H.D. Carlton Books in Order

This reading order guide provides the complete list of H.D. Carlton books in order, from the first to the latest, and is always updated so you won’t miss anything!

H.D. Carlton is not your typical author. She comes from a small town tucked away in the unpredictable state of Ohio—where one day you’re sunbathing and the next you’re digging your car out of a snowstorm. Born into the chaos of ever-changing seasons, it’s no wonder that Carlton’s imagination runs wild, creating dark worlds and unforgettable characters that leave readers both haunted and hooked. She might spend her days juggling the mundane responsibilities of adult life, but once night falls, her creativity takes over. That’s when her stories are born—often with a curious cat climbing over her keyboard, as if trying to co-write each chapter.

Before diving into full-length novels, H.D. Carlton found her voice in poetry. But over time, her passion grew from simple stanzas to full-blown stories—stories rich in emotion, full of tension, and often dipped in shadow. Her background in poetry still lingers in her prose, adding a lyrical quality that balances the darkness with something undeniably beautiful. Her writing doesn’t shy away from the twisted or the terrifying—in fact, it embraces it. She crafts villains that are complex, unapologetic, and frighteningly human. And they don’t speak in third person, because their evil doesn’t need to be announced—it simply exists, creeping in through the pages and straight into your thoughts.

Science fiction was Carlton’s first love, sparked by the cult-classic TV series Farscape. The show opened her eyes to just how vast and wild the genre could be. Later, the War of the Worlds remake showed her the brutal, terrifying side of sci-fi—the side where survival isn’t just hard, it’s nearly impossible. That mix of wonder and dread became a signature in her own work, most notably in her Zero Saga series, which kicked off in 2020 with Hollow. The series pulls readers into a world where alien invasions, parasite plagues, and post-apocalyptic chaos collide with raw human emotion. In the heart of it all is Zero Alvarado—a fierce, layered protagonist whose journey forces readers to ask what it truly means to survive.

Carlton has been open about her evolution as a writer. When she wrote Hollow, the process was messy and chaotic—words poured out without structure, making the editing process a nightmare. But with Untainted, the sequel, something shifted. She learned to trust the pacing of her thoughts, to plan more intentionally, and to honor the ebb and flow of her creative rhythm. The result? A book that not only pushed her as a writer but showed just how far she had come in mastering her own voice.

Beyond the Zero Saga, H.D. Carlton has proven her talent in standalone novels like Shallow Hill and Satan’s Affair. Both books take on darker themes—abuse, obsession, justice, and insanity—with Carlton’s signature blend of horror and heartache. In Shallow Hill, she tells the story of River McAllister, a survivor whose past continues to stalk her present. In Satan’s Affair, we meet Sibby—a bloodthirsty girl with a twisted sense of justice who kills with purpose and sings lullabies to the damned. Each book feels like a psychological rollercoaster, and somehow, Carlton makes you root for the villain just as much as the victim.

H.D. Carlton’s stories aren’t just about surviving monsters—they’re about becoming one when the world demands it. She writes for readers who don’t shy away from the dark, who crave tension, moral gray areas, and characters that blur the line between hero and horror. Her books are not for the faint of heart—but if you’re brave enough to step into her world, you’ll find yourself lost in it in the best possible way.