You’ve spent hundreds of hours in the Commonwealth. You’ve survived the Mojave. Maybe you even remember the pixelated isometric dread of the original 1997 classic. But eventually, the controller goes down, and you still want more of that retro-futuristic, radiation-soaked vibe. That’s when most people start hunting for the fallout book series in order, only to realize that the publishing history of this franchise is almost as messy as a Super Mutant camp.
It’s confusing.
Unlike Halo or Star Wars, there isn't a massive, numbered library of thirty novels sitting on a shelf. Instead, we have a scattered collection of graphic novels, official lore books, and a few "lost" projects that fans still argue about on Reddit. If you’re looking for a straight 1-to-10 sequence of novels, you’re going to be disappointed, but if you want the actual narrative roadmap of the Wasteland, we can piece it together.
The Problem with "Official" Novels
Let’s be real for a second. Bethesda hasn't prioritized traditional prose novels the way other gaming giants have. There is no "Fallout: The First Adventure." What we actually have are tie-ins that expand the world of specific games.
The closest thing we ever got to a standard novel was Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel by Christie Golden. It was supposed to come out around 2004 to promote the (widely disliked) Xbox/PS2 game of the same name. But here’s the kicker: it was canceled. It doesn’t exist in a finished, purchasable form. You might see it mentioned in old forum posts, but don't waste your caps trying to find a copy on Amazon.
All Roads Lead to All Roads
If you want the best starting point for the fallout book series in order, you actually have to look at the graphic novels. Specifically, Fallout: New Vegas - All Roads.
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Written by Chris Avellone—who is basically a deity in the Fallout writing world—this serves as a direct prequel to New Vegas. It’s essential. It follows Benny (voiced by Matthew Perry in the game) and his encounters with the Great Khands before that fateful encounter at Goodsprings. It isn't just fluff; it sets the political stage for the Mojave conflict. It’s short, punchy, and carries the exact tone of the game because it was created by the same minds.
Most people skip the comics. Don't.
The One They Forgot: One Man, and a Crate of Puppets
Then there’s the Penny Arcade tie-in for Fallout 3. It’s a webcomic, sure, but it’s often included in physical "Art of Fallout" collections or special editions. It tells the backstory of Vault 77—the one with the single man and a crate of puppets. If you’ve found the Vault 77 jumpsuit in Fallout 3, this is the "book" you need to read to understand why that suit is so terrifying. It’s dark humor at its peak.
The Chronological Confusion of Fallout Lore Books
If we’re talking about the fallout book series in order of how you should consume the lore, the "Art of" books are actually more vital than the fiction. I know, that sounds weird. Why read a coffee table book?
Because Bethesda packs these things with world-building notes that never made it into the terminal entries.
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- Fallout: New Vegas Collector's Edition Guide (The Vault Dweller's Survival Guide): This isn't just a strategy guide. It contains a "history of the wasteland" section that bridges the gap between the classic Interplay games and the Bethesda era.
- The Art of Fallout 4: This massive tome explains the design philosophy of the Institute and the Minutemen. Honestly, the descriptions of the "Pre-War" world in the opening chapters provide more narrative context than the game's intro.
- The Fallout Zero / Fallout Bible: Now, we’re getting into the weeds. This isn't a published book you can buy at Barnes & Noble. It’s a series of documents written by Chris Avellone back in the early 2000s to keep the lore straight. While Bethesda has declared parts of it "non-canon," it remains the foundational text for how radiation, Ghouls, and Vault-Tec actually work.
The Fallout TV Show Tie-ins
Since the Amazon Prime series dropped, there’s been a surge in "Fallout-adjacent" reading. While there isn't a novelization of the show yet, the Fallout: The Official Vault Dweller's Cookbook is—hilariously—considered a soft-canon look at the "lifestyle" of the wasteland. It sounds like a joke, but the flavor text (pun intended) written by Victoria Rosenthal is actually in-character. It’s written as if a survivor is teaching you how to cook Mirelurk meat.
It’s weirdly immersive.
Why the Order Actually Matters (And Why It Doesn't)
You can't read these like a Harry Potter series. The fallout book series in order is more about "Eras."
The West Coast Era (New Vegas, Fallout 1 & 2) has a gritty, political, Western feel. The books and comics here—like All Roads—focus on the NCR and the Legion. They feel grounded.
The East Coast Era (Fallout 3 & 4) is more about the struggle between technology and humanity. The literature here, mostly found in the Art of Fallout 4 and Fallout 3 supplements, is about the "American Dream" decaying.
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If you try to read a "history" of Fallout in one go, you’ll get a headache. The timeline splits. Some books treat Fallout Tactics as canon, while others pretend it never happened. My advice? Follow the games. Read All Roads before playing New Vegas. Read the Vault 77 comic before wandering the DC ruins.
What About the "Apocrypha"?
There are hundreds of fan-written novels. Some, like Fallout: Equestria (yes, the My Little Pony crossover), are longer than War and Peace. I’m not kidding. It’s over 600,000 words. While obviously not official, these "books" are where the community lives.
But if you’re a purist sticking to Bethesda and Obsidian sanctioned material, your list is small but potent.
The Real-World Inspiration
To truly understand the fallout book series in order, you have to read the books that built Fallout. The developers have stated many times that the game is a love letter to 1950s sci-fi and post-apocalyptic fiction.
- A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.: This is essentially the Brotherhood of Steel: The Novel. It’s about monks preserving technology after a nuclear war.
- The Postman by David Brin: Forget the Kevin Costner movie. The book is a masterpiece about the power of symbols in a dead world. It’s very NCR-coded.
- I Am Legend by Richard Matheson: This is where the concept of the "feral" vs. "intelligent" mutant comes from.
Actionable Steps for the Aspiring Wasteland Scholar
If you want to consume the fallout book series in order without getting lost in the radioactive soup of the internet, follow this specific path:
- Track down a digital or physical copy of "All Roads." It is the single best piece of written Fallout fiction. Period. It's often found in the Fallout: New Vegas Collector’s Edition.
- Download the "Fallout Bible." Even if Bethesda says it’s "not canon," it explains the vibe of the world better than any wiki ever could. You can find PDF archives easily with a quick search.
- Invest in "The Art of Fallout 4." It’s the most comprehensive visual and narrative record of the series' modern aesthetic.
- Look for the "Vault Dweller's Survival Guide" (Fallout 1 Manual). In the 90s, game manuals were basically novellas. The original Fallout 1 manual is written as a Vault-Tec document and is genuinely funny and informative.
- Read "A Canticle for Leibowitz." If you want to understand the soul of the series, this is the homework.
The Wasteland doesn't have a library. It has fragments. But if you piece together All Roads, the Fallout Bible, and the official art books, you’ll have a deeper understanding of the Great War than 90% of the people playing the games today. Keep your eyes open for the upcoming official lore books slated for release alongside the next seasons of the TV show; they are likely to be the first "true" unified book series we've seen in twenty years.