Publication year 2012
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Death, Space, Fate, Good & Evil
Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy
Mortality & Death
"Nothing can be said to be certain," wrote Ben Franklin, "except death and taxes." And yet, death is often ignored, dismissed, or delayed as an experience worth contemplating—until we are forced to reckon with it head-on. The books in this collection do their own reckoning.
Darth Plagueis
Day
Daytripper
Dead in the Water
Deadline
Dead Lions
Dead Man Walking
Dead Mountain
Dead Poets Society
Dead Until Dark
Dear Zoe
Death
Death and the King's Horseman
Death at the Sign of the Rook
Death Comes for the Archbishop
Death in Her Hands
Death in Venice
Death's End
Deathwatch
Deep and Dark and Dangerous
Publication year 2012
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Death, Space, Fate, Good & Evil
Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, Conflict, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Loneliness, Love, Masculinity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Death, Marriage, Mothers, Community, Safety & Danger
Tags LGBTQ+, Coming of Age
... Read Day Summary
Publication year 2010
Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction
Themes Fear, Aging, Death
Tags Fantasy, Magical Realism, Grief & Death, Relationships, Depression & Suicide, Latin American Literature, Surrealism, Arts & Culture
Daytripper is a graphic novel written and illustrated by comic book artists Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá. Originally published in 2010 as a comic book series by Vertigo, the collected series was published as a completed book in 2011. Daytripper won the 2011 Eisner Award for Best Limited Series. Bá has also worked on popular comic series such as Umbrella Academy and Casanova. Both Moon and Bá are twins, and they sometimes refer to themselves... Read Daytripper Summary
Publication year 2026
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Memory, Death, Fate, Safety & Danger
Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense
Publication year 2007
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Death, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Grief, Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Truth & Lies
Tags Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age, Sports, Grief & Death, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance
Chris Crutcher’s novel Deadline is a work of young adult literary fiction. Set in the small town of Trout, Idaho, the novel is written from the protagonist Ben Wolf’s first-person point of view and traces his experiences throughout his senior year of high school. An energetic and determined character, Ben is ready to live his life to its fullest before leaving home for college. However, just after his 18th birthday, Ben’s circumstances change forever when... Read Deadline Summary
Publication year 2013
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Perseverance, Fear, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Revenge, Death, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Grandparents, Teamwork, Politics & Government, War, Good & Evil, Justice, Power & Greed
Tags Horror & Suspense
Publication year 1993
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Justice, Religion & Spirituality, Death, Politics & Government
Tags Social Justice, Crime & Law, Incarceration, Mystery & Crime Fiction, World History, Religion & Spirituality, Politics & Government, Biography
Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States is a memoir originally published in 1993 by Sister Helen Prejean. In the book, Prejean, a Catholic nun with the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Medaille (now the Congregation of Saint Joseph), describes her ministry to death-row inmates Elmo Patrick Sonnier and Robert Lee Willie in Louisiana in the early 1980s. Her experience with Sonnier, who was ultimately put to death... Read Dead Man Walking Summary
Publication year 2013
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Grief, Memory, Language, Death, The Past, Climate, Environment, Place, Teamwork, Nation, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies
Tags Russian Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, World History, Biography, European History, Crime & Law, Action & Adventure, Travel Literature
Publication year 1989
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Literature, Art, Beauty, Education, Self Discovery, Fear, Fathers, Death, Friendship, Love
Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Dramatic Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction
IntroductionN. H. Kleinbaum’s Dead Poets Society is a 1989 novel based on the motion picture written by Tom Schulman. The novel was released as a companion piece to the wildly popular film—also titled Dead Poets Society and released in 1989— which starred famous actors such as Robin Williams as Mr. Keating, and Ethan Hawke as Todd Anderson. The film scored high with critics, winning the Oscar in 1990 for Best Original Screenplay and receiving nominations... Read Dead Poets Society Summary
Publication year 2001
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Hate & Anger, Love, Death, Self Discovery, Safety & Danger
Tags Horror & Suspense, Fantasy, Romance, Gothic Literature
