Novels, Series, Short Stories, Comics, Graphic Novels and Romanian Editions | BookFairy
📖 M. R. Carey Complete Bibliography
M. R. Carey is a British author whose work spans science fiction, horror, fantasy, supernatural thrillers, graphic novels and comic-book scripts. Also known as Mike Carey and Adam Blake, he has built an extensive literary career across several genres, creating stories that range from supernatural investigations in contemporary London to post-apocalyptic societies and entire networks of parallel worlds.
His career began in comics, where he became particularly well known for Lucifer, Hellblazer and The Unwritten. His prose fiction subsequently introduced readers to the supernatural detective Felix Castor, the zombie apocalypse of The Girl with All the Gifts, the post-apocalyptic world of the Rampart trilogy and the multiverse of The Pandominion.
Carey has also collaborated with Linda Carey and Louise Carey on fantasy novels, published supernatural thrillers under the pseudonym Adam Blake and contributed short stories to speculative fiction anthologies. His work as a screenwriter includes the 2016 film adaptation of The Girl with All the Gifts.
This BookFairy bibliography brings together his published novels, principal comic-book projects, shorter fiction, collected editions and verified Romanian translations. Original publication dates are used wherever they can be established, with series reading orders and revised editions identified separately.
The three author names — Mike Carey, M. R. Carey and Adam Blake — refer to the same writer. Their works are presented together rather than treated as three unrelated bibliographies.
📚 Novels and Book-Length Fiction in Publication Order
The following chronological catalogue covers Carey’s prose novels, novellas and original book-length collaborations. Comic-book series, shorter stories and reprint collections have their own sections.
| Year | Title | Publication / classification |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | The Devil You Know | Mike Carey — Felix Castor #1, Orbit |
| 2006 | Vicious Circle | Mike Carey — Felix Castor #2, Orbit |
| 2007 | Dead Men’s Boots | Mike Carey — Felix Castor #3, Orbit |
| 2009 | Thicker Than Water | Mike Carey — Felix Castor #4, Orbit |
| 2009 | The Naming of the Beasts | Mike Carey — Felix Castor #5, Orbit |
| 2011 | The Dead Sea Deception | Adam Blake — Heather Kennedy #1, Sphere |
| 2012 | The Demon Code | Adam Blake — Heather Kennedy #2, Sphere |
| 2012 | The Steel Seraglio | Mike, Linda and Louise Carey — collaborative fantasy, ChiZine |
| 2014 | The Girl with All the Gifts | M. R. Carey — post-apocalyptic horror, Orbit |
| 2014 | The House of War and Witness | Mike, Linda and Louise Carey — historical supernatural fantasy, Gollancz |
| 2016 | Fellside | M. R. Carey — standalone supernatural thriller, Orbit |
| 2017 | The Boy on the Bridge | M. R. Carey — prequel to The Girl with All the Gifts, Orbit |
| 2018 | Someone Like Me | M. R. Carey — standalone psychological horror, Orbit |
| 2020 | The Book of Koli | M. R. Carey — Rampart #1, Orbit |
| 2020 | The Trials of Koli | M. R. Carey — Rampart #2, Orbit |
| 2021 | The Fall of Koli | M. R. Carey — Rampart #3, Orbit |
| 2023 | The Ghost in the Bone | Mike Carey — Felix Castor novella, Subterranean Press |
| 2023 | Infinity Gate | M. R. Carey — Pandominion #1, Orbit |
| 2024 | Echo of Worlds | M. R. Carey — Pandominion #2, Orbit |
| 2025 | Once Was Willem | M. R. Carey — standalone historical fantasy, Orbit |
| 2025 | Outlaw Planet | M. R. Carey — Pandominion-related novel, Orbit |
| 2026 | The Tinder Box | M. R. Carey — standalone fantasy, Orbit |
This chronology counts original works rather than individual editions. The Steel Seraglio was subsequently published as The City of Silk and Steel, but the alternative title does not represent another novel.
