David Wong/Jason Pargin Books in Order (John Dies at the End, Zoey Ashe)

Born January 10, 1975, Jason Pargin is an American writer who used to be known by his pen name David Wong. Former Executive Editor of Cracked.com, Pargin started to publish his first book as a web serial beginning in 2001.

The success of the online version of John Dies at the end led to a book deal, then to a film adaptation by Don Coscarelli that was released in 2012. Since his first book, he wrote more John and Dave books but also a second series, The Zoey Ashe Series.

How to read Jason Pargin’s Books in Order?

Reading The John, Dave & Amy Series in Order (aka The John Dies at the End series)

This is the story of John and Dave, two perpetual slackers and long-time friends, who encounter strange phenomena in a small city in the Midwest. Weirdness is their trade and, as they gain a reputation for dealing with paranormal incidents, more weirdness occurs.

1. John Dies at the End (2007) – It’s a drug that promises an out-of-body experience with each hit-users can drift across time and dimensions. But some who come back are no longer human. Suddenly a silent, otherworldly invasion is underway, and mankind needs a hero. What it gets instead is John and David, a pair of college dropouts who can barely hold down jobs. Can these two stop the oncoming horror in time to save humanity? No. No, they can’t.
2. This Book Is Full of Spiders: Seriously, Dude, Don’t Touch It (2012) – David and John are again embroiled in a series of horrifying yet mind-bogglingly ridiculous events caused primarily by their own gross incompetence. The guys find that books and movies about zombies may have triggered a zombie apocalypse, despite a complete lack of zombies in the world. As they race against the clock to protect humanity from its own paranoia, they must ask themselves, who are the real monsters?

3. What the Hell Did I Just Read (2017) – While investigating a fairly straightforward case of a shape-shifting interdimensional child predator, Dave, John and Amy realized there might actually be something weird going on. Together, they navigate a diabolically convoluted maze of illusions, lies, and their own incompetence in an attempt to uncover a terrible truth they — like you — would be better off not knowing.
4. If This Book Exists, You’re in the Wrong Universe (2022) – Dave, John and Amy hear from a panicked mother that a popular toy and its connected smartphone app are demanding flesh from her daughter. Around the world, other owners of the toy are reporting the same. Who, or what, is behind it? What’s their endgame? And why does this mother seem to be harboring dark secrets about her family’s past?

Reading The Zoey Ashe Series in Order

Zoey Ash is just a young woman from the trailer park. But when her absent father dies, people want to kill her and she inherits a lot more than she can deal with in this dystopian capitalist fever dream of a city that she has to live in now.

1. Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits (2015) – Zoey, a recent college graduate with a worthless degree, makes a reluctant trip into the city after hearing that her estranged con artist father died in a mysterious yet spectacular way. There she finds that her scumbag dad had actually, in the final years of his life, put his amazing talent for hustling to good use: He was one of the founding members of the Fancy Suits and died in the course of his duties. Zoey is quickly entangled in the city’s surreal mob war when she is taken hostage by a particularly crazy villain who imagines himself to be a Dr. Doom-level mastermind.
2. Zoey Punches the Future in the Dick (2020) – On the eve of the world’s most lavish and ridiculous Halloween celebration, a steamer trunk-sized box arrives at Zoey’s door and she is shocked to find that it contains a disemboweled corpse. She is even more shocked when that corpse, controlled by an unknown party, rises and goes on a rampage through the house. Speaking in an electronic voice, it publicly accuses Zoey of being its murderer. This is the kind of thing that almost never happened at her old job.
3. Zoey Is Too Drunk for This Dystopia (2023) – Tabula Ra$a is hosting its massive annual music festival in the desert, which every year precedes the massive annual drunken riot in the desert. This is all organized by Zoey’s people, including the riot. That will be a problem this year, with history’s most ridiculous mayoral election playing out in the background. The city has divided into roughly two camps, supporting each of the major candidates: One is a stern, calculating activist out to restore traditional morality to the city at all costs, the other is Megaboss Alonzo, whose platform is that he will pay you ten dollars if you vote for him. When a horrific crime is broadcast live on the all-seeing social network Blink, the former seems poised to reap the benefits in the polls. The Suits suspect the nature and timing of the crime are a little too convenient and maybe a carefully-staged hoax. But in a city in which lies are always served in layers, even that explanation will prove to be far too simple.

If you like our article about reading Jason Pargin’s series in order, you may also want to see our guide to the Goon comics, or the Laundry Files series. Don’t hesitate to follow us on Twitter or Facebook to discover more book series.