Dead Until Dark (2001) is an urban fantasy novel by American author Charlaine Harris that blends contemporary supernatural elements with the traditions of Southern Gothic literature. The first installment in The Southern Vampire Mysteries, Harris’s 13-book series, the story introduces Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic waitress living in the small Louisiana town of Bon Temps. Her life is irrevocably altered when she becomes involved with a local vampire, drawing her into a dangerous new world and... Read Dead Until Dark Summary
Publication year 2004
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, Grief, Fate, Death
Tags Realistic Fiction, Grief & Death, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 1933
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Death
Tags Lyric Poem, Grief & Death, Modernism, Animals
Publication year 1975
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Colonialism, Death, Wins & Losses, Regret, Fathers, Daughters & Sons
Tags Tragedy, Drama, African Literature, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, World War II
Premiering in 1975, Death and the King’s Horseman is a play written by Nigerian Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka. Soyinka is known for his plays, including A Dance of the Forests (1963) and The Lion and the Jewel (1962). Death and the King’s Horseman is set in Oyo, Nigeria, during World War II and tells the story of Elesin Oba, the titular king’s horseman who must die by ritual suicide after the Yoruba king dies. The colonial government... Read Death and the King's Horseman Summary
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Grief, Death, Family
Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction
Publication year 1927
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Religion & Spirituality, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Indigenous Identity, Race, Death, Future, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Place, Friendship, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Community, Beauty, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies
Tags Historical Fiction, Western, American Literature, Religion & Spirituality, World History, Classic Fiction
Death Comes for the Archbishop (1927) is a novel by American author Willa Cather. The story is loosely based on the experiences of Priests Jean-Baptiste Lamy and Joseph Projectus Machebeuf as they sought to establish a Catholic diocese (an ecclesiastical district under the control of one particular bishop) in the newly acquired territory of New Mexico.A major figure in American literature, Cather is best known for the novels O Pioneers! (1913), The Song of the... Read Death Comes for the Archbishop Summary
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Conflict, Grief, Guilt, Loneliness, Memory, Shame & Pride, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Aging, Death, The Past, Animals, Marriage, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies
Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Psychological Fiction, Literary Fiction
Publication year 1912
Genre Novella, Fiction
Themes Literature, Guilt, Love, Sexual Identity, Aging, Death, Beauty
Tags Modern Classic Fiction, LGBTQ+, German Literature, World History, Education, Education, Classic Fiction, Arts & Culture
Death in Venice (1912) is a novella by celebrated German author Thomas Mann (1875-1955). The story follows Gustav von Aschenbach, a successful but aging writer who travels to Venice seeking inspiration and respite. There, he becomes infatuated with Tadzio, an exceptionally beautiful young boy whose ethereal presence awakens a profound and dangerous longing in Aschenbach. As Venice succumbs to a cholera epidemic, Aschenbach’s obsession leads to his downfall.Mann, the recipient of the 1929 Nobel Prize... Read Death in Venice Summary
Publication year 2010
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Hope, Death, Future, Objects & Materials, Space, Teamwork, Colonialism, Politics & Government, War, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology
Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Chinese Literature
Publication year 1972
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Death, Coming of Age, Power & Greed
Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Action & Adventure, Education, Education, Horror & Suspense, Realistic Fiction
Deathwatch is a novel by Robb White. It is a work of fiction with elements of mystery, adventure, and survival. The novel follows Ben, a college student and hunting guide whose client, Madec, turns on him after Ben witnesses an accidental shooting. Published in 1972, Deathwatch was named an Outstanding Book of the Year by The New York Times, received the Edgar Award (named for American author Edgar Allen Poe) for Best Juvenile Mystery from... Read Deathwatch Summary
Publication year 2007
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Guilt, Memory, Death
Tags Horror & Suspense, Relationships, Science Fiction, Children`s Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Religion & Spirituality
Mary Downing Hahn’s Deep and Dark and Dangerous, published in 2007 by Clarion Books, is one of numerous stories in the American artist and former librarian’s extensive catalogue. Hahn has published in the historical fiction, fantasy, and contemporary fiction genres, but some of her most acclaimed novels are ghost stories—including this one. Deep and Dark and Dangerous was well received by critics and was awarded Missouri’s 2010 Mark Twain Award for the best book for... Read Deep and Dark and Dangerous Summary