The catalogue includes the most recent confirmed novel, The Tinder Box (2026). The announced 2027 novel Orpheus is recorded separately under forthcoming publications. Ki Agency+2
🌌 Series in Recommended Reading Order
👻 Felix Castor — Supernatural Detective Series
Published as Mike Carey, the Felix Castor series follows a freelance exorcist living in a London where ghosts and other supernatural beings have become part of everyday reality.
The novels combine supernatural horror with crime fiction, urban fantasy and detective storytelling. Felix investigates disturbances involving the dead while navigating a complicated world in which supernatural activity has become increasingly difficult to ignore.
Reading order:
- The Devil You Know (2006)
- Vicious Circle (2006)
- Dead Men’s Boots (2007)
- Thicker Than Water (2009)
- The Naming of the Beasts (2009)
- The Ghost in the Bone (2023) — Companion novella
The five original novels form the principal sequence. The Ghost in the Bone represents Carey’s later return to the character and is classified separately from the original five-book arc.
🔎 Heather Kennedy — Published as Adam Blake
The Heather Kennedy series consists of two conspiracy thrillers written under the pseudonym Adam Blake. The novels explore religious mysteries, ancient secrets and dangerous investigations involving powerful organisations.
Reading order:
- The Dead Sea Deception (2011)
- The Demon Code (2012)
These two books belong in Carey’s complete bibliography despite appearing under a different author name.
🧟 The Girl with All the Gifts / The Hungry Plague
This connected fictional universe explores a world devastated by a fungal infection that has transformed much of humanity.
The Girl with All the Gifts introduced Melanie and offered a distinctive interpretation of the zombie apocalypse, combining horror, biological science fiction and questions about human identity. Carey returned to the setting with The Boy on the Bridge, a prequel that explores another group of characters and events preceding the original story.
Recommended reading order:
- The Girl with All the Gifts (2014)
- The Boy on the Bridge (2017)
Although the second novel takes place earlier in the fictional chronology, publication order preserves the discoveries made in the first book.
The original novel can also be read independently.
🌱 The Rampart Trilogy
The Rampart trilogy takes place in a distant post-apocalyptic future, where human communities survive among dangerous environments and remnants of technologies they no longer fully understand.
The series follows Koli, whose experiences challenge the rules and assumptions of the society in which he has grown up. Carey combines science fiction, adventure and coming-of-age storytelling with questions about technological knowledge and the control of information.
Reading order:
- The Book of Koli (2020)
- The Trials of Koli (2020)
- The Fall of Koli (2021)
The trilogy forms a complete continuous narrative and should be read in numbered order.
🌌 The Pandominion Universe
The Pandominion books explore a multiverse containing alternative versions of Earth, different forms of intelligent life and powerful technological civilisations.
Main duology:
- Infinity Gate (2023)
- Echo of Worlds (2024)
Related novel:
– Outlaw Planet (2025)
Outlaw Planet belongs to the wider setting but is not numbered as the third volume of the original duology. It received the 2026 Philip K. Dick Award, confirming Carey’s continued importance within contemporary science fiction.
The original duology should be read in order. Outlaw Planet can then be explored as a related work expanding the fictional universe. Ki Agency+1
🕯️ Standalone Novels and Collaborative Fantasy
Carey’s independent novels demonstrate his interest in different forms of speculative storytelling, from psychological horror to historical fantasy.
Fellside (2016)
A supernatural thriller set in a women’s prison, Fellside combines psychological tension with unsettling questions about memory, guilt and supernatural experiences. The confined setting gives the novel a different atmosphere from Carey’s more expansive post-apocalyptic fiction.
Someone Like Me (2018)
This standalone novel explores identity, psychological uncertainty and the boundaries between ordinary life and the supernatural. It combines suspense with character-driven horror.
Once Was Willem (2025)
A historical fantasy drawing upon folklore and supernatural traditions, Once Was Willem demonstrates Carey’s interest in exploring darker forms of imaginative fiction outside his established science fiction universes.
