempt to go south for warmth. It is a wild journey filled with many scary moments in a potential future world where humans are generally evil.
The Road is an incredibly heartbreaking and emotionally shattering story of a father and son’s love during a time where it seems like there will never be any hope.
Fun fact: The Road was turned into a movie starring Viggo Mortenson in 2009.
Animal Farm by George Orwell
George Orwell wrote a fascinating book back in 1945 called Animal Farm? It’s a short read at just around 140 pages, but don’t let its brevity fool you – this book packs a powerful punch.
Animal Farm is a creative book that touches on a variety of themes, from society to philosophy. It even has a dystopian vibe, which is no surprise given that it was written by the same author who gave us 1984.
In the book, a group of talking animals on a farm decide to take over in a revolution because they’re fed up with how they’re treated by the farmer. Their goal is to create a utopia where everyone is equal, free, and happy.
But, as we all know, absolute power corrupts absolutely. One particular pig, Napoleon, becomes obsessed with power and turns the farm into a kind of dictatorship, far from the peaceful society the other animals had envisioned.
Under Napoleon’s rule, the farm ends up worse than it was with the farmer. And, to make matters worse, many of the mistreated animals start to devise a plot against him. Will they be successful? You’ll have to read the book to find out!
Fun fact: The events in Animal Farm are loosely based on the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the Stalinist era. So, not only is it a great read, but it’s also a history lesson in disguise.
This book was recommended by Jocko Willink.
And there you have it! A list of some of the best books like The Lord of the Flies.