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Demon Road

by Derek Landy

The Demon Road series by Derek Landy has 3 known books (3 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with Demon Road (2015). The latest book with a fully recorded publication date is American Monsters.

Books
3 known books (3 novels)
Published
3
First published
2015
Status
completed
Shelved under
Horror
Last checked

Start here: Demon Road (2015) — then read straight through in publication order.

Book one

Cover of Demon Road

Demon Road (2015)

Reading order

The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.

  1. Demon Road

    Novel

    Demon Road, published 27 August 2015, opens Derek Landy's trilogy at 400 pages, sending sixteen-year-old Amber Lamont fleeing across America after learning her parents are demons who plan to eat her.

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  2. Desolation

    Novel

    Desolation continued the story just seven months later, on 31 March 2016, matching the opener's 400 pages as Amber's road trip through hidden, horror-soaked America escalates.

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  3. American Monsters

    Novel

    American Monsters closed the trilogy on 25 August 2016 -- almost exactly a year after the first book -- also running 400 pages, resolving Amber's fight against a demonic empire.

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About the Demon Road series

Sixteen-year-old Amber Lamont's ordinary American life ends the night she learns her parents are demons who plan to eat her -- and that she's half-demon herself, with a monstrous side of her own she's only beginning to understand. Fleeing across the country in a stolen car with two fellow teenage outcasts, Amber is pulled into a road trip through a hidden, horror-soaked version of America: cults, serial killers, monsters wearing human faces, and a shadowy criminal underworld that all want a piece of what she's becoming.

Derek Landy, best known for the fast, funny Skulduggery Pleasant books, turns noticeably darker and more violent here -- Demon Road is pitched at older YA readers and leans hard into road-horror and body-horror territory rather than Skulduggery's banter-driven adventure. The trademark wit is still present in the dialogue, but the stakes and gore are considerably higher, and Amber's arc into monstrousness is played with real menace rather than played for laughs.

The trilogy tells one continuous, serialized story across three books, escalating from a survival road trip into a fight against a literal demonic empire, and closes out completely with American Monsters.

Frequently asked questions

How many books are in the Demon Road trilogy?

Three: Demon Road (2015), Desolation (2016) and American Monsters (2016), telling one continuous story.

What order should I read Demon Road in?

Publication order: Demon Road, Desolation, American Monsters. The books flow directly into each other.

Is Demon Road connected to Skulduggery Pleasant?

No. It's a separate, darker YA horror series by the same author, with its own cast and world.

Is Demon Road finished?

Yes, the trilogy concludes with American Monsters (2016) and no further volume has been announced.

Is Demon Road appropriate for younger Skulduggery Pleasant readers?

It's pitched at an older YA audience than Skulduggery Pleasant, with more graphic violence and horror content, so it's worth checking content warnings before handing it to younger readers.

Reading order last verified .