The Tinder Box (2026)
Published by Orbit, The Tinder Box is a standalone work that continues Carey’s exploration of speculative fantasy.
Collaborative Fantasy with Linda Carey and Louise Carey
Carey co-wrote two fantasy novels with Linda Carey and Louise Carey.
The Steel Seraglio (2012) draws upon traditions associated with One Thousand and One Nights, presenting a fantasy story about women confronting political and social upheaval. The work was published under the alternative title The City of Silk and Steel in the United Kingdom.
The House of War and Witness (2014) is a historical supernatural novel set against the background of eighteenth-century Europe, combining Gothic atmosphere, war and ghostly encounters.
These two books are collaborative works and are not attributed solely to M. R. Carey. Their original publication information is preserved in the main chronology.
📚 Short Stories, Novellas and Collections
Short fiction forms another important part of Carey’s bibliography, although it is less widely known than his novels and comics.
His shorter work includes supernatural stories, horror, speculative fiction and contributions to anthologies edited by other writers. Some stories also appeared in promotional or limited editions before being republished in later collections.
Original Collections and Shorter Publications
| Year | Title | Publication details |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | The Seventh Djinni: Tales of the Steel Seraglio | Collaborative chapbook with Linda and Louise Carey; contains material associated with The Steel Seraglio |
| 2019 | The Complete Short Stories of Mike Carey | PS Publishing; collected short fiction |
| 2019 | All That’s Red Earth | Birmingham Science Fiction Group; chapbook collection |
| 2022 | The Last Night at the Star Dome Lounge | Short standalone publication, PS Publishing / Absinthe Books |
The Complete Short Stories of Mike Carey is particularly important for readers interested in his work beyond novels and graphic storytelling. It brings together shorter fiction in a dedicated collected edition.
All That’s Red Earth was published separately in chapbook form, while The Seventh Djinni is connected to the collaborative fantasy world of The Steel Seraglio. The latter should not be catalogued as a completely unrelated fantasy novel.
Anthology Appearances
Carey’s shorter work has appeared in several speculative fiction and horror anthologies, including:
| Year | Anthology | Editor / classification |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Masked | Superhero fiction anthology |
| 2013 | Psycho-Mania! | Edited by Stephen Jones |
| 2013 | The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror 2013 | Edited by Paula Guran |
| 2014 | Zombies: More Recent Dead | Edited by Paula Guran |
| 2017 | Nights of the Living Dead | Edited by Jonathan Maberry and George A. Romero |
| 2019 | Ten-Word Tragedies | Edited by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon |
These entries document Carey-related anthology appearances. Where the individual contribution’s title and original publication date have not been independently confirmed, I have not invented them.
The anthology year is also not automatically treated as the first publication date of the story inside it. Reprint anthologies frequently contain work that appeared elsewhere first.
Short-Fiction Bibliographic Notes
The Science Fiction Encyclopedia identifies Carey’s collected shorter fiction separately from his novels and comic books. Bibliographic catalogues also record standalone chapbooks and promotional publications, which are easily overlooked when a bibliography focuses only on widely distributed novels.
A complete story-by-story contents list for the 2019 PS Publishing collection has not been reliably established from the sources checked. The collection is therefore included as a verified publication, but its contents are not presented as a fabricated exhaustive list.
🎨 Comics and Graphic Novels — Mike Carey
Comics form a substantial part of Carey’s published work and are essential to any bibliography covering his full career. He wrote for independent publishers, DC Comics, Vertigo, Marvel, BOOM! Studios and other imprints.
His comics bibliography is much larger than his prose-novel bibliography, comprising original miniseries, long-running monthly titles, standalone graphic novels, adaptations and collaborative projects with numerous artists.
The entries below distinguish original comic-book projects from later collected editions. A paperback collecting previously published issues is not treated as a newly written original work.
