Since 99.9 percent of all species that have lived are extinct, it’s bound to be our turn eventually, right? So what’s most likely to kill us? A well-timed asteroid? Some new robot overlords? With wit and dry humor, debut graphic novelist Katy Doughty blends science and history to explore our chances of surviving disasters such as plagues, global warming, and alien invasion. Drawing on interviews with experts in fields like infectious diseases, AI, and interplanetary exploration, she combines cutting-edge research with compelling visuals: mugshots of the deadliest microbes, graphs of the winners and losers of mass extinction events, and a whole lot of dinosaur drawings. For apocalypse aficionados, the morbidly curious, and the just plain curious, this is your antidote to existential dread—a timely, imaginative, and ultimately hopeful take on humankind’s ability to survive the odds.
- Books
- Young Adult Nonfiction
- How to Survive the End of the World: A Graphic Exploration of How to (Maybe) Avoid Extinction
How to Survive the End of the World: A Graphic Exploration of How to (Maybe) Avoid Extinction
Featured
Author(s)
Publisher
Age Range
14+
Release Date
March 31, 2026
ISBN
978-1536232790
Buy This Book
In a full-color debut, a graphic novelist takes an engrossing, gleefully existential deep dive into the many ways that humanity could—and almost did—meet its end.
Editor review
1 review
Be Prepared for What Comes Next in this Lifetime
(Updated: June 15, 2026)
Overall rating
5.0
Writing Style
5.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
5.0
Learning Value
5.0
How to Survive the End of the World explores various scenarios that could potentially destroy the Earth as we know it. We begin by learning how Earth came to be, before delving into discussions of topics such as plagues, deadly blasts, climate meltdown, artificial intelligence, falling skies, and many more.
What I Liked: This book instantly grabs your attention by going into the way that Earth was made and how this changes per culture and/or religion. The introduction to the various ways Earth began and the way it ends for various cultures and/or religions is fascinating. There is so much to learn throughout these first few pages that will keep you reading just so that you can learn more. This book is packed full of new information and fun facts that will keep you entertained and engaged throughout.
The illustrations throughout this book go great with the sections that they are in. The realistic illustrations do a good job of highlighting the scary things that can break apart our world and just how those things can happen. These illustrations help the story move along and keep you captivated throughout the whole story. Even if you aren’t a big fan of history, this book might change your mind and help you learn to appreciate historical events and the things that we learn from our history.
Final Verdict: How to Survive the End of the World is an intriguing graphic novel that is perfect for those who are interested in apocalypses or just generally curious about the ongoing events that might impact them in the future. Young adults ages 14 and up will find this book a fantastic way to begin learning about some historical events and current events, and the way that these all continue to impact our current world.
What I Liked: This book instantly grabs your attention by going into the way that Earth was made and how this changes per culture and/or religion. The introduction to the various ways Earth began and the way it ends for various cultures and/or religions is fascinating. There is so much to learn throughout these first few pages that will keep you reading just so that you can learn more. This book is packed full of new information and fun facts that will keep you entertained and engaged throughout.
The illustrations throughout this book go great with the sections that they are in. The realistic illustrations do a good job of highlighting the scary things that can break apart our world and just how those things can happen. These illustrations help the story move along and keep you captivated throughout the whole story. Even if you aren’t a big fan of history, this book might change your mind and help you learn to appreciate historical events and the things that we learn from our history.
Final Verdict: How to Survive the End of the World is an intriguing graphic novel that is perfect for those who are interested in apocalypses or just generally curious about the ongoing events that might impact them in the future. Young adults ages 14 and up will find this book a fantastic way to begin learning about some historical events and current events, and the way that these all continue to impact our current world.
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