How to Survive the End of the World
A Graphic Exploration of How to (maybe) Avoid Extinction
Candlewick Press · Print & ebook · March 31, 2026
"Brilliant; at once terrifying and fascinating." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) 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.
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- Who it’s for
- Science, history, dry humor, and vivid visuals make existential questions unexpectedly absorbing.
- Themes
- Human extinction risks, Disasters and survival, Existential curiosity
- Genres
- Graphic Science & Nature, Disasters & Catastrophes for Teens, Conservation & Environment for Teens
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For younger readers: Plague-busters!
For older readers: The Last Days of the Dinosaurs, If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies
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"Brilliant; at once terrifying and fascinating." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) 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. 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?
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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.
Extinction, Illustrated
Science, history, dry humor, and vivid visuals make existential questions unexpectedly absorbing.
Come here for
- Disaster scenarios spanning plagues, global warming, and alien invasion
- Graphs, microbe mugshots, and plenty of dinosaur drawings
Expect
- A graphic blend of science and history
- Morbid curiosity tempered by wit and an ultimately hopeful outlook
Where it sits
| Disasters & Catastrophes for Teens | 81% |
|---|---|
| Graphic Science & Nature | 79% |
| Conservation & Environment for Teens | 20% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Graphic History
- Graphic Science & Nature
- Disasters & Catastrophes for Teens
- Authors
- Katy Doughty
- Publisher
- Candlewick Press
- Published
- March 31, 2026
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Human extinction risks · Disasters and survival · Existential curiosity
- Reading lane
- Graphic History