Early Comics and Original Projects
| First publication | Title | Publisher / notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1990s | Inferno | Early independent comics work, Caliber Press |
| 1990s | Dr. Faustus | Original graphic novel, with Mike Perkins |
| 1999 | The Sandman Presents: Lucifer | Vertigo, three-issue miniseries |
| 2000 | The Sandman Presents: Petrefax | Vertigo, four-issue miniseries |
| 2001 | Carver Hale | Originally serialised in 2000 AD |
| 2002 | Th1rt3en | Originally serialised in 2000 AD |
| 2002 | The Sandman Presents: The Furies | Original graphic novel, with John Bolton |
| 2002 | Lucifer: Nirvana | Standalone comic, with Jon J Muth |
| 2004 | My Faith in Frankie | Vertigo, with Sonny Liew and Marc Hempel |
| 2004 | Hellblazer: All His Engines | Original graphic novel, with Leonardo Manco |
| 2005 | Spellbinders | Marvel fantasy miniseries |
| 2005 | Neverwhere | Comic adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s novel |
| 2006 | Crossing Midnight | Vertigo original series |
| 2007 | Faker | Vertigo miniseries |
| 2007 | Confessions of a Blabbermouth | Graphic novel with Louise Carey |
| 2008 | Voodoo Child | Miniseries associated with Virgin Comics |
| 2009 | The Unwritten | Vertigo, co-created with Peter Gross |
| 2013 | Suicide Risk | BOOM! Studios |
| 2015 | Rowan’s Ruin | BOOM! Studios |
| 2018 | The Highest House | IDW, with Peter Gross |
| 2019 | The Dollhouse Family | DC Black Label / Hill House Comics |
The earliest projects were developed before Carey became a widely recognised prose novelist. Their publication histories can be complicated because some appeared first as serialised comics and were later collected under the same titles.
👿 Lucifer (1999–2006)
Carey’s Lucifer is one of his most influential comic-book projects. Expanding a character originally introduced in Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman, the series explores free will, creation, power and the consequences of defying established cosmic authority.
The project began with The Sandman Presents: Lucifer in 1999 and continued through the main Lucifer series, published between 2000 and 2006.
The original story was subsequently collected in eleven trade paperback volumes:
- Devil in the Gateway (2001)
- Children and Monsters (2001)
- A Dalliance with the Damned (2002)
- The Divine Comedy (2003)
- Inferno (2004)
- Mansions of the Silence (2004)
- Exodus (2005)
- The Wolf Beneath the Tree (2005)
- Crux (2006)
- Morningstar (2006)
- Evensong (2007)
The final paperback collection appeared after the original comic-book series had concluded.
Later five-book and two-volume omnibus editions collect the same underlying comic material and are listed separately under collected editions. sf-encyclopedia.com+1
🔥 Hellblazer — John Constantine
Carey’s run on Hellblazer is another important part of his work for Vertigo. Featuring the occult detective John Constantine, the series combines supernatural horror, moral ambiguity and contemporary urban settings.
His contributions include the principal run collected in volumes such as:
- Red Sepulchre
- Black Flowers
- Stations of the Cross
- Reasons to Be Cheerful
- The Gift
- The Red Right Hand
Hellblazer: All His Engines is a separately published original graphic novel rather than simply another title for one of these collected story arcs.
Modern editions reorganise Carey’s work into larger numbered Hellblazer collections. These reprints should not be counted as additional original stories.
📖 The Unwritten (2009–2015)
Created by Mike Carey and artist Peter Gross, The Unwritten explores the relationship between literature, identity, storytelling and reality.
The series follows Tom Taylor, whose life becomes entangled with the fictional world created by his father. Its narrative draws upon literary history, mythology and the power of stories to shape human experience.
The principal collected volumes are:
- Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity
- Inside Man
- Dead Man’s Knock
- Leviathan
- On to Genesis
- Tommy Taylor and the War of Words
- The Wound
- Orpheus in the Underworld
- The Unwritten Fables
- War Stories
- Apocalypse
The wider project also includes The Unwritten: Tommy Taylor and the Ship That Sank Twice, a separately published prequel graphic novel.
The series was later reissued in larger omnibus-style and compendium editions, which collect existing comics rather than expanding the original publication chronology.
🌙 Crossing Midnight (2006–2008)
Crossing Midnight is a supernatural fantasy series written by Carey and illustrated by different artists. Drawing upon Japanese mythology and folklore, it explores family relationships and the consequences of encounters with supernatural forces.
The collected sequence consists of:
- Cut Here
- A Map of Midnight
- The Sword in the Soul
These volumes collect the original comic issues rather than representing separate prose novels.
🦸 Marvel Comics
Carey’s work for Marvel includes writing on major superhero properties and adaptations. His contributions include:
| Project | Contribution |
|---|---|
| Ultimate Fantastic Four | Extended comic-book writing |
| X-Men | Principal writing contributions |
| X-Men: Legacy | Continuing series |
| X-Men: Manifest Destiny | Related X-Men publication |
| Fantastic Four: The Movie | Comic adaptation |
| Spellbinders | Original Marvel miniseries |
| X-Men Origins | Related character-focused comics |
He also contributed to comic adaptations involving Orson Scott Card’s Ender universe.
These projects were often written as part of continuing series involving multiple authors and artists. They are therefore attributed to Carey for the specific issues or story arcs he wrote, rather than treating the entire franchise as his work.
Other Original Comics and Collaborations
Carey’s wider comics work includes Wetworks, Suicide Risk, Rowan’s Ruin, Faker, The Highest House, The Dollhouse Family, Barbarella and Darkness Visible.
Suicide Risk was collected in six trade paperback volumes, while Rowan’s Ruin is a shorter horror project. The Highest House, created with Peter Gross, combines fantasy and social hierarchy in a distinctive fictional setting.
The Dollhouse Family, part of DC’s Hill House Comics line, represents another exploration of supernatural horror.
This section covers the identifiable principal series and original projects. A complete issue-by-issue inventory of every comic Carey wrote would require a separate indexed appendix, particularly for collaborative Marvel and DC titles. DC+2
🤝 Collaborations and Adaptations
Carey’s bibliography includes several kinds of collaboration. His prose work with Linda and Louise Carey involves joint authorship, while much of his comics writing was created in partnership with illustrators and artists.
Among his most important creative partnerships are Peter Gross on The Unwritten and The Highest House, Jon J Muth on Lucifer: Nirvana, John Bolton on The Sandman Presents: The Furies, and Leonardo Manco on Hellblazer: All His Engines.
He also adapted existing literary material for comics, including Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere. Such adaptations remain separate from the original novels upon which they are based.
Film and Screenwriting
The Girl with All the Gifts (2016) is a film adaptation directed by Colm McCarthy, with a screenplay written by Carey himself.
Although the film forms part of his creative career, it is not counted as a separate novel or graphic novel in the bibliography. The screenplay credit is documented as an adaptation of his existing fiction.
📦 Collected Editions, Omnibus Volumes and Alternative Titles
Carey’s extensive comics career has produced numerous collected editions. Some combine originally separate issues, while others repackage several previously collected volumes.
These publications are important for collectors but should not be confused with new original stories.
| Work | Collected edition | Bibliographic distinction |
|---|---|---|
| The Steel Seraglio | The City of Silk and Steel | Alternative title and revised edition |
| Lucifer | 11 original trade paperbacks | First collected sequence |
| Lucifer | Lucifer Book One–Five | Larger collected editions |
| Lucifer | Lucifer Omnibus Vol. 1–2 | Two-volume omnibus edition |
| The Unwritten | 11 principal trade paperbacks | Original collected sequence |
| The Unwritten | Deluxe editions and compendiums | Reprints of previously published material |
| Crossing Midnight | Three trade paperbacks | Collected original comic issues |
| Suicide Risk | Six collected volumes | Reprints of the original series |
| Hellblazer | Multiple trade paperbacks and numbered collections | Alternative arrangements of existing issues |
| The Complete Short Stories of Mike Carey | PS Publishing, 2019 | Collection of existing shorter fiction |
Important Edition Distinctions
The Steel Seraglio and The City of Silk and Steel should not be entered as two unrelated novels. They represent versions of the same collaborative work.
Likewise, the Lucifer omnibus editions collect material already available in the original eleven paperbacks, while the Unwritten compendiums gather existing comic-book stories.
The initial publication dates of the underlying stories remain unchanged by later omnibus editions. sf-encyclopedia.com+2
🇷🇴 Romanian Translations and Editions
Several M. R. Carey novels have appeared in Romanian through Nemira. The verified titles below are presented with their Romanian publication years, rather than the original English dates.
| Original title | Romanian title | Romanian publisher | Romanian year |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Girl with All the Gifts (2014) | Fata cu toate darurile | Nemira — Nautilus | 2016 |
| Fellside (2016) | Fellside | Nemira — Suspans | 2017 |
| The Boy on the Bridge (2017) | Băiatul de pe pod | Nemira — Armada | 2018 |
🇷🇴 Romanian Editions
Fata cu toate darurile (2016)
- Original Title: The Girl with All the Gifts
- Romanian Title: Fata cu toate darurile
- Publisher: Nemira
- Collection: Nautilus
- Romanian Publication: 2016
- Translator: Ruxandra Toma
- Pages: 416
- ISBN: 978-606-758-610-7
- Format: Paperback
Fellside (2017)
- Original Title: Fellside
- Romanian Title: Fellside
- Publisher: Nemira
- Collection: Suspans
- Romanian Publication: 2017
- Translator: Not verified
- Pages: 512
Băiatul de pe pod (2018)
Format: paperback
Original Title: The Boy on the Bridge
Romanian Title: Băiatul de pe pod
Publisher: Nemira
Collection: Armada
Romanian Publication: 2018
Pages: 414
Romanian Graphic Novel Editions
Carey’s English-language comics bibliography includes numerous editions distributed internationally, but a complete verified catalogue of Romanian translations of Lucifer, Hellblazer, The Unwritten and his other comics has not been established from the available sources.
Original English editions and international collected volumes are therefore listed under their original titles rather than assigned unverified Romanian titles.
🔮 Forthcoming Publications
Orpheus (2027)
Orpheus is listed among Carey’s forthcoming novels, with an expected publication date in February 2027.
Because this bibliography is current to October 2026, it is not included among his already published novels. The publication date and edition details should be checked again when the book is released. fantasticfiction.com
📖 M. R. Carey on BookFairy
🧟 The Girl with All the Gifts (2014)
My BookFairy review explores one of the most memorable zombie novels I read in 2016. I loved the story, Melanie, the post-apocalyptic atmosphere and Carey’s remarkably cinematic writing, which made the entire experience feel almost like watching a film.
📖 Read My The Girl with All the Gifts Review
📚 Bibliographic Sources
The principal bibliography was checked against Carey’s literary agency, the Science Fiction Encyclopedia, DC Comics, publisher records and specialist bibliographic databases.
Author and prose bibliography
- Mike Carey — Ki Agency: Author Bibliography
- Mike Carey — Science Fiction Encyclopedia
- M. R. Carey — Fantastic Fiction
- Mike Carey — Fantastic Fiction
Comics and graphic novels
- Mike Carey — DC Comics
- Mike Carey — Penguin Random House
- Mike Carey — Open British National Bibliography
Romanian editions
- M. R. Carey — Romanian Editions, Târgul Cărții
- Fata cu toate darurile — Nemira
- Fata cu toate darurile — Cărturești
Bibliographic note: This catalogue covers Carey’s verified prose books, major original comics projects, identifiable collections, series reading orders and confirmed Romanian editions. It does not yet constitute an exhaustive inventory of every individual comic issue, short-story contribution or international edition. Those entries require additional title-level verification, rather than invented publication details.
